Imbolc 2003 Order of Service

Welcome to Our Celebration!

Before we begin...

Take off your coats, greet each other, and check out the Raffle items before the briefing. Words to the songs we will be singing are on the back of this sheet.

Preparing ourselves for our time with the Gods and Spirits

• Processional and purification - The Way to the Well
• Bardic Invocation for our eloquence and inspiration
• Welcoming the Allies, the spirits of the people and their gods who lived in this land before us
• Honoring our Mother Ana
• Unity chant - Single Threads
• Statement of purpose - (see below)
• Welcoming the corn dolly, and sharing bread
  Note: After we welcome Bríd to be with us we will all kneel and say: "Bríd, Bríd, come to our house, come to our house tonight!"

Declaring Center and opening the Portals

• Tree, Fire, and Well
• Acknowledging the Outsiders - the forces of chaos and change
• Invocation of Manannan mac Lir, our Lord of the Dead, to guide and protect us in the Otherworld

Acknowledging and honoring our guests

• Ancestors - our beloved dead
• Nature Spirits - the spirits of the land and its creatures
• Deities: Lugh, Aren, Danu, and Bel (feel free to offer a silent welcome to your own gods)
• Archetypes - acknowledging the three societal functions within us
• Deity of the Occasion: Bríd, goddess of the hearth, community, poetry, healing, and smithing

Giving and Receiving

• Holding the parachute: Direct your praise and energy to the parachute to build a group offering. While you hold it, you may give praise or thanks to the gods silently or in the form of a vocal or physical offering. When you finish, nod to the person next to you.
• Group praise - bringing down the parachute - Fire Song
• Main Sacrifice: offering of cream / candle processional - Light Is Returning
• Omen of return: fire scrying
• Return blessing - Brat Bríd / candles to take home
• Cauldron blessing
• Welcoming new members, officers, and guild members, and bestowing other honors

Unwinding and closing

• Recessional - Walk With Wisdom

And afterwards... Join us for a potluck and socializing, and don't forget to get your Raffle Tickets!

Statement of Purpose:

Imbolc is the ancient feast of the goddess Bríd, or Bridget. Midway between the solstice and equinox, this holiday heralds the first signs of approaching spring. Bríd is honored as protector of hearth and home, and also as a potent warrior. She is a forger of metal and a bestower of poetry, and a source of inspiration to those who ask for her blessing.

In a time of danger and uncertainty, we gather today to honor Bríd and invite her to bless us and our community. We ask her to bring wisdom to the leaders of our country, helping them to choose a path which is right for this country and right for the world. Our service will include a chance to honor Bríd by expressing oneself through music, poetry, and other arts, and to ask her for personal inspiration and blessing.

Imbolc Songs 2003

Processional:

The Way to the Well

(trad.)

We will never, never lose our way
To the well of her memory
And the power of her living flame,
It will rise, it will rise again.

Unity:

Single Threads

©1996 Marae Price

Single threads entwined in weaving
Are our hearts and minds and souls
As the branches weave the forest
So our joining makes us whole.

Mannanan:

Mannanan Invocation

©1996 Marae Price

We stand at the border and watch the mist close in.
Waves rolling, rolling,
Where shore meets the ocean, where land meets sea and sky,
We call to you, Manannan,
Manannan, Manannan,
We welcome you as you one day will welcome us.

Group Praise:

Fire Song

© Starhawk

We can rise with the fires of freedom,
Truth is a fire that burns our chains,
And we can stop the fires of destruction,
Healing is a fire running through our veins.

Main Sacrifice (candlelight processional):

Light Is Returning

© Charlie Murphy

Light is Returning
Even though this is the darkest hour
No one can hold
Back the Dawn

Let's keep it burning
Let's keep the light of hope alive
Make safe our journey
Through the storm.

One Planet is turning
Circle in her path around the sun
Earth Mother is calling
Her children home.

Closing:

Walk With Wisdom

(trad.)

Walk with wisdom, from the hallowed place
Walk not in sorrow, our roots shall ere embrace
May truth be your brother,
And honor be your friend,
And luck be your lover until we meet again.

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