Tag Archives: Irish Heathenism

OPED – Five Rivers Protogrove and ADF

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Recently the Mother Grove (Board of Directors) of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) took an action
that some, including myself, felt was not appropriate and should have been handled differently. This has prompted not a few people on my social media lists to reconsider their involvement, and some have even decided to stop supporting the organization. Now some of you know that I do not feel that some of the leadership are worthy of their position, and that I already left ADF once due to poor treatment of a specific membership population…mistreatment that I am still seeing, and that the training programs are lacking due to the subjective nature of the reviewers.

Despite those incidents and opinions, I have chosen NOT to quit ADF at this time. My reasoning is simple – I lead a grove and still believe in Isaac’s vision that each grove is pretty much a religion of its own. This means that for my grove, ADF is the legal vehicle by which our religion, Gentlidecht, can grow. So long as we are doing our thing within the rules established by ADF, and so long as those rules don’t change in ways that prevent us from practicing our faith, we will remain an ADF Protogrove/Grove. Even if we choose not to engage in the national organization.
I offer my best wishes to those that leave, and ask those that are staying in ADF to always look at the impact of your actions before to take them. There may be unexpected consequences when
you make assumptions or rush.

Gentlidecht: Gentlidecht na gCuanaigh

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Sometime in 1995 I wrote an article about Celtic Reconstructionist (CR) religion called “Neocelts: A Modern Celtic Religion.” Between 1995 and 1999 I updated and changed it four times until it was finally published in Connections Magazine as an article about a specific faith based on the CR methodology “Aurrad: Old Faith in a Modern World.”  Things have changed since then but the argument of what to call a religion based on what we know of ancient Irish beliefs still rages on.  However, this article is not about making an argument for what to call the religion, for that look at my November 2013 article Gentlidecht: Old Irish for (Irish) Heathenism. This article is to briefly explain what a form of Gentlidecht looks like, specifically what followers of Gentlidecht na gCuanaigh believe and what we do as part of our faith.

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Gentlidecht: A Sharing of “Aisling, Ársaíocht, agus Agallamh” in response to the Lore vs UPG debate.

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So, John Becket wrote an article called “The Lore vs. UPG – A False Dichotomy” filled with an opinion that makes it clear he is talking to the wrong (and at this time, minority) crowd.   It is a re-hash of a stereotype that has been diminishing over the past 10 years to the point of being an annoyance to many of us who have used to the term “Celtic Reconstructionist” at some point in our careers.  In working on my response I realized that arguing his points is not worth the energy spent and it would be better to provide a positive resource on the same topic.

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Ritual – Lá Fhéile Bhríd

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As the title says, this is our ritual for Lá Fhéile Bhríd.  Using the lunar reckoning this would have been January 21st, we held our ritual and feast on January 25th.  We also made butter and Brigit’s Crosses this year.  The butter will be used in our rituals for the coming year.

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Old and Deep – The nature of Manannan as I have experienced it.

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Old and deep.

That is the first thing that comes to mind when I consider the nature of the god known as Manannan Mac Lir.  I first met him in August of 1994 when my 1st marriage ended.  I wrote about it shortly after it occurred and while not a well written piece, it was near 20 years ago, it conveys the experience well enough:

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New Grange at Winter Solstice – 2014

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The neolithic Irish people held Winter Solstice in high regard and while we have on idea what they did or why – we know it was important because of this:

This is an image of New Grange at Winter Solstice.

You can learn more about Solstice 2014 and buy some of the best photos of the illuminated passage her – New Grange 2104.

Have a happy holiday season no matter your faith.

If you like this blog, please share it with friends. 

Fénidecht – Of injury and fatness…

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A year ago I was injured during Krav Maga.  They call it tendinopthy but most people just call it ‘tennis elbow’, it was coupled with an actual tear in the tendon.  This resulted in pain and constant demotivation to do anything.  Even Zombies, Run! lost its shine.

I went to the doctor immediately after it happened but she didn’t make a diagnosis nor did she send me referrals.  She just said take some Motrin and let her know if it gets worse.  So I changed doctors.  By March I saw my new doctor and she immediately refereed me to an orthopedic doc and sent me for an MRI.  The ortho doc made the diagnosis and sent me to an occupational therapist with a hand and arm specialty.  Best thing ever.

Now a year later my elbow is fully healed and I know stretches to keep it from happening again.  The problem is, I have done nothing to maintain my weight loss in that year and am back up to about 10 pounds under where I started, but 15 higher than where I was when I got injured.  Even with running, it is too infrequent for weight loss, even though I am consistently hitting 5k in 45 minutes…nothing impressive mind you but better than last year.

The point of this brief post is to tell everyone that you can’t allow injury to reverse everything you have worked to accomplish.  I grant you that there are instances in which you simply can’t do anything but if you can move, you can exercise SOMETHING.  What could I have done with a busted elbow?  I could have run more and done just about anything with the core.

Today – I started over.  Did some cardio, some core, and the heavy bag. After 30 minutes I walked away with wobbly legs and a sore shoulder.  But it felt good to be doing something again.  Now to get back to my Krav Maga classes.

Don’t be a fool like me.  Don’t give up.

Gentlidecht – The Winter Season

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The expansion of the ritual year has always been controversial within
the Celtic Reconstructionist movement with most people publicly settling
on only celebrating the four documented festivals of the ancient
Pre-Christian people.  However, with the advent of the internet it has
become clear that many more folk from the CR community have quietly
expanded the ritual year to include other festivals.  In the Gentlidecht Holiday Cycle I gave several examples of how the ritual year can be expanded to include many days to celebrate various heroes and gods throughout the year.  In this segment I am going to focus on some ideas for a winter festival that are not based wholly on what the Irish are known to have done, but are events based on events in Ireland, American cultural activities, or the weather in my region.

The first option for a winter festival is to make offerings to the Cailleach, assuming you did not do so at Samhain.  In Scotland, March 25th is a traditional day on which offerings are made to the Cailleach as this is when winter has truly lost its grip and by Bealtaine she is subdued.  Here in the Midatlantic region of the United States winter does not usually begin in earnest until late December and only lasts through early March.  By March 25th the Winter is usually well past and the early spring plants are already visible in the gardens.

If offering to the Cailleach is not to your liking, you already made her offerings at Samhain,  or you want to stick with tradition then we can look to Ireland for an event that speaks to a possible festival at Winter Solstice, the shining of the sun into the roof box of New Grange.  While New Grange predates the coming of the Celtic speaking people to Ireland, it does not pre-date the Irish who, as recent genetic research has shown, have been on the island since at least 2000 BCE with the arrival of the “Beaker People.”  While we do not know the religious beliefs or the gods of these pre-Celtic Irish people, we do know that when the Celts arrived they continued to view New Grange as a sacred site, the home of Aengus Og. A festival for Aengus Og this time of year would be to bring joy to the darkness of winter.  Being a god associated with youth and lovethis should be a rather fun event.

A third option is to take the secular activities that go on during the Christmas season (that is the most common term for it) and expand them into one that meets your religious needs.  As an example my group uses this time of year to celebrate our patrons.  This is reflective of the attitude that this time of year is focused on family and gifts so holding a ritual to give and receive gifts from your patron is perfectly appropriate for our culture.

So here are three ideas for you to consider for a festival at the winter solstice.  You could make offerings to the Cailleach in the hopes that she blesses you with a mild winter.  You could also hold a festival for Aengus Og to bring some light to the darker months.  Finally you could celebrate the family.  While none are traditional, what is new can eventually become tradition.

Note – There are many who make offerings to the Cailleach at Samhain which is also appropriate.

Ritual – Féile na Shamhna

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This years ritual will be held in a park and is open to the public.  As with all ritual drafts it may change by the date of the ritual but I wanted folks to see it prior to the event.  The lunar date for the start of the month Samhain is October 24th, we will be holding our Feast of Samhain (November) on October 26th.

 

Féile na Shamhna
(Ayla na  Hownuh)
Preparation
Collect the items from the items list (end of the document.)  Outdoor rituals shall be organized based on availability of fire with the fire alter being at the center and everything else in relation to its location.  For indoor rituals the main alter should be a table on which symbols of the gods and ungods, the Apple Branch, the representations of the Hearth Fire, Well of Wisdom and Bile, the seers bowl, saining smudge, and the apples are places.  For both indoor and outdoor rituals a smaller table should be placed in a convenient location, on which the offerings shall be placed in order of need to facilitate a smooth ritual. 

The ritual leaders should be selected for the follow roles:  Guide, Druid (1,2,3, etc.), and Seer.  Roles will overlap and others created as needed. Prior to the ritual the Druids should light the flame, fill the well with fresh water, and place whatever tools are needed on the altar.  
Gathering
A bell is tolled three times calling the folk to the nemeton.
GO/SD/GP – The tribe is called together for {EVENT NAME}.  Let us gather at the center.
Statement of Purpose
Druid 1: I have news for you; the stag bells, winter snows, summer has gone.  Wind high and cold, the sun low, short its course, the sea running high.  Deep red the bracken, its shape is lost; the wild goose has raised its accustomed cry.  Cold has seized the birds’ wings; season of ice, this is my news.
Winter has come and it is the end of the annual cycle of the seasons and start of the new.   The veil is thin and the ancestors call to us for recognition.  Today we honor the ancestors of our blood, the loved ones we have lost and look forward to the coming year.
Opening Prayer

All: 

By the land beneath us
By the sea surrounding us
By the sky above us
We come unto the gods and ungods.
May they light our way and
Bless our days,
Centering Meditation
A guide is selected to lead this guided meditation.  Going through it with a calm voice and steady voice.
Guide: Close your eyes clear your mind and focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly visualizing the spiral of the cosmos around you.
Guide: We are at the center of An Thríbhís Mhór.                 ah-heeveesh-vohr
Guide: Inhale and as you exhale visualize your feet firmly planted on the earth.
Guide: We stand firmly upon the Sacred Land.
Guide: Inhale again and as you exhale imagine you are surrounded by the great calm ocean.
Guide: The Eternal Sea always surrounds us.
Guide: Inhale and exhale seeing the great blue expanse above you.
Guide: The Endless Sky spreads itself above us.
Guide: Inhale while visualizing the great spiral around you, with you at its center.
Guide: We are at the center of An Thríbhís Mhór. 
Guide: And breath, open your eyes when ready.
Honoring the Local Land Goddesses
Druid 2: We honor the Five Rivers, the goddesses of the land; Potomac, Patapsco, Susquehanna, Gunpowder, and Patuxent.  Givers of life that flow from the mountains and form estuaries of the Chesapeake.  
We honor you and make this offering to you in gratitude for your waters that nourish this land.    
   
Druid 2: makes an offering and says: Mighty goddesses of the land accept this offering.
All: Mighty goddesses of the land accept this offering.
Establishing the Sacred Grove
Sacred Hearth Fire
Druid 1:
I make sacred the fire,
The first fire born of lightning
from which all fires are lit.
The hearth fire which warms our homes
and binds our people.
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,

All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Let the water be the Well of Knowledge                   
Let the tree be the bile,                            (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,

Druid 1 : puts butter on the fire, then says:
I light the sacred fire of inspiration.  Sacred fire, burn within us.
All: Sacred fire, burn within us.
Well of Segais
Druid 1 says:
I make sacred the well,
From which the five rivers flow,
Salmon swimming, hazels hanging high.
Bubbling brightly Segais, source of wisdom,                   
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Let the water be the Well of Knowledge                   
Let the tree be the bile,                            (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
Druid 1: dips the apple branch into the well then says:
In the depths flow the waters of wisdom. Sacred waters, flow within us.
All: Sacred waters, flow within us.
World Tree
Druid 1 says:
I make sacred the branch/tree,
Towering high, hanging heavy with hazel,
Spanning and connecting the Three Realms,
The mighty bile of the grove,                       
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Let the water be the Well of Knowledge                   
Let the tree be the bile,                            (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
Druid 1 : dresses (takes water from well and pours it or rubs it on the tree) the bile, then says:
From the depths to the heights spans the world tree. Sacred tree, grow within us.
All: Sacred tree, grow within us.
Druid 1: raises arms
Druid 1: With the Flame of the Hearth, the Well of Knowledge, and the Sacred Bile the grove is erected and hallowed.
Parting the Mists
Druid 1: prepares an offering for the gatekeeper and says:
Druid 1: says: We honor Oirbsen (orib-sheen), Manannan, Patron of our tribe, Lord of the Mist, Ruler of Tir na mBan (teer na man), Guardian of the gate of the Otherworld.  Oh Lord of the Otherworld, bearer of the silvered apple branch, hear us this day and aid in the passage of the ancestors through the misty veil.
Druid 1: makes an offering and says: Manannan mac Lir, accept our offerings and gratitude as you part the mists. (mah-nuh-nahn’ mak leer)
Druid 1: Let the mists be parted!!
All: Let the mists be parted.
Inviting the Gods and Ungods
An Sinsear  (en shen-shoor)
Druid 2: Mighty dead, you who have come before,
Ancestors of our blood,  Heros of our people
We offer you this gift with love and loyalty and invite you to witness this rite.
Druid 2: makes an offering and says: Ancestors, accept this offering.
All: Ancestors, accept this offering.
Aos Sí  (ees-shee)
Druid 1: Great nature spirits, you who frolic in the wild world,
Spirits of this place,
We offer you this gift in friendship and invite you to witness this rite.
Spirits of family and the people that came to this land from faraway lands.
We offer you this gift in friendship and invite you to witness this rite.
Druid 1: makes an offering and says: Aos Sí , accept this offering.
All: Aos Sí , accept this offering.
Gods of the Tribe
Druid 3: Great gods, you who are mightiest in all things,
Deities of our faith,
We offer you this gift with reverence and honor and invite you to witness this rite.
Druid 3: makes an offering and says: Gods and goddesses accept this offering.
All: Gods and goddesses accept this offering.
Key Offering
Druid 1:  Mighty ancestors today we honor you and the deeds you have done.
Ancestors of our blood, we honor you for you are the foundation of our family trees, our personal trees of life.

Ancestors of our nation, we thank you for the sacrifices you made and risks you took to bring about this nation in which we are grateful to reside.  
Ancestors of these lands, we are grateful that you are also of my blood and will work to honor you in our treatment of the land.
Said Amergin to Athairne when he attempted to end his visit at the start of winter: “In the black season of deep winter as storm of waves is roused along the expanse of the world.  Sad are the birds of every meadow plain, except the ravens that feed on crimson blood, at the clamour of harsh winter; rough black, dark, smokey. Dogs are vicious in cracking bones; the iron pot is put on the fire after the dark black day.”
In honor of you mighty ancestors, we contemplate the meaning of the season, the end of the Summer and the coming of the coldest months. A time when the earth sleeps and appears to die, remembering to consider the impact this season had on you, ancestors, a time to store away the harvests, bring in the animals, slaughtering those that are old for the winter meat and preserving more food for the breeding stock. A time of cold and darkness and isolation. We are to be thankful for time in which we live, the time of heaters, packaged foods and electricity.
Druid 1: makes holds up the offering and says:  Ancestors!! Accept this offering with love and respect.  
All: Ancestors!! Accept this offering with love and respect.  
The Augury
Seer: Ritually washes their hands then forms the left hand into a tube, blows through the tube then says:
I am going within
To the doorstep of the sí
in the name of Finn
Stronger in sight then all.
The augury made by Finn to his men,
That Bride blew her palm,
Message of truth without a message of falsehood
That I myself shall see
The semblance, joyous and mild
Of all that is hidden to me
Good spirits and gods of my people,
Give me the sight to see all I need,
With vision that shall never fail, before me,
That shall never quench nor dim.
Tell me what I need.
Seer: then takes the omen, interprets it, and records it.
Receiving the blessings of the Gods and Ungods
Druid 1: raises the blessing plate/cup high and says:
Tuatha de Danaan (tooah-de-danyan), Aos Sí , (ees she) and An Sinsear  (en shen-shoor), we have praised you and made offerings and now a gift calls for a gift. We pray to you and ask that you give us your blessings.  Make sacred these apples and infuse them with your vitality, strength and inspiration.
Lo, the blessings of the Gods and Ungods are upon us.
All: Lo, the blessings of the Gods and Ungods are upon us.
Druid 1: Slices and eats the blessed apple and passes it around.
Thanking the Gods and Ungods and Closing the Mists
Druid 1: We have given gifts to the gods and ungods and received gifts in return.  Take these blessings into the world and use these them to live fruitfully and with honor.   At this time we have come to the closing of this ritual and will give thanks to those who have come to aid us.
Druid 2: {PROPER – Thanks to the beings of the occasion}
Druid 3: Tuatha de Danaan, gods of our tribe, we thank you for your presence and blessings.  
Druid 1: Aos Sí, these are your lands and here you shall remain.  We thank you for attending and accepting our offerings of peace and respect.                     
Druid 2: Mighty Dead, thank you for attending and accepting our gifts.  Pass back through the mists and return to the Otherworld.  .
Druid 1: Manannan, we thank you for your attendance and parting the mists.  We ask that you allow the mists to fall as our ancestors pass back into your realm.    
Druid 1: Let the mists return and the veil be whole.
Druid 2: Mighty Rivers, these are your lands and here you shall remain.  We thank you for attending and accepting my offerings of peace and respect.
Taking down the Sacred Grove
Druid 1: And now the Sacred Grove must be taken down. We honor the Hearth Fire and restore it to flame.  We honor the Well of Segais and restore it to water. We honor the bile and restore it to branch.  All is as it was and the Sacred Grove is dismantled. The ritual is ended.
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

All: Biodh Se!    (bee-shay)

Items List:
Bell or gong for calling the folk to the temple space.
Juniper bundle for saining the attendees. 
Representations of the Hearth Fire, Well of Wisdom and Bile.
Bowl with fresh water and ogham staves for the seer.
 Butter for the consecration of the fire
Apple Branch for consecration of the well
Cup for water from the Well of Wisdom to consecrate the tree.
Offerings to the gods and ungods
Apples for the blessings on the folk.
Basket or bowl to collect offerings during indoor rituals.
Local River Goddesses
Corn meal
Manannan Mac Lir
Alcohol, water grasses, yellow flower
Mighty Dead
Food/bread
Spirits of Place
honey/sage smoke
Tuatha de Danaan
Alcohol
Ancestors
A meal
The folk
Apples

Lá Fhéile Aibhneacha – Festival of the Rivers 2014

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Lá Fhéile Aibhneacha
(Law
Ayluh Ow-wen-uch-ah)

Preparation
Collect the items from the items
list (end of the document.)  Outdoor rituals shall be
organized based on availability of fire with the fire alter being at the center
and everything else in relation to its location.  For indoor rituals the main alter should be a
table on which symbols of the gods and ungods, the Apple Branch, the representations of the Hearth Fire, Well of
Wisdom and Bile, the seers bowl, saining smudge, and the apples are
places.  For both indoor and outdoor
rituals a smaller table should be placed in a convenient location, on
which the offerings shall be placed in order of need to facilitate a smooth
ritual. 

The
ritual leaders should be selected for the follow roles:  Guide, Druid (1,2,3, etc.), and Seer.  Roles will overlap and others created as
needed. Prior to the ritual the Druids should light the flame, fill the well
with fresh water, and place whatever tools are needed on the altar.  
Gathering
A bell
is tolled three times calling the folk to the nemeton.
Statement
of Purpose
D1:

At Lúnasa
we gave thanks to Lugh and told the story of how he made Bres teach man the way
of agriculture.  Now we are mid-harvest
and at this time it is only proper to give thanks to the goddesses of the lands
from which our harvest comes.   The rivers of Maryland are the lifeblood of our
agriculture, industry and family lives.  They have provided water, food, and means of
transportation for thousands of years and yet we forget their importance. Let
this ritual and festival serve as a reminder of their importance and that a
spirit inhabits these lands and deserves our thanks.
So
today we have come together to pay tribute and honor the life giving waters of
our rivers.  Whether it is to irrigate
the fields, turn the turbines of a power plant, provide running water to our
communities; the rivers are the sources of life in any community.  Today we honor the goddesses of the lands on
which we live and rely upon for our survival; Potomac, Patapsco, Susquehanna,
Gunpowder, Patuxent and all of their tributaries and runs.
Opening
Prayer

All: 

By
the land beneath us
By
the sea surrounding us
By
the sky above us
We
come unto the gods and ungods.
May
they light our way and
Bless
our days,
Centering
Meditation
A guide
is selected to lead this guided meditation. 
Going through it with a calm voice and steady voice.
Guide: Close your eyes clear your
mind and focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly visualizing the
spiral of the cosmos around you.
Guide: We are at the center of An
Thríbhís Mhór.            
    ah-heeveesh-vohr
Guide: Inhale and as you exhale visualize your feet firmly planted on the
earth.
Guide: We stand firmly upon the
Sacred Land.
Guide: Inhale again and as you exhale imagine you are surrounded by the great
calm ocean.
Guide: The Eternal Sea always
surrounds us.
Guide: Inhale and exhale seeing the great blue expanse above you.
Guide: The Endless Sky spreads
itself above us.
Guide: Inhale while visualizing the great spiral around you, with you at its
center.
Guide: We are at the center of An
Thríbhís Mhór. 
Guide: And breath, open your eyes when ready.
Honoring
the Local Land Goddesses
D2: We honor the Five Rivers, the
goddesses of the land; Potomac, Patapsco, Susquehanna, Gunpowder, and Patuxent.
 Givers of life that flow from the mountains and form estuaries of the
Chesapeake.  
We
honor you and make this offering to you in gratitude for your waters that
nourish this land.    
   
D2: makes an offering and says: Mighty
goddesses of the land accept this offering.
Establishing
the Sacred Grove
Sacred
Hearth Fire
Druid
1:
I make
sacred the fire,
The first fire born of lightning
from which all fires are lit.
The hearth fire which warms our homes
and binds our people.
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,

All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Lets the water be the Well of Knowledge       
           
Let the tree be the bile,       
               
    (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,

D1: puts butter on the fire, then
says:
I light
the sacred fire of inspiration.  Sacred fire, burn within us.
Well of
Segais
Druid 2
says:
I make
sacred the well,
From which the five rivers flow,
Salmon swimming, hazels hanging high.
Bubbling brightly Segais, source of wisdom,   
               
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Lets the water be the Well of Knowledge       
           
Let the tree be the bile,       
               
    (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
D2: dips the apple branch into the
well then says:
In the
depths flow the waters of wisdom. Sacred waters, flow within us.
World
Tree
Druid 3 says:
I make
sacred the branch/tree,
Towering high, hanging heavy with hazel,
Spanning and connecting the Three Realms,
The mighty bile of the grove,       
               
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
All:
Let the flame be the hearth fire,
Lets the water be the Well of Knowledge       
           
Let the tree be the bile,       
               
    (bill-uh)
I stand in the grove at the center of the realms,
D3: dresses (takes water from well
and pours it or rubs it on the tree) the bile, then says:
From
the depths to the heights spans the world tree. Sacred tree, grow within us.
D1: raises arms
D1: With the Flame of the Hearth,
the Well of Knowledge, and the Sacred Bile the grove is erected and hallowed.
Parting
the Mists
D1: prepares an offering for the
gatekeeper and says:
D1: says: We honor Oirbsen
(orib-sheen), Manannan, Patron of our tribe, Lord of the Mist, Ruler of
Tir na mBan (teer na man), Guardian of the gate of the Otherworld.
 Oh Lord of the Otherworld, bearer of the silvered apple branch, hear us
this day and aid in the passage of the ancestors through the misty veil.
D1: makes an offering and says: Manannan
mac Lir, accept our offerings and gratitude as you part the mists.
(mah-nuh-nahn’ mak leer)
D1: Let the mists be parted!!
All: Let the mists be parted.
Inviting
the Gods and Ungods
An
Sinsear  (en
shen-shoor)
D2: Mighty dead, you who have come
before,
Ancestors of our blood,  Heros of our people
We offer you this gift with love and loyalty and invite you to witness this
rite.
D2: makes an offering and says: Ancestors,
accept this offering.
Aos Sí
 (ees-shee)
D1: Great nature spirits, you who
frolic in the wild world,
Spirits of this place,
We offer you this gift in friendship and invite you to witness this rite.
Spirits
of family and the people that came to this land from faraway lands.
We offer you this gift in friendship and invite you to witness this rite.
D1: makes an offering and says: Aos
Sí , accept this offering.
Gods of
the Tribe
D3: Great gods, you who are
mightiest in all things,
Deities of our faith,
We offer you this gift with reverence and honor and invite you to witness this
rite.
D3: makes an offering and says: Gods
and goddesses accept this offering.
Key
Offering
D1:  Potomac, Patapsco, Susquehanna, Gunpowder, and
Patuxent born of the mountains you flow to the Chesapeake bringing with you – life.  Because of you we can irrigate our fields,
power our homes, and provide fresh water to our people.  For these things we give you thanks and
praise.
With
gratitude we make this offering of the fruits of our harvests. 
D1: makes holds up the offering
and says:  Blessed goddess of the
land, accept our gift.
The
Fríth
Seer: Ritually washes their hands
then forms the left hand into a tube, blows through the tube then says:
I am
going within
To the doorstep of the sí
in the name of Finn
Stronger in sight then all.
The
augury made by Finn to his men,
That Bride blew her palm,
Message of truth without a message of falsehood
That I myself shall see
The semblance, joyous and mild
Of all that is hidden to me
Good
spirits and gods of my people,
Give me the sight to see all I need,
With vision that shall never fail, before me,
That shall never quench nor dim.
Tell me
what I need.
Seer: then takes the omen,
interprets it, and records it.
Receiving
the blessings of the Gods and Ungods
D1: raises the blessing plate/cup
high and says:
Tuatha
de Danaan (tooah-de-danyan),
Aos Sí , (ees she) and An Sinsear  (en shen-shoor), we have praised you
and made offerings and now a gift calls for a gift. We pray to you and ask that
you give us your blessings.  Make sacred these apples and infuse them with
your vitality, strength and inspiration.
Lo, the
blessings of the Gods and Ungods are upon us.
D1: Slices and eats the blessed
apple and passes it around.
Thanking
the Gods and Ungods and Closing the Mists
D1: We have given gifts to the gods and ungods
and received gifts in return.  Take these
blessings into the world and use these them to live fruitfully and with
honor.   At this time we have come to the
closing of this ritual and will give thanks to those who have come to aid us.
D3: Tuatha de Danaan, gods of our
tribe, we thank you for your presence and blessings.  
D1: Aos Sí, these are your lands
and here you shall remain.  We thank you for attending and accepting our
offerings of peace and respect.         
           
D2: Mighty Dead, thank you for
attending and accepting our gifts.  Pass back through the mists and return
to the Otherworld.  .
D1: Manannan, we thank you for your
attendance and parting the mists.  We ask that you allow the mists to fall
as our ancestors pass back into your realm.    
D1: Let the mists return and the
veil be whole.
D2: Mighty Rivers, these are your
lands and here you shall remain.  We thank you for attending and accepting
my offerings of peace and respect.
Taking
down the Sacred Grove
D1: And now the Sacred Grove
must be taken down. We honor the Hearth Fire and restore it to flame.  We
honor the Well of Segais and restore it to water. We honor the bile and restore
it to branch.  All is as it was and the Sacred Grove is dismantled. The
ritual is ended.
May
love and laughter light your days,
and
warm your heart and home.
May
good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever
you may roam.
May
peace and plenty bless your world
with
joy that long endures.
May all
life’s passing seasons
bring
the best to you and yours!

All: Biodh Se!    (bee-shay)

Items List:
Bell or gong for calling the folk to the temple
space.
Juniper bundle for saining the attendees. 
Representations of the Hearth Fire, Well of Wisdom
and Bile.
Bowl with fresh water and ogham staves for the seer.
 Butter for
the consecration of the fire
Apple Branch for consecration of the well
Cup for water from the Well of Wisdom to consecrate
the tree.
Offerings to the gods and ungods
Apples for the blessings on the folk.
Basket or bowl to collect offerings during indoor
rituals.
Local
River Goddesses
Corn
meal
Manannan
Mac Lir
Alcohol,
water grasses, yellow flower
Mighty
Dead
Food/bread
Spirits
of Place
honey/sage
smoke
Tuatha
de Danaan
Alcohol
Land
Goddesses
Harvest
Items
The
folk
Apples