Last year, the murder rate in Louisville, KY, was extremely high. I went around the Shawnee community and collected soil from where the slain youth's blood had mercilessly been spilled into the earth. Fifty or more community members came out and were part of the ceremony to put the murdering spirit to rest and allow the righteousness and life within the city to arise among our young people.
|
The theme of the ritual was Genesis 4:9–10. "God said, I hear your brother's blood crying out." I prayed over the blood soil for rest and bring renewal to our city; we planted chamomile for peace and hyssop to bring life. Later that next summer in 2024, the biggest sunflower I ever saw grew in the middle of a ritual bed, resembling happiness and joy.
|