High Day Rites

This section is perhaps the most conversational; these accounts are adapted from Livejournal posts made at the time. I’ve tried to provide dates for each celebration, though one or two were not datestamped. While I’ve continued through the Wheel of the Year continuously since starting, I chose this initial set of accounts because I feel it depicts the growth I experienced well, due to the large refinements made during its period. Though the final rite of this period ends on a low note, I pressed on with regular celebrations of the High Days, in groups when possible, solitary when not, which led to the founding of Hemlock Vales Protogrove.

Note: This section may have some clumsy wording inserted when I edited names out.

Imbolc - February 5, 2005

This past Saturday, some local ADF-interested folks, and I celebrated Imbolc, ADF-style. It did take a bit of advance planning, starting about a month ago. J was responsible for writing the ritual and hosting it. M was responsible for ensuring a lack of conflicts with the local college group. I was responsible for some limited publicity, as we were willing to share our first efforts in this format with people we already knew.

On the second of February, which some might see as Imbolc proper, as I arrived at work in the morning I felt a certain difference in the air. Rather than rushing inside as usual, I looked around, and noticed a large fallen branch beneath one of the trees surrounding the building. Approaching more closely, I spotted a part of the fallen branch perfect for use as a bile. Offering thanks, I carefully detached it and placed it in my car.

On Saturday, I began gathering items into a bag so that I would not forget them. I grabbed candles in case J had forgotten them. I found a smudge stick for M in case the incense was forgotten. I also put a bottle of microbrewed ale, the ritual script, a white tunic, and my robe into the bag. After loading the bag and a folding cafe-style table into my car, I picked up Matt before heading to J’s home.

At J’s place, we began setting up when I realized the flaw in placing items in a bag was that some items that didn’t fit might be left behind, namely the bile I had picked up. I sighed at my absent-mindedness and began locating a substitute when J pointed out she had a small potted pine tree that would work. We set up and quickly rehearsed the ritual before the promised start time. Then, we passed the time until the ritual start by making final preparations, and I put the new robe I had made on.

After offering fifteen minutes to Pagan Standard Time, we started the ritual in earnest. Splitting up the parts meant that each of the three of us were well-involved in the rite. I was surprised by the energy of the rite; it felt more direct than the two other ADF-style rites I’d attended. This probably follows from this being the rite I’ve been most directly involved in to date, though part of me feels that the microbrewed ale we used for a number of offerings was particularly appealing; it was described as good afterwards by the participants. The three-card Omen that J drew from her Tarot deck was rather positive. The cards drawn were the King of Wands, Nine of Pentacles, and Six of Wands, with a meaning towards rewarded effort and early success.

Afterwards, we reflected on the rite while waiting for the post-ritual pizza to arrive. Overall, we were satisfied. There was some weakness on the speaking side that probably would be remedied by even more practice; given the time frames involved to prepare our parts, everyone did a good job. I’d also like to move to a more appropriate divination method, which means that I ought to focus a bit on such. Further reflection has caused me to realize that I think I’d like some more active group chanting and/or singing; fortunately, the ADF website has resources for members who don’t know the tune quite yet.

Ostara - March 25, 2005

As the Equinox approached, uncertainty reigned supreme as to what, exactly, would be going on for it. Earlier discussion about visiting another ADF grove had trailed off, and I realized that perhaps I should plan something requiring less of a time commitment. Consulting with the ADF Dedicant Path book revealed to me that the Norse holiday of Eostre was on the full moon following the equinox.  Looking at my calendar, I noted that this was the 25th of March, a day I had off.  I contacted my local ADF-interested friends and there was little response to doing a ritual as a group.  Insert your own reference to Mercury retrograde here.

So, on March 25th, I found myself planning a solo ritual.  I went to the ADF website and grabbed the Norse solitary ritual template, copied it into Word (Ironically, an RTF-formatted version would appear only hours after I did this) and then went to look at the holiday-specific rituals.  I found Gleichennact, which made no reference to a goddess named Eostre who was celebrated after the equinox as opposed to on it.

At this point, I had two options: try to be a last-minute perfectionist about this, or just shrug and work with what I had.  Back when I was in college, perfectionist Art would have reigned supreme – and wound up not doing anything.  Instead, I decided to work with what I had in the name of actually celebrating the holiday in a timely fashion.  I quickly wove the two rituals together as best I could, and filled in some spots both rites left empty.  The resulting ritual was twice as long on paper as the Imbolc rite, and more complex as well, which did suit my desire to try a meatier ritual.

Once I gathered all the offerings (which took as long as the ritual itself), I began in earnest.  The format was familiar from the Imbolc ritual as well as my daily devotionals, if a bit longer. I used a pair of metal goblets for the blessing cup and the offering cup, while using items from my shrine for the fire and tree, and regular bowls for the well and offering bowl. Nerthus as Earth Mother received cornmeal, while Heimdallr received some Glenfiddich Solera Reserve scotch. The Outdwellers received some beer in a reusable plastic cup, placed outside the bedroom door, while Saga received more of the scotch. For the invitational offerings, the Ancestors received a tasty multi- grain roll, the Nature Spirits received some bulgur wheat, and the Shining Ones received some of the scotch.

Then it was time to merge and recenter the entire ritual construct.  While I felt connected from the Two Powers Meditation, it was somewhat more difficult to juggle the external ritual elements with the internal energy processes than it had been for Imbolc.  Looking back at it now, I think it was due to the added complexity of the ritual (i.e. I should have practiced it more) as well as the fact that I was performing the entire ritual instead of sharing the roles with two others.

After re-centering the ritual, it was time to state the purpose of the ritual and offer Nerthus her egg.  Then I progressed to the general praise offerings, wherein I gave the Ancestors red wine (I felt the red color was a nice symbol of shared blood), the Nature Spirits some birdseed, and gave the Shining Ones some silver and some more of the red wine (this time, as emblematic of reaching out to them strongly).  Finally, I performed my First Oath, having spent the time since Imbolc to figure out what concerned me about it and making a slight modification that it might work.

Nervously I shuffled the runes in their pouch, preparing to draw three.  I pulled Gebo, then Algiz, then Wunjo.  Based on the references I did have at hand (Barbara Walker’s book is surprisingly good, so long as you ignore all references to “The” Goddess), I interpreted it as the offerings being; accepted, and in return protection (from what, I wondered) on my journey in ADF, with great things ahead.  Reading further about those runes after the fact, I was particularly struck by one meaning of Algiz referring to mentorship or even patronage.  Perhaps it is an indication that I have already caught the eye of a Patron.  The overall meaning, upon further research and reflection, perhaps indicates that continued appropriate offerings will aid me not just in my personal spiritual aspirations, but also in my hopes to get further Pagan organization here.

After unwinding and closing the ritual, I took the bowl of offerings and the cup outside.  I am still uncertain exactly what to do with the silver I offered to the well; while placing it in running water would be appropriate on an Indo-European basis, it is potentially harmful to waterfowl (it looks like fish to them).  If I had a real well, I would probably have already placed it there.

My overall reaction to the ritual is that the omen indicates it was effective. My daily devotionals the next two nights were astoundingly strong in my sensations of response to them, almost overwhelmingly so.  Still, the ritual itself did not feel as moving, powerful, or spiritually energetic as the Imbolc rite.  I am certain that if I practice the next one more (and plan it out more in advance) that the motions will be less distracting.

Beltane - May 8th, 2005

After the local group Beltane I was planning on attending failed to materialize on the second Sunday of May, I decided to do my own. I began planning my own solitary rite, but between getting sick and other aspects it seemed to be taking a while for me to pull it together. So rather than perform the perfect rite too late, I decided to play things a bit more loosely than I usually do.

Armed with the Simple Rite of Offering and Aigeann’s Solitary Path column from Oak Leaves #24, I improvised my way through the ADF Standard Liturgy. I did a little bit of advance writing, which did help, but largely went off-the-cuff. My offerings were blueberry wine, cornmeal, and incense, as I felt appropriate. I silvered the well with the pentacle ring that is back on my hand, which I am mildly dubious about but seems to be an accepted practice.

Aspects that went particularly well:

• I definitely felt the energy flow more actively this time.
• Small mistakes on my part were easier to re-weave into the ritual.
• A few turns of phrase rolled off my tongue rather well.
• Overall, the omen (below) was positive.

Aspects that did not go well:

• I needed to have grabbed a cup for the Outdwellers, rather than trying to pour a small amount of wine onto my fingers for offering. Yes, bleach and my robe may have a meeting later, though it looks like the water I grabbed to rinse it out largely prevented any notable staining.
• The pacing, unsurprisingly, was a bit haphazard.
• I didn’t write down the above mentioned turns of phrase.
• My off-the-cuff Beltane lore would have benefited from some further research.

For the omen, I drew three runes: the first was Mannaz, Man; the second was Isa, Ice; the third was Sowilo, The Sun. My interpretation was that my difficulties with the group moving forward (Mannaz + Isa) would be overcome (Sowilo), but it would take my effort and careful thought along with the return flow to do it (Isa + Sowilo).

Overall I feel it was a worthwhile experience, though one I do not think I would repeat in a group setting until I have more familiarity with the ADF Standard Liturgy as well as the appropriate holiday lore. I found this a bit looser than I like my rites, but it also taught me the importance of working with the moment rather than the script.

Midsummer - June 21st, 2005

Midsummer surprised me, and by surprised, I mean that it caught me unprepared. Fortunately, the Liturgist’s Yearbook 2004 came to my rescue with a fully written solitary Midsummer Rite. There were other possibilities; there was a Slavic liturgy recently posted to one of the lists I thought about adapting, but it seemed to have someone more versed in Slavic culture in mind. The Midsummer Soulstice from a certain Ohio Grove was interesting, though I was not certain I was ready to be singing Rush in ritual.

After gathering everything up (which was faster this time than previous solitary efforts), I closed the door to the bedroom. I had not turned on the air conditioner (I felt it would be distracting), and was in my robe. One thing I didn’t mention about the Imbolc rite I attended: the robe got rather warm. At the end of this rite, I realized I might have been more comfortable engaging in the Pagan cliche of going skyclad.

After performing 9 breaths of a 4-4-4-4 counted breath, I began the rite. The Earth Mother received cornmeal, the Fire a stick of cedar incense, the Well a silver-colored coin, and the Tree a branch. I’m not certain why the template calls for a branch for the Tree; I will have to look into that more deeply. Then it was time to give Heimdallr some Scotch.

As I turned the page and read, I noticed a mention of Manannan that had escaped previous review on my part. Suspecting that it was part of a Gatekeeper template that wasn’t changed due to being right on the page fold (I didn’t think Manannan was Norse), I changed it to Heimdallr as I spoke, with a mild vocal stumble on my part. Then I gave the Outdwellers some of Otto’s Sumatran Stout in a reusable plastic cup. Bragi received some of my homemade mead (aged for roughly three years now), the Ancestors received some millet puffs cereal, the Nature Spirits received buckwheat flour, and the Gods and Goddesses received some of that Stout. (It’s good stuff.)

At this point I’ll interrupt the flow of offerings to indicate that having the templates with the chants inserted is quite nice. The only problem is that I ought have run through them once more before the rite, for my brain has misplaced many of the tunes. I wonder about possibly recording them to CD to get the group feel, though I do have some qualms with some of the rhythms for the sung versions. In my view, the rhythm of a song meant for group use should reflect the flow of the words – you can bend it, but some of the chant tunes I recall break things.

Finally, it was time to honor the Spirits of the Occasion. I had rearranged some items from my personal altar to create a “fire” composed of three tea lights about a small black pillar candle holder. On the pillar candle holder was some dryer lint, to provide wicking. Wicking for what, you ask? Well, the rite called for Sunna to be offered oil, and my wife suggested lamp oil as a ready-to-burn solution. So I poured on the lamp oil, and touched the hot incense stick to it. It flamed up nicely, giving me more of a flame than I expected, but one wholly appropriate to Sunna at midsummer. Then, I poured some scotch into the holder for Loki. It caught with a blue flame instantly, and flared abruptly immediately after I said “Loki, accept my sacrifice.”

The general praise offerings went quickly. The Ancestors received a maple stroopwafel, the Nature Spirits received cornmeal, and the Gods received some of my mead. I also offered to Freya in specific for help with my wife’s research; this may seem odd until I tell you that my wife’s research involves lots of growing of bacteria.

Mead poured into the blessing cup, I drew runes for the omen. I did it a little bit differently this time, first asking if my offerings were accepted. I drew Sowilo, the Sun. I immediately interpreted this as the best possible answer. I suspect a number of runes that are normally considered reasonably positive overall would likely be negative in this case. Cheered that my offerings were accepted so unequivocally, I drew a rune for each of the kindred to indicate what sort of response they had.

Gods and Goddess: Gebo, a Gift. The exchange of gifts for gifts continues.

Nature Spirits: Nauthiz, Need. The strength to endure something ahead, I think, and this disturbs me mildly.

Ancestors: Wunjo, Joy. I take this as the joy of fellowship and reward from regularly reaching for them, but also possibly an indication that further focus on the ancestors would be appropriate.

After drinking my draught, I thanked the Kindreds, closed the gates, and ended the rite. The room smelled of lamp oil (I later discovered I wanted liquid paraffin), a poor omen of sorts, since I knew my wife would not be happy about the odor.

This was the most involved ADF-style rite I’ve had a major part in yet. This time I had the chants in hand, and was able to sing a few of them. There was a definite hint of energy to things, but I didn’t feel it particularly strongly. It might have been helped if I was dressed in cooler clothing, or perhaps if I’d remembered that I was originally going to do it on the balcony outside; the heat of my robe in a closed room was a bit much with recent weather. Still, it seems like I am doing the Right Thing from the omen, or perhaps I need to learn more about runes. I’m reluctant to use Tarot despite my skill there, because it’s not very Indo-European.

I’ve added a reminder to my schedule to start planning the next High Day next week, so that there will be less of a rush.

Lughnassadh - August 6, 2005

So, I worked out my own ADF-type Lughnassadh. I started off by borrowing bits, but wound up rewriting many of them. (Rhyming is overrated, especially if done improperly.) I borrowed Kirk Thomas’s Two Powers text from the ADF-LITURGISTS list, though, and the rite was laid out similarly to the solitary templates I’d been using (because it contained the ordering to the structure I was most familiar with).

A few others were invited; besides J, my wife, and I, my friend D (who has always struck me as an atheist) came. I don’t know if it was my enthusiasm for ADF, curiosity, or some combination that caused him to come.

Overall, the rite (held on 8/6, per the calendar-adjusted date) went well, with everyone taking a part. I should have explained offering-making in more detail during the briefing, and my ritual instructions were sometimes unclear, but it worked. I didn’t feel the energy that strongly, but then I have that issue with my full-scale solitary rites as well. Perhaps I should try to perform one full liturgy a week; it would certainly build up my liturgical and ritual chops! Another possible energy drain may have been D; I’m not certain it was really his thing.

Some highlights:

• The ritual focused on not just Lugh, but Tailtiu. Still, I should have had us play a game first.
• I used Old World (bulgur wheat) and New World (quinoa) grain specifically in the Earth Mother invocation.
• We used bubbles to asperge. This was inspired by my wife’s comment that a holiday celebration should have an upbeat mood.
• I wrote my own set of Kindred invocations from scratch. They need some work, but it was rather nice.
• I gave Lugh and Tailtiu whiskey, but it was Canadian, not Irish. It seems that they were fine with that.
• During the general praise offerings, my wife poured out a libation of Karo Syrup for the late Dr. John Pazur, discoverer of an enzyme that transforms cornstarch into corn syrup. We had attended a memorial service for him earlier in the day.
• I poured a libation of Goldschlager to Freyja.
• I also poured a libation of Goldschlager to Brigid on my wife’s behalf, since she is writing her dissertation.

The three others drew the runes from my rune bag. We received, for our presence there in the present, Gebo (A Gift: the cycle of gifts for gifts continues). For the offerings' acceptance, Jera (Harvest: we are reaping appropriately at the first harvest festival). For the blessing, Sowilo (Sun). I interpreted at the time as a mixed positive, with obligations discharged as appropriate, but a need to put our own effort forward to get maximum use out of the blessings, as the Sun is in decline at this point in the year. I’m not certain, in hindsight, that this is quite correct; I’d read it as more positive, but I really ought learn more about proper handling of reversed and/or merkstave runes.

Autumnal Equinox - September 24, 2005}

Since local interest had been expressed, I wrote a Gleichentag Rite to be celebrated the weekend after the equinox. I realized, as I reworked a frame inherited from the Lughnassadh rite, that I actually enjoy doing this, making certain that the High Days get celebrated and holding the torch, so to speak, even if I grouse just a bit about doing so.

Due to an uncertain weather forecast, the rite was planned for J’s house, with a possible walk to a nearby meadow. My wife, J, J’s son, JC, and M came to the rite. M was not mobile enough to walk to the meadow, so it was held at J’s place.

The rite started with another bubble-blowing asperging of the sacred space. Certainly not traditional, but it helps give people a cue that this is not something to be done grimly.

JC had brought his maple “tread” (since there was no honey at all involved, it was not mead), and we used that for a number of the offerings, as appropriate. Again, I mixed Old World and New World Grain for the Earth Mother, and the Outdwellers received cheap whisky. Bread was given to the Ancestors and grain to the Nature Spirits, and the Shining Ones received “tread.” Frey and Freya, as the deities honored, received mead and fruit.

There were a number of praise offerings, largely to patrons, including JC’s Discordian offering to Eris.

Our initial single-rune draw for our offerings' acceptance was Hagalaz.

I took that as a no.

I wasn’t ready for that.

I decided to offer more things, even though that is mildly deprecated in modern ADF practice, and eventually we wound up with Algiz (Elk, Protection), which I took as things being okay, but the winter would still be harsh.

Then I did a three-rune cast for each of the Three Kindreds:

Blessing from the Ancestors: Pethro - Lot cup/vagina, Mannaz - Man, Wunjo - Joy (off cloth), all upside down. I interpreted this as a chance to reconnect with one’s ancestors (and through them to humanity), leading to joy in the long term.

Blessing from the Nature Spirits: Isa - Ice (directly atop Mannaz), Jera - Harvest (off cloth), Ingwaz - Ing (the earth god aka Frey) upside down. My recollection of my interpretation (next time, I’ll have a notebook in hand rather than writing it down at home) was that it was a delayed harvest from a new beginning, but a harvest available by working together.

Blessing from the Shining Ones (aka the Gods): Raidho - Wagon/chariot, Kenaz - Beacon/torch (upside down), Ansuz - the Gods, particularly Odin (upside down). I saw this as speaking to a journey leading to the discovery of a way to insight/spiritual growth/increased wisdom

I poured the Waters of Life (more of that tread), drank and passed the cup. At the end, I thought I might be able to finish it (I was too generous), and began to, but realized that if I did I would not be able to drive home until morning. It, too, was offered to the earth afterward. Still, the fact I took two drinks caused JC to quip, “The magus drinks twice.” (I suspect, had the rite not been continued shortly, he might have continued with “It’s good to be the magus.")

Afterward, we took a walk to Spring Creek to place the silver JC had given to the well in running water.

Samhain - October 29, 2005

For this rite, I leaned on others significantly more for preparation than I had in the past. JC provided a lovely outdoor space complete with firepit, along with many of the offerings. Some of the other attendees also brought offerings. This left me still bringing one silver item, the incense, the mixed grain, and “pork-as-we-named-it.” The silver was for Donn, one of the Beings of the Occasion, while the “pork” was bread and was for the Ancestors, who also were Beings of the Occasion.

Unfortunately, one thing that I considered to be Very Bad happened: I was late. My original plan was to arrive on-site between 11 and 11:30 in the morning. My original “noonish” time for the rite had become a hard noon by the time announcements were sent.

I arrived at about a quarter after 12.

I felt utterly foolish and disrespectful because of this, especially when it turned out some people that JC had invited had a hard departure time of a quarter after one. Admittedly, one person had arrived just before I did.

After I arrived, JC went to start the fire, and after we coordinated who was bringing what down, we processed into the clearing JC had cleared on his land. The Fire was in a firepit; the Tree was an Apple tree, slightly overhanging the area; the Well was a tongue sticking out of a nearby stream. We quickly set up the area so we could get started.

I started off by leading some brief meditation to focus the mind. Because I was late, I did not get time to meditate for myself, something I have realized is likely a good part of why I don’t notice the energy of group rites anywhere near as much. We meditated for a brief time, and in the interest of fitting everyone’s schedules I continued quickly.

First, Áine Chliar was invoked as the Earth Mother. I had brought with me a mix of cracked wheat and cornmeal. Then, I led the Two Powers meditation, which I felt more strongly than I have than any previous time I’ve led it. The offerings to the Fire (incense), Well (silver coin), Tree (incense & sprinkling), Land (grain), Sea (salt), and Sky (more incense) all went fairly well, with the biggest issue being the passing around of items. Even though I already knew it was a problem, the picking up of arbitrary ritual parts right before the start of a rite displayed its issues abundantly. I spent much of the time ensuring everyone had their items at hand (there was a convenient natural altar, but it was not convenient for everyone).

Finally, I invoked Mannanan MacLir as the Gatekeeper and suddenly gulped. I had abruptly realized that while JC had picked up items, he hadn’t always gotten the count correct. Two apples were desired, one for Mannanan and one for the Ancestors. So I grabbed the Old Grandfather whiskey instead.

Then, it was time for the Outdwellers' offering. My plastic cup method was used, but during cleanup I realized that he had not poured the entire beer into the cup. Afterwards, I gave the rest of the beer to the Outdwellers in the same manner.

M invoked Brighid for Bardic Inspiration, offering more whiskey. Her difficulties with the invocation made me wonder if it was ironic or fitting to have the most trip-tongued individual performing the offering.

The Kindred Invocations went well, because things had begun to flow. I offered the Ancestors a chocolate chip cookie, and accidentally sent it skipping out across the stream. The Nature Spirits were given more grain, and the Shining Ones received mead.

I briefly discussed the ritual precedent, speaking off of the notes I’d made and my own knowledge. There were three Patron invocations: one for Donn, one for the Callieach, and one for the Ancestors. Since no one else had wanted to, I took up all three invocations. Donn received first Silver into the Well, then Oil into the Fire (which was more impressive than I expected), then Horn at the foot of the Tree. The Callieach received precious Stone (in the form of a precious stone bead) in the Well, Whiskey into the Fire (which was even more impressive than the oil, but I held myself back), and Bone in the crook of the tree. The Ancestors received an apple into the Well, “pork” as we have named it (bread) into the Well, and Hazelnuts into the Well. I held back some of the Pork for those present to offer if they had specific remembrances. Some spoke about them, some did not, but most of the attendees made offerings to the Ancestors.

Then it was time for the General Praise Offerings. I took the neck ornament I was wearing, gave it to JC to wear on his arm like an oath-ring, and made an oath that I would not be late to a rite I was leading again without good reason, and called upon the Land to swallow me, the Sky to fall down upon me, and the Sea to rise up and drown me, should I break this vow. I think it scared those present, including me.

Finally, it was time to take the omen.

First, I drew a rune to indicate the overall acceptance of the offerings. The rune that came up was Laguz (Lake). Given the amount offered to the Ancestors via the Well, I considered this to be a Yes. Then it was time to perform a three-rune cast for the blessings from each of the three Kindreds.

For the Ancestors, Jera (Year) came up atop Gebo (Gift), both face-up, with Thurisaz (Thorn, Giant) facedown nearby: A a year of gifts from the ancestors, protecting us indirectly from chaotic forces in our lives.

For the Nature Spirts, Kenaz (Torch) came up atop Hagalaz (Hail), with Tiwaz off the cloth: A way through the storms of winter to the spring, though it may be long.

Finally, for the Shining Ones (the Gods): Ansuz (the Gods) turned up next to Ingwaz facedown, with Isa in an adjacent quarter of the cloth: A new, subtle start with the Gods, with stability rather than turmoil in this change.

Immediately after I finished taking and interpreting the omen, JC commented that I had done an excellent job of augury. He found great meaning in the omens from last time, and seems genuinely impressed with the local rites I’ve been leading.

A cup of mead was poured, and hallowed by the Kindreds into the Waters of Life.

Finally, it was time to close the rite, which went quickly. Afterwards there was much talking, even though I’d run over the departure time for those on a tight schedule. There was some discussion comparing and contrasting it to other rites everyone had attended. A mother present with her teenage son said that it reminded her a little of Episcopalian ceremony, with all of the things going on (and the mead, which she allowed her son to drink). Another was fascinated by the consumption (on the part of the humans attending) of liquid without the consumption of food, like in Wiccan ritual. (She had actually brought something with her).

Looking back on it, I notice the things that went wrong first. I forgot to bring the silver I’d planned to bring (thereby necessitating some digging), and my attempts to use the hanging censer I’d picked up as one to cense an area were flawed. While doing it outside was nice, the Fire did sometimes sting the eyes. The lack of an apple made me realize that perhaps a more shopping list-like sacrifice list would be optimal. While getting everyone involved is one way to avoid the Art show starring Art, it means that ritual performances will be uneven. Finally, I was late.

At the same time, many things went well. I’ve internalized many of the words of the pattern I’ve used; with minimal effort, I should be able to work without a script (the only difficulty might be helping others that were lost catch up). I did feel a little during this ritual, particularly as I silently made an offering to the Ancestors and during the oath I made, as well as during the Tree Meditation. Despite my internal tension and concern, things flowed well.

Unfortunately, everyone present had schedules such that no group meal afterwards was held. Potlucks aren’t bad, but the temptation to dip in the food beforehand can be deleterious to the ritual mindset. So, I drove home, with just a candy mint to try to ground me enough to get there. It had been good, but surprising.

Yule - December 20, 2005

Yule was an interesting rite to lead. Yule was when I got it in my head that we could have a rite of decent size, and rented a space for it. Yule was when I learned that sometimes it just isn’t time yet. Yule was when I rearranged my rite per the suggestions of ADF’s Liturgists' list.

I wrote my Yule rite based on various inputs from the ADF web site, along with various bits of research. Yule is a big, big Norse holiday, and while I did not elect to cover all the bases, I decided (after some effort) that honoring Thor and Freyr was appropriate. In terms of supplies, research had refined things – to ease offering things indoors, I brought an offering bowl (cups were poured and then poured into the offering bowl from there).

JC was not coming, but J offered to bring necessary items, most notably some apple cider for a number of offerings and the Waters of Life. Alcohol was explicitly not allowed via the contract that I signed, so we were doing things in a non-alcoholic manner

When I arrived at the State College Friends School, there was disconcerting news. Apparently, the Library room, which I had selected due to its environment being less discordant than a classroom, was not available – they had a meeting. Much to my surprise, JC was there, and walked with me as we were offered a huge common room or a classroom. The common room was so large that even a turnout twice as large as any thus far would have us rattling about the room like beans, so the classroom was chosen.

JC, it turned out, had car trouble, and would not be leaving on his trip until the morning. He had brought a few supplies just in case, which would turn out to be prescient on his part. His friend, M, had also indicated she would be attending, and she arrived a few minutes before the announced start time.

After waiting fifteen minutes past the announced start time, I called J. It turned out life had gotten in the way, and she decided that although she and her fiance wanted to attend, that it would take too long to get there from Bellefonte (half an hour or so).

Remember how she was bringing cider to be used for a number of offerings as well as the Waters of Life? I thought so.

JC brought out his items, and with them we were sufficiently supplied to support the rite. The bottled spring water I had brought would be used for the Waters of Life, and JC covered all the other missing offerings to a fair degree.

With that, in a dimly lit classroom, we began.

We started off offering mixed Old and New World Grain to Nerthus as the the Earth Mother. Then we invoked Bragi for Bardic Inspiration, offering a beverage, follwed the Land/Sea/Sky, Outdwellers, and Fire/Well/Tree. We then poured a cup for the Gatekeeper, Heimdallr. With the gates opened, we made offerings to the Ancestors (bread), Nature Spirits (more mixed grain), and Gods and Goddesses (beverage). Finally, JC invoked Freyr and I invoked Thor.

With that, an omen was taken.

Acceptance Rune: Kenaz (Torch). A new light shines. For the dark of winter, this is an omen indicating acceptance of our offerings.  I will note that I have since learned that some rune-poems associate this rune with boils and disease.

Blessings from the Ancestors: Laguz (Lake) up, Thurisaz (Thorn) down, Berkana (Birch) down. I described this as pipes not freezing anymore, and refreshment from water.

Blessings from the Nature Spirits: Isa (Ice) up, Gebo (Gift) down, Pertho (Dice-cup) down atop Thurisaz. I described this as stability in change.

Blessing from the Shining Ones (the Godden): Dagaz (Day) up atop Kenaz, Sowilo (Sun) upside down, Nauthiz (Need) up. I described this as needing the sun, and that the days will grow longer.

The Waters of Life were, as I said, Spring Water; perhaps truer to ADF’s RDNA roots, but a very different experience. I would have preferred alcoholic waters, or at least flavored ones, but the regular waters had their own lesson, wrapped in the issues that had struck: Take what you can get.

Afterward, we cleaned up, placed the offerings onto the ground outside, and went to a local restaurant to eat. I was a bit disappointed at how things went; the last minute alterations to my plans had truly made the eve of the solstice a cold, dark night.