ADF Dedicant’s Program: High Day Ritual Write-ups
One of the folk on the ADF Discord server was asking for tips for writing up online rituals, so I thought that I’d write up a blog to make it easier to reference.
If you’re not an ADF member and are interested in this training, check out the ADF Website and the Hearthkeeper’s Way.
The goal of the Dedicant’s Path is to help you explore your Druidry through an ADF lens. If you’ve been pagan for a while, it allows you to explore what it looks like through the ADF lens. If you’re new to paganism and Druidry, it allows you to explore what that means to you.
The question is as follows:
A brief account of each High Day ritual attended or performed by the Dedicant in a twelve-month period. High Days attended/performed might be celebrated with a local grove, privately, or with another Neopagan group. At least 4 of the rituals attended/performed during the training period must be ADF-style.
Looking at the submission guidelines, they ask for:
- Minimum of 100 words per High Day
- Minimum of four rites that follow the ADF Core Order of Ritual
- Includes all eight High Days in one twelve-month period
- Objective description of ritual attended
- Reaction and/or analysis to the ritual experience
- All rites are performed within seven days of each date marked in the ADF Constitution:
- Nov 1, Dec 21, Feb 1, Mar 21, May 1, June 21, Aug 1, Sept 21.
- The student does not need to begin with Nov 1, but all eight High Days must be within one twelve-month period.
- Additional rituals may be included, and students should provide objective descriptions and reactions to these, as well.
For the write-up, make sure that you answer all the points in the guidelines. The goal is to show that you attended the ritual and understood what was going on.
When I was doing my DP, my mentor advised me to outline the bones of the ritual, to talk about where the ritual was, what part you took in the ritual (if any), and your reflections on the ritual. If you can, including the deity of the occasion as well as a record of the omen is a bonus.
Here is an examples of what I wrote for Beltane. You can see that I focused on the location, my part in the ritual, and my reflection on the ritual.
For this ritual, Caitlin surprised us by renting out a space in one of the local national parks. It was lovely to do the ritual in rural setting. There was a large barbeque pit, but we our own metal pit for the fire. The ritual area was set the side of the area for food.
The ritual was well attended and went very well. Rev. Sean Harbaugh joined us presiding Druid, with Caitlin as his assistant and myself as the Sacrificer. Due to the rules of the park, we couldn’t have a wood fire, but we could have a charcoal fire. The charcoal fire worked out well. Whenever we would pour a sacrifice of alcohol or oil on the fire, it would flare up with great dramatic effect. I didn’t write down the omen, but I do remember that it was auspicious for our new protogrove.
This write-up was for an in-person ritual, but online rituals will work just as well. For online rituals, focus on your experience. What did you feel? How did the ritual work for you? If you can, include the deities/beings of the occasion and the omen.
You can see my full DP submission on my website. Feel free to reach out to me with questions on Discord (@victorias42)