We Remember You - A chant to honor the Ancestors
Altar for my beloved Aunt Julia - one of the Bright and Shining ones.
This is the second offering in this series of community songs/waking lullabies, and it’s the very first ceremony song! It seems I’m not going to be able to share these without a loooong story, so get comfy! Or scroll down to the bottom for the teaching tracks.
I was born under a waning gibbous moon at the degree in the sky most closely associated with Imbolc. For those to whom that last sentence was a bunch of gibberish, I’ll just say this: there’s some contradiction there. Viewed through that celestial lens, I’m marked for both endings and the seeds of new beginnings. It seems like part of my path in this life has always been to help things end well (or at least witness these endings with compassion), and also to help spark whatever’s next. Por ejemplo: Back in the olden days, I became a travel agent right before “internet reservations” became a thing, and I ended up being the one to teach travelers how to use them. I was one of the last two Geography majors who ever graduated from my college. My family as I knew it ended when I was seven, and a new one was born soon after. The list goes on. I have come to accept the fact that my presence tends to be a harbinger of change.
A little over two years ago, the cherished community of ceremony and practice that I had found here in Tucson began to dissolve - first geographically, then relationally. As the land that held it was sold, structures were dismantled, and the partnership at its core unwound, I felt untethered, compassionate toward all parties, and in familiar territory.
As always seems to be the case in these great unravelings, folks ultimately landed safely, and as the mighty tree was felled, so many new seedlings were planted. It was in one of these seedlings that this song was born.
One of the most beautiful facets of this community was the regularity of joint ceremony: full moon fires every month, events honoring equinoxes, solstices, cross-quarter days, etc.. I didn’t attend all of them, but I had taken for granted that there would always be a container in which to gather. When that container was gone, I was reminded (however abruptly) that we all have the ability to create ceremony any time - in every moment, if need be.
My ranch-mate & I (both members of this community) found ourselves wanting to celebrate Samhain with others. As I lamented the loss of the ready-made container for such things, we surveyed our joint resources: we were both well-apprenticed in creating (if not leading) ceremony, we had a fire pit, and we had a big, beautiful shared courtyard. Maybe we could build our own new container. She bravely volunteered to lead the ceremony, and asked me to lead some singing. My heart thrilled at this opportunity to sing in community (I didn’t get to do this much back then!) I gleefully accepted, and my stomach immediately plummeted. What the heck were we going to sing? I could happily (if not skillfully) lead folks in jazz songs from the 20’s, pop songs from the 80’s, Kundalini Yoga mantras, or folk songs of all stripes, but aside from “Monster Mash”, I was coming up very short with Samhain-appropriate offerings. At that point, I had heard other folks singing beautiful earthsongs, but I certainly didn’t know any. Correction: I knew one - This Fire by Laurence Cole, which my ranch-mate had encouraged me to learn for another fire ceremony. But, I digress.
I turned to The Interwebs, which were deeply unhelpful. A search for “Samhain Songs” turned up a lot of dark matter that didn’t really resonate with my desire to honor the Ancestors. I asked around & no one I knew had any Samhain or Ancestor songs in their hip pocket. Side note: I am MASSIVELY grateful for the much-better song resources that I have learned about since then! But back then, it was dark times, indeed.
As Samhain approached, my panic level began to steadily climb as nothing came to mind. And then I remembered: when a mind is foggy or confused and isn’t helping to solve the problem at hand, it’s probably the wrong tool for the job. So I stopped thinking about it. I journeyed. I dropped into my heart. I asked for help from…you guessed it…the Ancestors. ❤️ I asked what they most wanted to hear, and that night, in the shower (always with the water!), this song arrived, line by line, like a call and echo from the Ancestors themselves.
As this year winds down and its many fruits are harvested, counted, and stored; in the fallow time before the next quickening, may this song help you remember and honor those that came before.
May it help you to remember and honor both the Ancestors and your own power to create what is needed in any given moment. <3
These are teaching tracks for community singing.
Lyrics:
We remember you
We remember you
Come and be feasted, come and be fed
We remember you
Bright Ones, Shining Ones
We remember you
Come and be honored, come and be fed
We remember you
Music and lyrics by Juliana Murphy (and the Ancestors! <3)
This song is intended to be shared freely and sung both individually and in community. If you plan to perform or record it with the intent to sell, please contact me for permission.