In most traditional cultures, the ancestors and heroes are honored as guardians of the living. In Wicca we have the Mighty Dead and in Heathenry the altar and disir. In America, the monuments on the Capitol Mall honor some of those who set forth the ideals of liberty, equality and justice for all in this land. For over two centuries, other heroes and heroines have worked to expand and apply those ideals and understand what they truly mean. They were not perfect—neither are we— but they wait to work with us to defend the rights they fought for. In this ritual we will call on them and invoke their inspiration and their power.
