Crone Temple: The Spring Equinox of Joy

[Chris Wooding]

The Vala takes Daymian McMahon 's hand and holds it firmly. He knows this ritual, it is most important. We are bound in blood. A true Circle, unlike the Acolytes at the time I came to Sacramento. After a subtle nod Chris accepts the knife.

When the time is right, Chris cuts Jose as directed by the Hierophant. Blooood...

He continues to work with the Ritual until it is finished. And only then, he realizes they are have finally reached a number of five Acolytes. A circle, they formed a real Circle now. Now they have to be stable in numbers, they couldn't flicker out every other day like the Carthians, or be more Clanovent like the Sanctified.

Goddess, we are Woven together for you alone. He closes his eyes for a silent prayer as the night's rite concludes.

[David Silver]

"I spent many nights deliberating this evening." David says, his arms held out to the two newest members of the circle. "Now that we are all bound, how do we continue, I asked myself. Of course, I did not know the answer, so I looked to the Goddess."

David pauses.

"Of course, the goddess provided for us." David takes up the knife with his mouth, and slashes his own loosely bound wrist, going slowly, having to saw through due to the lack of leverage. Freeing his hand, he takes up the knife, and cuts Daymien's wrist as well, the cloth binding falling away to the bloody floor.

"We are bound, and we cannot be unbound. Our bounds are now more than cloth and blood, but our very spirits are bound up together. But we are not one organism, we are not so together that we must be as one. We are separate, and so we separate ourselves. But to sever our physical bonds, we must pay a price."

He cuts the cloth bindings holding Jose and Chris, not at the vitae stained center, but at the wrists, where there still is some white, where each tie is bound. He does not delicately slice off just the cloth, but cuts deep into the skin with each slice.

"What can we learn from this? Why does the goddess favor this method?"

Jose and Robert are cut, their bonds freed, their wrists now bloody.

"We learn three fold. First, that we are tied together, that our bond is so strong that it takes the sacrifice of our very gift to even temper it."

He cuts his own wrist, freeing the binding, and then Robert's wrist, and they too, are now freed.

"Second, we learn about bonds. They may be strong in the center, two hands clasped together are not easily torn apart. But at their base, they are weak."

Daymian and Chris, the first tie made, is now the last tie cut.

"We learn thirdly, that we must look within ourselves, to find the final answer." David smiles, his hands and face and arm bloody. "The Goddess will help you find the way, but the first step must be your own. Think on this, and return to me when you have an asnwer." He says, to the assembled group.

David takes a step back, to address the circle as a whole, his voice taking a louder, chanting cadence, as he calls out to the Goddess herself.
"Thus concludes this year of Joy. In happiness and in health, in thrill and in love, in ecstasy and victory, we end it. We have honored our year of joy with three holy nights, we have lived with joy, and we have sought out the joy in others. We now prepare ourselves for the Summer solstice, the holy Day that does not care what year we are in, does not care what joy or anger or caution we suffuse ourselves with. For the Summer Sun burns, and burns uncontrolled. The summer solstice is our holy day of mourning, of exquisite sadness and terror, our day of judgement, and loss."

David pauses, before seeping to slump, his vigor and religous verve leaving him.

"The summer will not be a public service, it is a pain we suffer without our observers. Additionally, clothes appropriate for mourning are required. With this, I thank you all for your attendance. The Crone looks favorably on all who join with us. I will stay behind to discuss if you have questions."

[Swift]

Dr. Swift remains quiet as the ceremony concludes, a look of contemplation on his face. He meets the eyes of each of the others in turn. While his expression remains serious his eyes hold a hint of a smile. The expression is not one of ecstasy or outright joy, but more of one of subtler contentment with an obvious, simmering energy underneath. He nods as the Hierophant concludes the ceremony, but clearly intends to linger as well. I must seek further guidance from the Hierophant, of course, but I also want to speak with the others. They are another sort of family now and I should know them better.