Song 12: Body of the Earth

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Em D Em

We are of the body of the Earth

Em D Em

The Earth is of the body of the stars

Em D Em

We are stars that circle from life to death to birth (2x)

Descant

We are Earth

Earth is star

We are stars

Life death birth

(Alternate final line: Like a diamond)

History & Lore

Starhawk:

I wrote this for the Pagan Book of Living and Dying (around 1994). I felt we needed some songs about death and rebirth.

I’ve often used it at Winter Solstice rituals. Something about the Winter Solstice and the night and stars.

We used to do Winter Solstice up at Sebastopol Community Center, and they have a disco ball. It’s really nice to be singing about the circling stars with the disco ball – it’s quite trancey!

When I was writing this song, I was thinking about physics. The Earth literally is made of stardust, and so are we.

George:

It turns out there is another verse to this song, which magically migrated to Weave and Spin – see the History & Lore section of Song 6.

I learned this song from Sage Goode and Amy MoonDragon at California Witchcamp around 1998. We sang it over and over during a trance about caring for our bodies and recognizing them as divine.

Ever since, “calling down star energy” has been my favorite purification.

The song has been sung at various Bay Area rituals, and is a staple of Earth night during Reclaiming’s Elements of Magic classes.

Body of the Earth was the spiral song for the opening ritual at the 2016 Witchy Disco (a fundraiser for the Mysteries of Samhain retreat).

Musical note – the “Strand by Strand” descant of Weave and Spin also works with this song.