Michelle Embree read these opening words on July 26th for Jessie & Joel and the hair on my arms stood on end. My eyes welled up with tears and I looked around feeling nothing but gratitude for my family, my community at this place in time. My gift has always been to attempt to capture that love we have for one another at these rare times we all gather in one place to celebrate and rejoice be it for the ceremony of love, music, art, performance or just to sit and watch our gardens grow.
For those of you who were there that these images recap the amazing vibes of this weekend. For those of you who couldn't make it that you can glean the magic that was generated and for you who don't know these folks that they conjure inspiration for nurturing love of those you hold close to your heart. I suggest listening to this song while checking these out.
If you want to dive deep into the weekend there are over 500 photos to jump into.
July
26th 2014
UNION
Michelle Embree
We arrive here each of us to
become forever A part of this commitment between Jessie & Joel. We arrive
here each of us to act not only as witness but as magician.
We arrive here with active
responsibility to impart our gifts of friendship.
To lend a portion of our
memory to the event of this weekend - a portion of our memory to the conscious
bond Made between these two persons on this day.
We arrive here to make ceremony
in service to the body of love. To seal a bond of union with our presence with
our faith that this union will act as an expression of love.
Love is the highest knowledge and
when two people commit to love one another they commit to living in service to
love through the actions they make toward one another.
Love is the highest knowledge. It
comes before any of us, it comes before any of this.
Love is the highest knowledge and
some are called to serve this knowledge through union with another. Some are
called to create a union that serves as a living expression of love.
Love is the highest knowledge and
it is the purpose of those who serve through union to see the other in their
highest worth- to see the other as their greatest self. To see the other as
healed. As whole, as complete.
Love is the highest knowledge and
it has summonsed all of us today. Each and every one of us has been called here
to work as magicians to act as witness to the highest worth of each of us.
Today we are called to act in
service to the body of love. To see one another in their highest worth is to
see in love, in wisdom, in truth.
Look around you- see one another
as healed- see one another as whole.
See each in their highest worth.
See each as healed, as whole.
This is your work as magicians.
This is your gift to give.
See each of you and you and you
as whole.
This is your gift.
It is your power and today we
all—each of us—are called to use it. To use our power. Our gifts in service to
the body of love.
Today we make ceremony for the
union of Joel and Jessie. We offer ourselves in friendship. We see you both in
your highest worth. We see you as healed. We see you as whole. This is how we
know you.
Today we stand with you both as
witness and as magician. We commit a portion of our memory to this day evermore
and act to seal this bond in time.
Today we see as the highest
knowledge must always see. Today we see as the body of love. We see the most
beautiful of all things.
We see life.
This glorious pulse.
This ineffable ache.
This valiant struggle to become
closer and closer in love.
Today we stand in our highest
worth. Today we know ourselves as healed. Today we acknowledge that we are
whole.
Today we witness union in service to the body of love and by the power
vested deep in our beating hearts through the blood of life we bestow our
bonding magick’s upon this alchemy of soul. Today we see with love and know
that it is more than enough.
Love is the highest knowledge and
today is lived in its honor. Today we see ourselves and each other in our
highest worth. We see ourselves and one another as healed, as whole.
Today we thank Joel & Jessie
for their commitment to serve the body of love in union. And we thank you all
each and everyone of you for being exactly who you are.