Spells for a funeral

[asakiyume]

A Twitter friend tweeted a post that said "Explaining a funeral to a 5 year old. He wants to know if the priest will 'do spells.'" She said in reply, "I would hope so!"

So I wrote this:

With this spell I do create
A chalice made of feathers
To hold your grief so softly
And uplift and honor it

and with *this* spell I do create
A lantern for the light
Of memories of the deceased
Carry it home with you
And may its shining comfort you


In other news, it's still snowing, and now the wind is whirling the snow around and carving sharp edges in it and hollowing out other parts, so I'm doing what I've always wanted to do: I've put some objects in the snow--a piece of wood and a plastic sign, plus a pile of shoveled snow, and I'm going to see how the wind makes the snow flow around them. Stay tuned for pictures, eventually.

Comments

[sovay]

With this spell I do create

This is very good. Also its rhythm reminds me of some real spells.

[asakiyume]

When *you* say a poem is good, it makes me very happy.

I'm glad it sounds like a real spell. The only spells I know originate in my own head... which may not make them not-real, but means I don't have an outside reference.

[cmcmck]

You may recall that I'm a Quaker and as you may know, we 'hold things in the light' (the light which is within all creatures and all things) so I like the way this works.

[asakiyume]

^_^

[mallorys_camera]

Ohhhh! Lovely poem. ❤️

[asakiyume]

My heart-cockles are very warm to hear you say so!

[sartorias]

Taht is a lovely spell!

[asakiyume]

Thank you <3

[littlerhymes]

That is beautiful!

[asakiyume]

Thank you! ... I feel like a lot of us have need for spells/prayers like this these days

[amaebi]

Those are not just enjoyable poetry, but very good spells for memorial.

[asakiyume]

Thank you--that is definitely what I want them to be. Spells/memorials/prayers for real

[mrissa]

I knew that the pastor was not actually doing a spell to give away my father, but when he said, "And now oh lord into your hands we commend your servant Daniel," I kind of lost my shit and attempted a spell interrupt. Luckily I was very quiet. Because what I did was to say, "Oh no we don't you can't have him I want him BACK you give him BACK." I had no conscious intention to say this, it just...happened.

But the thing this experience did was: when I am writing fantasy cultures, I am extremely careful that nothing should magically/metaphysically depend on people in extremis of grief doing everything exactly right, because they will not, and no functional culture can run on that basis.

[asakiyume]

Your second paragraph: yes. Your fantasy cultures will ring (do ring) emotionally true.