Chants

[Amanda Mitchell]

I am interested in finding some chants, that maybe, will help me "communicate" with my brother...... or at least come to terms with his death.
I say I am looking for chants, because I am interested in starting a daily ritual of "communing" with him in some way, and I figure chants would be easy to memorize and do on a daily basis, but if anyone knows of any prayers or anything else that would be good, please feel free to let me know about those as well.

[aldwyn]

I am very sorry for your loss. Losing a loved one is never easy. Here are two prayers you might find useful. Neither is very long, so by memorizing and repeating you could transform them into chants. I hope they provide you with some comfort.

#1
My brother has gone
before me.
In sorrow do I cry,
He has begun the journey
and left me bye and bye.
I cry for me;
rejoice for him
as life begins again.
With memories
and loving friends,
I'll take my comfort then.
Merry Meet. Merry Part. and Merry Meet Again
bright soul.
Blessed be.

#2
Lord and Lady,
You who gather the souls
of the dead,
in loving embrace,
receive my brother
into Your hearts and
hold him close.
The Wheel of the Year will
unfold without him;
bless me as I carry on alone,
Merry Meet, Merry Part. Merry Meet again.
Blessed Be.

*Both prayers from Book of Hours by Galen Gillotte.

[Amanda Mitchell]

Thanks! I really like these :)

[Anubis RainHawk]

I'm sorry for your loss. My circle did a grief ritual this past week and used this one:

Weaver Weaver
Weaver, Weaver, weave (Her) thread
Whole and strong into your web
Healer, Healer, heal (Her) pain
In love may (She) return again

We are dark and we are bright
We are formed of earth and light
Of joy and pain our lives are spun
But all too soon the spinning's done

No one knows why we are born
A web is made, a web is torn
Like wandering seabirds we alight
To rest one moment, then take flight

So may (She) find the hidden way
Beyond the gates of night and day
To that sweet land where apples grow
And endless healing waters flow

Of that spring, may (She) drink deep
And wake to dream, and die to sleep
And dreaming spin another form
A shining thread of life reborn
- Starhawk

You can find a clip of it here: http://www.beverlyfrederick.org/Music/ThroughTheDarkness-WeaverWeaver.mp3


Here's an article M. Macha Nightmare wrote which might be helpful:
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:bcgzdUYDvWMJ:www.machanightmare.com/chants.htm+weaver,+weaver%2B+starhawk&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=safari

What is remembered, lives. In love, may he return again. May the Goddess hold him in Her loving arms.

[Amanda Mitchell]

Thanks Anubis... quick question though... why are the words HER and SHE in parenthesis? Like...
" Weaver Weaver
Weaver, Weaver, weave (Her) thread
Whole and strong into your web
Healer, Healer, heal (Her) pain
In love may (She) return again"

[Anubis RainHawk]

Thanks Anubis... quick question though... why are the words HER and SHE in parenthesis? Like...
" Weaver Weaver
Weaver, Weaver, weave (Her) thread
Whole and strong into your web
Healer, Healer, heal (Her) pain
In love may (She) return again"

She/her is in parenthesis because its usually sung in reference to a woman, but you can change it to refer to a man. I sang it at a funeral two weeks ago and replaced 'she' with 'he' and as you can imagine, it was still a beautiful song.

hope this helps :)

[Amanda Mitchell]

She/her is in parenthesis because its usually sung in reference to a woman, but you can change it to refer to a man. Ok... I kinda figured maybe that's what it was, but I wasn't sure.

[Anubis RainHawk]

Perhaps you may also wish to look into The Pagan Book of Living and Dying: Practical Rituals, Prayers, Blessings, and Meditations on Crossing Over by Starhawk and M. Macha Nightmare

[Toby Stimpson]

One mantra I like is the asathoma mantra.

AsatoMa SadGamaya Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya Mrityor Maa Amritam Gamaya

Meaning:
Lead me from untruth to truth; Lead me from darkness to light; Lead me from death to immortality.

[Amanda Mitchell]

One mantra I like is the asathoma mantra.

AsatoMa SadGamaya Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya Mrityor Maa Amritam Gamaya

Meaning:
Lead me from untruth to truth; Lead me from darkness to light; Lead me from death to immortality.

Oh that one is awesome! What language is that? Can you speak it?
I just don't know if I'd ever be able to do a mantra in another language!!

[Anubis RainHawk]

Oh that one is awesome! What language is that? Can you speak it?
I just don't know if I'd ever be able to do a mantra in another language!!


It's Sanskrit. You can do it. Just practice a bit.
Here's a clip of it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHI6TyCverI&feature=related

[aluokaloo]

Sorry for your loss, :hugz: maybe you can make a short chant of your own. it would be personalized just for you and him. :hugz:

[Amanda Mitchell]

maybe you can make a short chant of your own. it would be personalized just for you and him. :hugz: Oh I wouldn't even know how to start. I am so NOT creative :(

[Toby Stimpson]

Oh that one is awesome! What language is that? Can you speak it?
I just don't know if I'd ever be able to do a mantra in another language!!


After you get the beats to it, it's easy.

But you can eqaully do it in english if you want.

It depends how you view death. If you believe in reincarnation or a final afterlife.

[Amanda Mitchell]

It depends how you view death. If you believe in reincarnation or a final afterlife. Really?
Well honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what I believe about that.
Which is which (is the Sanskirt version for reincarnation or final afterlife? What about the English version?)

[Toby Stimpson]

Really?
Well honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what I believe about that.
Which is which (is the Sanskirt version for reincarnation or final afterlife? What about the English version?)

Well the Sanskrit is the original and is direct. There are no other versions of it. That translation is not a version either, it's a translation but with similar meaning to other translations.

What I mean when I say that is that this mantra comes from a system that is heavily involved with reincarnation.

When it says lead me from untruth to truth, it means lead us away rom the ignorance of death.

When it says lead me rom death into immortality, it means helping you come to terms with the idea that death is not an end... but a piece to the puzzle. A knot in the string. Even though your brother is no longer in his body, and his body has now rotted away... the essence of who he is has gone on.

I'll say this though. Any chant you do... will have pwoer attached to it becasue your putting your emotions behind it. I you're not sure what you believe... then any chant you sing will be useless in either helping you to come to terms with his death AND helping his should wherever it might be ( i you come to believe in an aterlife at all!).

[Anubis RainHawk]

Well the Sanskrit is the original and is direct. There are no other versions of it. That translation is not a version either, it's a translation but with similar meaning to other translations.

What I mean when I say that is that this mantra comes from a system that is heavily involved with reincarnation.

When it says lead me from untruth to truth, it means lead us away rom the ignorance of death.

When it says lead me rom death into immortality, it means helping you come to terms with the idea that death is not an end... but a piece to the puzzle. A knot in the string. Even though your brother is no longer in his body, and his body has now rotted away... the essence of who he is has gone on.

I'll say this though. Any chant you do... will have pwoer attached to it becasue your putting your emotions behind it. I you're not sure what you believe... then any chant you sing will be useless in either helping you to come to terms with his death AND helping his should wherever it might be ( i you come to believe in an aterlife at all!).

Well said! Jai Maa! You totally opened my awareness to the deeper meaning of this mantra. It is offically one of my favorites :)

[Amanda Mitchell]

then any chant you sing will be useless in either helping you to come to terms with his death AND helping his should wherever it might be ( i you come to believe in an aterlife at all!).That makes sense. Thanks Hon.

**edited to say...
I know what I believe now!!! I had a AMAZING dream last night. It was all about Summerland.
So... yes, I believe whole-heartedly in reincarnation!!!