I wrote this prayer in 2007 after the mass shooting at Virginia Tech.

​Hermes! Hermes! Listen, the people call to you!

O, great Hermes Psychopompos, conveyor of souls,
Many lost ones showed up on the threshold last night.
Guide them gently to the shore of the River Styx and beyond.
I offer this bag of coins for their passage.

O, great Hermes Enodios, he who travels over the lands
Many souls are wandering, unsure of the road they travel.
Watch over their journey as they cross the last boundaries.
I offer this grain for their last pilgrimage.

O, scheming Hermes Dolios, charming trickster of the night,
The souls in your care found death in violence unsuspecting.
Help them escape from the pain of their last moments.
I offer this honey to sweeten their memories.

O, divine Hermes Diaktoros, translator between gods and men,
Heavy are the hearts that mourn today’s loss.
Whisper sweet words to cleanse their wounded hearts.
I offer this wine to ease their pain.

Hermes! Hermes! Hermes! Listen, this person calls to you!

I pour out the wine in your honor.
I pour out the oil in your honor.
I pour out the milk and honey in your honor.
​
Hermes! Hermes! Hermes!
Do not let the lost souls wander forever in the wild darkness.
Take them safely to rest in the Realms of the Dead.

I open my heart to my ancestral guiding spirits,
those who lived well and died well and met the challenges of their lives. 
May their presence guide me on the right path to live well 
and meet the challenges of my life.

I open my heart to Hanuman
and to his devotion, strength of purpose, and commitment.
May his presence support my dedication and commitment to my life's work
and to the service of my community.

I open my heart to Hekate
and to the light of her torches that illuminate the dark paths.
May her presence lead me to make decisions at the crossroads of life
and to step safely into the unknown future.

I open my heart to Oshun
and to her beauty, sweetness, and joy.
May her presence lift the burdens from my soul and the souls of all who need relief
and fill our lives with love and joy.

I open my heart to Dionysus
and to his wildness and vital generative life force.
May his presence fill my day with the ecstasy and boundlessness
of life triumphant and vibrant.

With these spirits around me, inside me, and guiding me,
I walk into this day with love, confidence, and purpose.

Inspired by Khi Armand, host of On Sacred Ground, episode 22

I sing to you, O Bridghid, queen of sacred poets,
Burning flame in the night.
Your light points the way out of the mental fog
And towards a higher purpose.
Every speck of paint, every smudge of charcoal,
Every song written and sung, every word written and shared,
Is within your power.
I dedicate them to you.

Let my words bring beauty,
Let them move the people to the saddest sweetest tears
And to the highest cries of ecstasy.

I dedicate my voice to you,
Lady of bards, poets, and madmen.

May I serve you with honor.
May my songs make you proud.
May my life make you smile.

Hail, Lady Bridghid, I honor you.
Accept my sacrifice.

written on Mohegan Island, Maine, 2000

Another drowning man
finds his way upon my shore.
Another wounded soul
kicked in the teeth by the gods,
bad luck and some Siren…

I taste the bile of knowing
my recurring role in the story,
the suspicious beginning,
the sweet middle, and
oh yes, the bitter end…

I am not doing this again.
My compassion has run out.
My heart is a seeping patchwork,
the work of previous Odysseuses.
This Calypso quits.

And Zeus can kiss my ass…


Written August 2003

Weary of the screams that filled her ears,
Tired of cleaning the blood from her fingernails,
Her acorns turning to ash in her pointed beak,
Macha turns away from the battle
And her sisters
In search for the normal life of home and family.

Loving his children was easy.
Tending the farm a joy.
Laying with him in the night,
She almost felt safe.
Macha dreams of roiling clouds
And jeering crowds
To be betrayed by carelessness.

It’s just a legend but it is her history,
And she curses her part.

written November 30, 2003

The river for herself
The river as herself
without human reference
without outward justification
her purpose known to herself
her path known to many

The river is a boundary impossible to cross without sacrifice.
The river is a fount of bounty for those who ask.
The river is a road to the underworld.
The river is a goddess of birth and death.
The river is a god of longing and searching.
The river is a shape-shifter of water and earth.
The water of the river purifies us.
The water of the river washes away our tears.
The water of the river carries us under.
The water of the river redeems us.
The water of the river takes in our despair and turns it into abundance.

Written March 2005

m Shri Hanumate Namah
Greetings to you, Lord Hanuman!

You are the Remover of Distress.
You are the Lord of the Senses.
You are an ardent listener, always so keen to listen.
You are a Great Warrior, capable of supporting all.
You are the sentry at the door of the Divine Abode.

Swift as thought and powerful as the wind are you, great Hanuman!

Your heart is filled with love and devotion for the Divine.
You are the repository of learning, virtuous and fully accomplished, always keen to be of service to the Divine.
You have been embraced by the Divine and have felt its heart full of joy.

The burden of all difficult tasks of the world become light with your kind grace.
I honor you, Hanuman, and seek your blessings.

Embrace me as you have been embraced.
Bless me as you have been blessed.
Fill my heart with love.
Fill my mind with intelligence.
Fill my soul with purpose.

I enshrine you within my heart and soul.

Om Shri Hanumate Namah

Written July 2005

I belong here and nowhere and everywhere
I am the sea that rises up and takes back

Sides are being taken and lines are being drawn
I wash over opposing armies indiscrimately

I am the sea that rises up and takes back
Hate and love, right and wrong, life and death

These mean nothing to me
I am the sea that rises up and takes back

I am that I am


Written July 2005