Ribbons of Intention Fire Ceremony
October 4 is the date designated as The Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. On this date each year we remove the ribbons that are tied to the Tree of Intention (a.k.a. Prayer Tree) in the Kinstone Chapel of Creation and burn them in the fire pit in the Stargazer Circle, releasing the prayers and intentions written there, to God or the Universe, to be fuel for their manifestation. This special event is marked by a brief ceremony.
Date: Monday, October 4
Time: 12:00 Noon
Cost: admission to Kinstone ($5/person) (pay in advance online OR place your cash payment in the Blue Payment Box attached to the Information Sign Board near the parking areas).
The prayer ribbons are all removed from the Tree of Intention. We gather at the Stargazer Circle and create a sacred space for this ceremony around the fire. We speak of Saint Francis and the significance of his story and how it relates to the Kinstone story. We read stories about him and prayers that are attributed to him. We state our purpose in burning the ribbons; we profess our willingness to release attachment to the outcome and express profound gratitude that our needs will be provided for in creative and sometimes unexpected ways. The ribbons are then put into the fire, as they burn, all the prayers and all the intentions are released. We end by saying a prayer of thanksgiving.
If you are interested in participating, just show up. No registration is required.
Why this day, the Feast Day of Saint Francis?
The Chapel of Creation is a building created with many beautiful images of our Earth artistically displayed in the walls. The artwork was inspired by The Canticle of Creation or The Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon, a poem written by St. Francis of Assisi in the 1200’s. He is the patron saint of animals and ecologists due to his overwhelming love of the natural world. He believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He called all creatures and natural wonders his “brothers” and “sisters”, or his “kin”. In this way, Francis has become the patron saint of Kinstone. To honor his life and his example of love of creation and devotion to God, we perform this ceremony on his feast day.
