"I call upon the spirit of Autumn. The spirits of water, of the ebb and flow of emotion; of open seas and running streams, of cleansing rain; spirit of the evening sun, of twilight and of Autumn. I call upon the spirit of Winter. The spirit of earth, of the womb of creation; of the night and the snows of winter, deep roots and ancient stones. I call upon the spirit of Spring. The spirit of air, the breath of life; of sunrise, of new life and new growth. I call upon the spirit of Summer. The spirit of fire, of energy, of passion; spirit of the noonday sun, the heat of summer, vitality and abundance. My friends, let the festival commence." -- speech during Paralympics Closing Ceremony
"We were sworn to secrecy beforehand, but Emma Restall Orr and I [Greywolf] were approached by the organisers of the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony with a surprising request. They wanted our permission to use parts of the gorsedd ritual we wrote in 1997. So, about 20 minutes into the ceremony, these words went out to 750 million people around the world." -- Philip Shallcrass (a.k.a. Greywolf), Chief of the British Druid Order
"The circle is unbroken, The ancestors awoken. May the songs of the Earth and of her people ring true. Hail to the Festival of the flame of root and branch, tooth and claw, fur and feather, of earth and sea and sky." -- speech during Paralympics Closing Ceremony
As I present the events of the Games I am going to include the exoteric meaning or "their" side of the story as told from the official media guide or by the television commentator along with what I see as the esoteric or hidden meanings. In reality I don't have to add much of my own since the ceremony was so blatantly out in the open and the media guide and commentators pretty much say it all. The Ceremony is basically a wiccan ceremony which pays tribute to the pagan traditions which honor the seasons of the nature gods and goddesses.
As Creative Director for the Ceremony, Kim Gaven, states in the official Media Guide: "Our ‘Festival of the Flame’ pays tribute
to the gatherings that infuse the spirit
of our nation, drawing on the everchanging seasons that define us – from
autumn equinox to summer solstice –
and celebrating some of the ancient and
modern traditions that have gathered
down the ages." The Guide goes on to explain, "The exuberance of festivals is felt the world over – as far afield as the
FESPACO film festival in Burkina Faso and Nevada’s Burning Man,
whose anarchic creativity invades some of the characters and vehicles
on show tonight... As the circle of the seasons turns through the night, we’ll also honour
the elemental forces that shape each year and have been marked by
our ancestors through spiritual rites and ceremony."
During the Ceremony there is plenty of fire and flames. One of the stages featured a giant sundial. The Spirits of the Four Seasons were invoked. There were maypoles and a giant blazing Sun King and a Winter Queen. A field was burned as well as creating a burning heart and towing a burning man. The Media Guide even admits it takes certain aspects from festivals such as Burning Man and lists the eight holidays of wiccans that is those who practise witchcraft" Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon, Samhain and Yule.
Here is a screenshot straight out of the official Media Guide for the Closing Ceremony:
The Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics in London started with a short film in which a man lifts a book with flames on the cover up to the sky.
In the book are schematic drawings of machines which later inspire dreamers to build the machines -- trucks and vehicles -- and form a convoy en route to the Olympic stadium where they wait outside.
The television commentator noted : "The wind machines are the wind gremlins and we are about to see a battle. They are to represent, we are told, our inner demons and they will fight the dreamers who guard the agitar symbols. The wind storm grows..." The agitos consist of three crescent shape figures reminiscent of crescent moons. Agitar comes from the word for agitate and means to act, do or make.. The Media Guide says the word means "I move."
Some of the dreamers are wearing black and white striped pajamas that make them look like prisoners and they are carrying pipes. One of the dream prisoners is pulled up to the crescent moon and carried away. TV: "The agitos blown out of the stadium by the wind gremlins and with it one of the dreamers."
A sundial stage is the major prop of the next segment. Dancers enter swirling flamed torches and a man being towed on a bicycle is on fire. I assume this is because once lured to the moon to be stored as fuel for the sun you are eventually sent to the sun and ignited. I am not quite sure the meaning of the bicycle but I keep seeing the bicycle over and over again in scenes having to do with the moon (ET, Truman Show, The Prisoner, etc). Maybe it has to do with a bi cycle of the moon and sun or something.
Luke Sinnott, a sailor, climbs the flag pole tower for the raising of the flag.
TV: "The royal car is cannibalized... from the body of a 1930's gangster vehicle and a military vehicle used in Afghanistan." Lissa Hermans sings the National anthem for the United Kingdom, God Save The Queen. Notice the shell symbol of Venus a.k.a. Lucifer on the front of the vehicle.
Media Guide: "The flags form a heart shape on the field of play. The heart is burned into the ground as the flag bearers and athletes step away. " In witchcraft the burning of a ritual object represents the destruction of it symbolically intending to sympathetically affect change.
Lance Corporal Rory Mackenzie: "Tonight we bring you the Festival of the Flame, the symbol of the spirit of the Games, which has burned bright at London 2012. Tonight we celebrate that spirit, and although we have many differences, there is one quality we all share, one thing all of us have in common: human spirit... Let the love that the Paralympics has kindled in our hearts burn brightly as we come together as one, for the Festival of the Flame."
The creators for the Ceremony contacted a druid order to ask permission to use a ritual. The Chief of the British Druid Order, Philip Shallcrass, explains, "We were sworn to secrecy beforehand, but Emma Restall Orr and I [Greywolf] were approached by the organisers of the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony with a surprising request. They wanted our permission to use parts of the gorsedd ritual we wrote in 1997. So, about 20 minutes into the ceremony, these words went out to 750 million people around the world."
And this is the rite used in a speech given by Lance Corporal Rory Mackenzio to invoke spirits:
"I call upon the spirit of Autumn. The spirits of water, of the ebb and flow of
emotion; of open seas and running streams, of cleansing rain; spirit of the
evening sun, of twilight and of Autumn.
I call upon the spirit of Winter. The spirit of earth, of the womb of creation;
of the night and the snows of winter, deep roots and ancient stones.
I call upon the spirit of Spring. The spirit of air, the breath of life; of sunrise,
of new life and new growth.
I call upon the spirit of Summer. The spirit of fire, of energy, of passion; spirit
of the noonday sun, the heat of summer, vitality and abundance.
My friends, let the festival commence."
This is pretty much straight up witchcraft and the invocation of spirits.
TV: "And as the flamethrowers mark the ground, burning the grass as they step an invasion begins -- all those strange vehicles that you saw in that opening film, the truck invasion."
Media Guide: "An intricate pattern is burned into the ground across the field of play. Flame throwers scorch the grass and leave a crop circle pattern behind."
Once again more burning and destruction of objects and perhaps a reference to aliens who many believe are responsible for crop circles.
Black crows and ravens are associated with death.
Pipes, horns and tubes (tubas). See my page on the Trickster for more info.
Another druid rite is quoted: "The circle is unbroken, The ancestors awoken. May the songs of the Earth and of her people ring true. Hail to the Festival of the flame of root and branch, tooth and claw, fur and feather, of earth and sea and sky."
The world famous rock Coldplay performed a fairly lengthy concert of most of their hit songs and were later joined by Rihanna and Jay Z.
A giant grate on a gold disc stage.
"As ‘Yellow’ is performed, a specially
created flame dance, featuring Candoco
and members of the professional cast,
takes place on the Summer Stage. A
huge Sun King rises from the centre of the
stage and bursts into flames."
"During ‘Up in Flames’, Denis Remnev
performs a strap act with Lyndsay
Care, a member of the group who
trained at Circus Space." The accompanying photo in the Guide looks like a hanged man.
"The Snow Queen (Viktoria Modesta) is revealed on the Winter Stage. She appears
to be frozen in an ice crystal. The warriors on skates circle her, and begin to
unwrap her as if they’re melting the ice. The beautiful woman is freed from the ice
and dances with the lead warrior."
Lyrics: "...fall from grace "
Television: "... and Lyndsay Adams ignites a ball of energy"
Balls or spheres of energy are a typical spell in witchcraft where an energy ball is created.
These markings on the stage look like magical sigils and are probably associated with the witches' Wheel of the Year.
Dancers worshipping the goddess Rihanna.
Lead singer for Coldplay sings at the top of the Sundial.
From the Media Guide: "We move into the height of summer as six maypoles and eight carousel creatures take to the air. "
Lowering of the flag and change over to Brazil who will host the 2016 Olympics.
The Brazilian section performance.
Fireworks during the Finale.
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