I wrote this about 10 years ago, and it feels as if it’s useful to share now, as Samhain approaches. It should be easily adapted for a solitary rite. The ritual is my creation unless it is indicated in the ritual.
Ritual was written in 2015 by Vic “Leona Oigheag” for the Protogrove of the Valley Oak
Overview of the ritual
Priest 1:
(overview as appropriate to the audience)
Outdweller offering
Priest 1:
To you who are not in line with our intention here today,
To that which is within us that might sway us from our task,
To you we offer this drink,
Take this, and do not disturb us.
{offering of soda}
Purification of the participants and the space
All sing:
Come we now as a People
To gather at the Sacred Well.
Come we now as a People
To gather in the warmth and the light of the flame.
(repeat as necessary)
(Words & Music By Ian Corrigan)
Opening Prayer
Priest 2:
Grant, O Goddess, Thy Protection;
And in protection, strength;
And in strength, understanding;
And in understanding, knowledge;
And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;
And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it;
And in that love, the love of all existences;
And in the love of all existences, the love of the Divine and all goodness.
(Adapted from: The Book Of Druidry by Ross Nichols)
Grounding Meditation
Priest 1:
The priest guides the group in a grounding meditation. You can use the two powers meditation or a different grounding meditation as prefered by the priest. The focus should be on connecting with the underworld.
Musical signification
Priest 2:
(Ring the bell 3 times) Ancestors!
(Ring the bell 3 times) Nature Spirits!
(Ring the bell 3 times) Shining Ones!
Kindred! We call you here to this sacred space,
together we shall meet in the Other World!
Calling of the Earth Mother
Priest 1:
We call to you, Earth Mother,
You who provide us with sustenance,
You who sustain us through difficult times,
You who provide us the strength to change,
We call to you today.
Earth Mother, Accept our Offering!
{Offering of grains}
All:
Earth Mother, Accept our Offering!
Statement of Purpose
Priest 1:
We are here today to honor the our ancestors of blood and spirit. We honor those who came before us, who granted us life and who helped to nourish our hearts, minds and souls.
Re-Creating the Cosmos
Priest 2:
We call upon the Sacred Well
to be a gate to the underworld,
to connect us to our ancestors,
connect us to the waters of life!
Sacred Well! Flow within us!
{offering of silver}
All:
Sacred Well! Flow within us!
Priest 1:
We call upon the Sacred Fire
to be a gate to the world above,
to connect us to the Shining Ones,
connect us to the fires of heaven!
Sacred Fire! Burn within us!
{offering of brandy}
All:
Sacred Fire! Burn within us!!
Priest 2:
We call upon the Sacred Tree
to be a gate to the world around us,
to connect us to the Nature Spirits,
connect us to the land!
Sacred Tree! Grow within us!
{offering of grain}
All:
Sacred Tree! Grow within us!
Gatekeeper
Priest 1:
We call upon Gwyn ap Nudd, King of the Underworld,
Son of LLudd Law Eraint,
Of the house of Lyr,
Of the house of Don,
You who stand in all the worlds,
We call you here to guard and protect this rite!
Gwyn ap Nudd! Accept our offering!
{offering of brandy}
Let us now open the gates between the worlds so the Kindred may join us!
all chant (repeat):
Open the Gates! Open the Gates!
Priest 1:
Let the Gates be open!
Calling the Kindred
Priest 2:
Ancestors! You who have come before us,
related through blood and bone,
through mind and spirit!
We ask your help this day.
You who have been through transformation,
We ask your help with our own work!
Ancestors! Accept our Offering!
{offering of tobacco}
All:
Ancestors! Accept our Offering!
Priest 1:
Nature Spirits! You who live around and with us,
mutable and immutable,
flexible and sturdy!
We ask your help this day.
You who inspire connection and truth,
We ask your help with our work!
Nature Spirits! Accept our Offering!
{offering of corn}
All:
Nature Spirits! Accept our Offering!
Priest 2:
Shining Ones! You who we worship,
powerful beings who inspire
and assist us!
We ask your help this day.
You who give us strength to make change,
We ask your help with our work!
Shining Ones! Accept our offering!
{offering of mead}
All:
Shining Ones! Accept our offering!
Kindred of the Occasion
Priest 1:
(Greeting the Ancestors by Rowana the Druid and modified for a group)
Greetings to you our dear Ancestors!
To the Mothers who bore our bloodline;
To the Fathers who ignited the Seed of Life;
To the Uncles who fought in wars
defending the family at home and on far shores,
who gave their blood that we might live,
whose heroic journeys were cut short
that we might enjoy a turn of Life’s Wheel.
To the Aunts who wove a net of safety
extending the family circle of security
extra hands, emergency surrogates
supporting the mothers in times of need.
To the pilgrims who wandered;
To the thinkers who pondered;
To the carpenters and carvers;
To the Mage, the Druid, the Healers;
To the artists, the millers, the potters;
To the horseman, the trader, the brewer;
To the weavers, the smiths and the bards;
To the singers, the dancers, the masters of harp;
To the farmers who ploughed the fields;
To the hunters, the masters of arrow and spear;
To the dreamers and makers of kettles;
To the enchanting masters of fiddles;
To the brenins, born to lead;
To the seaman who sailed the seas;
To the law givers and readers, and all blessed beings –
We greet you, Ancestors All!
We greet you Ancestors of our Blood!
Hail from your Children who remembers you lived;
We salute your time, your life – all you did!
Our tributes we bring you, our People, our Folk!
As we walk our own Journey,
We ask you to ward over us, to walk with us–
Lend your spirits and your wisdom to our efforts.
Help us make our link in the chain –
That much stronger – because you lived
And you lived well – and we remember –
Your memory breathes and you are loved still –
And you live still – in us.
{offerings of incense}
Ancestors! Accept our offerings!
All:
Ancestors! Accept our offerings!
Omen
Priest 1:
Let us know see what the Kindreds have to say to us!
Seer:
(takes and interprets the omen)
Blessing the Water
Priest 1:
Kindreds! We have made our offerings!
We have honored you through all time!
We ask you for your blessings this day!
Bless this water that we may absorb your blessings!
Children of our Ancestors! Behold!
The Waters of Life!
Do you wish to share in the blessings of the Ancestors!
All:
I do!
(pass drink around)
Let us now take these blessings into our daily lives!
Farewell to the Kindred
Priest 2:
Shining Ones, we thank you for your guidance this day.
May we feel your blessings this day, and every day.
Priest 1:
Nature Spirits, we thank you for your guidance this day.
May we feel your blessings this day, and every day.
Priest 2:
Ancestors, we thank you for your guidance this day.
May we feel your blessings this day, and every day.
Close the Gates
Priest 1:
This space has served us well, and it it time to return to normal space
Let the tree be as a tree
Let the fire be as flame
Let the Well be as water
All (chant):
Close the Gates! Close the Gates!
Priest 1:
Let the Gates be closed!
Thanking the Earth Mother
Priest 1:
Earth Mother, we thank you for your support this, and every day!
May we feel your blessings throughout all time.
Ending the Rite
Priest 1:
Walk with wisdom, from this hallowed place.
Walk not in sorrow, our roots shall ‘ere embrace!
May strength be your brother, and honor be your friend,
And luck be you lover, until we meet again!
(Ending prayer words by Sable)
This rite is ended
AI Disclaimer: This ritual and post is 100% human written. The image is a photo taken by me, the blog author and edited in Affinity Photo.