Opening Remarks
Welcome to all who have come to participate in this sacred event. My name is Pam Willerton and I am a lay chaplain with the Unitarian Church of Edmonton. On behalf of Darcy and Michael and their families, I would like to thank you for being here.

As we get ready to begin this ceremony, I ask that you enter into a moment of reflection and meditation and remember your own relationships. Renew in your mind and heart your vows and your commitments as we celebrate the bond between Darcy and Michael.

Processional

Presentation
As our sons and daughters find partners and found the home of the future generation, each family is enlarged. Do you here gathered, who have nurtured these two, bestow your blessings on their union and their family? Reply: We do.

Introduction
Friends, Darcy and Michael have invited us here today to share in the celebration of their marriage. The words that will be spoken here today are sacred, although these words are not what join these two. Indeed, it is not I who is joining these two today at all, nor is it this ceremony. We are not here to mark the start of a relationship; we are here to recognize a bond that already exists. With this in mind, we will call to the elements and the five directions to be here with us as we witness their love and commitment.

Calling the Directions –South
I call to the spirits from the South
Whose essences are akin to the element of Fire.
I call to the spirit of the South
The place of Summer and high noon’s heat.
I call to the spirits from the South
Who have established in this direction:
the place of spontaneity & laughter,
the place of unlimited creativity,
the place of dance and free expression,
the home of joy and freedom.
I call for the spirits of the South to bring
the blaze of Inspiration, illumination, and exploration.

Calling the Directions –West
I call to the spirits from the West
Whose essences are akin to the element of Water.
I call to the spirit of the West
The place of Autumn and sunset’s glow.
I call to the spirits from the West
Who have established in this direction:
the place of transforming anger with forgiveness,
the place of healing wounds with compassion,
the place of removing obstacles to an open heart,
the home of truth which is the breath of love.
I call for the spirits of the West to bring
the flow of passion, courage, vigor, gentleness, innocence, trust.

Calling the Directions –North
I call to the spirits from the North
Whose essences are akin to the element of Earth.
I call to the spirit of the North
The place of Winter and night’s embrace.
I call to the spirits from the North
Who have established in this direction:
the place of silence & allowing,
the place of letting go,
the place of generation and regeneration,
the home of abundance & beauty.
I call to the spirits of the North to bring
Strength from the core of the earth, understanding, introspection, steadfastness.

Calling the Directions -East
I call to the spirits from the East
Whose essences are akin to the element of Air.
I call to the spirit of the East
The place of Spring and the dawn’s beginning.
I call to the spirits from the East
Who have established in this direction:
the place of the place of expanding limits and boundaries,
the place of learning and discrimination,
the home of learning to face tests and challenges,
the home of focus and willful action.
I call for the spirits of the East to bring
the power of the wind, the knowledge of the ancestors; wisdom.

Calling the Directions: Centre
I call the spirits of the Centre
Whose essences are akin to the hub of a wheel
I call the spirits of the Centre
The place of stillness and the immanent present.
I call the spirits of the Centre
Who have established in this direction:
the place of rest in the midst of motion,
the place of balance that shifts and changes,
the place of foundation and manifestation,
the home of the many combined into One.
I call for the spirits of the Centre to bring
the power of the present, the knowledge of the moment: grounding.


Affirmation of Intentions (required)
Darcy & Michael, you have invited us to witness the happiness you have found in each other. Are you ready to make the pledges through which you commit yourselves to each other in love? Response: We Are

Charge to the Couple
Together the five directions form the sacred circle that gathers all people within. The sacred circle encloses us so that we learn with each other:
*We carry ourselves with self-respect
*We work for balance in our mind, body and spirit
*We stay in harmony with nature
*We keep the spirit of the Center within us always
*We know we will be led to do what is best for us and others

Blessed be your intention, which is to open yourselves to the messages of the five directions. Their attributes are many, and may it be your intention to bring them into your relationship and home. It is honourable to seek to establish such things as courage, passion, trust, understanding, and creativity. Our ancestors have shared and continue to share, their wisdom with us. If you too are to become wise, you will listen to their words. You will look for balance & harmony in nature and within yourselves. You will join with people all over the world in working for peace and harmony in relationships, and most of all of your relationship with each other.

First Reading - "Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love", by Edmund O'Neill. Read by Brittany Smith
Marriage is a commitment to life, to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal; a joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other's best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger; even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfill.

Introduction to the Vows
Darcy & Michael, you have carefully considered what you are about to do. You both understand that marriage is the most sacred and complex of all interpersonal relationships, full of challenges and yet full of joy. Through your marriage, you will learn more about each other, become more loving and fulfilled people realize that difficult situations can become opportunities for growth and fulfillment, individually and together.

In sharing these moments with this group assembled, you are making public what you have felt for quite some time. For this moment of sharing we thank you and extend to you both our hopes and aspirations, our good wishes and our blessings.

Exchange of Vows (required)
I, Darcy, take you, Michael, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know with respect for your integrity and faith in your abiding love for me through all our years and in all that life may bring us.

I, Michael, take you, Darcy, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know with respect for your integrity and faith in your abiding love for me through all our years and in all that life may bring us.

(May I have the rings please)

Ring Vows
May your ring be always the symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end. Love freely given has no giver and no receiver. You are each the giver and the receiver. May your ring always call to mind the freedom and the power of this love.

Michael:
I give you this ring as a symbol of our love and unity.

Darcy:
I give you this ring as a symbol of our love and unity.

Ring Ceremony Affirmation
In giving and receiving rings, Darcy and Michael have taken unto themselves symbols of all that this marriage means to them, and in wearing these rings they are joining those meanings with a public statement that they are married. Each of us knows the values of love and devotion, companionship and trust, honour and caring which come in any intimate relationship. Let us take this time to think on these things and share our hopes for Darcy and Michael.

Second Reading-From Handfasting and Wedding Rituals-Inviting Hera’s Blessing. Read by Anita Bahry during the
Symbolic Hand Fastening
Blessed be the earth we stand upon
And blessed be these two who stand before us.
Blessed be the eyes of the witnesses
And blessed be the two upon whom they gaze
Blessed be the arms of family and friends who embrace them
And Blessed be their hands that entwine in love
Blessed be our many loving memories
And Blessed be their hearts that join together
Blessed be the circle of community
And may our blessings be upon these two forever.

Signing Marriage Register/Marriage Certificate

Third Reading - The Blessing Of The Apaches. Read by Patrick Sharman
May the sun bring you new energy by day;
May the moon softly restore you by night;
May the rain wash away your worries
And the breezes blow new strength into your being;
And all the days of your life may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty.

Now you can feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now there will be no loneliness,
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling to enter into the days of your life together.

Pronouncement
No single event marks a marriage. A marriage is the freely chosen union of two individuals. It is both culmination and commencement of a lifetime of love. Through the statement of common spirit and the exchange of rings, you have done what in truth neither state nor church can do: You have joined yourselves in a shared destiny.

For as much as Darcy and Michael have thus pledged themselves to each other in the presence of this Circle and this company, I do now, by the virtue of the authority vested in me, pronounce them husband and wife.

May we who are present, hold the inspiration of this hour alive in your hearts and memories, as Darcy and Michael will hold it as a symbol of their love and commitment.

EMBRACE

Closing Words
Now and forever may both of you be united in love and harmony; may both of you share your moods and your dreams with loving care; may both of you keep trust in each other, constant and deep; may you find joy in life and warm contentment as spouses. Each day is an opportunity to reaffirm your vows or create new ones as your marriage evolves. You are standing on the threshold of a new life and there is no right or wrong way to have a marriage and no standard against which to compare yourselves. Marriage reduces itself to love – physical attraction, admiration for mind, temperament of soul and the comfort, understanding and intimacy that no one else can provide.

Darcy, Michael; go now and walk the ways of the world together. And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

Presentment
It is my honour and joy to present to you, Darcy and Michael as husband and wife.

Broom Jumping