Reverend Joy,
Gigi and I have been working on the details of the ceremony.
If this comes
to you unformatted (ie, this is not bold and italic), you can find a web
page
of this letter at the URL:
http://home.earthlink.net/~ritter/private/sedona/ceremony.html
The ceremony will be very simple, and revolves around the
music played by the group Lyra, particularly their composition "Anthem",
which will be
played during the main body of the ceremony. I will be sending
you a copy of their CD so you can get a feel for the music.
I should probably explain the poem (below) that we will inscribe during
the ceremony, because the process is quite magical for those who
have ever tried it: We each took a piece of paper and wrote down
a single line of poetry, and then folded it over and passed it to the
other person, who (without looking at what was just written), adds a
second line, and then folds it over and passes it back. You each
do this three or four times, after which you unfold the papers and
read the lines straight through, as if it was written by a single
person. The coincidences of terms and phrases in the consecutive
lines of our poem are exactly that. Such is the mystery of the
collaborative poem, and the collaborative life we live.
Here is a synopsis of the "screenplay" of the ceremony. Everything
in italics is description, and everything in bold is spoken.
Plaintext
will be written by us. Feel free to make any suggestions for changes
or take artistic license with the recitation when the ceremony occurs.
Also if something sounds "stilted" or too stylized when you read things
out loud then we can tone it down a bit. Anyway, here's the script:
1:45pm: Lyra begins to play incidental music, as Rev Joy, Niles,
Gigi,
and their friends Steve and Esther meet at the table by the creek. We
all introduce ourselves and sit down at the table and get settled in.
2:00pm: At this point Lyra will stop playing music, which will be
the cue for Rev Joy to make a brief greeting to all attending (from your
heart,
and the spirit and weather of the moment), followed by this reading:
The 13th century buddhist monk Nichiren once wrote:
You are like the two wings of a bird or the two eyes of a
man.
A man and wife are as close as a body and shadow, flowers and fruit, or
roots and leaves, in every existence of life. Insects eat the trees they
live in, and fish drink the water in which they swim. If grass withers,
orchids grieve; if pine trees flourish, oaks rejoice. Even trees and
grass are so closely related. The hiyoku is a bird with one body and two
heads. Both of its mouths nourish the same body. Hiboku are fish with
only one eye each, so the male and female remain together for life. A
husband and wife should be like them.
Rev. Joy will then explain:
Niles and Gigi have had custom Wedding rings
made, each a variation on
the same motif, in which on each ring will be seen a pair of feather-quill
pens,
writing in the same book. This is both a literal reference to their
shared love
of books which brought them together, and the image of two minds and
two souls producing a single work of art, which are their lives together.
Niles and Gigi have chosen to express their devotion to each
other
through a ceremony of their own making which will not consist of spoken
vows, but by their act of composing, in pen and ink, a poem
in 7 couplets,
each writing complementary halves of the pair, and which will be their
bond,
and their Anthem.
2:05 On this cue ("Anthem"), the group Lyra will begin to play their
song "Anthem",
and no words will be spoken for the duration of the song as Niles and Gigi
first
produce the inscribed parchment document, followed by their exchange of
rings.
The parchment we will compose will be as follows (blue written by
Niles,
black written by Gigi):
Anthem
When I think of you my heart
feels like it will burst
Waking in the morning
a blissful double S
I know that you will hold me close and never let me go
I will do the same for you
When I hold you, the earth
reverses its orbit, and laughs
You calm me down
and make things serene
The luminous ocean waves at Carmel
traced lines in our hearts
You are the love of my life
I will love you always.
I want to measure the points of time
with your laughter
Your love makes me feel safe and secure
Two pens writing a legend of simple Joy
Our lives have flowed together peacefully
and joyfully, like coming home
This ring, and my Life, are yours
Life with you has been an exploration:
Places, Books, Food, my Heart
This is the Anthem of our lives.
----
2:10: Following the exchange of rings, Lyra finishes the piece "Anthem,
and
the Rev Joy now proclaims (similar to #16):
And now, in as much as You Niles and Gigi have agreed
to Join in this
Loving Union of Marriage, and have inscribed and woven your lives
together in poetic ink, in the joyful presence and witness of your friends
and
all those gathered here, and in the presence of the earth, and in
the presence of
the sky, and in the presence of the gentle river and stars that make
us
ever wonder, May the Blessings of Love and the Wisdom and Strength
of
Life be your constant companion now and Always.
It is my pleasure to introduce to their friends,
Niles and Gigi,
Husband and Wife.
(You may now Kiss).
2:15: Following the Kiss, Lyra begins to play incidental music
again as we
pour the champagne (or sparkling cider for non-alcoholics), and begin our
luncheon picnic, at creekside, and enjoy the rest of the day.
3:45: Lyra finishes and we send them on their way.
END.
How does that sound? --Niles and Gigi.