We perform this at all of our meetings. Part is done at the beginning and part at the end. As a result, the meeting takes place inside the ritual. We meet at my house, and perform the ritual at the kitchen table, and then retire to the living room for the meeting.
Xáryomēn and Manannán are our grove patrons. The first serves as our god of social unity, and the second as our gatekeeper in general and Irish rituals.
At my house, I have an icon of Brighid next to the stove, with an oil lamp in front of it. If it were to be performed elsewhere, there should be either an oil lamp or a candle by the stove. The offering to the hearth goddess is performed by a guest as a thanks to the house spirits for their hospitality. In accordance with ancient tradition, this should be done by a woman or girl if possible.
In the center of the kitchen table is an oil lamp, with a box of matches next to it. On the side of the path to the hearth shrine, from right to left, are a small pitcher of milk, a proportionately sized bowl, a bowl of water, a pitcher of the Waters (one tablespoon honey to one cup water, with a tablespoon or so extra to sweeten it some more; make enough for each person to have their cup at least two-thirds full, plus enough for two more), and a large bowl to pour the honey-water in. To the left of the oil lamp are a ladle, and enough cups for everyone, plus two. One of the extra cups will be for the Kindreds, and the other is for hospitality, the idea being that if an unexpected guest were to show up they could be accommodated.
The parts are assigned the way we do it in our grove. Feel free to assign the parts as you will. It would be best if your Fire Tender (if you have one) makes the offering to the hearth goddess; at the very least it should be someone who doesn’t live in the house – they come to the hearth goddess as a guest.
There's a video of us performing this ritual here/
Opening ritual:
All gather around the table.
The Fire Tender pours the milk into its bowl and takes the bowl to the hearth shrine. She puts the bowl down there, saying:
We offer thanks to the spirits of this home
for protecting and blessing us while we are here.
She returns and picks up the bowl of water. She purifies herself, and then passes it around to the others, who purify themselves as they wish.
The Priest lights the lamp and says :
Let us pray with a good fire
The Priest sings:
The Waters support and surround us.
[He makes a semi-circle with both his hands, extending upwards from a point which is bottom center. He sings:
The land extends about us
He puts his hands in the middle of the top of the semi-circle, palms downward, and bring them out to the ends of the semi-circle. He sings:
The sky stretches out above us.
He makes another semi-circle upwards from the edge of the other one, with his hands meeting at its top. He sings:
At the center burns a living flame.
He holds both his hands, joined together, out towards the fire, and then bring them in to touch his heart. He sings:
May our worship be true.
All: May our worship be true.
The Priest: May our actions be just.
All: May our actions be just.
The Priest: May our love be pure.
All: May our love be pure.
Blessings and honor and worship to the Holy Ones.
[The tune is here]
[The Priest overlaps his lines with those sung by others, and tries to do all three in one voice.]
Then the Fire Tender says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay,
Come homeward, Sailor, on silver keel.
Cross beacon-guided the shattering shoal,
And gently come
All:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
A Mhanannán, open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay,
past guardian jetty guide your boat,
and tie its rope to pillared pier,
And gently come
All:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
A Mhanannán, open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay,
set foot on land with blessing touch,
and enter home, and sit at hearth.
Come homeward, Sailor; come Son of Sea:
oh gently come
All say:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
A Mhanannán, open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender says:
From the land of the gods,
To the land of men,
All:
May sacred power flow.
May Manannán be our guide to the gods.
The Priest sings, and the others respond with speech:
The Priest: Xáryomēn Dhetipótei,
All: Xáryomēn, Lord of the Law of the People.
The Priest: Sumenezṇz priʔons dṓtor
All: Giver of well-disposed friends.
The Priest: Suwéster zdhi.
All: Be our good Herdsman.
The Priest: Wédhe nōs som
All: Bring us together.
The Priest: Xṛ́neu nōs sḗm.
All: Make us one.
The Priest: Tebhyo zṃgénze spendəmes.
All: May we worship you as one people!
[The English words spoken by the people are the translations of the Proto-Indo-European. The tune is here.]
The Priest: Unite us, Xáryomēn, make us one:
All: May we come before the gods, speaking with one voice.
The Fire Tender pours about a third of the honey water into the Waters bowl and says:
We make offering to the gods.
May their wisdom be with us this day.
The Fire Tender pours another third of the honey water into the Waters bowl and says:
We make offering to the ancestors.
May their power be with us this day.
The Fire Tender pours the rest of the honey water into the bowl and says:
We make offering to the land spirits.
May their blessing be with us this day.
Someone says:
Called to our presence
with prayers and libations,
the Kindreds are here,
with blessings and friendship.
Then comes the meeting. The oil lamp is left to burn during it.
Closing Ritual:
Everyone returns to the table and once more gather around it. The Fire Tender holds up the Waters bowl and the person who had spoken the last prayer of the opening section says:
The Kindreds have blessed us with their presence.
May we go on our way, filled with their blessings.
The Fire Tender ladles the Waters into cups. She puts the first one on the table next to the oil lamp, saying:
May the Kindreds always receive their due.
She fills another and hands it to the Priest. She fills the rest and distributes them. After each person has received one, she exchanges hers with the Priest’s.
When all have drunk, the Priest says:
Xáryomēn, who guards society’s peace,
you have joined us together in our meeting today:
though our time here may end, and the people scatter,
may our fellowship remain strong.
Xáryomēn, we thank you for your presence and blessings.
May we grow and flourish under your benevolent gaze.
Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes.
[Thank you!]
All: Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes.
The Fire Tender says:
Á Mhanannán mac Lir,
Oirbsen of the Sea,
Lord of the mists between this world and the next:
we thank you for opening the door of the mysteries,
and ask that you close it again,
until the next time we call to you.
Although the door may be closed
May the holy ones be never far away
to answer us in our need.
Go raibh maith agait!
[Thank you!]
All: Go raibh maith agait!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All say: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All say: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All say: Let the gates be closed!
The Priest extinguishes the oil lamp and says:
Extinguished without
but burning within.
All: The living fire flames within us.
Meeting Ritual, with Commentary
[This is a ritual primarily centered on giving and hospitality. There is an extra cup and extra honey water for the unexpected guest. The goddess of hospitality is offered to first. The honey water is given to the Kindreds. The Kindreds give it back to us, blessed by them. We give some of their gift back, keeping the cycle open. The ladler gives the cups out, and is given one in turn.]
Opening ritual:
All gather around the table.
The Fire Tender pours the milk into its bowl and takes the bowl to the hearth shrine. She puts the bowl down there, saying:
We offer thanks to the spirits of this home
for protecting and blessing us while we are here.
She returns and picks up the bowl of water. She purifies herself, and then passes it around to the others, who purify themselves as they wish.
The Priest says:
Let us pray with a good fire
[This line is from Rig Veda 1.26.8.]
and lights the lamp. Then the Fire Tender says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay,
Come homeward, Sailor, on silver keel.
Cross beacon-guided the shattering shoal,
And gently come
All:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
Á Mhanannán, open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay,
past guardian jetty guide your boat,
and tie its rope to pillared pier,
And gently come
All:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
Á Mhanannán, open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay,
set foot on land with blessing touch,
and enter home, and sit at hearth.
Come homeward, Sailor; come Son of Sea:
oh gently come
All say:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
Á Mhanannán, open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender says:
From the land of the gods,
To the land of men,
All: May sacred power flow.
May Manannán be our guide to the gods.
[In Ár nDraíocht Féin, an important part of ritual is the invocation of a deity who will aid us in approaching the other gods.]
The Priest sings, and the others respond with speech:
The Priest: Xáryomēn Dhetipótei,
All: Xáryomēn, Lord of the Law of the People.
The Priest: Sumenezṇz priʔons dṓtor
All: Giver of well-disposed friends.
The Priest: Suwéster zdhi.
All: Be our good Herdsman.
The Priest: Wédhe nōs som
All: Bring us together.
The Priest: Xṛ́neu nōs sḗm.
All: Make us one.
The Priest: Tebhyo zṃgénze spendəmes.
All: May we worship you as one people!
[The English words spoken by the people are the translations of the Proto-Indo-European. The tune is here.]
The Priest: Unite us, Xáryomēn, make us one:
All: May we come before the gods, speaking with one voice.
[Another part of ADF ritual is an action of unity, to make those who are worshiping a single people, who might therefore approach the Kindreds with unity. In this way, any offering made in the course of the ritual is one given not just by the person performing the action, but by everyone. It is important, then, that they say the last line at the same time. Xáryomēn is a god of social unity, and is one of our grove's patrons.]
The Priest sings:
The Waters support and surround us.
He makes a semi-circle with both his hands, extending upwards from a point which is bottom center. He sings:
The land extends about us
He puts his hands in the middle of the top of the semi-circle, palms downward, and bring them out to the ends of the semi-circle. He sings:
The sky stretches out above us.
He makes another semi-circle upwards from the edge of the other one, with his hands meeting at its top. He sings:
At the center burns a living flame.
He holds both his hands, joined together, out towards the fire, and then bring them in to touch his heart. He sings:
May our worship be true.
All: May our worship be true.
The Priest: May our actions be just.
All: May our actions be just.
The Priest: May our love be pure.
All: May our love be pure.
Blessings and honor and worship to the Holy Ones.
[The tune is here]
[The Priest overlaps his lines with those sung by others, and tries to do all three in one voice.]
[This song begins with a description of the Indo-European cosmology, with sea, land, and sky. The gestures trace the shape of each. The last section first asks for blessings from the three functions of Indo-European ideology -- the priestly/juridical, warrior/physical force, and fertility/prosperity (in that order) and then offers in ways appropriate to these functions (this time in reverse order). The two portions are hinged by an invocation of the fire, which is both cosmological, existing at the point between the Cosmic Tree and the Well, and ritual, being the fire of offering at the center of ritual space. "Living Flame" is doubly meaningful to us; first, that is what we call our fire of offering, and secondly, it is the meaning of the second word of the name of our grove, "Nemos Ognios."]
The Fire Tender pours about a third of the honey water into the Waters bowl and says:
We make offering to the gods.
May their wisdom be with us this day.
The Fire Tender pours another third of the honey water into the Waters bowl and says:
We make offering to the ancestors.
May their power be with us this day.
The Fire Tender pours the rest of the honey water into the bowl and says:
We make offering to the land spirits.
May their blessing be with us this day.
[The sacred drink of the Proto-Indo-Europeans was mead. We use honey water in case there is someone present who can't drink alcohol.]
Someone says:
Called to our presence
with prayers and libations,
the Kindreds are here,
with blessings and friendship.
[The Kindreds are the deities, the ancestors, and the nature spirits.]
Closing Ritual:
Everyone returns to the table and once more gather around it. The Fire Tender holds up the Waters bowl and the person who had spoken the last prayer of the opening section says:
The Kindreds have blessed us with their presence.
May we go on our way, filled with their blessings.
The Fire Tender ladles the Waters into cups. She puts the first one on the table next to the oil lamp, saying:
May the Kindreds always receive their due.
She fills another one and hands it to the Priest. She fills the rest and distributes them. After each person has received one, she exchanges hers with the Priest’s.
[This is so that each person receives a cup from someone else.]
[The ritual now unfolds in the reverse order from which it was created.]
When all have drunk, the Priest says:
Xáryomēn, who guards society’s peace,
you have joined us together in our meeting today:
though our time here may end, and the people scatter,
may our fellowship remain strong.
Xáryomēn, we thank you for your presence and blessings.
May we grow and flourish under your benevolent gaze.
Tebhyo gʷrtins dedəmes.
[Thank you!]
All: Tebhyo gʷrtins dedəmes.
The Fire Tender says:
Á Mhanannán mac Lir,
Oirbsen of the Sea,
Lord of the mists between this world and the next:
we thank you for opening the door of the mysteries,
and ask that you close it again,
until the next time we call to you.
Although the door may be closed
May the holy ones be never far away
to answer us in our need.
Go raibh maith agait!
[Thank you!]
All: Go raibh maith agait!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All say: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All say: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All say: Let the gates be closed!
The Priest extinguishes the oil lamp and says:
Extinguished without
but burning within.
All: The living fire flames within us.
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