A Year of Ritual
December 3rd, 2009
A Year of Ritual
Mabon 2008:
This was my first official High Day celebrated with CedarLight Grove. I was hoping that there would be something that occurred during the evening that would signify whether or not this was the place for me. The honored Deities of the evening were Athena, Hephaestus, and Dionysus. I remember thinking that I didn’t know all that much about the Greeks. Looking back now, I think it’s amusing how subtly Athena has been alerting me to quiet details about my life. The ritual was longer than what I was used to, having largely been attending Wiccan style rites. For the first time though, I felt connected. The way the fire seemed to play and accent certain highlights of the ritual was amazing. The fire burnt red and brightest (I believe road flares were used) just before the gates were closed. It was unbearably bright and red, and as soon as the gates closed the fire returned to normal. I remember thinking “Well, Ash. There’s your sign”. (word count: 165)
Samhain 2008:
Samhain was the second ADF Rite I had attended at CLG. We intended to honor the Einherjar; the fallen warriors. We read the names of those US soldiers who died in action in Iraq over the past year. I remember thinking “wow…is it just me, or is it unbelievably cold outside?” When the gates were closed, the warmth returned. I’ve since come to know that if you call the Dead at CLG, the Dead are going to show up. There was some contention over the interpretation of the Omen, as the Runes were read in a non-traditional manner. This was the first time I’d thought about the value of having a Seer that knows to report what they feel they were called to communicate. Sometimes this means you have to color outside of the lines. Trust in the Seer; even if you were to read it a different way, the Seer was giving a message for a reason. (word count: 158)
Yule 2008:
Unfortunately, this was the one holiday I was unable to attend at Cedarlight. I was down with the flu, and could not be standing outside in the cold without having to wind up in the hospital. Instead, my closest friends and I (all of them Grove members that I’ve known for years and done ritual work together) held a small Yule ritual (still ADF style actually) in my friend’s living room. The deities called were Brigid, Daghda, and Lugh. We emphasized creativity and our offerings involved improving a story. The three of us drew from our group tarot deck for the omen, in which we asked about our futures with Paganism and what to be prepared for. The three of us had left a group before coming to Cedarlight that still held some negativity for us. Our reading came with a warning of the future, but a positive reinforcement that we were on the right track with CLG. It was also one of the best smelling rituals ever because of the Cerridwen’s Cauldron Bath Bomb we got from Lush cosmetics. (word count 180)
Imbolc 2009
Imbolc found me back at Cedarlight where I belonged. The outside world was covered in snow and ice, so rather than trample the sanctuary we decided that the ritual would be held inside. I’m not normally a fan of indoor rituals, but I have to admit that the sound was far better. We were close enough to each other that we could hear the tunes of the song better, and connect more intimately. The ritual itself had a very intimate feeling. The deity we honored was the three aspects of Brigid, with Dagda as gatekeeper. The most memorable parts for me involved the ritual plays that we’ve been incorporating into the Rites, and the use of a singing bowl that helped tune the group together. It really helped to solidify our group mind and prepare us for the ritual working. The prayer asked us for help with Opening the Ways to Renewable Energy. The omen spoke of us learning to adapt, and was received through scrying and oracle decks. (word count: 169)
Spring Equinox/Ostara 2009
This equinox was unusual, in that we were looking into the future and sending energy nine generations away to determine what it is we need to do now to help them prepare. The magical working was unreal; the energy was so thick and so directed from each person that I felt you could slice it with a knife. The drumming and attunement that we all shared could be really effective if we all switched on. To be honest, that’s what it felt like. There was something about the prayer that seemed a bit science fiction to me. It felt as though talking to the people of the ninth generation in the future about what we should be doing now would be paradoxical. Despite my doubts, the Grove tackled the problem of trying to take an omen from the future as a group, and it was quite effective. (word count 144)
Beltaine 2009
Beltaine focused on community and what each of us brought to the Grove as members. It was essentially our way of greeting the Gods and saying “hello, this is who we are. This is what I bring to the Grove. This is what our community means to me.” It was held less in the traditional fashion of reproductive fertility and more on fertility of the mind. We employed a somewhat unconventional method of calling the Ritual Deities; Dagda was called as diplomat/peacekeeper of the evening as all of us in the Ritual called our personal patrons by name. The hope was that Dagda would keep the ire of the other deities at bay if necessary. I suspect that we weren’t giving the Gods enough credit, though, because the Ritual was effective and we didn’t experience any issues. It was a really good time of celebrating our community. (word count: 147)
Midsummer 2009
Midsummer at the Grove was in honor of the Greek Gods, Apollo and Hermes. This rite was especially memorable to me because it was the first time we’d ever had to do a second round of offerings to please the Gods. For whatever reason, the energy just wasn’t with us that day. This was also the day that we learned that one of our Elders (and our founder) had suffered a stroke. Despite this news, the Grove still pulled together a ritual that was entertaining and cohesive. There was a lot of strife and negativity pinning the undercurrents of the ritual, a fact which I was amused to note that the Gods also did not ignore. We were forced to make answer for ourselves and give more. We are always capable of giving more. I had noticed a steady decline in the type of honest offerings and oaths that I had seen given in the past, and the Gods evidently did, too. We can always give more praise. We can always go through the motions, but if we do not feel it in our hearts then we might as well say nothing at all. The Gods know our minds and our spirits. They recognize who we are and understand our problems, and then they show us the sometimes difficult path out of the rut we’ve found ourselves in. As a Grove we fought the adversity and rose up as a group, ready to continue in the direction we found was right for us. (word count: 253)
Lughnasadh 2009
Lughnasadh at Cedarlight was the first official ADF high rite that my friend Taryn and I put together. We planned out warrior games that started earlier in the day, and I personally enjoyed myself immensely. Ryn and I (with some help from Kelly) took quite some time organizing this one, as we are rather strict about order. We wanted to place importance on the Omen and make sure it was recorded properly, as this is the magical outcome of the ritual. We carefully crafted our prayer with the seers guild at the Grove, and asked of Lugh and Tailtiue what it was that we (the Grove) needed to do weather the coming storm. We asked that Caryn read the Omen using Ogham, because we felt that it was appropriate for a Celtic rite. Ryn and I wrote and performed a ritual drama with other Grovies to help educate those that were not familiar with our Grove’s patron, Tailtiue. Not only was the ritual drama fun, but we got to teach as well! The winners of the Warrior Games we held earlier were presented as the first offerings to the Tailtiue and Lugh, in their honor. I felt that the offerings that night were meaningful and heartfelt. I have to say that I also feel that the Grove is taking massive strides in the right direction, and we can only gain momentum from here. (word count: 233)
Mabon 2009
Mabon at the Grove was a ritual designed solely around reconnecting with our teachers and reopening our minds to what they had to say. If we had gotten caught up in other things, now was the time to return to them and remember them. Our teachers could be any of the Kindred. This was also the first ritual where we implemented the addition of a personal omen to be received during the personal magic portion of the ritual. This way, we not only got to hear the voice of our teachers and how we as a Grove should move forward from that point, but we were also able to look and see a personal message from them about our own situation. It was rather clarifying and very personal. What I especially loved about Mabon was how much preparation work that went into it; we divined the prayer as a group, and we journeyed as a group to meet our teachers. I even got homework. We enjoyed it so much that we’re beginning to make the journey working a regular part of ritual preparation. The ritual itself was so intimate, and even though the turnout wasn’t huge, the quality was sublime. I was very impressed with all that made offerings and enjoyed our magical working. I felt as though we were finally coming together as a group and clicking to become a formidable force, despite our differences. (word count: 233)