Devotional

Ancestor Rite

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

On the last quarter of each moon, some ADF Druids perform a ritual to celebrate and honor their ancestors. Each person does their own ritual and there are no specific requirements to participate other than a focus on the ancestors. 

Here is a ritual that I did and shared with other ADF members online.  You can see a video of the ritual below.

For this ritual, you will need a candle, and something to write on. You could use your fingernail, a pen, pencil, or a pin.  The candle can be anything that you’re comfortable using. I use a tea light candle in this video and it works well.

You will be inscribing the rune Othala on the candle. For me, Othala is about traditions and lessons that you have learned from your family (blood, adopted, or chosen), and your teachers, and the world around you. 

Here is the ritual script. The video has subtitles if you’d like to follow along there.

Ritual

We pray to the Ancestors.
May you bless us as we do you honor.

Kindled from the great flame kept by prudent skill,
join with our common hearth that our flames be as one.

Jord, Earth Mother, may you join our rite and lend your Blessings.

Allies of our Hearths may you join our rite and lend your Blessings.

We come before you to thank you for your
Blessings and ask for your aide
in our working tonight.

As once there was Fire and Ice,
between them came the giant Ymir.
From Ymir’s body the gods created our world.
Between Fire and Ice,
between Order and Chaos,
We stand at the center of the Worlds

Heimdall, Guardian of the Rainbow Bridge,
I call to you to aid our work and guard the ways between.

As the fire opens as a gate,
as the well opens as a gate,
and as the tree opens as a gate,
so the gates are open.

I call to the Kindreds,
the Ancestors,
the Noble Ones,
Shining Ones,
may you join our rite and
lend your Blessings.

Ancestors, you who have come before
once more we call to you may you join
our rite and lend your Blessings

Ancestors, we do you honor.
May You accept this sacrifice as a token of our devotion.

May you accept this sacrifice as a token of our respect.
To all the kindreds here to you we do honor.

May the kindreds share their wisdom with us.

[Draw your Omen]

Children of Earth please take a moment to remember your Mighty Dead, those Ancestors who have joined us here today,
along with the other Shining Ones,
along with the Noble Ones and the Nature Spirits.

Let us ask them to bless the waters.

Mighty Kindreds you have shared your wisdom with us.
We ask that you share your Blessings.
May you Bless this water as you have Blessed us.

Behold the Waters of Life.

If you accept the Blessings of the gods, of the Kindreds, please drink.

Now, take a moment to remember those ancestors
who have had a big impact on you.
Maybe they’re ancestors of blood, or spirit, or tradition.
Whoever they are, invite them to join us here today.

[If you have a candle, write or inscribe the rune of Othala.]

Othala is a rune of tradition and ancestors.
It connects us to that which has come before and reminds us to bring the blessings of the past to the future.

Othala is about culture and history and the things that we were raised with, things that our chosen family, our blood family, our family of society, families of nature have taught us as we go through lives.

[As you inscribe the rune, think of the things the ancestors have taught you.  Sometimes it’s happy memories and positive lessons, and sometimes it’s lessons about what not to do, or how to react or not to react when things happen. All of these lessons feed into who you are.]

Today we honor the ancestors, and all the parts of them that are in us.

We light this candle to honor our ancestors:
ancestors whose DNA we carry;
ancestors whose teachings we carry;
ancestors who have paved the way for us.

May we remember the lessons you have taught us.
May we remember the paths you have cleared for us.
May we remember that we are the ancestors of the future.

Ancestors we honor you.

[Take a moment to feel the strength, the backing, the lessons of your ancestors – good and bad – all of them helped make you who you are today. We can choose who we honor. And we can choose what impact they have had on us it is up to us to recognize those lessons.]

Our Ancestors remembered, our Work done,
It is time for us to unwind what we have wrought.

Our thanks to you Ancestors for your aid in this rite.

Our thanks to you Ancestors, Noble Ones, Shining Ones, Nature Spirits, for your aid in this rite.

Gatekeeper, Hemidall, now we ask for your aid one more time.

As the Fire becomes flame,
as the Well becomes water,
as the Tree just a rock again,
so the gates are closed

Our thanks to you Hemidall for guarding the ways and lending your aid.

Our thanks to the Allies of our Hearths for your aid in this rite.

Our thanks to Jord, the Earth Mother,
who supports us always,
for your aid in this rite.

This rite is ended. Go in peace.

May the Blessings of the Kindreds be with you this day and all days

Prayer for People in Power

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

I pray for all people in power.
May they consider all within their influence.
May they consider the people
And the all the rest of our world.
May they consider the balance of things.

I pray for all the people in power.
May they find the strength
To do what is best, not what is easy.
May they find the wisdom
To understand what is needed.
May they find the allies
To help them keep to the path.

I pray for all the people in power.
May they be kind, and wise;
May they be strong, and true;
May they remember their communities,
And all within their influence.

by Victoria S – Jan 20, 2020

A Prayer for Balance at the Equinox

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

If you’re like me, and the world is feeling a bit off kilter, maybe this prayer can be helpful for you.

Balance can be challenging in turbulent times

As the light and the dark are balanced on this day,
So do I ask for balance in my life.
I call to you, Cernunnos,
Antlered One,
Liminal One,
Balanced One,
Help me to walk the line between,
To find the calm of balance
As it flows through my life.
I call to you, Cernunnos,
To guide my mind,
Guide my heart,
Guide my body,
To find the balance I seek.
Cernunnos,
Guide me well.
I thank you.

Image by Andreas Riedelmeier from Pixabay

Minimalist Ritual

~ Leona Oigheag ~ Leave a comment

I often hear that ADF style rituals are complicated or too hard. I wrote this very basic, minimalist ritual to demonstrate how you can do a quick Core Order of Ritual rite almost anywhere.

If you’re interested in seeing how this breaks down, I’ve mapped it to the Hearthkeepers organization of the Core Order of Ritual which combines a few of the steps into one in some cases to make it a bit easier to understand.

A single candle on my altar
A single candle is all you need for this ritual

Needed for the Ritual:

  • Candle or other symbol of fire. Electric candles work well if you’re in a space where an open flame isn’t a good idea or not allowed. A red rock or other symbol of fire also works.
  • A cup of water or another drinkable beverage.  You’ll need about a ½ cup.  I’ve used tea, water, and wine equally well for this.
  • A bell (phone apps work well as substitutes if you don’t have a bell)
  • Divination tool (Check out the various phone apps or the Nine x Nine divination set on the ADF Website if you don’t have something to use)

Some notes:

  • You are invited to replace the more generic titles, such as Gatekeeper, with names of the specific deities or beings that you work with in those roles.
  • I called Cerridwen as my Being of the Occasion as she is the one I wished to worship in this rite. You are welcome to call to any Spirit or Deity that makes sense for your ritual.I was going for the ultra-minimalist ritual here, so a lot of this is done in your head. 
  • Please note that ALL of this can be done in your head to varying degrees of results.  I recommend at least having a symbol of fire and pouring out offerings of water
  • I have included the optional step of calling to Inspiration, but I did not do the, optional, Outsider component as I did this ritual at my shrine.
  • Stage directions are in curly brackets “{ }” everything else is spoken aloud

The Ritual

I pray to the Kindreds, may you Bless me as I do you Honor.

{light your candle or touch your fire symbol as you say the following}

Kindled from the Great Flame, kept by prudent skill,
join with our common Hearth, that these flames be one.

{ring a bell three times and feel the sound clear the space}

Earth Mother, may you join my rite and lend your Blessings.
Inspiration, may you join my rite and lend your Blessings.
Allies of my Hearth, may you join my rite and lend your Blessings.

We come before you to thank you for your Blessings.

Between Order and Chaos, I stand at the center of the Worlds.
Gatekeeper, I call to you to aid our work and guard the Ways between.

{in your mind’s eye, see your hallows – Well, Fire, and Tree. Feel their textures and hear the sounds.}

As the Fire opens as a gate, as the Well opens as a gate, as the Tree opens as a gate, so the GATES ARE OPEN!
I call to the Kindreds, Ancestors, Noble Ones, Shining ones, may you join my rite and lend Your Blessings.
Cerridwen, Creatrix of Awen, I call to you. May you join my rite and lend Your Blessings.
Cerridwen, Great Goddess, to you I do honor. May you accept this sacrifice as a token of my devotion.

{make an offering of water}

To all the Kindreds here, to you I do honor. May you accept this sacrifice as a token of my respect.

{make an offering of water}

May the Kindreds share Their Wisdom with me.

{take an omen}

{touch or hold up the water}

Mighty Kindreds, you have shared your Wisdom with me, and I ask that you share your Blessings. May you bless this water as you bless me.

{drink}

My thanks to you Lady Cerridwen, for your aid in this rite.
My thanks to you, Ancestors, Noble Ones, Shining Ones, for your aid in this rite.
Gatekeeper, I ask your aid one more time.

As the Fire becomes flame, the Well becomes Water, and the Tree becomes as a tree again. So, the gates are CLOSED.

My thanks to you, Gatekeeper, for guarding the Ways and lending your aid.

My thanks to the Allies of my Hearth, for your aid in this rite.
My thanks to Inspiration, for your aid in this rite.
My thanks to the Earth Mother, who supports us always, for your aid in this rite.

This rite is ended.

Further Resources

A Day of Prayer to Freya

~ Leona Oigheag ~ 3 Comments

A few months ago, I started up doing a Day for Prayer for Freya. This was originally inspired by a the World Odin Prayer Day. Unfortunately, it seems that the group who did the Odin’s Prayer Day was not one that I’d like to associate with. But, this is the internet and I can do my own thing.

So the Freya Prayer Day was born.

On the 2nd Friday of every month, we invite people to join us being aware of Freya in some way. There are people who simply choose to think about Her for that day, others who hold devotional practice for Her, and others who like the posts and tweets but don’t say what they do.  It doesn’t matter what anyone does. Hosting this Prayer Day and creating the monthly newsletter is one way that I make offerings to Her.

There are almost as many ways to do offerings as there are individuals who practice any form of devotional religion. I choose to spend my time, effort and attention as offerings for Freya.

How do you choose to do your offerings or devotions?