159 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
159 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
Date: Fri 23 Oct 87 22:15:44
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From: Ryan Hunter
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To: Sean Barrett
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Subj: wedding/handfasting ceremony
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[The following wedding ceremony was written to provide for Pagans
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who must of necessity be wed in the presence of the uninitiated
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who are not pagan and are perhaps unaware that the bride and
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groom are pagan. Replace the words Bride and Groom below with the
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names of the happy couple. This ceremony was used by both my wife
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and myself and by my sister and her husband. They modified the
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text at the point below where it says "loving each other wholly
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and completely" to add the phrase "forsaking all others" as they
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are into monogamy. Either version works beautifully, I recommend
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the participants rewrite where necessary to form a legal contract
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that they can and will keep. It is easy to avoid being an
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oathbreaker if you only swear to that that you will keep and
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avoid swearing to something just because the other party wants it
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or because it might be "expected" by the family. Notice: parts of
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this ritual were cribbed from the writings of others. I apologise
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in advance for failure to reference sources but after the
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fifteenth rewrite we had forgotten where we got the text and what
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was and what was not original to us. I doubt if there are quotes
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from other sources longer than paragraph length and thus should
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not be a copyright problem. If you see something that is yours,
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please send me mail and I will reference you in the future. Our
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thanks to those who paved the way. --Ryan Hunter]
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[PRIEST] We have come together here in celebration of the joining
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together of ____bride______ and ____groom______. There are many
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things to say about marriage. Much wisdom concerning the joining
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together of two souls,has come our way through all paths of
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belief, and from many cultures. With each union, more knowledge
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is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though we are unable to give
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all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope
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to leave with them the knowledge of love and its strengths and
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the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time. The law of
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life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing,
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without love, death has no redemtion. Love is anterior to Life,
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posterior to Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of
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Earth. If we learn no more in life, let it be this.
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Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable
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thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its
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cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. With
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full understanding of this, Groom and Bride have come here today
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to be joined as one in marriage.
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Others would ask, at this time, who gives the bride in marriage,
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but, as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and
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taken, I ask simply if she comes of her own will and if she has
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her family's blessing.
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Bride, is it true that you come of your own free will and
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accord?
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[BRIDE] Yes, it is true.
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[PRIEST] With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you.
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[FATHER] She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all
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of her family's blessings.
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[PRIEST] Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that
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which I am about to say.
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Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth
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pass, remember...
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Like a stone should your love be firm like a star should your
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love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect
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guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind
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you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy,
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and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be
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close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be
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understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will
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come, but they will pass quickly.
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Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not
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the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for God is with
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you always.
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Groom, I have not the right to bind thee to Bride, only you have
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this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place
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your ring in her hand.
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[GROOM] It is my wish.
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[PRIEST] Bride, if it be your wish for Groom to be bound to
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you, place the ring on his finger. (places ring on Groom's left
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ring finger)
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Bride I have not the right to bind thee to Groom only you have
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this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place
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your ring in his hand.
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[BRIDE] It is my wish.
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[PRIEST] Groom, if it be your wish for Bride to be bound to you,
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place the ring on her finger.(places ring on Bride's left
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ring finger)
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(to Groom) Repeat after me:
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I, (grooms full name), in the name of the spirit of God that
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resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood
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and the love that resides within my heart, take thee (bride's
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full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my
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chosen one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess
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thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught
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can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love
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thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in
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health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we
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shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change
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thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people,
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and thy ways as I respect myself.
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(to Bride)
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I (bride's full name), in the name of the spirit of God that
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resides within us all, by the life that courses within my
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blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee,
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(Groom's full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be
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my chosen one. To desire and be desired by thee, to possess
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thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught
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can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love
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thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in
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health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we
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shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change
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thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people,
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and thy ways as I respect myself.
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[PRIEST]
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(hands chalice to the groom, saying:) May you drink your fill
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from the cup of love.
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(Groom holds chalice to bride while she sips then bride takes
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chalice and holds it to groom while he sips. The chalice is then
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handed back to the Priest who sets it on the table. Next the
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Priest takes the plate of bread, giving it to the groom. Same
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procedure repeated with bread, groom feeding bride and bride
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feeding groom.)
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By the power vested in me by God and the State of Alabama, I now
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pronounce you husband and wife. May your love so endure that its
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flame remains a guiding light unto you.
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Sean, I hope this helps. We really loved it. BTW, to all concerned,
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after severe problems, Fawn and I have rededicated ourselves to making
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our marriage happy and productive. Thanks to excellent counselling and a
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genuine desire on both our parts to succeed in our relationship, we have
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weathered (at least for now) our first major storm in our young (2 1/2
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yrs. ) marriage. These vows, and a carefull consideration of them have
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helped us.
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Blessed be,
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-Ryan
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---
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* Origin: Liberty BBS (Opus 1:18/17)
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