On Wednesday, September 14, from 3-6 pm at the Port of Bellingham property on Granary Ave in Bellingham, Lummi House of Tears Carvers requested a Blessing Ceremony for a Totem Pole that will be traveling to Clean Energy Justice Convergence in Pittsburgh, PA. Members of the Faith Community were asked to help bless the pole.
Here is the Blessing that Pastor Emma gave under a hazy sky:
A Blessing for the Totem Pole during Fire Season
“Tree gives glory to god by being a tree”
-Thomas Merton
This totem pole was once a living tree
This ash and smoke that hangs in the sky
was also once a living tree
From the ash of death
Even today, may we reach to the source of life
The source of life that is known by many names
And so we give thanks for this time together to gather here in this place, with these people, so that those gathered may provide what they have, so that together we can ensure all have what they need.
So we turn to that source to give you thanks for this land we share and the blessings that you pour out upon us
And ask that you attune our eyes, our ears and our hearts to hear the call of all the creatures who are seeking safe streams, safe passageway, safe mountains and safe spaces to call home
And so even on days like this, as the sky is still filled with remnants of trees,
we give thanks for the trees
For their beauty
For their canvas
For their collaboration with the carvers to let delight, and remembrance and joy and warning be infused into this particular tree
And we say thank you.
Thank you to the many hands that made this totem. And the people that brought this totem here and the people who will bless it in each stop along the way until it reaches the other shores of this land.
Land with its own beautiful trees
And its own time for sacred listening.
We need our trees
We need moments to honor the memory of those
who sacrificed so much to lift up the fight for justice for all.
And so we remember
and we grieve
And we recommit to the work that this totem is a legacy of.
When people gather energy is shared
Because gathering with a clear intention has the power to transform, to change and to allow minds imagine again.
So we infuse this totem with our energy here so that it may be transferred to another large gathering of people who have power. Power to transform the ways that our world is cared for. So put all the energy you can muster to help those who gather in Pittsburgh to make decisions that empower all, especially the most vulnerable. Because each action that affects our planet, affects us all.
As -Paul Tsongas said “We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sense of sacredness in that reaching.”
So keep reaching. Keep sending that energy and life force into this pole for the healing of the land, the people and all creation.