Greetings and well met! It's funny how quickly things can change sometimes, isn't it? I was all set to do an Imbolc ritual with our group and now that's done a 360. I was at a meeting on it Saturday night, and it just didn't "feel" right. It was "here's the script, stand and watch". I don't generally have issues with that, however this is something I'm planning on devoting at least the next 5 years to to master, and I just feel I should know WHY we do something in a ritual and have some input into it if that makes any sense. I expressed this to one of the leaders of the ritual, more to explain why I wouldn't be there (no, I'm not upset, etc. and all that) and was surprised he kind of felt the same. I've written a Disting/Imbolc ritual for my spouse and I to share that feels much more personal I guess. The one person would like to attend, which is fine, and there's another couple we thought to invite, so our little family only ceremony has just expanded. Which is kind of nice. Anyway this is what I think we're doing. It's my first try, so I'm sure it's far from perfect. Also, those of the Northern Religion celebrate Disting/the Charming of the Plow at the same time, so this is kind of a compilation of both. Please note that while much of it is my own creation (as well as the compilation), the Call for Peace in the 4 corners was borrowed from another source with minor modifications. (Source to be added directly)
Blot of Disting/Ceremony of Imbolc
• Close the circle
• Call for Peace in the 4 corners
o I call to the spirits of air, the breath of life; to the spirit of the eagle who brings the gift of vision far and clear, the spirits of the wild east wind, of sunrise and of spring, of new life and new growth. May all within this circle know the power of your blessings. So I bid you hail and welcome!
May there be peace in the east (turn to the east and hold the dagger, sheathed)
o I call to the spirits of fire, of energy of passion; the spirit of the wild wolf, who kindles within us the strength and beauty of the untamed places; spirit of the noonday sun, the heat of summer, vitality and abundance. May all within this circle know the power of your blessings. So I bid you hail and welcome!
May there be peace in the north (turn to the north and hold the dagger, sheathed)
o I call to the spirits of water, of the ebb and flow of emotion; to the spirit of the salmon, who fills us with the wisdom welling up from deep within the earth, of open seas and running streams, of cleansing rain; spirit of the evening sun, of twilight and of autumn. May all within this circle know the power of your blessings. So I bid you hail and welcome!
May there be peace in the west (turn to the west and hold the dagger, sheathed)
o I call to the spirits of earth, those which nourish our bodies and lend our creation; to the spirit of the bear, who draws us into the nourishing darkness of the cave; spirits of the night and the snows of winter, deep roots and ancient stones. May all within this circle know the power of your blessings. So I bid you hail and welcome!
May there be peace in the south (turn to the south and hold the dagger, sheathed)
• Invoke the blessings of the Gods and light candle
o We call to Nerthus, the mother earth from whom all bounty is possible, to share our hearth and bless our harvest in the upcoming year
o We call to Freyr, God of Sun and Rain, patron of harvests, that he may share our hearth and smile kindly upon us in the upcoming weeks of winter and the seasons of planting and harvest
o We call to Thor, mighty protector of Midland, that he may join our hearth and hold his hammer above it and shield our home from malice and misdeed
o We call to Frigga, wife of Odin and Goddess of marriage, motherhood and household, that she may come rest by our hearth and guide us with her wisdom in the balance of home and work in the upcoming seasons
o We call on Odin, the Allfather, that he may join our hearth and look favorably upon our endeavors
• Invoke the blessings of the Ancestors and light candle
o We call on our ancestors as they are ever-watching and ever-guiding our steps in this life
• Invoke the blessings of the elves and light candle
o We acknowledge the elves and seek their good fortune
• Comment on the coming spring
o We come together tonight to honor those we have invited here and to celebrate the lengthening days. Though snow may still lay on the ground, and the wind remain bitter, we are reminded that the turning of the season will soon again be upon us. It is now that we plant the first seeds of the year with the intent to nourish them as their growth and bloom will nourish our hearts and soul in the upcoming weeks.
Plant seeds
• Drink to deities
o We offer now, a toast to those who would join us and watch over our interests. (Drink after each name is said)
Hail Nerthus!
Hail Freyr!
Hail Thor!
Hail Frigga!
Hail Odin!
• Drink to ancestors
We offer a toast to those who have come before us, who’s footsteps we may follow. (Drink to the ancestors)
• Fill Blessings Bowl and dump
o Place small pieces of bread into the bowl and pour a drink over it
Take these, our offerings freely given
(Pour contents on the ground for the wights)
• Close the circle
o We release the spirits of the air, and thank them for their protection.
o We release the spirits of the fire, and thank them for their protection.
o We release the spirits of the water, and thank them for their protection.
o We release the spirits of the earth, and thank them for their protection.
o Let the circle be opened and peace be with you.
We're not sure what night it will be on just yet, but probably midweek. Afterwards we'll all come inside (it's still COLD out!) and sit by the fire and share a traditional stew and homemade bread. YUM!
Ok have little ones to get into bed then a website to redo. It's not *all* fun and games! LOL!
~~~~~~~~~
Ok got it. The calling of the 4 quartes came from the Gorsedd Rite written by Philip Shallcrass and Emma Restall Orr and can be found Here
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
It has been a while
That sums up many things right now. First off, obviously it has been a while since I have posted. It has been a while since I've been this involved with other people in my community. It has been a while since I've been this hesitant before.
We brought in the new year, as did everyone. We spent some time at a friends house, then made a fairly early departure as we had little ones with us. One thing that I've done for this year is adopt Words for the New Year. Progress. Positivity. Health. Direction. Perserverence. A few to start with.
Progress. As a family and as an individual, we have goals for this year. After many big changes last year, though not all positive, I felt that "progress" was not only continuing change but movement in the right direction - forward. Direction and Perserverence tie nicely into that, while being significant enough to merit their own position. Health. I am sick, again. In the past 3 years my health has been worse than ever. In the past six months alone I've had the H1N1 virus (thankfully mild!), several sinus infections and now a plain old headcold I think. Part of it is from the change in location with all the stress added to the new germs. Part of it is cumulative, and I need to retake charge of my body. So Health is another good word for the year. Positivity is probably going to be my greatest challenge. It seems everywhere I look I'm bombarded with negativity. I was raised in a culture where if you say anything positive you are considered boastful. "I'm so happy the sun is shining!" can be rubbing it in for others who are under rainy skies. So instead you say "I'm so glad the sun is FINALLY shining for us!". See that little complaint in there, that the sun hasn't been shining? Yeah, silly. But very insidious and a hard one to break.
In April it will be time to make a Treasure Map. I've not done one before though I'm excited about it. It coincides with the Aries moon, a time for new purpose and new beginnings. I'm already thinking what I'd like to have on it, though I've been warned those ideas may change with the energy of the moon cycle that month. I think my mate may even be considering one!
I've been continuing my studies with the AODA. Among the regular things I'm tasked with learning, I've been delving into what we know about the druids. Quite fascinating, both in the wealth and lack thereof of information. One story in particular has caught my attention though. It is the tale of Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni's. Her husband the king ruled in the times of the Roman invasion into Britton. He was what's termed an "independent ally" of Rome - meaning he didn't get in their way, paid some taxes, and they left his people alone for the most part. He also traded heavily with them and so on. Upon his death he left his kingdom split, half to the Roman Emperor, half to his family. The Roman Emperor was not accustomed to sharing, and most certainly not with a woman. In the Roman empire, women were not even considered citizens, let alone property owners! Word was sent to Boudicca to turn over her daughter's inheritance to the Emperor. Boudicca evidentally told the Roman Emperor where to stick it for his audacity, an admirable but ill advised move. She was flogged and her 2 daughters raped, while their assets seized and her people treated like slaves.
Now this wasn't the only tribe this happened to, and while the Romans were off fighting another area, the tribes in the Iceni area voted Boudicca to lead their revolution. She did eventually lose, but not before she destroyed three main Roman strongholds (London anyone?) and took out a sizable chunk of their armies. I'm telling you, don't piss off a woman and do not harm her children! Yowza! The twist to the story is though unproven, there is enough evidence to speculate that she may also have been trained as a Druid. Neat stuff.
I've been working to reconcile the Northern Religion with the Celtic, and have finally gotten it mostly figured out. It helped to learn that the Norse traded for years with the Celts, from as early as 1500bc, and that they settled all through the Celtic lands as they invaded. It's starting to gel together, the overlaps and the similiarities. There are still a few differences, but it at least has more logic to it for me now.
As for my druid studies, I'm progressing slower than I'd like, but at a respectable pace. I'm impatient, I want to know it all NOW. And that is something I have to work through in all aspects of life.
I'm learning about the different wildlife in our new area, as well as the trees, foilage, etc. I've found just a treasure of information in a series of books by a local naturalist. I've also begun working with Norse Runes, with some degree of success to this point. Funny really on that one, I picked them up and it was like I'd always been using them. One thing that I have not kept up on is my study of the Icelandic language. I need to get this knocked out so I can move on to Scottish Gaelic. Thankfully I'm fairly adept with languages!
I may have mentioned that we've become active in the wonderful Pagan community up here. Most Friday evenings we spend time with a group of friends at the weekly fire circle. One of our goals for hopefully this year is to buy a house with decent acerage where we can host the Friday Night Fire Circles. The place we have it now is starting to get crowded, and in temperatures like we've been having, it's moved inside. Our hosts house is cozy, but they've mentioned they'd prefer to gather in a place with a fireplace and more space. We're also looking for trees, preferably enough for a small actual grove of my own, perfect for rituals. At some point I'd love to ascend through the AODA ranks and be able to help others with their rituals (as well as my own of course) in a place that I knew was safe. Anyway, as I believe I also mentioned previously, 2 of the members of the fire circle are following the OBOD path. Honestly, I wasn't sure which organization to affiliate with for my studies, and it was a hard call. However, after getting into the AODA program and "comparing notes" if you will about the OBOD program, I'm very glad this is the path I've chosen. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not about to insult the OBOD; it's a solid organization with good information. But what I'm seeing is that all of the information is handed to you each month, and while you may be encouraged to delve deeper into some topics, there's no real incentive to do so. AODA on the other hand tells you a defined scope of what you need to focus on and then let's you loose on it (they do have a good reading list to reference as well as the message boards if you have questions). That suits my personality much better. As one of the OBOD disciples stated "It seems like the OBOD teaches you to talk the talk assuming you'll begin to walk the walk, whereas AODA does it in the reverse". I can live with that!
From the wind in the trees,
Siofra
We brought in the new year, as did everyone. We spent some time at a friends house, then made a fairly early departure as we had little ones with us. One thing that I've done for this year is adopt Words for the New Year. Progress. Positivity. Health. Direction. Perserverence. A few to start with.
Progress. As a family and as an individual, we have goals for this year. After many big changes last year, though not all positive, I felt that "progress" was not only continuing change but movement in the right direction - forward. Direction and Perserverence tie nicely into that, while being significant enough to merit their own position. Health. I am sick, again. In the past 3 years my health has been worse than ever. In the past six months alone I've had the H1N1 virus (thankfully mild!), several sinus infections and now a plain old headcold I think. Part of it is from the change in location with all the stress added to the new germs. Part of it is cumulative, and I need to retake charge of my body. So Health is another good word for the year. Positivity is probably going to be my greatest challenge. It seems everywhere I look I'm bombarded with negativity. I was raised in a culture where if you say anything positive you are considered boastful. "I'm so happy the sun is shining!" can be rubbing it in for others who are under rainy skies. So instead you say "I'm so glad the sun is FINALLY shining for us!". See that little complaint in there, that the sun hasn't been shining? Yeah, silly. But very insidious and a hard one to break.
In April it will be time to make a Treasure Map. I've not done one before though I'm excited about it. It coincides with the Aries moon, a time for new purpose and new beginnings. I'm already thinking what I'd like to have on it, though I've been warned those ideas may change with the energy of the moon cycle that month. I think my mate may even be considering one!
I've been continuing my studies with the AODA. Among the regular things I'm tasked with learning, I've been delving into what we know about the druids. Quite fascinating, both in the wealth and lack thereof of information. One story in particular has caught my attention though. It is the tale of Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni's. Her husband the king ruled in the times of the Roman invasion into Britton. He was what's termed an "independent ally" of Rome - meaning he didn't get in their way, paid some taxes, and they left his people alone for the most part. He also traded heavily with them and so on. Upon his death he left his kingdom split, half to the Roman Emperor, half to his family. The Roman Emperor was not accustomed to sharing, and most certainly not with a woman. In the Roman empire, women were not even considered citizens, let alone property owners! Word was sent to Boudicca to turn over her daughter's inheritance to the Emperor. Boudicca evidentally told the Roman Emperor where to stick it for his audacity, an admirable but ill advised move. She was flogged and her 2 daughters raped, while their assets seized and her people treated like slaves.
Now this wasn't the only tribe this happened to, and while the Romans were off fighting another area, the tribes in the Iceni area voted Boudicca to lead their revolution. She did eventually lose, but not before she destroyed three main Roman strongholds (London anyone?) and took out a sizable chunk of their armies. I'm telling you, don't piss off a woman and do not harm her children! Yowza! The twist to the story is though unproven, there is enough evidence to speculate that she may also have been trained as a Druid. Neat stuff.
I've been working to reconcile the Northern Religion with the Celtic, and have finally gotten it mostly figured out. It helped to learn that the Norse traded for years with the Celts, from as early as 1500bc, and that they settled all through the Celtic lands as they invaded. It's starting to gel together, the overlaps and the similiarities. There are still a few differences, but it at least has more logic to it for me now.
As for my druid studies, I'm progressing slower than I'd like, but at a respectable pace. I'm impatient, I want to know it all NOW. And that is something I have to work through in all aspects of life.
I'm learning about the different wildlife in our new area, as well as the trees, foilage, etc. I've found just a treasure of information in a series of books by a local naturalist. I've also begun working with Norse Runes, with some degree of success to this point. Funny really on that one, I picked them up and it was like I'd always been using them. One thing that I have not kept up on is my study of the Icelandic language. I need to get this knocked out so I can move on to Scottish Gaelic. Thankfully I'm fairly adept with languages!
I may have mentioned that we've become active in the wonderful Pagan community up here. Most Friday evenings we spend time with a group of friends at the weekly fire circle. One of our goals for hopefully this year is to buy a house with decent acerage where we can host the Friday Night Fire Circles. The place we have it now is starting to get crowded, and in temperatures like we've been having, it's moved inside. Our hosts house is cozy, but they've mentioned they'd prefer to gather in a place with a fireplace and more space. We're also looking for trees, preferably enough for a small actual grove of my own, perfect for rituals. At some point I'd love to ascend through the AODA ranks and be able to help others with their rituals (as well as my own of course) in a place that I knew was safe. Anyway, as I believe I also mentioned previously, 2 of the members of the fire circle are following the OBOD path. Honestly, I wasn't sure which organization to affiliate with for my studies, and it was a hard call. However, after getting into the AODA program and "comparing notes" if you will about the OBOD program, I'm very glad this is the path I've chosen. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not about to insult the OBOD; it's a solid organization with good information. But what I'm seeing is that all of the information is handed to you each month, and while you may be encouraged to delve deeper into some topics, there's no real incentive to do so. AODA on the other hand tells you a defined scope of what you need to focus on and then let's you loose on it (they do have a good reading list to reference as well as the message boards if you have questions). That suits my personality much better. As one of the OBOD disciples stated "It seems like the OBOD teaches you to talk the talk assuming you'll begin to walk the walk, whereas AODA does it in the reverse". I can live with that!
From the wind in the trees,
Siofra
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