Burning Times / Chant

Charles Murphy

In the cool of the evening, they used to gather, 'neath stars in the meadow, circled near an old oak tree.
At the times appointed by the seasons of the Earth, and the phases of the moon.
In the center of them stood a woman, equal with the others, and respected for her worth.
One of the many we call the Witches, the teachers and the keepers of the wisdom of the Earth
The people grew through the knowledge she gave them, herbs to heal their bodies, spells to make their spirits whole.
Hear them chanting healing incantations, calling forth the Wise Ones, celebrating in dance and song

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna

There were those who came to power through domination, and they bonded in the worship of a dead man on a cross.
They sought control of the common people by demanding allegiance to the church of Rome.
And the Pope declared the Inquisition, it was a war against the women whose power they feared.
In this Holocaust against the nature peoples, a million European women died.

And the tales are told of those who, by the hundreds, holding together, chose their deaths in the sea.
Chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess, a refusal of betrayal, women were dying to be free.

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna

Now the Earth is a witch, and the men still burn her! Stripping her down with mining and the poisons of their wars.
While to us the Earth is a healer, a teacher, a mother.
She's the weaver of the web of life that keeps us all alive.

She gives us the vision to see through the chaos.
She gives us the courage, it is our will to survive!

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna...(repeat ad lib)