Calcination

They say the fire cleanses
    That it purifies.
Then, cool fire, soft fire,
    Cleanse and purify me.
Blanket my shoulders
    And sing me to sleep.
Sing the fox to sleep
    And let her rest
Content in the work she has done
    And the lives she has touched.
They say the fire cleanses
    That it purifies.
Then, cool fire, soft fire,
    Sing me to sleep.

Dissolution

Sweet as honey, spiced with time,
    You were me, and I you.
Aged to perfection, mellowed with the years,
    I bless your memory.
You who were me,
    I lay you aside to rest.
To over-age is to spoil,
    And you are not spoiled.
Sweet mead to dance on the tongue,
    Soft fox to dance through time.
Sweet as honey, spiced with time,
    You were me, and I you.
Aged to perfection, mellowed with the years,
    You are at your finest.

Separation

With your sigil,
    I draw you from my heart.
With your name,
    I consign you to memory.
With your words,
    I draw you from my breath
With your voice,
    I sing you to peaceful sleep,
Ever soft and white in winter,
    Ever svelte and gray in summer.
With your sigil,
    I draw you from my heart.
With your name,
    I commit you to dearest memory.

Conjugation

I dedicate my life
    To the memory of you:
Long passed though you may be,
    That memory will burn fiercely.
To the east, I wash with air,
    That the wind be with you.
To the South, I wash with fire,
    That the sun warm your fur.
To the West, I wash with water,
    That the stream be cool beneath your paws.
To the north, I wash with earth,
    That your den may blossom in spring.
I dedicate my life
    To the memory of you.

Fermentation

Feed, dear fox eat,
    For the meal was prepared by you.
I bless this meal
    That you be sustained by your work.
Feed, dear cat, eat,
    Sup of the love that was left for you.
I bless this meal,
    That we may learn the lessons of the fox,
For she has prepared this for you:
    Bread for beginnings, mead for endings.
Feed, dear cat, eat,
    For the meal was prepared for you.
I bless this meal
    That you be sustained by her work.

Distillation

“We are not so different, you and I,”
    Said the cat to the fox.
“We come from the same essence,
    Two vintages from the same vineyard.”
“Our fur is soft and thick, true,”
    Said the fox to the cat.
“We are hardy, and weather cold.
    We travel, hunt, and survive,
But my time is passed and yours begun.
    Go with my blessing.”
“We are not so different, you and I,”
    Said the cat to the fox.
“We come from the same essence,
    Two children of the same eternal mother.”

Coagulation

Step forth, Uncia, hale and whole,
    For you are truly born this day.
Alopex has gone to sleep and rest,
    Dancing now only in dreams and stories.
See the world with new eyes,
    For all this is yours.
Smell the air, taste bread and cool water.
    Feel the earth beneath your paws.
Know the limits of your body,
    And remember always this pain.
Step forth, Uncia, hale whole,
    For you are truly born this day.
Alopex has gone to sleep and rest,
    Dancing now only at need.

Anima mundi

Out of the flames, into the light,
    I rise, Makyo Uncia called Maddy.
Makyo Alopex sleeps now,
    A fetch to call at need.
Non sum qualis eram,
    I am not who I was.
Ranna, Astarael, Alopex,
    Majo, Younes, Happenstance.
When viewed through the lens of Makyo,
    I am my own magnum opus.
Out of the flames, into the light,
    I rise, Makyo Uncia called Maddy.
Makyo Alopex sleeps now,
    Not forever, but for now.