Honor to the Nature Spirits, Beings of land, sea, and sky! Honor to the Ancestors, mighty dead who have gone before us! Honor to the Gods and Goddesses of many names! We give these gifts to you in honor, respect, and hospitality. Mighty Kindreds, accept our offerings! --------------------- The Core Order of Ritual is something that I utilize regularly in my practice, so I feel like it's important to dive into that ritual structure a little bit and share my understanding of each part, as well as giving an example of what that part of the ritual might look like. Today we continue our discussion by talking about the Prayer of Sacrifice! The Prayer of Sacrifice is the final moment of energy building within the COoR, and in the step that follows (the Omen) we begin to see the energy once again return to the ritual participants. This is usually a short step in which one final offering is made usually with an accompanying short prayer to summarize the work we have done to that point. With this offering, we send our energies into the Cosmos.
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Ostara, Alban Eilir, first day of spring, Vernal equinox....no matter what you call it, today we're talking about the Spring Equinox! Spring brings with it hope for new growth and an abundance of potential. In my part of the world, this is the time of year when the leaves are starting to sprout on the trees, and grass turns from brown to green. The world begins to once again feel warm and fresh with the first glimpses of colorful flowers and creatures returning from hibernation. The equinox approaches and, then the light will overtake the darkness once more and this year I am very, very ready for the return of the light.
The past year was challenging for so many of us and I know for me it was detrimental to my own motivation. I found myself having to look for new ways to connect to the Kindred and the natural world around me. In Neopagan traditions, most spring festivals focused on ideas of fertility and the ever-increasing presence of life in the natural world. I imagine this year may look a bit different, but there are still a lot of ways that we can celebrate the coming spring, even during times of social distancing. Below are just a few examples:
If you have other ways you like to celebrate spring, I’d love to hear all about them! If you'd like to celebrate with me, check out my Spring Rituals . I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Equinox! Athena, Grey-eyed goddess of wisdom, Crafty, quick-witted, and strong. You ignite the path that we should take And help us know where we belong. Mistress of reason, wisdom, and truth, Your cunning and guile so well known, You guide our journey, like heroes of old And teach us which skills we should hone. You provide many gifts to those you have blessed, Defender of cities and master of might. You are welcome at our sacred fire, Please join in our rite tonight. --------------------- The Core Order of Ritual is something that I utilize regularly in my practice, so I feel like it's important to dive into that ritual structure a little bit and share my understanding of each part, as well as giving an example of what that part of the ritual might look like. Today we continue our discussion by talking about Key Offerings! At the heart of our ritual, we’ve opened the gates, we’ve invited our guests, and now it’s time to welcome the Being of Occasion, our special guest for the ritual. They are the primary being called during the ritual, and usually the ritual is centered around them. This could be more than one being (such as honoring the Ancestors during Samhain), but essentially this being is the focus of our rite and shapes the culture and seasonal customs that we may include for our ritual. The Key Offering happens at the center of our ritual. During this step we call to the honored being that we wish to honor and make offerings to them. We may also take part in seasonal customs that are tied to that being of occasion specifically during this step of the ritual. Welcome back to the Learning the GAC series. This week, we move on to the seventh letter, Eta! Description: Bright Helios [Sun] {Hêlios}, who watches everything, watches you. - Apollonius Sophistes Depending on the situation in which the omen is received, Eta can be an omen of mixed messages. It reminds us that Helios, the bright god of the sun, shines high above us bringing to us warmth and light. It can be a source of great joy and growth, and in those moments it is a positive omen. Helios is also the enforcer of oaths, and his all-seeing nature allows him to know both when you do things well, but also when you are not true to your word. To someone who has been dishonest or broken an oath, this is a symbol that can call you out on your behavior and expect you to take responsibility for it. Helios sees all, both positive and negative, so keep that in mind as you move forward. A poem to help memorize the meaning of Eta could be: High above, the all-seeing Helios watches Below are a few attributes of this symbol:
Ancestors, You who walked this land before us, You who share our stories, You who live on in our hearts, I ask you to join me at my hearthfire. You are welcome in this space. Nature Spirits, Creatures of fur, feather, and scales, Minerals from deep inside the earth, And plants growing and green, I ask you to join me at my hearthfire. You are welcome in this space. Shining Ones, Deities of my hearth, Beings who bless us with many gifts, You who guide and influence our paths, I ask you to join me at my hearthfire. You are welcome in this space. --------------------- The Core Order of Ritual is something that I utilize regularly in my practice, so I feel like it's important to dive into that ritual structure a little bit and share my understanding of each part, as well as giving an example of what that part of the ritual might look like. Today we continue our discussion by talking about Inviting the Three Kindreds The Three Kindreds is grouping of three types of spiritual beings that we recognize within ADF which is made up of the Ancestors, Nature Spirits, and the Shining Ones or Deities. In this step of our rituals, we call to each of these three Kindreds and simply invite us to join us in our ritual. We do this both to show them that we honor them, but also so that they can join us in our celebration. Welcome back to the Learning the GAC series. This week, we move on to the sixth letter, Zeta! Description: “Flee the very great storm, lest you be disabled in some way.” – Apollonius Sophistes Zeta is a message to pick your battles. However, this isn’t a message that is telling someone to be passive in their interactions. For me, this symbol is actually a message of forethought and planning. The omen itself says that you shouldn’t make voyages in bad weather, which tells us to look ahead try to be prepared for the journey instead of making a decision that could be potentially disastrous. However, this symbol also tells us to not fight the ocean, which is just another way of saying that you shouldn’t waste your energy on a fight that you cannot win. Select your battles and be smart with those you choose to take on. A poem to help memorize the meaning of Zeta could be: Zip your coat and run away A storm approaches. Below are a few attributes of this symbol:
Happy Monday. It's been a busy couple of weeks, but we're back with our weekly divination, so let's jump right into it. This week's omen comes from the Runes!
----------- Othala is the rune of the home. It speaks of having plenty and not having to worry about mundane things. Othala is a message of a good home life, and a reminder of the gifts that we do have in that space. Uruz is a symbol of strength and power. When things are difficult, Uruz reminds us that we have the courae to persevere. When things are going well, it's a reminder of the power that we have within ourselves that brought us to where we are. Sowilo is the rune of the Sun. It's the the brightness and warmth of life, the energy all around us, and the success that we can find when we embody those ideas. Sowilo is a message of succeeding and making process in our journey. This is a much needed positive omen, with good things at home, the strength to keep moving forward, and the warmth of the sun returning to our lives. If this omen speaks to you, or if you have a different interpretation I would love to hear it! I hope you all have a wonderful week. |
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