Protogrove of the Valley Oak, ADF
First Annual Bealtainne Ritual/BBQ
5 May 2012 - Stevens Creek County Park
Welcome to our very first Bealtainne rite as an official ADF Protogrove; we’re thrilled that you could join us! You’ll notice that we’re working with a ritual script; the majority of us Valley Oak folks are still relatively new to performing ADF rituals (we’ve attended many, but running them ourselves is new for us), and our Protogrove is only 3 months old, so bear with us! Most of all, we hope that you’ll just have fun; we plan to! :D
I. Welcome
The Presiding Druid welcomes the attendants and introduces the Celebrants. [caitlin]
II. Pre-ritual Briefing/Opening Prayer
The Presiding Clergy declares the intention of the rite and the Deities of the Occasion, and explains the seasonal significance of this High Day. [Sean]
III. Outdwellers
The Outdwellers represent forces both around us and within us that are counterproductive to the purpose of our rite. Rather than closing off our ritual to such powers, we give them an offering to appease them so that they won’t bother us, establishing a *ghosti relationship; giving so that we may receive. [Brighde]
IV. Signal/Processional/Purification
The bell is rung, signaling the beginning of the rite, and the attendants proceed into the ritual space while all are censed and asperged.
All sing: Come we now as a people
To gather at the sacred well
Come we now as a people
Together in the warmth and the light of the flame. (repeat as needed)
The Grove is censed and asperged.
All: By the might of the water
And the light of the fire
This Grove is made whole and holy. (repeat as needed)
V. Earth Mother
An offering of grains is made to the Earth Mother.
Mike: Danu, beloved ancestral mother of prosperity and plenty
From whose starry womb of the green earth springs
You who are the bearer of all life
We pray you bless and uphold this rite.
(Sacrificer offers grains to the ground)
Mike: Danu, accept our offering!
All: Danu, accept our offering!
All sing: Earth Mother, we honor your body
Earth Mother, we honor your bones
Earth Mother, we sing to your spirits
Earth Mother, we sing to your stones
VI. Inspiration
An offering is made to Brighid asking for inspiration.
Peg: Brighid, O' lovely lady of the green mantle,
Goddess of poetry, of bards, of fire and fertility,
Brighid, we pray you; as our thoughts form words from
inspiration and flow into melodies - let your flame flicker
in our hearts and compel us in our work.
(Sacrificer offers oil to the fire)
Peg: Brighid, accept our offering!
All: Brighid, accept our offering!
VII. Purpose and Precedent
Presiding Clergy explains the purpose of our rite, as well as any seasonal, historical or cultural precedent.
Sean: Slainte agus failte! Welcome to Bealtainne, the Hinge of Summer, the Day of Blessings. The earth grows green again, warmed by the power of the Sun and the Waters’ cool strength. Shoot has become bud and bud is flowering as all life burns with the kindling of love’s fire. Now we rejoice in the warmth of May, and look forward to the greater heat of summer.
Sean: In elder days the feast of Bealtainne was a day of power and duty, when every fire was extinguished and every clan held fast to its luck for the coming season. The folk left their work and went into the greenwood. They roved among the blossoms and made love to one another to celebrate the Power of Life. They went into the Groves and made their worship to the Gods and Goddesses that sustained them.
Sean: As the ancients did before us, so we do now, and so our descendants may do in the future. We are come into the Grove to worship as they did, to offer to the Ancestors; to offer to the King and Queen of the Sidhe clans and all the Nature Spirits; and to offer to the beloved Shining Ones. Today we honor Aine, the Queen under the Mound, the erotic power of renewal. Today we honor the Mac Oc as Aengus the Harper, the enchanting life of the Earth. Today we kindle new flame in ourselves as we dance among the Bealtainne fires. And tonight, may we practice the Rites of Love in whatever way our spirit may guide us, to sustain the Power of Life.
VIII. Centering and Grounding
Attendants are led on a guided meditation.
[Lindsay] does the Two Powers
(Sacrificer pours water from carafe into well)
Sean: O Waters of the Earth, deep and dark
Arise, primeval powers, fill us now
With all your wondrous possibilities,
That through the Earth our mother, we may ground and join as one.
(Sacrificer lights charcoal in firepit)
caitlin: O Fires of the sky, O blinding light,
Descend and crystallize within us all
That spark of order on which all life depends,
That through the Sky our Father, we may shine and share as one.
Sean: Chaos of the Earth, now fill us!
All: Chaos of the Earth, now fill us!
caitlin: Order of the Heavens, mold us!
All: Order of the Heavens, mold us!
Sean & caitlin: Join the powers deep within us!
All: Join the powers deep within us!
Sean & caitlin: With the merging of these powers, let us join as one!
All: With the merging of these powers, let us join as one!
IV. Recreating the Cosmos
- The Three Realms
The three realms (land, sea and sky) are recognized.
Jen: The waters support and surround us
The land extends about us
The sky stretches out above us:
At the center burns a living flame.
May all the Kindreds bless us.
May our worship be true. All: May our worship be true. May our actions be just. All: May our actions be just. May our love be pure. All: May our love be pure. Blessings, and honor, and worship to the holy ones.
- Fire, Well & Tree
Silver is offered to the Well, Oil to the Fire, and Incense and Water to the Bile (Tree) as we sing.
All sing: [chorus] By Fire and by Water, between the Earth and Sky,
We stand like the World-Tree, rooted deep, crowned high.
(during this verse, Sacrificer offers silver to well)
Come we now to the Well, the eye and the mouth of Earth,
Come we now to the Well, and silver we bring,
Come we now to the Well, the waters of rebirth,
Come we now to the Well, together we sing:
[chorus]
(during this verse, Sacrificer offers whiskey to fire)
We will kindle a Fire, Bless all, and with harm to none,
We will kindle a Fire, and offering pour,
We will kindle a Fire, A light 'neath the Moon & Sun,
We will kindle a fire, our spirits will soar.
[chorus]
(during this verse, Sacrificer censes & asperges the Tree)
Gather we at the Tree, the root & the crown of all,
Gather we at the Tree, Below & above,
Gather we at the Tree, Together we make our call,
Gather we at the Tree, In wisdom & love.
[chorus]
X. Opening the Gates
An offering is made to the Gatekeeper and the Gates are opened, affording us a clear, strong and efficient connection to the Kindreds for our working and worship.
Sean: Now let us open the Ways Between...
Mike: O Manannan, Lord of the Gates, Lord of Wisdom, open the ways for us.
We walk in your holy ways; we walk the Sacred Road.
Share your magic with us; ward us as we walk in safety.
(Sacrificer offers whiskey to the fire)
Mike: Manannan Mac Lir, accept our sacrifice!
All: Manannan mac Lir, accept our sacrifice!
Mike: Hold to your center, Children of Earth, and see, arising from the Well, shining in the Fire, centered on the Tree, a sparkling mist… warm and refreshing, the Mist of Magic. See the Mist form the Gate. See it as a door, perhaps a bridge, a subtle opening in the fabric of life, enhancing our awareness of the otherworlds.
Mike: Now, Lord of ways, join your magic with mine and let the fire open as a gate, let the well open as a gate, let the tree be the crossroads of all worlds. Open as a road to our voices and to the spirits. Let the gates be open!
All: Let the gates be open!
XI. Inviting the three Kindreds
Offerings are made and the three Kindreds (Ancestors, Nature Spirits, and Gods/Goddesses) are invited to join us and help us worship.
- Ancestors
Leona: The children of the earth call out to the mighty dead. Hear us, our ancestors, our kindred. To all whose bones lie in this land, whose hearts are tied to it, whose memory holds it; ancient tribes of this place, we offer you welcome. To all of our grandmothers and grandfathers, our own beloved dead, blood-kin and heart-kin, ancient tribes of our blood, we offer you welcome. To all those elder wise ones who guide their people, poets and seers, judges and magicians, wise women and men of ancient days, we offer you welcome. So, o mighty ones, we call to you as our kin, in the love of the all-mother, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, spirits. Meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
(Sacrificer places the bottle of ale next to the well)
Leona: Ancestors, accept our offering!
All: Ancestors, accept our offering!
- Nature Spirits
Kevin: The children of earth call out to the spirits of this land. Hear us, companions and teachers. To all our allies, kindreds of stone and stream, crystal and fertile soil, pools and mighty seas, kins of the earth, we offer you welcome. To all our allies, kindreds of the growing green, herb and flower, shrub and mighty trees, root and stem and fruit. Green kins, we offer you welcome. To all our allies, kindreds of fur and feather and scale, all who walk or fly or swim or crawl, we offer you welcome. So, o noble ones, we call to you as our allies, in the joy of life upon earth, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, spirits. Meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
(Sacrificer scatters herbs/flowers around the ground)
Kevin: Land-spirits, accept our offering!
All: Land-spirits, accept our offering!
- Deities
Ashtore: The children of earth call out to the shining ones. Hear us, eldest and brightest. To all the shining ones, first children of the mother, wisest and mightiest, loving and comforting, gods and goddesses, we offer you welcome. To the gods and goddesses of this place, ancient and powerful, known to us or unknown, gods of this place, we offer you welcome. To all the deities of those here gathered, you whom we worship, you who bless our lives, o patrons and matrons, we offer you welcome. So, O shining ones, we call to you as our elders, in reverence and love, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, shining ones; meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
(Sacrificer offers oil to the fire)
Ashtore: Shining Ones, accept our offering!
All: Shining Ones, accept our offering!
Sean: See these beings now at our fire.
See them ringing our Grove, mingling their energies with ours.
The Gods, Dead and Sidhe, joining us as we sing to them
All sing: Gods & Dead & Mighty Sidhe,
Powers of earth and sky and sea,
By fire and well, by sacred tree,
Offering we make to ye.
XII. Key Offerings
The Deities of the Occasion are recognized and offerings are made to Them.
- Offering to Aine
caitlin: In elder days in Erin, the goddess was the mother of clans, called Aine, queen of the tribes of the sidhe. Aine the mighty mated with mighty men and from them she bore many peoples. As each of those grew old she would renew her youth and love again. So for us the living earth goddess grows old with the winter and renews her youth in this merry, magical time. With each of her renewings she brings the flow of new life, the erotic blossoming of every kin, not just for the continuing of clans, but for the delight and regeneration of all beings. So we call her Aine Glas - Green Aine!
Ashtore: Aine the ancient
Cailleach the mighty
Bones of the Earth
Answer your children
All: Mother to maiden
Winter to summer
Root into blossom
Answer us, changer
Ashtore: Flow now the waters
All hearts rejoicing
Laughter and loving
Bounty and blessing
All: Now in the hinge-time
Wise ones are calling
Show us your wonder
O maiden of May!
(Sacrificer offers oil to the Fire)
caitlin: Aine, accept our sacrifice!
All: Aine, accept our sacrifice!
(Sacrificer brings a bowl of flowers around the Grove so that each attendant can take a flower)
caitlin: Let the goddess of Earth hear our call, as I hear it! Blessings upon all who do honor to the Shining Ones. In this season of renewal we do honor to the Goddess of the Wells, for the sacred well is the eye of the earth. Aine Glas is the Water of Spring, the giver and receiver, the gate of the Sidhe!
caitlin: Now let the well be dressed, honoring our simple symbol of all the worlds' sacred wells.
(All in attendance take turns placing their flower at the well)
- Offering to Aengus Og
Sean: Surely it is true that when the maid of May appears in any place or any heart, the delight of love cannot be far behind. In Erin the power of love's joy was worshipped in Aengus Og, the son of Dagda and Boann. He is the golden harper, whose music wakens longing and fulfillment in mortal hearts. He is the silver voice, calling all to come away from earthly care and join in the joy of May. Now let us welcome the young lord!
Leona: The young son Maponos
Aengus the harper
Son of the Dagda
Whose staff is the strongest
All: Born of enchantment
The son of the Mother
Sing, O enticer
Delighter of maidens
Leona: Sap in the branches
All making merry
Bee to the blossom
Hie to the Maying
All: Raise now the May-rod
Aengus we name you
Wonder child rising
Come to our calling
(Sacrificer offers oil to the fire)
Sean: Aengus Og, accept our sacrifice!
All: Aengus Og, accept our sacrifice!
Sean: Awake, O King-To-Be! Enter now the maiden Earth and bring joy and blessing to us all! Beannachtai!
- Offering to the Sidhe
caitlin: In the elder days Aine the goddess was a queen of the Sidhefolk, ruling form her mound. Likewise Aengus was a king of the gentle people, making the faery music beneath the World. Now we call to them to open the way to the people of peace.
caitlin: On the feast of Bealtainne the veils between the worlds are thin. Now we honor the noble clans of the otherworld, the spirits of Earth to join our dance and receive due offering. Come to the gates, gentle and lovely ones. Hear our call, we the children of Earth, who remember you. We offer you our worship, our reverence and our blessing.
caitlin: You who rule in the wildwood, who give luck or bane, you who teach us the hidden ways and aid the wise, receive now these offerings made in your honor:
(**Note from caitlin: Here we gave a ribbon to nine of the people in attendance with one line attached to each ribbon; each person read the line, and then tied their ribbon on the tree)
To the queens under the hill — Oonagh the Lovely, Cailleach the Ancient, Medb the Mighty and all... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To the kings under the hill — Finvarra the Handsom, Bodb the Red, Eochaid the Stallion and all... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of magic and wisdom — Inspirers and singers, enchanters and lawgivers, you who grant wisdom. (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk who are warriors, wardens and keepers, champions and hunters, wrathful protectors... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the makers, iron Sidhe and gold Sidhe, wood Sidhe and clay Sidhe and the folk in the loom... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the soil, tillers and reapers, cattle Sidhe and arbor Sidhe and folk of the hearth... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the Earth, stone and soil, stream and pool, bird and beast... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the sea, merrow and selkie, of sunlit shallows and the deeps... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the air, trooping sidhe and the voices on the wind... (tie ribbon on Tree)
caitlin: To all of you we give these gifts and ornaments, asking you to bless us in the joy of the living...
caitlin: Noble Sidhe, accept our offering!
All: Noble Sidhe, accept our offering!
XII. Praise Offerings
All are welcome to take this opportunity to make personal offerings or requests; please feel free to use one of the flowers or offering cups on the altar if you would like to make an offering but did not bring one.
XIV. Prayer of Sacrifice:
Sean: O Aine of the Sidhe! O Mighty Aengus Og! O Noble, Ancient, and Shining Ones! Incense we have offered to Your shrines! Offerings we have made through the Well, Fire and Tree! And now our joy, love and reverence have filled this Wreath of Praise!
Sean: Kindreds! All this, we give to You. May our deeds be Your meat. May our devotion be Your bread. May our incense be sweet savor to Your nostrils.
(Sacrificer offers wreath to fire)
Sean: Mighty Kindreds, accept our offering!
All: Mighty Kindreds, accept our offering!
XV. Omen
We ask what blessings the Kindreds hold for us.
All: To You, we have given, and from You, we would receive. Reveal to us now our blessing!
The Seer reveals and explains the omen. [Jen]
XVI. Blessings
A key section in ADF ritual; gifts have been given to the Kindreds, and according to the laws of hospitality, a gift in return is proper. The Blessings balance the *ghosti relationship, for the Kindreds as guests are bound to give back to the host. Sean: The blessing of the Gods is poured from the cauldron of mystery, the cauldron of plenty, the cauldron of rebirth.
Sean: Do the Children of the Earth desire the blessing?
All: We do!
Sean: Do you come in honor to the Elder Ways?
All: We do!
Sean: Do you desire that every one of us be Blessed?
All: We do!
caitlin: Children of the Earth, in this season of magic you are offered a boon! Choose now, and hold this prayer in your mind and heart as we draw at last, the Blessing. Let none drink of this vessel holding ill will to any here in their hearts! Let this be the cup of peace and fellowship!
XVII. Hallowing the Blessing
The Blessings now come into the Blessing Cup and permeate the beverage within. No longer mundane, the waters become ‘The Waters of Life’. (Sean pours water from the carafe into the cup and elevates it)
Sean: We draw water from the magic cauldron; we fill the Blessing Bowl. O Mighty, Noble and Shining ones we have honored you. Now we ask for a Blessing as a gift calls for a gift. Now let us enchant the Blessing Cup, that our work may bear true fruit. This is the outpouring of Blessings from the Mighty Ones, from all the Powers, from the Caldron of Wonders! Drink we now the draught of the Gods. Drink in Wisdom, Wealth and Strength, so that we may live our lives in truth, joy and honor. So, O Mighty, Noble and Shining Ones, hear and answer us! Hallow these waters Aine and Aengus! BEHOLD THE WATERS OF LIFE!
All: Behold the Waters of Life!
(Waters are shared was we sing)
All: Blessings of the Mighty Ones upon us.
Blessings of the Noble Ones upon us
Blessings of the Shining Ones upon us
Blessings of the Kindred upon us
XIX. Affirmation of the Blessing
We accept the blessing from the Kindreds.
Sean: Children of the Earth Mother, do you accept the gifts from the Kindreds?
All: We do!
Sean: As do I.
Kevin: Bless, O great ones true and bountiful
Ourselves, our kind and our friends
Our work and our wealth.
May the Waters of Life sustain us
May the Fire of Passion enliven us
From day to day through every turning moon
From season to season
Through all the sacred year.
Kevin: Druids renew the company’s centering once more:
May the ancestors strengthen us
May the Sidhe-folk open our ways
May the goddesses and gods grant us wisdom.
Let the seeds of spring shoot and bud
And let our lives blossom with the May.
By our magic and by the blessings of the old ways
Let all our blossoms come to fruit!
XX. Workings
As this was our big 'debut rite', Sean took this opportunity to bless our Protogrove and send us on our way to go forth and be fruitful, or something like that. ;)
XXI. Thanking the Beings
We thank the Deities of the Occasion, the Kindreds, and those who’ve aided us in our rite.
Sean: We have been blessed by Aine and Aengus, offering we have given and Blessings we have received by the Mighty, Noble and Shining Ones. But now it is time to return to our common world, With joy in our hearts let us carry the magic from our sacred grove into our lives and work. Each time we offer to the powers they be come stronger and more aware of our needs and our worship. So now as we prepare to depart let us give thanks to those who have aided us.
caitlin: O Aine and Aengus,
All: We thank you!
caitlin: O Gods and Goddesses of elder days!
All: We thank you!
caitlin: O spirits of this land!
All: We thank you!
caitlin: O ancestors, our kindred!
All: We thank you!
caitlin: To all those powers that have aided us, we say again...
All: We thank you!
Sean: Finally, see the receding mist fade completely away, the Well, Fire and Tree becoming the common tools they were before, and remember that while our grove fades, the vision and memories of our rite are there always for you to use, and to carry with you in our common world.
caitlin: O gatekeeper, warder of the ways, for your presence and power, your guiding and guarding we say thank you! We make another offering to you and ask you to aid us in ending that which we have done.
(Sacrificer offers whiskey to the fire)
caitlin: Manannan, accept our sacrifice!
All: Manannan, accept our sacrifice!
XXII. Closing the Gates
We close the Gates and return to the Middleworld.
Mike: Now by the keeper of gates and by our magic we end what we began.
Now let the fire be flame
Mike: Let the well be water;
Let all be as it was before,
Save only for the blessings we have received.
Let the gates be closed!
All: Let the gates be closed!
XXIII. Thanking the Earth Mother and Final Closing
We thank the Earth Mother, return any unused offerings, and are led on another guided meditation to return us to mundane space.
(Sacrificer offers any unused offerings, return flow, incense, water etc. to the earth)
caitlin: Mother of all, to you we return all we leave unused. Uphold us now in the world as you have in our rite. Earth Mother, we thank you!
All: Earth Mother, we thank you!
[Lindsay] undoes Two Powers.
Sean: Go now, children of the earth, in peace and blessings. The rite is ended!
This ritual script includes material, songs, and chants created by Rev. Ian Corrigan/Stone Creed Grove, ADF; Ceisiwr Serith; Brandon Newberg; Rev. Sean Harbaugh/Jen Hoover/ Sierra Madrone Grove, ADF; Rev. Kirk Thomas; and caitlin ní Manannan/Protogrove of the Valley Oak, ADF. We thank them all.
First Annual Bealtainne Ritual/BBQ
5 May 2012 - Stevens Creek County Park
Welcome to our very first Bealtainne rite as an official ADF Protogrove; we’re thrilled that you could join us! You’ll notice that we’re working with a ritual script; the majority of us Valley Oak folks are still relatively new to performing ADF rituals (we’ve attended many, but running them ourselves is new for us), and our Protogrove is only 3 months old, so bear with us! Most of all, we hope that you’ll just have fun; we plan to! :D
I. Welcome
The Presiding Druid welcomes the attendants and introduces the Celebrants. [caitlin]
II. Pre-ritual Briefing/Opening Prayer
The Presiding Clergy declares the intention of the rite and the Deities of the Occasion, and explains the seasonal significance of this High Day. [Sean]
III. Outdwellers
The Outdwellers represent forces both around us and within us that are counterproductive to the purpose of our rite. Rather than closing off our ritual to such powers, we give them an offering to appease them so that they won’t bother us, establishing a *ghosti relationship; giving so that we may receive. [Brighde]
IV. Signal/Processional/Purification
The bell is rung, signaling the beginning of the rite, and the attendants proceed into the ritual space while all are censed and asperged.
All sing: Come we now as a people
To gather at the sacred well
Come we now as a people
Together in the warmth and the light of the flame. (repeat as needed)
The Grove is censed and asperged.
All: By the might of the water
And the light of the fire
This Grove is made whole and holy. (repeat as needed)
V. Earth Mother
An offering of grains is made to the Earth Mother.
Mike: Danu, beloved ancestral mother of prosperity and plenty
From whose starry womb of the green earth springs
You who are the bearer of all life
We pray you bless and uphold this rite.
(Sacrificer offers grains to the ground)
Mike: Danu, accept our offering!
All: Danu, accept our offering!
All sing: Earth Mother, we honor your body
Earth Mother, we honor your bones
Earth Mother, we sing to your spirits
Earth Mother, we sing to your stones
VI. Inspiration
An offering is made to Brighid asking for inspiration.
Peg: Brighid, O' lovely lady of the green mantle,
Goddess of poetry, of bards, of fire and fertility,
Brighid, we pray you; as our thoughts form words from
inspiration and flow into melodies - let your flame flicker
in our hearts and compel us in our work.
(Sacrificer offers oil to the fire)
Peg: Brighid, accept our offering!
All: Brighid, accept our offering!
VII. Purpose and Precedent
Presiding Clergy explains the purpose of our rite, as well as any seasonal, historical or cultural precedent.
Sean: Slainte agus failte! Welcome to Bealtainne, the Hinge of Summer, the Day of Blessings. The earth grows green again, warmed by the power of the Sun and the Waters’ cool strength. Shoot has become bud and bud is flowering as all life burns with the kindling of love’s fire. Now we rejoice in the warmth of May, and look forward to the greater heat of summer.
Sean: In elder days the feast of Bealtainne was a day of power and duty, when every fire was extinguished and every clan held fast to its luck for the coming season. The folk left their work and went into the greenwood. They roved among the blossoms and made love to one another to celebrate the Power of Life. They went into the Groves and made their worship to the Gods and Goddesses that sustained them.
Sean: As the ancients did before us, so we do now, and so our descendants may do in the future. We are come into the Grove to worship as they did, to offer to the Ancestors; to offer to the King and Queen of the Sidhe clans and all the Nature Spirits; and to offer to the beloved Shining Ones. Today we honor Aine, the Queen under the Mound, the erotic power of renewal. Today we honor the Mac Oc as Aengus the Harper, the enchanting life of the Earth. Today we kindle new flame in ourselves as we dance among the Bealtainne fires. And tonight, may we practice the Rites of Love in whatever way our spirit may guide us, to sustain the Power of Life.
VIII. Centering and Grounding
Attendants are led on a guided meditation.
[Lindsay] does the Two Powers
(Sacrificer pours water from carafe into well)
Sean: O Waters of the Earth, deep and dark
Arise, primeval powers, fill us now
With all your wondrous possibilities,
That through the Earth our mother, we may ground and join as one.
(Sacrificer lights charcoal in firepit)
caitlin: O Fires of the sky, O blinding light,
Descend and crystallize within us all
That spark of order on which all life depends,
That through the Sky our Father, we may shine and share as one.
Sean: Chaos of the Earth, now fill us!
All: Chaos of the Earth, now fill us!
caitlin: Order of the Heavens, mold us!
All: Order of the Heavens, mold us!
Sean & caitlin: Join the powers deep within us!
All: Join the powers deep within us!
Sean & caitlin: With the merging of these powers, let us join as one!
All: With the merging of these powers, let us join as one!
IV. Recreating the Cosmos
- The Three Realms
The three realms (land, sea and sky) are recognized.
Jen: The waters support and surround us
The land extends about us
The sky stretches out above us:
At the center burns a living flame.
May all the Kindreds bless us.
May our worship be true. All: May our worship be true. May our actions be just. All: May our actions be just. May our love be pure. All: May our love be pure. Blessings, and honor, and worship to the holy ones.
- Fire, Well & Tree
Silver is offered to the Well, Oil to the Fire, and Incense and Water to the Bile (Tree) as we sing.
All sing: [chorus] By Fire and by Water, between the Earth and Sky,
We stand like the World-Tree, rooted deep, crowned high.
(during this verse, Sacrificer offers silver to well)
Come we now to the Well, the eye and the mouth of Earth,
Come we now to the Well, and silver we bring,
Come we now to the Well, the waters of rebirth,
Come we now to the Well, together we sing:
[chorus]
(during this verse, Sacrificer offers whiskey to fire)
We will kindle a Fire, Bless all, and with harm to none,
We will kindle a Fire, and offering pour,
We will kindle a Fire, A light 'neath the Moon & Sun,
We will kindle a fire, our spirits will soar.
[chorus]
(during this verse, Sacrificer censes & asperges the Tree)
Gather we at the Tree, the root & the crown of all,
Gather we at the Tree, Below & above,
Gather we at the Tree, Together we make our call,
Gather we at the Tree, In wisdom & love.
[chorus]
X. Opening the Gates
An offering is made to the Gatekeeper and the Gates are opened, affording us a clear, strong and efficient connection to the Kindreds for our working and worship.
Sean: Now let us open the Ways Between...
Mike: O Manannan, Lord of the Gates, Lord of Wisdom, open the ways for us.
We walk in your holy ways; we walk the Sacred Road.
Share your magic with us; ward us as we walk in safety.
(Sacrificer offers whiskey to the fire)
Mike: Manannan Mac Lir, accept our sacrifice!
All: Manannan mac Lir, accept our sacrifice!
Mike: Hold to your center, Children of Earth, and see, arising from the Well, shining in the Fire, centered on the Tree, a sparkling mist… warm and refreshing, the Mist of Magic. See the Mist form the Gate. See it as a door, perhaps a bridge, a subtle opening in the fabric of life, enhancing our awareness of the otherworlds.
Mike: Now, Lord of ways, join your magic with mine and let the fire open as a gate, let the well open as a gate, let the tree be the crossroads of all worlds. Open as a road to our voices and to the spirits. Let the gates be open!
All: Let the gates be open!
XI. Inviting the three Kindreds
Offerings are made and the three Kindreds (Ancestors, Nature Spirits, and Gods/Goddesses) are invited to join us and help us worship.
- Ancestors
Leona: The children of the earth call out to the mighty dead. Hear us, our ancestors, our kindred. To all whose bones lie in this land, whose hearts are tied to it, whose memory holds it; ancient tribes of this place, we offer you welcome. To all of our grandmothers and grandfathers, our own beloved dead, blood-kin and heart-kin, ancient tribes of our blood, we offer you welcome. To all those elder wise ones who guide their people, poets and seers, judges and magicians, wise women and men of ancient days, we offer you welcome. So, o mighty ones, we call to you as our kin, in the love of the all-mother, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, spirits. Meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
(Sacrificer places the bottle of ale next to the well)
Leona: Ancestors, accept our offering!
All: Ancestors, accept our offering!
- Nature Spirits
Kevin: The children of earth call out to the spirits of this land. Hear us, companions and teachers. To all our allies, kindreds of stone and stream, crystal and fertile soil, pools and mighty seas, kins of the earth, we offer you welcome. To all our allies, kindreds of the growing green, herb and flower, shrub and mighty trees, root and stem and fruit. Green kins, we offer you welcome. To all our allies, kindreds of fur and feather and scale, all who walk or fly or swim or crawl, we offer you welcome. So, o noble ones, we call to you as our allies, in the joy of life upon earth, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, spirits. Meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
(Sacrificer scatters herbs/flowers around the ground)
Kevin: Land-spirits, accept our offering!
All: Land-spirits, accept our offering!
- Deities
Ashtore: The children of earth call out to the shining ones. Hear us, eldest and brightest. To all the shining ones, first children of the mother, wisest and mightiest, loving and comforting, gods and goddesses, we offer you welcome. To the gods and goddesses of this place, ancient and powerful, known to us or unknown, gods of this place, we offer you welcome. To all the deities of those here gathered, you whom we worship, you who bless our lives, o patrons and matrons, we offer you welcome. So, O shining ones, we call to you as our elders, in reverence and love, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, shining ones; meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways.
(Sacrificer offers oil to the fire)
Ashtore: Shining Ones, accept our offering!
All: Shining Ones, accept our offering!
Sean: See these beings now at our fire.
See them ringing our Grove, mingling their energies with ours.
The Gods, Dead and Sidhe, joining us as we sing to them
All sing: Gods & Dead & Mighty Sidhe,
Powers of earth and sky and sea,
By fire and well, by sacred tree,
Offering we make to ye.
XII. Key Offerings
The Deities of the Occasion are recognized and offerings are made to Them.
- Offering to Aine
caitlin: In elder days in Erin, the goddess was the mother of clans, called Aine, queen of the tribes of the sidhe. Aine the mighty mated with mighty men and from them she bore many peoples. As each of those grew old she would renew her youth and love again. So for us the living earth goddess grows old with the winter and renews her youth in this merry, magical time. With each of her renewings she brings the flow of new life, the erotic blossoming of every kin, not just for the continuing of clans, but for the delight and regeneration of all beings. So we call her Aine Glas - Green Aine!
Ashtore: Aine the ancient
Cailleach the mighty
Bones of the Earth
Answer your children
All: Mother to maiden
Winter to summer
Root into blossom
Answer us, changer
Ashtore: Flow now the waters
All hearts rejoicing
Laughter and loving
Bounty and blessing
All: Now in the hinge-time
Wise ones are calling
Show us your wonder
O maiden of May!
(Sacrificer offers oil to the Fire)
caitlin: Aine, accept our sacrifice!
All: Aine, accept our sacrifice!
(Sacrificer brings a bowl of flowers around the Grove so that each attendant can take a flower)
caitlin: Let the goddess of Earth hear our call, as I hear it! Blessings upon all who do honor to the Shining Ones. In this season of renewal we do honor to the Goddess of the Wells, for the sacred well is the eye of the earth. Aine Glas is the Water of Spring, the giver and receiver, the gate of the Sidhe!
caitlin: Now let the well be dressed, honoring our simple symbol of all the worlds' sacred wells.
(All in attendance take turns placing their flower at the well)
- Offering to Aengus Og
Sean: Surely it is true that when the maid of May appears in any place or any heart, the delight of love cannot be far behind. In Erin the power of love's joy was worshipped in Aengus Og, the son of Dagda and Boann. He is the golden harper, whose music wakens longing and fulfillment in mortal hearts. He is the silver voice, calling all to come away from earthly care and join in the joy of May. Now let us welcome the young lord!
Leona: The young son Maponos
Aengus the harper
Son of the Dagda
Whose staff is the strongest
All: Born of enchantment
The son of the Mother
Sing, O enticer
Delighter of maidens
Leona: Sap in the branches
All making merry
Bee to the blossom
Hie to the Maying
All: Raise now the May-rod
Aengus we name you
Wonder child rising
Come to our calling
(Sacrificer offers oil to the fire)
Sean: Aengus Og, accept our sacrifice!
All: Aengus Og, accept our sacrifice!
Sean: Awake, O King-To-Be! Enter now the maiden Earth and bring joy and blessing to us all! Beannachtai!
- Offering to the Sidhe
caitlin: In the elder days Aine the goddess was a queen of the Sidhefolk, ruling form her mound. Likewise Aengus was a king of the gentle people, making the faery music beneath the World. Now we call to them to open the way to the people of peace.
caitlin: On the feast of Bealtainne the veils between the worlds are thin. Now we honor the noble clans of the otherworld, the spirits of Earth to join our dance and receive due offering. Come to the gates, gentle and lovely ones. Hear our call, we the children of Earth, who remember you. We offer you our worship, our reverence and our blessing.
caitlin: You who rule in the wildwood, who give luck or bane, you who teach us the hidden ways and aid the wise, receive now these offerings made in your honor:
(**Note from caitlin: Here we gave a ribbon to nine of the people in attendance with one line attached to each ribbon; each person read the line, and then tied their ribbon on the tree)
To the queens under the hill — Oonagh the Lovely, Cailleach the Ancient, Medb the Mighty and all... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To the kings under the hill — Finvarra the Handsom, Bodb the Red, Eochaid the Stallion and all... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of magic and wisdom — Inspirers and singers, enchanters and lawgivers, you who grant wisdom. (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk who are warriors, wardens and keepers, champions and hunters, wrathful protectors... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the makers, iron Sidhe and gold Sidhe, wood Sidhe and clay Sidhe and the folk in the loom... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the soil, tillers and reapers, cattle Sidhe and arbor Sidhe and folk of the hearth... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the Earth, stone and soil, stream and pool, bird and beast... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the sea, merrow and selkie, of sunlit shallows and the deeps... (tie ribbon on Tree)
To all the Sidhe-folk of the air, trooping sidhe and the voices on the wind... (tie ribbon on Tree)
caitlin: To all of you we give these gifts and ornaments, asking you to bless us in the joy of the living...
caitlin: Noble Sidhe, accept our offering!
All: Noble Sidhe, accept our offering!
XII. Praise Offerings
All are welcome to take this opportunity to make personal offerings or requests; please feel free to use one of the flowers or offering cups on the altar if you would like to make an offering but did not bring one.
XIV. Prayer of Sacrifice:
Sean: O Aine of the Sidhe! O Mighty Aengus Og! O Noble, Ancient, and Shining Ones! Incense we have offered to Your shrines! Offerings we have made through the Well, Fire and Tree! And now our joy, love and reverence have filled this Wreath of Praise!
Sean: Kindreds! All this, we give to You. May our deeds be Your meat. May our devotion be Your bread. May our incense be sweet savor to Your nostrils.
(Sacrificer offers wreath to fire)
Sean: Mighty Kindreds, accept our offering!
All: Mighty Kindreds, accept our offering!
XV. Omen
We ask what blessings the Kindreds hold for us.
All: To You, we have given, and from You, we would receive. Reveal to us now our blessing!
The Seer reveals and explains the omen. [Jen]
XVI. Blessings
A key section in ADF ritual; gifts have been given to the Kindreds, and according to the laws of hospitality, a gift in return is proper. The Blessings balance the *ghosti relationship, for the Kindreds as guests are bound to give back to the host. Sean: The blessing of the Gods is poured from the cauldron of mystery, the cauldron of plenty, the cauldron of rebirth.
Sean: Do the Children of the Earth desire the blessing?
All: We do!
Sean: Do you come in honor to the Elder Ways?
All: We do!
Sean: Do you desire that every one of us be Blessed?
All: We do!
caitlin: Children of the Earth, in this season of magic you are offered a boon! Choose now, and hold this prayer in your mind and heart as we draw at last, the Blessing. Let none drink of this vessel holding ill will to any here in their hearts! Let this be the cup of peace and fellowship!
XVII. Hallowing the Blessing
The Blessings now come into the Blessing Cup and permeate the beverage within. No longer mundane, the waters become ‘The Waters of Life’. (Sean pours water from the carafe into the cup and elevates it)
Sean: We draw water from the magic cauldron; we fill the Blessing Bowl. O Mighty, Noble and Shining ones we have honored you. Now we ask for a Blessing as a gift calls for a gift. Now let us enchant the Blessing Cup, that our work may bear true fruit. This is the outpouring of Blessings from the Mighty Ones, from all the Powers, from the Caldron of Wonders! Drink we now the draught of the Gods. Drink in Wisdom, Wealth and Strength, so that we may live our lives in truth, joy and honor. So, O Mighty, Noble and Shining Ones, hear and answer us! Hallow these waters Aine and Aengus! BEHOLD THE WATERS OF LIFE!
All: Behold the Waters of Life!
(Waters are shared was we sing)
All: Blessings of the Mighty Ones upon us.
Blessings of the Noble Ones upon us
Blessings of the Shining Ones upon us
Blessings of the Kindred upon us
XIX. Affirmation of the Blessing
We accept the blessing from the Kindreds.
Sean: Children of the Earth Mother, do you accept the gifts from the Kindreds?
All: We do!
Sean: As do I.
Kevin: Bless, O great ones true and bountiful
Ourselves, our kind and our friends
Our work and our wealth.
May the Waters of Life sustain us
May the Fire of Passion enliven us
From day to day through every turning moon
From season to season
Through all the sacred year.
Kevin: Druids renew the company’s centering once more:
May the ancestors strengthen us
May the Sidhe-folk open our ways
May the goddesses and gods grant us wisdom.
Let the seeds of spring shoot and bud
And let our lives blossom with the May.
By our magic and by the blessings of the old ways
Let all our blossoms come to fruit!
XX. Workings
As this was our big 'debut rite', Sean took this opportunity to bless our Protogrove and send us on our way to go forth and be fruitful, or something like that. ;)
XXI. Thanking the Beings
We thank the Deities of the Occasion, the Kindreds, and those who’ve aided us in our rite.
Sean: We have been blessed by Aine and Aengus, offering we have given and Blessings we have received by the Mighty, Noble and Shining Ones. But now it is time to return to our common world, With joy in our hearts let us carry the magic from our sacred grove into our lives and work. Each time we offer to the powers they be come stronger and more aware of our needs and our worship. So now as we prepare to depart let us give thanks to those who have aided us.
caitlin: O Aine and Aengus,
All: We thank you!
caitlin: O Gods and Goddesses of elder days!
All: We thank you!
caitlin: O spirits of this land!
All: We thank you!
caitlin: O ancestors, our kindred!
All: We thank you!
caitlin: To all those powers that have aided us, we say again...
All: We thank you!
Sean: Finally, see the receding mist fade completely away, the Well, Fire and Tree becoming the common tools they were before, and remember that while our grove fades, the vision and memories of our rite are there always for you to use, and to carry with you in our common world.
caitlin: O gatekeeper, warder of the ways, for your presence and power, your guiding and guarding we say thank you! We make another offering to you and ask you to aid us in ending that which we have done.
(Sacrificer offers whiskey to the fire)
caitlin: Manannan, accept our sacrifice!
All: Manannan, accept our sacrifice!
XXII. Closing the Gates
We close the Gates and return to the Middleworld.
Mike: Now by the keeper of gates and by our magic we end what we began.
Now let the fire be flame
Mike: Let the well be water;
Let all be as it was before,
Save only for the blessings we have received.
Let the gates be closed!
All: Let the gates be closed!
XXIII. Thanking the Earth Mother and Final Closing
We thank the Earth Mother, return any unused offerings, and are led on another guided meditation to return us to mundane space.
(Sacrificer offers any unused offerings, return flow, incense, water etc. to the earth)
caitlin: Mother of all, to you we return all we leave unused. Uphold us now in the world as you have in our rite. Earth Mother, we thank you!
All: Earth Mother, we thank you!
[Lindsay] undoes Two Powers.
Sean: Go now, children of the earth, in peace and blessings. The rite is ended!
This ritual script includes material, songs, and chants created by Rev. Ian Corrigan/Stone Creed Grove, ADF; Ceisiwr Serith; Brandon Newberg; Rev. Sean Harbaugh/Jen Hoover/ Sierra Madrone Grove, ADF; Rev. Kirk Thomas; and caitlin ní Manannan/Protogrove of the Valley Oak, ADF. We thank them all.
