Finally! I have an opportunity to really showcase Tamias in the priestly roll I've designed him to be in.

With aid from two assistant celebrants, Tamias, the Chipmunk Cheiftain, carries out the most sacred element of the duties of chipmunk priesthood. That being the Bloodless Sacrifice. The accompanying story--or should I say transcript-- has got allot of detail as the whole idea of the Bloodless Sacrifice has been brewing in my head for several years.

In this transcript of a lecture Tamias the Chipmunk Cheiftain gives, he explains the Bloodless Sacrifice and the meaning of each of its stages.

Since the Chipmunk Kingdom has a heavy Native American theme included in the atmosphere I'm going for in the storyline, I've inserted links to youtube videos of various Native American content and music to serve as analogies to the type of music performed by chipmunks at various stages of the ritual and help set the mood and direction I'm going for in various parts of the transcript.

Transcript:

Hello there, everyone. I am Tamias Orenberg the Chipmunk Cheiftain. Welcome to the Chipmunk Kingdom and welcome to the Great Kiva, our sacred space of worship.

As the head of the Divine See and Hakooji Incarnate, I am the highest ranking priest in the Clergy. Like all priest, it is my duty to help all chipmunks of the Divine Destiny on their own spiritual journey to fulfillment of that destiny. The most important element of that duty is to carry out the Bloodless Sacrifice that most sacred ritual that is the centerpiece of our faith.

All religions have some kind of summit of faith, a solemn and most profound statement of love, devotion, and worship of their respective deities as well as a reaffirming of the Covenants to their deities. For many religions this involves a sacrifice of some kind. In the old days, there were violent blood socked sacrifices, the life of a farm animal, or even a fellow sentient being taken as an offering to the deity. Thankfully, modern religions do away with such grotesque rituals in favor of a sacrifice made on a metaphoric or symbolic level. A most well known symbolic sacrifice is Holy Communion, the peak moment of Christian faith, in which the separate consecrations of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ reenacts his death upon the cross. The point of such sacrifices is to give up one's own selfish desires for the greater good.

Tawanism, the principal religion of we chipmunks, features the Bloodless Sacrifice as the summit of our faith. We call it the Bloodless Sacrifice because “bloodless” means is no blood letting nor real blood involved..., no actual lives taken in the literal sense. Every aspect of the ceremony is a symbolic and ritualistic retelling of the suffering and death at the hands of the Bear who Cast his vote for night of Hakooji the Chipmunk who cast his vote for day. It is an incorporation of we the faithful into the body of Hakooji. In which, we sacrifice our own selfish desires for the greater good. We endure the unequaled rage of the Bear and his murderous claws with Hakooji so we may be revived by the Sun as was he and receive the power of Tawa to carry out our destiny.

We chipmunks have a natural instinct to amass great larders. We amass great cashes of food, great fortunes of wealth, and vast collections of other valuable assets. While amassing larders is a very much necessary means for survival and the corner stone of our success as a specie and Kingdom, it can and has lead chipmunks to be greedy, selfish, indulgent to the point of not being caring to others and of the world around them. This is the very reason why before Hakooji cast his vote for day, we chipmunks were in constant states of war and skirmishes among ourselves. We constantly squabbled for land, bounty, and treasure, simply to hoard them all for ourselves. It left us weak and divided, easy prey to be exploited and subjugated by more powerful animal nations of the time. If it were not for Hakooji and the galvanizing effect he had upon our kind, there would be no Chipmunk Kingdom as we know it. Instead, we would have continued down the path of destruction that would have ended with us being swallowed by the Eternal Darkness as was the unfortunate soul that became the Bear who cast his vote for night.

The Bloodless Sacrifice, as I will explain, is divided into four stages. First is the Prelude, then the Offertory, then the Sacrifice itself, and finally the Bestowal.

After all have gathered in the Kiva in a grand procession https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUJHGZfepwE , we begin the ritual with the Prelude We start this stage with the Honoring of the Elders and Ancestors. It is accompanied by one or more Drum Circle songs of appropriate theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peh0v29sgOM We honor our Elders and Ancestors for it is they and the sacrifices they made that delivered to us the means necessary to labor and sacrifice for our descendants. It is also our elders whom we seek console from when we need help, while it is our ancestors we seek inspiration from. They are the foundations on which we continue to build our society upon. Therefore they deserve to be honored and remembered for all time.

After a few prayers we move on to the readings. Selected members from the congregation followed by the Priest read verses and excerpts from our holy scriptures collectively known as the Verbra (pronounced: V-air-bra) a name which means “the words”. The sacred text therein are the words of Hakooji and his teachings. The verses and excerpts are selected before hand for relevancy to current issues of the time service takes place and how those lessons from Hakooji may apply. The selection process is not done by the Clergy other than selecting members at random for the readings before service begins. It is up to the faithful through fellowship meetings to determine what lessons apply.

The biggest point is that it is up to the faithful to embark on their own spiritual journey and thus read and understand the Teachings of Hakooji with their own two eyes, not through those of the Clergy. The Clergy is merely there to administrate the religion as an entity, mentor the faithful, protect the Synergy Crystals, and conduct sacred rituals such as The Bloodless Sacrifice. This is a very clever mechanism Hakooji insisted upon to insure his teachings are transmitted through time directly to the faithful without being distorted by an imperfect and corruptible Clergy.

After the readings are complete, we say a few prayers to move our focus to Offertory which is marked by a somber Drum circle song ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF4oUAfZv0o )

During the Offertory, every chipmunk gathered in the Kiva will place their name seals upon the Canvas of the Body. We chipmunks value our individuality. We pride ourselves for being free thinkers, always questioning the establishment. As such, the names given to us are valued as part of who we are. Also it is driven into our minds the value of promises. We chipmunks view promises as sacred obligations that must be fulfilled at any cost. Failure to fulfill a promise is viewed as highly dishonorable in our culture. In short we do not make promises we cannot keep. When we place our name seals on a legal document, such as a contract, we are promising to carry out what ever obligations the document states with who we are, our honor, as collateral. When we place our name seals upon the Canvas of the Body we are signing a binding contract with Hakooji himself promising him we will offer our ourselves and who we are to him to be made a part of his body incorporating ourselves into the sacrifice Hakooji made when he cast his vote for day.

Once all of the name seals are placed upon the Canvas, the priest will then consecrate the canvas and therefore all gathered into the Body of Hakooji. He prepares himself for the consecration reverently laying the Canvas upon the Alter, the symbol of the Bloodstone, the rock Hakooji died upon. He kneels before the alter and says the Prayer of Incarnation. “Oh Tawa the light eternal, giver of life, give me the strength to carry the burden of being the incarnate of Hakooji. Make me into a conduit of his essence and will. Make my hands into his. Make my mind into his. Let him flow through my veins into this canvas.” The Priest then perform a spirit dance circling the Alter clockwise. Dancers will also dance with the Priest helping him invoke the Spirit of Hakooji to enter his body. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txFWJbHgcMM Once the priest has submitted completely and utterly to the will of Hakooji he then becomes the conduit necessary to consecrate the canvas.

After all Hakooji is the head priest, the First Chipmunk Chieftain. He is the one that makes the sacrifice. He is the one that endures the Bear's wrath. We the priests including myself are merely his instruments to bring together all we chipmunks into his body with him so we may suffer with him, be revived with him, and with him be bond to the Divine Destiny, our covenant with Tawa.

Now as the incarnation of Hakooji, the priest then hovers his hands over the canvas and says. “This canvas is my body!” Those words are most potent and reverent as the priest focuses the essence of Hakooji into the canvas transforming it into his body. The congregation replies, “We are thy body, let us receive thy mortal wounds so we may give up through thine death our selfish desires. And be revived with thee and receive the power to carry out our Divine Destiny.” All kneel in silence in respect of the sanctity and dignity of the moment as a chime is sounded signifying that the Canvas and all who have placed their name seals upon it have become the body.

Now as a few prayers are said and a hymn sung we transition from the Offertory to the Sacrifice.

“Bring forth the implements!” the Priest commands. From the Shrine of the Body from where the Canvas was brought, an assistant celebrant brings to the alter a bowl. Within that bowl is the Crimson Paint, a special red paint made from iron oxide found in the arid desserts of the Southwest. At the same time another assistant celebrant brings from the Shine of the Implement the Claws of Rage. No one, not even I myself as Chipmunk Chieftain can touch the Claws of Rage directly as they have dark incantations of the Bear who cast his vote for night, his rage and malice, his utter hatred of Hakooji, chipmunks, and of the light of day. The claws are handled with hands covered by a cloth blessed by the Priest to protect the handler from succumbing to those dark incantations. The Crimson paint is placed upon the alter next to the canvas while the handler holds the Claws of Rage awaiting the priest.

Hakooji, was late to show himself at the Gathering of the Animals casting his fateful vote at the very last possible moment. As highly revered he may be, we chipmunk know full well that he was merely a mortal just like us and like us he was afraid. Who can blame him? He knew the Bear would unleash merciless wrath upon him for defying the most feared animal in the forest. He seen it happen before even to friends. But he also knew the Sun needs to rise everyday to bring life to Mother Earth. The plants take in Tawa's life giving light. We eat those plants consuming with them that light gaining our share of it. And when we die we give that light to the Earth as nutrients needed to give rise to future generations of life. He knew that without the Sun, the Earth and all we living beings would surely die. He had to do what needed to be done to insure the Sun would rise every morning. Even if he were to lose his life to the Bear, the Sun would triumph and with that mighty heavenly body life too would triumph as well.

“Oh Tawa,” the Priest prays, “who's dawning light vanquishes the darkness every morning and will continue to do so until the end of time, provide me the strength to handle the implement of sacrifice. Give to me the resolve to carry out this painful task for Hakooji has said in his teachings that we all must pay the price of suffering inflicted by tribulations we endure to gain passage through the golden doors of victory.” A blessed cloth is draped over the priest's hands. Then he takes hold of the Claws of Rage, handling that implement, that symbol of evil and terror, with great care.

As proven in the story of Hakooji. life is never easy. Nothing is handed to you on a silver platter. If we want something done and done right, we must sacrifice at least something of ourselves to our work. Be it the time and energy vested into our endeavors or giving up the want of a vein object such as a big screen television in favor of buying food for one's family. When an artist, even the best of the best, paints a picture he submits himself through his creation to the scrutiny of all who lay eyes upon his art work. Some will scorn his work, calling it rubbish. That ridicule hurts. But most will be pleased at what they see. Therefore what the artist gains, as reward by the fact that he and his work have made at least a small but happy difference in their lives, is worth the hurt feelings caused by the harsh words of his detractors. We chipmunks making a positive difference in the world is worth the sacrifices we make for Tawa, Kingdom, and Mother Earth and all who dwell upon her.

The priest turns and faces the Canvas then raises the Claws of Rage high above his head for all to see. “Behold the Bear who Cast his vote for night!” declares the priest in an ominous voice. The congregation then replies boldly and defiantly “We fear thee not Bear! We are the living embodiment of Hakooji. We cast our votes for day. Taketh from us our lives if you may. For lo the sun shall raise! Day shall fell the night! Life shall triumph over death!” An intense Drum Circle war song ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNuNsKwG1RI ) is performed as dancers perform a corresponding war dance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEl-yJQvXaE

When we face challenges that lay ahead, we often fear them. When we are young students we worry about that pending semester exam for fear of a failing grade. We often worry about speaking or performing before an audience because of fear of saying something embarrassing or making an embarrassing mistake. We often hide our own eccentricities from a friend for fear of losing that friend. We tend to shy away from challenges that lay ahead because we doubt ourselves. We are afraid of failure. We end up saying to ourselves “I just can't do it.”. When someone says to you “Failure is not an option.” they are telling you a great untruth. Yes the risk of failure is there and it does happen. However, what those held back by fear and self doubt need to realize is real failure is to not try at all.

When the first five words of that bold antiphon are spoken, “We fear thee not Bear!”, we are not merely standing our ground against the most feared animal in the forest. We do more than that! The truth is the Bear is not the most feared animal. Fear itself is! When we stand up to the Bear, we are standing up to our own fears, our own doubts. We make a bold declaration that we will overcome what ever challenges we face because when we overcome them and endure whatever hardship are brought upon us by those challenges, we rise to be better, stronger, and wiser than before. We are willing to suffer the Bear's wrath as the body of Hakooji so that when we are revived along with him, we raise stronger and better than before. The point is when we endure the Claws and raise above them, we defeat the Bear. We defeat our own fears!

“So be it!” The priest declares loudly hushing the congregation.

The priest dips the tips of the claws into the Crimson Paint. With the claws loaded with paint, he lifts the Claws out from of the bowl and positions them over the Canvas. He then lowers the claws upon the canvas and drags them from its top to bottom. It is at this point of when the Claws are raked down the surface of the Canvas of the Body, a transubstantiation of the Crimson Paint into the blood of Hakooji bleeding from his mortal wounds occurs. All fall to their knees as the sacrifice has been made!

After a few moments of silence, a lone flutist reverently plays a solemn yet contemplative song to emphasize the impact of what had just happened. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErXZIi5jck )

Hakooji has said, always seek the truth in yourself and in all things, accept it, and understand it. In reality the truth can be painful as well beneficial. Thus when the truth challenges our dogmas we often hate the truth and wish to deny it. But truth is the truth. It is the only constant. It is the foundation of reality. Thus in the end the truth will win be it in a benevolent way if accepted and taken to heart or in harsh ways to those who suppress it. Either way the truth is always there and will always win in the end. Therefore, it is how we accept the truth, understand it, and act upon it that determines who we are.

As the Flutist continues to play his song. We chipmunks in meditation and prayer, metaphorically endure Hakooji's suffering so gruesome that the scars of which are permanently etched as the stripes upon our backs for all time. The sacrifice we endure opens our eyes to the truth. When we see the truth about ourselves, what we see can be very different than what we perceive ourselves to be. We may believe ourselves as being better than everyone else. But in truth we are just as imperfect as those around us. That in many instances can be unnerving and downright humiliating. It tares asunder the arrogance and ego we may have for ourselves, our selfishness. That blunt reality check is the suffering the Claws of Rage inflicts upon us when they are raked down the Body! But it is a necessary suffering to make us see ourselves for who we truly are, strengths, weaknesses, and all without being blinded by our own selfishness.

In death, we reflect upon the fact that it was selfishness, the inability to see the truth in all things, that allowed the Bear to be consumed by the Eternal Darkness. It was selfishness among us that once rendered we chipmunks divided, weak, and constantly prayed upon. As we symbolically die with Hakooji we let go of our guilt and come to terms with the truth about our selves making promises to leverage our virtues and while correcting our flaws and to be better stronger individuals with the courage and strength of character to always seek the truth and put the greater good before selfishness.

With the Sacrifice made we move on to the Bestowal.

Once the implements are returned to their resting places, the priest then says in a gentle voice “Awake fellow chipmunks. We have been revived by the Sun as was Hakooji. Partake in the mystical power bestowed upon us by the Synergy Crystal our binding link to the infinite power of the life giving light.” All lift their hands towards the Synergy Crystal hovering high above the alter. We open our minds hearts and souls, basking in the power of Tawa it distributes. The power of Tawa fills us with life renewed and new found strength as a fitting healing song is performed ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1uJidwo77s )

The priest then lead the congregation in the Payer of the Oath, the words said by Hakooji before Tawa in return for his revival by the Sun. “I thank thee oh Great Tawa, spirit of the Sun. Thou art the giver of life. We chipmunks shall forever be your servants. We shall carry out the Divine Destiny, our Covenant with You!”

In chipmunk culture even long before Tawanism became the established religion, it is believed that when the life of a chipmunk is saved by a person of good heart, that chipmunk is to return that favor by being that person's faithful life long friend. When Tawa from the goodness of his own heart revived Hakooji he also saved the lives of all chipmunks. He saved us from the destructive path that would have lead us into the jaws of Eternal Darkness. Therefore we must be Tawa's faithful friend for the rest of his life. Since Tawa is life eternal, our faith in him is eternal So we take that oath, the same oath Hakooji took on behalf of all of us. We bind ourselves to Tawa and the Covenant that is the Divine Destiny.

“Praise be to Tawa!” The priest declares happily

“Tawa be praised for he is the Giver of Life” The congregation replies.

“Praise be to Hakooji!” The priest says joyfully

“Hakooji be praised! For his vote for day inspires us to be united as his living embodiment serving the Great Spirit of the Sun”

“Laud and Honor to our Ancestors!” the priest says with exuberance.

“Laud and Honor to our Ancestors for they have sacrificed for us so we may live to sacrifice for our descendants” the congregation echos back.

“May peace be with you!” Says the Priest

“As to you.” replies the congregation

“Go now fellow chipmunks.” the priest decrees “Take with you the power of Tawa and fulfill the Divine Destiny! May the light of Tawa shine upon you always!”

The ritual is concluded by a joyful hymn.

With a few postlude drum circle song of festive and jubilant nature ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuOvGOr7mZg ) the service is brought to a close.

The Bloodless Sacrifice, the summit of our faith and the lessons it instills into all we chipmunks, has help us remain true to Hakooji's words, to always seek the truth, to never put our larders and ourselves above the greater good. to improve ourselves in mind, body, and spirit, instead of basing success on how vast our larders are and how good we think we are, to help those in need of it instead calling them weak, to respect others instead of imposing our will upon them, to welcome individuality instead of shunning it, to face our fears and overcome them so we may have the courage to see the truth of ourselves and of all things around us while being strong enough in character to humbly sacrifice for the greater good. When we partake in the Bloodless Sacrifice every week we reaffirm these commitments to ourselves, each other, our ancestors, our descendants, and to Hakooji and our faith and covenant with Tawa. The Bloodless Sacrifice is our absolute highest, most profound expression of our faith as chipmunks the servants of Tawa, the giver of life.

Oh speaking of which, the next ritual draws near. So I must prepare myself.

I hope this gives all of you a better insight of our faith and you come away from this enriched.

Good day to you. May Tawa's light and blessings be with you, always.