From the earth comes our life.
To the earth, we return.
The creatures of the earth nourish our bodies
With our bodies we nourish life.
To the earth, we return.
From the plants we draw breath
To the plants we give our breath
We give our gratitude.
We give our bodies.
To the earth, we return.
From water we all live
We give thanks for the gift of life.
To the earth, we return.
We honor all our beloved dead whose bodies have returned to the earth,
the earth that is our home.
We honor their lives which shaped our own.
We honor their love, which is beyond death.
We honor their teachings, which teach us still.
We honor you, child of the earth.
[NAME]
[DAUGHTER/SON/CHILD] of [PARENT] and [PARENT] .
We return your body to the earth, [if appropriate: passed through fire].
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
May [PRONOUN] rest peacefully in the love that holds us all.
To the earth, we return.
In mystery we are born, in mystery we live, and in mystery we die.
In mystery we are connected and held in love.
Blessed be, and amen.
[Note: This litany was inspired by a passage in Record of a Spaceborn Few, a novel by Becky Chambers.]