this ceremony was largely written by vicka on her handspring visor on the mbta
red line, one fine morning, and tuned thereafter by daniel and sian.

band strikes up, phil arranges people

circle cast by chris with a smudge stick and book of poems, 
and the boys with glitter, ending at the ceremonial place

the flower girls lead to the ceremonial place

sian walks in

liz carries in the xupa, followed by tom, pauline, paul, and francie;
the xupa is held by those four

daniel and vicka walk in together and stand under the xupa (actually 
vicka, being a bossy sort, rearranged everybody first :)

glitter boys fling glitter at appropriate moments, and then some

sian sez: 
	These two come together today, before you who care about them and 
	before all they hold sacred, to acknowledge and celebrate and bless 
	their union.

vicka and daniel say together a poem by kenneth koch called "permanently"
	alternating lines, and to be found elsewhere on this site

sian sez:
	I ask of fate, i ask of all that is sacred to make this union 
	sacred, to help it bear love and peace, grow in beauty and strength. 
	As their friend i give them my own love and reflect their own upon them.
 	As their priestess i bless them together. I ask you as those who see 
	them and those who love them to bless them and their union too, to 
	give them your own strength and hope and vision. 

daniel and vicka say to each other:
	i will share my life with you
	with open honesty, tolerance, kindness, persistence, and love
	i give you my devotion
	i take you as my spouse and give myself to be yours
	so i vow for a year and a day, and so i hope for a lifetime

sian sez:
	so mote it be.  now witness this handfasting, done in hope
	and strength and love

sian binds the handfasting, saying
	vicka and daniel, i bind you together
and removes the tied binding, as vicka and daniel hold hands, saying
	and i set you free together, to go on together, and blessed be.

vicka and daniel embrace

everybody yells 
	blessed be!

and there is music, and more glitter, and a very, very long receiving line....