Shining Lakes Grove

Samhain 2004 - Afternoon Rite

(Webmaster's Note: The afternoon rite we hold on Samhain is intended to be family-friendly, with simplified invocations so the younger children may take a ritual role and read them aloud. For most of our rites, the ritual language is a little more complex than this.)

Welcome to our ritual! The words and songs we'll be using are written on this sheet. If you would like to have a speaking part in the ritual, let Rob know before we get started!

Preparing ourselves for our time with the Gods and Spirits

Processional and purification - We Approach the Sacred Grove
We approach the sacred grove,
With hearts and minds and flesh and bone.
Join us now in ways of old.
We have come home.

Bardic invocation for our eloquence and inspiration
"We call upon the spirits of the bards of old, to inspire us and to help us speak well during our ritual."

Welcoming the Allies, the spirits of the People and their Gods who lived in this land before us
"We honor the people who lived here before us, and the spirits they worship. We offer them a place by our hearth."

Meditation, grounding and centering

Unity chant - We Are One With the Mother
We are one with the Mother
We are one with the Earth
We are one with each other
By our lives, by our births

Statement of purpose
"We come together today to celebrate the first day of the new year, and to celebrate the happiness of our tribal father Lugh and our river mother Ana."

Declaring Center and opening the Portals
"We open the three portals, so that we can see the Kindreds and so the Kindreds can see us.
We call upon the Well to act as a portal for the Ancestors
We call upon the Fire to act as a portal for the Shining Ones
And we call upon the tree to connect all the worlds during our ritual."

Acknowledging and honoring our guests

Outsiders - the forces of chaos and change
"We ask the Outsiders to stay away from here and let us perform our ritual in peace."

Invocation of Manannan mac Lir, our Lord of the dead, to guide and protect us in the Otherworld
"We honor Mannanan, and ask him to guide us during our ritual."

Ancestors - our beloved dead
"We honor the Ancestors, those who have already gone to the Isle of Apples."

Nature Spirits - the spirits of the land and its creatures
"We honor the Nature Spirits, the animals and the spirits of the wild."

Deities
"We honor those gods who are not called elsewhere in this ritual - bright Bríd, our hearth goddess; Aren, our god of love and beauty; and Bel and Danu, first father and first mother."

Archetypes - acknowledging the three societal functions within us
"We remember the three functions of the ancient peoples - the wise ones, who remembered the people's stories; the warriors, who protected the people; and the producers, who grew the food and made good things for the people to use."

Deities of the Occasion - Lugh and Ana
"We honor Lugh, our tribal father, and Ana, our river mother. Now that winter is coming, we hope that Lugh and Ana will be happy together during the cold time of the year."

Giving and receiving

Group praise - painting the pumpkins
"Our tribal god Lugh Samildanach was well known as a craftsman, who made good things for the people to use.
And our river mother Ana brings life to the land, and makes the plants grow.
So for both of them, we will paint these pumpkins in their honor."

Main sacrifice - Wedding Dance
Lovely Ana, Shining Lugh
Bring your people together.
Bring us blessings, joy and peace,
Let your praise ring forever.

And we will dance with joy and sing,
Our lady is joined with her lover.
And we will dance with joy and sing,
Our lady is joined with her lover.

Omen of return

Return blessing (only if the omen is good) - cider
"Lugh and Ana are happy with the offerings we have made to them, and so we ask them to bless this cider. When we drink the cider, we will take their blessings into ourselves."

Announcements

Unwinding and closing

Recessional - Now the Rite Is At an End
And now the rite is at an end, again we're parting ways
May truth and honor be your friend and lucky be your days
I'll hold you dearly in my heart, I'll hold you in my mind,
And though our branches grow apart, our roots shall be entwined.

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