Week 17: 3rd High Holy Day Recap

Related to Requirement: #8 – High Days Attended 

Required Reading: None. 

I obviously need to still do week 16, the essay about the holiday, however, this one is a lot easier to do at work.

• How did the rite go in terms of structure? What things went wrong during the ritual? What things went right? 

While writing the ritual, I kept to the Grove's basic outline of ritual. So everything required for an ADF ritual was present. I am a crappy liturgist. I didn't practice nearly enough, or even read some parts out loud while writing them, so the rhythm was stupid and awful. But for all that, things went ok. It wasn't the most elegant ritual we've done, but we also weren't struck by lightning or set on fire.

• Who were the patrons of the rite, and who was the gatekeeper? 

Earthmother: Jord

Gatekeeper: Heimdall

Patron: Freya

• Did you have problems with saying the words without stumbling, or did everything come out smoothly? Did you forget to bring a sacrifice? 

Most of the speaking problems would have been solved by me reading things aloud and fixing the rhythm before we started ritual. One of the good parts of the Marvel movies being so popular is that folks know how to pronounce most of the major Gods in the Norse pantheon. The only one we had trouble with was Jord and that's just due to Germanic vs Spanish pronunciations. 

I remembered all the sacrifices... but we failed to remember cups or other forms of holder for them. So the liquid offerings were all held in a number of different (inappropriate) containers: a dice set box; a reusable cup from my favorite bar, my faire mug that I only had because it was attached to my belt... There are worse problems to have, but it was pretty embarrassing. The grain just got left in its ziplock bag, the incense and strawberries hung out on the table.

• Were you alone, or with a group? If you were with a group, did you say anything or do anything? 

As woefully under-prepared as I was... I led. So I did most of the speaking. I need to get better at both public speaking (SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!) and blessing things. 

• How did the rite go in terms of function and feeling? 

I think we adequately expressed our excitement that spring is finally here and summer is within sighting distance? I don't feel like we insulted anyone (and I included an extra sacrifice in case we did). It did feel rushed and awkward. I'm not sure if that's because I wrote it (maybe everyone thinks ritual they've written feels awkward?) or if it really was awkward as all get out.

• Did you feel anything during the ritual? Could you feel the presence of any deities, spirits, or powers? Did you experience doubt or confidence? Can you describe what happened? 

Group ritual is about the worst way for me to feel connected to anything. I can get through the Two Powers meditation, feel nice and connected... and then that disappears over the course of the ritual. Part of that is I'm spending as much time anticipating what needs to happen next as I do on the actual ritual. This time, the wind was a serious hindrance, kept blowing the ritual/ script around. I actually felt more connected as I was writing it than while I was performing it.

I try to do a second rite by myself within a couple of days of the holiday in an effort to actually feel connected to something, but there was just no chance of that happening this time. Last week was just too busy.

• If you were with a group, what did the other people say about what happened? 

No one said anything. Which my brain interprets as a sign that I failed miserably. But the folks who were there also don't generally discuss the ritual in specific terms afterwards. The 3 of us who are working on our DP do that... but the other two weren't there.

• What omens were drawn (if any), and what did they tell you?  

Ancestors:  Wunjo. The ancestors bring us joy and love.

Spirits:  Thuraz. The spirits bring us both the thorn in the path and the beauty of the rose. The thorn is both hazard to caution and protection against forces that wish us harm.

Deities:  Othala. The Gods bring us our inheritance and the joy of it. We are linked to our past and our future

• What else about the rite struck you, or do you want to share?

I did a shite job at organizing this. I should have practiced more and let other people know what assistance I needed from them. It wasn't a disaster, but it felt like one.

Week 16: 3rd High Holy Day Essay

Related to Requirement: 

#2 – Meaning and Discussion of High Days 

Required Reading: 

 Our Own Druidry, p. 62 - 74 (Hearth Cultures & High Days) 

 ADF Constitution, Article 4 

 The ADF Core Order of Ritual for High Days

Optional Reading: 

 Our Own Druidry, p. 51 - 75 (The Very Basics of Ritual); 

 A Crane Breviary and Guide Book by Rev. Michael J Dangler: <> 

 Appendix 1: Resources and Rituals for the Wheel of the Year in this book; 

 Step by Step through a Druid Worship Ceremony, <>; 

 The "Liturgy and Rituals" section of the ADF page, <> 

 The Three Cranes Grove, ADF, outline of ritual (with example prayers), <>

The May Cross-quarter is perhaps the closest fit between the popular conception of the holiday and the Norse hearth culture. The sudden resurgence of Walpurgis Night aside, May Day and Beltane celebrations can often be transferred with very little effort to be Norse focused. The Norse Goddess of fertility and beauty, Freyja, is also the goddess of magic and death. It is fitting that Maitag, devoted to the plenty of spring and summer as well as fertility rites of all kind, is preceded by Walpurgis Night, when the ancestors and spirits draw near.

Walpurgis night is celebrated with bonfires, feasting and dancing. The bonfires are used to keep away any spirits that mean harm or mischief. There is considerable debate regarding the origin of Walpurgis night. The name is known to dervive from St. Walburga of England who worked towards the Christianization of Germany in the Eighth Century. Little textural evidence exists that implies the celebrations pre-date St. Walburga. Simply the date of her canonization was conflated with the existing May Day celebrations and the holiday expanded.

May day is celebrated much the same way throughout the British Isles, Germany, and northern France: joy and dance that the spring has come and summer is coming. It is about this point in the agricultural year that it finally becomes warm enough to start planting the fields. The fruits and berries start to appear and milk and eggs become abundant. More than anything else, that is the message of May Day, that the days of plenty are here.

Week 15: Nine Virtues: Piety

I'm pretty sure writing 125 words on anything isn't supposed to be this hard. But I rather think the ADF definition provided in Our Druidry is bullpucky and my attempts to come up with a logical explanation that doesn't logic me into a corner isn't going well. 

At any rate, this is what I have so far:

“Correct observance of ritual and social traditions; the maintenance of the agreements, (both personal and societal), we humans have with the Gods and Spirits. Keeping the Old Ways, through ceremony and duty.”  ADF Dedicant Manual

• Reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations: a prayer full of piety.
• the quality or state of being pious: saintly piety.
• dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.: filial piety.
• a pious act, remark, belief, or the like: the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.

Dictionary.com

Piety, as an act, requires only actions in service of something greater than oneself. In terms of service and piety, there is no much difference between a soldier serving her country and and priest serving his God(s). It is the act of service that is the pious act. Piety is duty. Duty to the Gods, duty to the local spirits, duty to the surrounding community and family. It is part of the sacrifice made on a daily basis to ensure a functioning society. Piety asks one to serve others who are less fortunate; to take care of the the environment and recover what can be replanted; to trust the Gods’ wisdom and be their hands when they cannot act themselves. Piety is related to integrity/ honor and perseverance. While the easier thing in many cases may be to be selfish, honor and integrity demand service to something greater, Keeping the oaths and commitments made to others and the Gods. However, it is not enough to honor those oaths and commitments once. It is done repeatedly, until it has become embedded. It is the perseverance that takes a mundane task: standing at the altar for 20 minutes a day, meditating and turns it into service of the Gods and piety.

This is crap. I know it's crap. But piety isn't one of those things I have a clear mental definition of, and I have a bye week in a few weeks where I can sit down and revise things.