This past March, the Clergy Council hosted our first virtual stream where we Re-Kindle the Unity Flame each year. I’ve been thinking a lot about what Unity looks like.  Here in the US, we’re struggling as a country to find it, and I know those around the world are experiencing their own struggles with unity. It’s been hard to see the light in the darkness, and it is in those moments when we must turn to community to make it through. 

In thinking about Unity, I’m reminded of my relationship with Anahita, the Avestan Mother of Waters, which began in 2016 as I wrote and planned a Summer Solstice Rite.  The rite happened to align with our city’s Pride event.  Pride is about unity, and about resistance.  These are both things I think we could use a little more of right now. Anahita not only releases the blessings of the Waters to us, but she is also noted in the lore to increase all things righteous and victorious, and “crush down the hates of all haters.” She brings unity, but also brings resistance when it is needed for the betterment of humanity. 

Elements of that rite called also on the Beaver, sacred to Anahita, as our Gatekeeper, honoring her as an ecosystem engineer, builder of communities, and champion of diversity.  It is the communal space that Beaver nurtures, and the development of a space where all can thrive, that is the greatest boon she provides.  There is great strength in diversity, and that strength is being cultivated in ADF.  On the Mother Grove we have both solitaries and grove-aligned folks, we come from various countries, have diverse identities, and bring our own cultures with us. Having all these perspectives present strengthens our community. 

Anahita is noted to have come down from the stars, and sharing her abundance with us all. I’ve been re-reading The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, to bring me hope, to remind me of our own interconnectedness, and to reflect on the gift of shared abundance. “I want to live in a society where the currency of exchange is gratitude and reciprocity … They have the remarkable property of multiplying with every exchange, their energy concentrating as they pass from hand to hand, a truly renewable resource.” (Kimmerer).  

One of our core values in ADF is reciprocity.  We enact it in ritual when we make offerings and receive blessings in return.  We must enact it in our lives as well.  Kimmerer clarifies through the book that keeping the gift in motion, refusing to hoard our abundance, is what keeps our communities strong.  This is reflected in the motif often shared in our Return Flow, relaying the common myth of Winning the Waters.  It is seen across Indo-European cultures, the story of the Dragon that sits atop his hoard until the Thunderer comes, defeats him in battle,  and releases the Waters (wealth) to humanity.  Our shared mythology calls on us to share the blessings and abundance we have, to strengthen our relationships and build our communities.  “Thriving is possible only if you have nurtured strong bonds with your community” (Kimmerer). 

During that Unity Rite in March, our combined Unity Waters were heated, and they evaporated into the atmosphere.  That water has spread through the atmosphere and traveled around the world. In the spirit of nurturing the bonds of our community, I welcome you to collect a sample of the Unity Waters. You can do so in one of two ways:

1. During the next storm, place a container outside to collect the rain/snow/sleet.

2. If you live in an area with infrequent precipitation, prepare a glass of ice water and a separate dish or glass and take them both outside.  Allow condensation to collect on the outside of the glass with the ice water in it, and then brush it off into the dish/glass until you’ve collected a large enough sample of the Waters.

Once you’ve collected the waters, you can use the following prayer to link them to ADF’s Unity Waters:

Waters of the Unity Cauldron,
Flow within this vessel,
That these Waters may be a tributary
Of the mighty current 
That is the Unity Water of Ár nDraíocht Féin.

We are stronger, and can hold & support each other, when we are in community.  “What if our metrics for well-being included birdsong, the crescendo of crickets on a summer evening, and neighbors calling to each other across the road?” (Kimmerer)

In reciprocity, in unity, and in love,
Rev. Jan Avende 
Archdruid of ADF

Works Cited: 

Kimmerer, Robin Wall. The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. Simon & Schuster, 2024. 

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This post was published in Oak Leaves (ADF’s Quarterly Journal) as well as released early for my Patreon subscribers. If you value what I do, please consider supporting me over on Patreon.