Imbolc 2005 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 - Come We Now As a People
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 - One Voice
Statement of purpose - We gather as a community and honor our hearth goddess, Bríd.

Declaring Center and opening the Portals

Tree, Fire, and Well - Portal Song
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
Welcoming the corn dolly
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!"

Giving and Receiving

Passing the basket of puzzle pieces: Direct your praise and energy to the basket 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, pass the basket to the person next to you.
Group praise - assembling the puzzle
Main Sacrifice: offering of the puzzle pieces
Omen of return: runes
Return blessing - Brat Bríd / milk chocolate
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!

Imbolc Songs 2005

Processional:

Come We Now As a People

Come we now as a people
Together, to gather at the sacred well.
Come we now as a people
To gather in the warmth and the light of the flame.

Unity:

One Voice

I join my voice to yours, we are one voice
Our words ring out together to call us home.
I join my heart to yours, we are one heart,
One breath, one mind, one Grove, we are one.

Declaring Center and opening the Portals:

The Portal Song

By Fire and by Water
Between the Earth and Sky
We stand like the Worldtree
Rooted deep, crowned high.

Come we now to the well...
...The eye and the mouth of Earth
...And silver we bring
...The waters of rebirth
...Together we sing:

We will kindle a fire...
...Bless all and with harm to none
...And offerings pour
...A light 'neath the Moon and Sun
...Our spirits will soar.

Gather we at the tree...
...The root and the crown of all
...Below and above,
...Together we make our call
...In wisdom and love.

Mannanan:

Mannanan Invocation

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:

The Way to the Well

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.

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.

Note to Parents: Children are welcome to stay and attend the ritual with you, but only if they are supervised.

Rob Henderson, SLG Webmaster

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