by Elf
11 June 02

Open your hands and receive
Grounding and security from the earth
As surely as you receive life from the air,
Creation and cleansing from the fire,
And healing and clarity from the water.

Know the strengths and weaknesses
In each gift from the elements
As surely as you know your own.
Know the elemental power given to you
So that you may wield it without faltering.

The spirits of the worlds have
Approached you with a sacred trust,
A bond that will tie you to them
Throughout this life and the next,
Throughout all, until the end of time.

Within this sacred trust
You have the ability to bring destruction
But also the ability to bring life
For life will always come from destruction.
It's the never-ending circle of death and rebirth.

Stand tall and strong, do not worry if you will fail
For the trust is not given lightly to those
Who do not deserve the respect.
Who do not have the necessary respect
For life, death, and consequences of actions.

The spirits have trusted you for millennia
How could I do less?
In the past, our lives are bound together
In another sacred trust that is different
Yet as strong as that given by the spirits.

I place my life in your hands,
My spirit with yours.
What you do, affects me as
What I do affects you
For the sacred trust is always returned.

It could be no other way.