Sacred Time: Watch Night Service

December 31, 2024 - January 1, 2025

In times of profound change and uncertainty, we gather as our ancestors did in 1862, when they held vigil in praise houses and sacred spaces, waiting for freedom's dawn. Tonight, we too stand at a crossroads, carrying the weight of our community's fears, holding the fire of our righteous anger, yet anchored in the wisdom of those who came before us.

We acknowledge the deep waters of emotion that move through our community: the anger that burns like a purifying flame, the fear that grips our hearts in the dark hours, and the determination that rises like a mighty stream. These feelings are not weakness - they are testament to our humanity and our deep love for justice.

As this pivotal year draws to a close, we remember the Gullah Geechee people who transformed their night of waiting into an act of revolution. They understood, as we must understand, that change comes both in thunderous moments and in quiet victories, in dramatic shifts and in patient persistence.

In this sacred space, we step into the power of our ancestral wisdom. When fear threatens to overwhelm, we remember how our forebears transformed their terror into triumph. When anger burns hot, we recall how generations before us channeled their rage into righteous action. Through the ancient practice of bowl burning, we release not just our personal burdens, but our collective traumas, our communal anxieties, our shared apprehensions about the future.

As we move through our ceremony - from the Release Ritual to the Money Blessing, from bended knee to raised voices - we invoke Orunmila, who knows that destiny unfolds in its own time. We greet the Orisha, who teach us that power can flow through chaos. Through subtle body healing, we restore ourselves for the work ahead, for the watching and the waiting, for the building and the believing.

Tonight, we name our fears so they may be transformed. We honor our anger so it may fuel our resolve. We acknowledge our weariness so it may be lifted. As the elders taught us, we must "Let go what is going and let come what is coming." In this release, we find our power. In this surrender, we claim our strength.

Every prayer uttered tonight joins the eternal chorus of those who have watched and waited through the centuries - not with passive acceptance, but with active hope. Our ancestors knew that freedom requires both spiritual preparation and earthly action. Tonight, we arm ourselves with both.

As midnight approaches, we stand as a community united - not by our certainties, but by our questions; not by our comfort, but by our commitment to face whatever comes with dignity and determination. In times of transformation, we remember: we are the descendants of those who survived the unthinkable, who dreamed the impossible, who built the miraculous.

Let us begin our sacred work. I invite you to join me Tues 31 Dec 24 9P EST

ORDER OF SERVICE :

• Refreshing your altars (Flowers, honey, fruits, incense, essential oils, fresh altar cloth)

• Setting your intentions (Use your maps of consciousness or the information from your Reading of the Year)

• Release Ritual | Money Blessing (Use "ancestor money" for bowl burning https://a.co/d/hL9NrJ7; https://a.co/d/7OiUqen; https://a.co/d/8QL6ddu. You should have a caste iron pot or frying pan & charcoal)

• On Bended Knee | Prayer from Our Journey

• Invoking Orunmila

• Greeting the Orisha

• Subtle Body Healing | YoGa NiDRa