PaGaian Joy to the World
(for Winter Solstice ritual referred to in Chapter 7 of PaGaian Cosmology)
Joy to the World
The light returns
Let All receive Her Love
CHORUS:
Let every Heart
Let every tongue
Repeat the sounding Joy
Repeat the sounding Joy
Let Creatures, and all of Nature sing
She moves the stars
With Her Desire1
Let All receive Her Power
She grows the seed
With all Her Love
Let All receive Her Wisdom
She lights our Hearts
She grows our food
Let All receive Her Joy
Joy to the World
The Light returns
Let All receive Her Love
These words may be sung to the tune of “Joy to the World”.
1 In the paper version of the book the word “might” is used. Upon further thought, I preferred the metaphor of Desire.
Thank you Glenys. It is time these beautiful traditions and songs were re-purposed in praise of the Supreme Being we now understand, so spectacularly biased toward Life and Sentience that She can only be female, nurturing and evolving them at different rates at the levels of Earth, Galaxy and Universe (Dana, Hera, Sile).
When She has received Her due we can then acknowledge the Male, that donates Energy, Power and Variety (diversity) to the womb of the Triune Goddess. You replaced Power with Desire in the hymn, an insightful correction.
Brian Swimme says (somewhere) that the Male is to be “the Beauty whom She desires”. I guess that is evident in lots of species, and I think in some indigenous (and often matristic/matrofocal) human communities still.