Praise Song for Betty Rothenberger
The Party for Betty and Her Life
In this time of the remembrance of things past, I remember Betty Rothenberger, in all her shining wonder.
And say thank you to everyone, from far and near, who participated in the ceremony on May 20th to celebrate her gloriously mythic and totally human life.
For the occasion, and as her way of honoring Betty, Trish Broersma created an elegant booklet containing some of the essence of that beautiful life. It includes words of appreciation and gratefulness from many of her friends, plus some words of comfort from wise poets and teachers, and a rich sampling of Betty’s own writing. You can read it here as a PDF file.
DOWNLOAD: PraiseSongBetty memorial booklet
Jean Houston recorded her words honoring Betty, since she was not able to attend the event.
AUDIO FILE coming soon.
Of the dearest, most loyal and supportive friend,
whose goodness inspired these praises
Mind blossom gatherer,
Stalwart foe of indolence,
Capacious reader of high prose
and original thought,
Annunciate of the Mysteries,
Ever-laughing arbiter of nonsense,
Magistra Ludi,
Numinous transcriber of 200,000 pages,
and more, of Mystery Schools and
other outpourings of curious minds,
Orchestrator of that “which never was
but is always happening,”
Mythic maven,
Incarnate to the Beloved,
Dancer of countless Dromenons, in fact,
Dromenon Mage,
She who never quits, never recalcitrant,
She who has never bored God,
Great Friend and Inspirer of
The Goddess,
Athena’s Chosen Child,
Inebriate of Air,
Constant Seeker,
Enjoyer of the world’s great tastes,
Challenger of those who have forgotten,
Forgiver of the misbehavers,
Strengthener of the virtuous,
Potent pragmatist,
Singer of the Soul’s Songs,
Luminous inhabitant of several worlds,
Traveler to the Sacred Places,
Cosmic circuit-rider,
Bringer of the news from elsewhere,
Every ready, ever-near Companion,
And my very dear friend.
— Jean Houston
Linda Reisser wrote a song that you can listen to here:
Song For Betty Rothenberger
(Tune: “Oh What A Beautiful Morning”)
5/20/18. Linda Reisser
Chorus
Oh what a beautiful Betty
Oh what a beautiful life
We’re celebrating our Betty
Thank you for helping us thrive
1)
When I met her at Mystery School
I could tell she was nobody’s fool
I wasn’t quite sure of her functions or roles
But it soon became clear . . . she’s a midwife of souls
Chorus
2)
If she saw anyone who was stewing
She’d check in to see how they were doing
And when Jean would lecture for hours on end
She would summarize so we could all comprehend
Chorus
3)
If you made an intelligent comment
Sometimes Betty recorded your content
And after the weekend, she’d send you a note
Paying tribute to you in a nice anecdote
Chorus
4)
Her profession was in education
But her outlook was quite Aescalapian
Whether mythic, shamanic, or quite Hellenistic
As a seeker of wisdom, she was quite holistic
Chorus
5)
With her sisters she’d sit in a circle
And her presence was sometimes nonverbal
But whether she spoke up or stood by your side
We remember the love she would always provide
Chorus
Karen Johnson spoke these words about Betty’s mentorship at the California memorial service as well as our ceremony in Ashland.
June 11, 2018 @ 4:13 pm
Dearest Peggy,
The memorial tribute for Betty Rothenberger could not have been more beautiful. I was deeply touched to have been present and to see you and the west coast community. I am already, looking forward to seeing you in October. love and many blessings, Wendy