Elemental Super Heroes!

The heart monitor made a faint rhythmical beeping. Bud lay on the hospital bed, wrapped in head to toe in crisp band aids.

Flood sat beside her husband, holding his hand, he had saved her life by covering her body with his when the explosion hit.

“...Bud...” Flood said as she lay her head on the bed, as the beeping slowed.

“I...” Bud whispered. “I love... love you...”

Flame and the others were standing outside in the hallway when they heard Flood sob, and the monitor cry out as Bud’s heart stopped.

The nurses and doctors ran into the room, attempting to save Bud, but also pushed Flood out of the room.

Flood hugged Leaf, who had just lost his twin.

***

“Flame...” Leaf said later that evening, after Bud lay in the morgue.

“Yes Leaf?” Flame said.

“I want you to be the High Priestess at Bud’s funeral...” Leaf said, “After I do the twin absorption ritual.”

“Yes...I would be honored to be the High Priestess...” Flame said, “But I think it would be right that you and Flood, the closest to him be the High Priest and High Priestess...”

Leaf nodded, “Yes... I see.”

***

Bud’s person was to be buried wrapped in a cloth. His body would decompose as quickly as possible to nourish other life.
Leaf looked upon his brother’s wrapped corpse and sighed. Everyone knew that even under the best circumstances the spirit will sometimes remain partly tied to the corpse, in a state of greater or lesser awareness and confusion and pain, for a period of time unless assisted to journey on. And so the dead person is a primary guest at the funeral, because he may very well need to be there. Leaf sighed, his brother was there, he could feel him. Bud had died so suddenly, left so much behind, that he may refuse to travel onwards.

The Priestess and Priest, Flood as the Priestess and Leaf as the Priest, dressed in green and black respectively, conducted the ceremony. Their assistants, dressed in red and black, in this case, Earth and Shadow, shall assist, act as ushers.
The ritual space was prepared as followed: cleared of furniture, with a candle at each of the cardinal directions and two flanking the main altar. The corpse was laid out at the main altar, dressed in his normal attire.

Flood sweep and Cast the Circle as usual, in the groups altar room. As the mourners wait at the edge to the ritual space, the Priestess, Flood, swept out the Circle widdershins while concentrating and grounding. She replaced the broom by the main altar, pick up the sword and cast the Circle widdershins while she spoke softly.

“This is a place which is not a place
in a time which is not a time
halfway between the worlds of the Gods
and of mortals.”
Then Flood brought people into the Circle as usual. Flood took Leaf by the hands and pulls him into the Circle. They turned in a half-turn widdershins as he came in and then he pulled in the next person and so on until everyone was in the Circle, after which Flood took up the sword and closes off the doorway left in the Circle through which people had entered.

Flood called the directions widdershins, beginning with West. Flood spoke softly again,

“As the sun sets
So our friend has left us
The water of our tears like the salt water of the sea, and
like the water of our mothers\' womb, blesses this Circle.”


Flame spoke now, speaking softly her assigned part,
“As life is a day
So our friend has passed into the night
The fire of our life, the memories and courage, the
strength given to us by our friend blesses this Circle.”
Wind now spoke his part,
“As all that falls shall rise againSo our friend will be reborn
The air we breath, this treasure of our life, the
compassionate caring we give each other blesses this Circle.”

Earth spoke slowly, remembering his part, he spoke softly, majestically,
“As the Earth forms us
So our friend shall return to the earth
Our Mother feeds us, and clothes us.
She gives us everything and in the end she takes our bodies back.
And earth blesses this Circle.”

Flood and Leaf recognized the presence of the Gods in the Circle and specifically heighten their own awareness of the presence of the divine, acting from the divine part of themselves through the ritual. Leaf spoke to Flood.

“You are the Goddess, as are all women.
You give birth.
You feed the children from your own body.
And You take them back for a new birth.
World without end, eternal creation.”

Flood then spoke to Leaf,
“And you are the God, as are all men.
You are born.
You live and You die, only to be born again.
All-Father, All-Destroyer, ruler of the land of the dead.”

Together the two spoke,
“Birth and death.
Over and over and over.”

Flood took a breath and turned towards Bud’s body and spoke, “You are dead. None should ever die alone. I am here to help you with your death.
There is only love, the greatest Mystery. I reach behind my fear. I open my heart and my eyes in the light of this love.
Our lives are formed of many others and we form other lives in turn. And when we are here with you after you die we honour your life.
There is only love. The love of the Goddess gives birth to the universe. The love of our parents gives birth to us. The love of our friends and family sustains our life. Kindness, love, and pleasure - we are formed from these and we form each other. When we die we leave them behind us.
You have left your family. You have left sex, and even gender. You cannot be a woman or a man and enter the other world. You have left behind your body. None who have bodies can pass into the other world.
The Goddess is taking you back now, the Great Mother. Her womb is the Earth that will recieve your body, your body is a seed now, a seed of other lives.
In a sacred space we have gathered to honour you and to give you some things to take on the journey with you.” Flood wiped away a single tear, knowing that he was going on to a better place.

Leaf took a breath and looked at the coven mates, “Please come up now if you can and speak to your dead. Tell him whatever you need to. Help in the journey into death.” Leaf then turned towards his brother and spoke,

“I will remember you at Samhain and bless you then, dear brother...”
The rest of the Circle chanted, quietly while everyone who wishes to comes to the main altar and talks to the dead person:
“We all come from the Goddess
and to Her we shall return
like a drop of rain
falling to the ocean

We all come from the Horned One
and through Him we are reborn
corn and grain, corn and grain
all that falls shall rise again.”

Leaf rested his hand on his brother’s head, “Twins... we are...one in the same, born of the same body, same mind and same soul... now that you have passed, dear brother twin, I am gracefully accepting your body into mine, so that you may live on...live on as me, in me. Go now, know that your life will not be forgotten, that you shall always be welcomed to live through me... Go now to the Summerland, know that you will be missed. You are a part of me, Bud...as I a part of you. You are my twin, now and forever...” Leaf ruffled his brother’s hair and sighed.
Flood came up to the corpse now, “You are my love...Bud, Handfasted not even a fortnight before. You gave your life to save mine, and I can never repay you for that. Dearest love, I will always remember you... never speak ill of you, and smile when I think of your life. I love the body, and the soul, and wish the soul a grand and safe journey until we shall meet again.” Flood leaned down and kissed his cold lips.

Earth walked forward, half afraid, “Bud...” He choked a bit, he had never seen a dead body before. “Bud, go now to the Goddess...she calls. I want you to know that you were a loving and caring person. You will not be forgotten, no. You will live on in your brother... every time I see him, I will think of you. You will live on in your wife, every time I see her smile or hear her laugh, I’ll think of you. And Bud...” Earth smiled, “I call dibs on your room.”

Flood was appauled, Storm and Wind choked back a laugh. Ice leaned forward and smacked Earth, “EARTH!” She hissed.

Flame walked forward now, “To Bud... a fellow Elemental Super Hero...butler or not, you were a part of us. Go journey now, and know that we will be here if ever you shall return, either in spirit or in physical form. I will miss you, Bud.” Flame could not speak, she just stood and looked at the body.

Nobody else could come up and talk to Bud.

Flood waited for everyone to stop, then spoke, “Journey on now, Bud. We will follow when we can. May you be born again at the same time and in the same place as those you knew and loved in this life. May you know them again and love them again.”
With that, Shadow and Earth rose to pick up the body, so Bud could be wrapped again in a shroud, as Flood spoke,
“To the East, The sun will rise again.
To the South , the Life continues
To the West, our Love is all that we can be sure of.
And to the North, Only the mother is eternal.”
Earth and Shadow put the body down after Leaf wrapped it, and Flood stood there. She lit a candle as the circle ended.
Earth and Shadow directed the others to food and drink and quiet conversation to continue while the Priestess, Priest, Flood and Leaf and the dead person\'s coven-mates, Wind, Storm, Shadow, Earth, Flame, Ice and Goldenna proceeded to the grave with the body of their beloved Bud.

The grave had been dug and prepared. Flood cast a Circle around the grave in the directions...
“We welcome the spirits of the ancestors and the honoured dead not yet reborn.
We welcome our heroes and inspiration.
We welcome the Ancestors to incarnate in our children and grandchildren and in our families.
We welcome our deaths and our lives.”

Flood stood still as Bud was lowered into his grave by Shadow and Earth.

Flood blessed the food and drink that would be left by the grave, to give nutrients to the soul as it traveled.
“It is not we that bless this food and drink
But it which blesses us.
In its nature it nourishes our bodies
and in sharing food and drink
we create community.”
Each person took a drink of the fine red grape juice, and poured some into the grave, and then ate some of the rice cake and placeed part in the grave. When all have finished the grave is filled in.

Earth bit off almost all of his small cake and threw just a bit into the grave.

The directions were dismissed quietly with an informal thanks. The mourners headed back to the reception.

A glass of wine and some cakes are left behind at the grave side. Flood turned once to look and then cried. “I...love you still Bud...even though the body is gone, the soul is going...the memories remain.”

At the reception, there was plenty of food, joyous celebrations. Everyone talked of Bud in life, not Bud in death.

The buffet was being attacked by an almost eighteen year old.

Ice looked at Leaf, “Are you alright Leaf?” She touched his shoulder.

“He’s...he’s here.” Leaf said, “He’s not gone to the Summerland yet, he’s staying until dusk.”

“You mean his spirits still here with us?” Earth said, walking by with the whole Turkey, and other things also on the platter.

“Yes...did I ever tell you the story of how we both broke our arm in the same spot when we were little Ice?” Leaf smiled.

“No...but it sounds interesting.”

***

((Yes, I know, talk about melancholia and all... but it had to be done. I added SOME Earth-isms. Guess who’s birthday is coming up...that and a special holiday celebration. To all my friends, good Litha, and may the Goddess grant you everything you desire!))