Introduction
It’s the Vernal Equinox, spring should have sprung by now, and nothing screams spring more than blooming flowers. The UU ritual of Flower Communion is preserved here. While the rituals before and after this, Blessing of the Seeds and Festival of the First Fruits, are about new life and fertility, the original flower communion is not really about that (although flowers are the plant’s sex organs). The way that I interpret the Flower Communion is that it is a celebration of diversity. And that serves as a nice balance to the Water Communion (six months later), which is about unity – the many flowing into one.
Personal
Depending on your culture, spring cleaning – a thorough cleaning of your home – would be done either before today or before the start of spring (about six-1/2 weeks prior).
If you are not at the moment part of a UU community, you can perform a flower ritual by yourself. Create a small bouquet of flowers, preferably from your own garden (but not necessary), making sure that there are enough flowers for each person you wish to honor. Light your chalice or candle and say:
Nature loves diversity.
Although we are all one, we come in many shapes and sizes, colors and talents.
Just like these flowers, no two are alike yet all are beautiful. All bring their unique gifts to augment the whole.
May I respect and cherish these different gifts.
Then touch each flower thinking of the person it represents as you do.
Communal
In addition to the basic communion ritual, ask participants (beforehand) to bring a flower, one for each person participating, preferably from their own gardens. (You might want to have some extra flowers on hand, perhaps available for a nominal fee, so that those who forget are not left out.) Have two vases on the altar table and invite participants to place their flowers in the vases. (Or use the number of vases appropriate for the number of participants. Someone should be in charge of making sure that the number of flowes in each vase is balanced.) After the invocation of the ancestors but before the communion blessing, insert the Flower Communion. Communion leader (or someone else) says:
Nature loves diversity.
Although we are all one, we come in many shapes and sizes, colors and talents.
Just like these flowers, no two are alike yet all are beautiful. All bring their unique gifts to augment the whole.
May we respect and cherish these different gifts.
Invite participants to line up to each take a flower that is different from the one they brought. (The nunber of lines should match the number of vases.) Optional: Have smaller containers on hand in which participants can place their selected flowers to enjoy while they share the communion meal. But remind them to take their flowers home!