Spring Equinox 2002 Order of Service

Welcome to Our Celebration!

Before we begin...

Enjoy the antics of the Fool and other entertainments, 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 Through the Arbor
• 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
• Unity chant - We Are One With the Mother
• Statement of purpose - We honor our mother Ana, and welcome her awakening as spring begins.

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, Bríd, 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: Ana, the spirit of the Huron River, the goddess of this land

Giving and Receiving

• Passing the basket of eggs: Direct your praise and energy to the baske 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 - Ana Come Be With Us
• Main Sacrifice: offering the eggs
• Omen of return: runes
• Return blessing: blessing of the seeds - Seed Blessing Song
• 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!

Song Sheet - Spring Equinox 2002

Processional:

Come Through the Arbor

Come through the arbor to the grove
To start the celebration (2x)

Young and old we come together
To the grove to honor the old ones (2x)

Unity:

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 birth.

Opening the Portals:

Portal Song *

CHORUS:
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:
CHORUS

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.
CHORUS

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

Group Praise:

Ana, Come Be With Us **

Ana, come be with us,
May your blessings ever flow,
Ana, still and quiet,
Take our love beneath the snow.

Blessed Mother, Ancient and renewing
Blessed Mother, take our love below.

Return Blessing:

Seed Blesing Song ***

Seeds hold my dreams,
Carry them to earth
That they may root and grow and blossom,
Blessed by the Sun,
Watered by our mother,
That our harvest be great and full.

Closing:

Walk With Wisdom

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.

* by Ian Corrigan
** by the Shining Lakes Grove Bardic Guild
*** Copyright ©1996 Marae Price

Note to Parents: Children are welcome to stay and attend the ritual with you, but only if they are supervised. If they decide to leave and go back to Child Care, they may not return to the rite.

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