The deities of the occasion are the dawn goddess Xausós and the Twin Gods, the Diwós Sinú. The ritual also honors the hearth goddess and Bṛghṇtyā́, a goddess of inspiration. Páxusōn, god of merchants and travelers, is the Gatekeeper. Xáryomēn is the god who brings people together, and is one of the patrons of the grove.
Inside the space there is a square fire place or brazier (the altar fire), low enough for the Fire Tender to sit by in order to tend the fire and make offerings. Some distance to its west is a low table (the speltá). On its left side is a small bowl of water and a small bowl of ground barley, and a there's a knife on the right. There has to be enough room in the middle for the plates with the sacrifice. A few paces to the west of the speltá is a large clay vase (the mundus), which serves as an offering shaft. It is covered by a tile. The same distance to the east of the center as the mundus is to the west is a pillar, or Tree, which can be as simple as a rod in a holder. Touching it on one side at its base is a small bowl of high-proof liquor with red food coloring mixed in it. At the entrance to the space are two poles with black, white, and red ribbons on them (the Diwós Sunú poles), lying on the ground. If necessary, there are holders for them and for the Dawn pole.
The main ritual is held on the deck, a space which is neither inside nor outside. It begins indoors, so as to provide a procession, however short.
In the kitchen is a small cauldron with a handle (the hearth fire), filled with sand with self-lighting incense briquettes on top, a small container of lighter fluid, a lighter, a fire glove, a horn, a double-bladed axe, bowl of melted clarified butter, a spoon for the butter, a small dish with a piece of silver, a pitcher of honey-milk (one tablespoon honey per cup of milk), two pitchers of mead, and the main sacrifice. The main sacrifices is two metal plates on top of each other; on the bottom plate is a piece of white pita bread, and on the top is a red-velvet cake with white icing, in the shape of a horse. On the horse are two gold chains. This is then covered with a cloth.
A good distance off to the east of the space is a tall white pole with pink ribbons on its top (the Dawn pole), covered with a dark cloth. Next to it is a bowl and a pitcher of honey-water (one tablespoon of honey to each of water).
(Photos of the space prepared for our fall equinox ritual may be found here; there are only a few differences between that and the space for this one.)
All congregants are provided with percussion instruments if possible.
The Priest goes to the gathering site, blows a horn and sings:
Gʷṃte, gʷ ṃte, gʷ ṃte,
Gʷigʷ ṃsḱote, gʷigʷ ṃs ḱotōd!
Gʷ ṃte Ǵénēsā!
Gʷ ṃte xasóntṃ!
Gʷigʷ ṃs ḱote, gʷigʷṃs ḱotōd!
Gʷ ṃte, gʷ ṃte, ḱikʷe xáisdote!
(A recording of this is here.)
He says:
Come, come, come,
Ever come, ever and always come!
Come to the Kindreds!
Come to the rising!
Ever come, ever and always come,
Come, come, worship here!
The others come to join him. When all are there, the Priest says:
Tusyéte! Tusyéte! Tusyéte!
May we all maintain a holy silence.
Someone says:
And in that silence, may truth be spoken.
May Bṛghṇtyā́ inspire our words,
May Bṛghṇtyā́ inspire our actions,
May Bṛghṇtyā́ inspire us all.
Someone says:
We are here in the spring to worship the Goddess of Dawn,
Xausṓs, the Rising One,
the maiden whose pink robes are cast over the darkness of night,
over the cold of winter,
she who brings in light,
she who brings in warmth.
loveliest one:
Xausṓs.
The Priest says:
And we are here to worship as well the Twin Gods,
the brothers, the riders,
who open for her the way for spring.
Rescuers from danger and need,
belovéd and blessing,
the Diwós Sunú.
The Fire Tender picks up a bowl of water and says:
May be we pure that we might cross through the sacred.
May we cross through the sacred that we might attain the holy.
May we attain the holy that we might be blessed in all things.
She asperses herself and the others.
She then puts the bowl down. She pours some lighter fluid on the briquettes in the hearth fire, and lights them, saying:
Shining Lady, unite us all,
for by worshipping at a common hearth
we are made one family, one people.
Queen of the hearth, your household is here.
May we pray with a good fire.
She starts to sing, with the others joining in on the chorus:
This flame is small
that’s how it seems
yet even so
it bears our dreams
All sing the chorus:
For flame’s a goddess
to whom we pray
to be one family,
here today.
The flame now grows
from coal to coal
and every one
is each a soul
[Chorus]
Fire Tender:
The flame has spread
from heart to heart.
It binds us still
when we’re apart.
[Chorus]
Fire Tender:
She burns within
through all our days.
Let all as one
sing out her praise.
[Chorus]
(A recording of this is here.)
The Fire Tender sings the chorus one more time by herself. Then she pours butter on the fire and says:
Eat with us
All: Eat with us
The Fire Tender: Share our food,
All: Share our food,
The Fire Tender: Share our home.
All: Share our home.
Someone says:
Set forth upon the shining path,
the ancestral way laid out before us.
Place your feet with measured stride,
in ancient rhythm.
All process to the space, lead by the Champion, who carries the axe and the horn. The Priest carries the sacrifice and the Fire Tender carries the hearth fire. A guest carries the dish with the silver. Others carry the pitchers of honey-milk and mead.
When everyone has taken their place, The Priest lifts the sacrifice and says:
Déiwons xadbhéromes!
[We wish to worship the gods!]
Everyone says:
We are here to worship the gods!
All: We are here to worship the gods!
The Priest puts the sacrifice down on the speltá. The Chthonic Priestess picks up the bowl of mixed grains and goes to where the hearth fire will be put. As she begins to move, the others begin the Earth Mother song:
Earth Mother, we honor your body,
Earth Mother, we honor your bones,
Earth Mother, we sing to your spirit,
Earth Mother, we sing to your stones.
(A recording of this, with a slight difference in the words, is here.)
As they sing, the Chthonic Priestess says:
We build our fires on the breast of the Earth;
on Her our hearths are formed.
To Her this offering, then,
preparing this to be our space,
our place of worship.
When she says “to Her this offering, then,” she holds the bowl up. She scatters the grain while saying:
Mother of All, receive this gift!
All: Mother of All, receive this gift!
The Chthonic Priestess goes to her place. The Fire Tender puts the hearth fire down, and offers butter to it, while the Priest says:
With the burning of the fire we take possession
of the land it lights, of the world it warms.
From here to there we take possession.
With the last sentence, the Priest gestures from side to side.
The Fire Tender transfers a briquette from the hearth fire to the altar fire, saying:
In the world's very center we light our fire,
here where the sacred and the mundane meet
The Priest says:
Here we light a living flame
through which our offerings will be transformed,
that they might be received by the Kindreds
and secure for us their blessings.
The Fire Tender blows on the briquette, while the Priest says:
With our prayers we feed you,
with the breath of our mouths.
Once the fire is going well, the Fire Tender offers butter, while the Priest says:
Receive our offerings
Everyone says:
and bless our rites.
The Priest then says:
Listen to my words; see the cosmos about you.
He sings:
The waters support and surround us
He makes a semi-circle with both his hands, extending upwards from a point. He sings:
The land extends about us
He puts his hands in the middle of the top of the semi-circle, palms downward, and brings 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 puts both of his hands, joined together, in the center of the circle he has drawn (and thus the center of the flat area he has also drawn), and brings them in to touch his heart. He sings:
May all the Kindreds bless us.
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 for this is here.)
The Priest says:
Come we together on this holy day
across the distances that lay between us
to this time, to this place,
For one strong purpose:
To worship the Holy Ones in the proper manner
To give proper worship to Xausós,
To give proper worship to the Diwós Sunú
To welcome the spring.
Someone got to the edge or gate of the space and offers grain, saying:
Xánsūs Dhghmés,
[Spirits of the Earth]
Spirits of the world about us,
of air, of land, of water,
of watching forest,
of waiting stone,
you are welcome to this rite as you come in peace,
receive this offering,
and our hands outstretched in friendship.
Nature Spirits, welcome!
All: Nature Spirits, welcome!
The person with the dish with the silver goes to the mundus, while the Chthonic Priestess says:
Today we welcome the honored dead
to sit beside the fires they once held so dear,
to worship with us as they once so loved to do.
Welcome to the Ancestors!
All: Welcome to the Ancestors!
The Chthonic Priestess sings:
Rise, rise, up from the deep,
Ancient Powers, come to we.
Wake, wake, no more to sleep,
Come among the living.
(By Ian Corrigain, on youtube.)
All repeat twice, while the person with the silver removes the tile and, with their left hand, pours the silver in. They go to the speltá and purify themselves with the water in the bowl on the way back to their place.
The Fire Tender offers butter and says:
Páxusōn, who guards the herds of the people,
watching there on the borders of our lands,
who protects the merchants who go to and fro,
from this land to others,
Páxusōn, be our guide to the sacred realm.
God of the Way, open the way,
open for us the gates to the gods.
She puts down the spoon, and makes a gesture of opening, saying:
God of the Way, xar dhurns!
Open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender:
Páxusōn, who goes before us on pathways,
go before us, preparing the way for us to the Kindreds.
God of the Way, xar dhurns!
Open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender:
Páxusōn, guardian of the borders,
Open wide the gate
that our prayers, that our offerings,
may go easily to the Holy Ones.
God of the Way, xar dhurns!
Open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender:
From the land of the gods,
To the land of men,
All: May sacred power flow.
May Páxusōn be our guide to the gods.
Someone then sets up the image of Xáryomēn.
Páxusōn (left) and Xáryomēn (right)
The Priest goes to the altar fire and pours butter on it. He sings:
Xáryomēn Dhétipotei,
All: Xáryomēn, Lord of the Law of the People.
The Priest: Sumēnézṇz priʔons dṓtor
All: Giver of well-disposed friends.
The Priest: Suwéstēr 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 zṃgénse spendemes.
All: May we worship you as one people!
The Priest: Unite us Xáryomēn,
make us one,
(A recording of this is here.)
All: May we come before the gods
speaking with one voice.
The Fire Tender puts incense on the altar fire, saying:
May all the Holy Ones come to us
as we worship them here.
May they come to us on the shining path
as we call to them, with proper words.
Holy Ones, we worship you with sweet offering.
All: Holy Ones, we worship you with sweet offering.
All sing “Hail all the gods.”
The Fire Tender says:
See them, see them,
The Shining Ones
All: the gods are here!
The Fire Tender: The Golden Ones
All: the gods are here!
The Fire Tender: The Mighty Ones
All: the gods are here!
The Fire Tender: See them, see them
All: the gods are here!
The Fire Tender says:
Today we honor the spirits of the land.
Today we honor our people’s dead.
Today we honor the gods and goddesses.
But we honor most of all,
we give worship in particular to,
Xausós, the Maiden Who Rises,
who brings light into our night-shrouded lives
who brings warmth into our winter-numbed hearts,
and to the Diwós Sunú, the riders on the horizon,
dear to her, accompanying her on her way.
For this we make offering today!
Tód ʔestu!
[May it be so!]
All: Tód ʔestu!
Someone begins a hoof beat rhythm. The others join in by hitting or stamping on the ground. Two of the men go to the Diwós Sunú poles on each side of the steps and hold them erect, while the Priest offers butter, saying:
Dear ones of Xausós,
The Priest starts to walk towards the left pole, carrying the butter spoon, saying:
Sons of He Who Shines Above,
The Champion returns to his place, and the Priest touches the left pole with the spoon, saying:
ride swanlike together toward us,
He draws the spoon in an arc through the air to the other pole, saying:
coming before the Morning Maiden,
He strikes the spoon against the pole, joining in with the hoof beat with it, saying:
with pounding hooves presaging her presence.
He continues the beat a few moments and then stops it, and the others do as well. He goes to a point between the poles and about halfway to the altar fire, where he holds up the spoon and says:
Attend her, Twins.
Assist her, Diwós Sunú.
Ride with her on either side
where she opens the gates of dawn.
Saviors of Men, assist in bringing the saving light.
All: Saviors of Men, assist in bringing the saving light.
Diwós Sunú Pole (The pole is eight feet high. The holder is a flower pot with a length of PVC pipe through the bottom and the rest of the space filled with Quikrete. It makes for a heavy holder that keeps the poles from falling over in the wind.)
The Priest returns to his place, putting the butter spoon down on the way.
The Fire Tender stands and faces the Priest, who says:
With fallen fetters, in rosy splendor,
stream forth, Dawn Maiden, return the herds.
The men with the Diwós Sunú poles go down the steps. The Fire Tender picks up the pitcher of honey milk and follows them, follows by the Chthonic Priestess, with the bells or a tambourine. Other women may follow, with the same kind of instrument.
The Priest blows the horn and the Champion sings:
Out of the too-long darkened east,
All except for the Fire Tender sing:
come to us, Xausós, illumine the land!
The Fire Tender stops a short distance down the path and pours some honey milk onto the ground. While the women with her ring the bells, the Fire Tender says:
Xausós, come to us, as cow, not as mare.
Disperse the fog the serpent leaves behind.
The Priest blows the horn and the Champion sing: Out of the long-extending night,
All except for the Fire Tender and the women with her:
come to us, Xausós, illumine the land!
While they sing, the others process a bit further. When the song stops, they do too, and the Fire Tender again pours the honey milk, and, while the others with her ring their bells, says:
Xausós, come to us as cow, not as mare.
With your maidens about you, open the gate.
The Priest blows the horn, and the Champion sings:
Out of the frigid, empty cold,
All except for the Fire Tender sing:
come to us, Xausós, illumine the land!
While they sing, the others process a bit further. When the song stops, they do too, and the Fire Tender again pours the honey-milk, and, while the others with her ring the bells, says:
Xausós, come to us as cow, not as mare.
Do not block the gate; may the sun’s path be free.
The Priest blows the horn, and the Champion sings:
Out of the too-long darkened east,
All except for the Fire Tender sing:
come to us, Xausós, illumine the land!
All except for the Fire Tender sing:
come to us, Xausós, illumine the land!
The Champion sings: Out of the long-extending night,
Out of the frigid, empty cold,
All except for the Fire Tender sing:
come to us, Xausós, illumine the land!
While they sing, the men with the Diwós Sunú stop, and the rest of the people process between them. When the song stops, they do too, and the Fire Tender pours the remaining honey milk (she should have poured half or less before this point) onto the ground, and, while the others with her ring the bells, says:
Xausós, come to us as cow, not as mare,
opening the mountain’s mouth,
pouring forth the white streaming water.
for the sun to rise and light the earth.
Stream forth, dawn’s light.
The Fire Tender and the others with her go to the far side of the Xausós pole, and face the space. The Priest says:
Lady Xausós, do not hold back the sun.
Open your cloak and let her rise,
with the Twins attending,
one on each side.
Let her rise,
attended by her maidens.
Let her rise, and illumine the world.
Xausós Pole (The pole is nine feet long; some of the ribbons hang down three feet, and some six. We actually use a much larger holder, because the ribbons catch wind very easily, which can knock over the pole. Like the Twins Pole's holder, it's a flower pot with a length of PVC pipe, with the rest of the space filled with Quikrete, although I also added some heavy bits of metal to it.)
During this prayer, The Fire Tender removes the covering from the pole, picks it up, and waves it, while the Chthonic Priestess pours the Waters into the bowl. The Priest says:
Dawn has returned, from out of the night,
One of the women accompanying the Fire Tender dips her finger into the drops remaining in the pitcher and drops some, three times into the Waters.
The Priest says:
rising from the waters at the edge of the world,
The woman who put the drops into the bowl picks it up.
The Priest says:
coming as cow, not as mare.
The men with the Twins poles turn to face the deck, and walk towards it, with the others following, the Fire Tender in the lead. The procession stops just before the entrance to the space. The Priest says:
We thank you, Twins,
for your aid to Dawn,
for guiding her here into our presence.
Be honored among us,
faithful companions.
You have gone before,
She goes between.
The men with the Twins poles enter the space, put the poles in their holders, and go to their places. The others enter the space. The Fire Tender puts the Dawn pole in its holder and the one with the bowl puts it down by the Fire Tender's place. All of them go to their places.
While the Fire Tender offers butter on the altar fire, the Priest pours mead at the base of the Dawn pole, saying:
We offer to Xausós,
with glad welcome.
Illumine the land, Shining Maiden.
Open the gateway for the sun
each day as is right.
To you this libation and our praises.
Wéne Xa´usós, dek´́ nos spṇtstóm.
Lovely Xausós, accept our offering!
All: Lovely Xausós, accept our offering!
He returns to his place, removes the cloth from the sacrifice, putting it over the knife, lifts the sacrifice, and says:
This horse has come willingly, eagerly,
to the place of sacrifice
bedecked with gold
in celebration and beauty.
He puts it down, removes the gold chains, and sprinkles water on the sacrifice three times, saying:
A pure offering is this,
without blemish or stain,
fit for the Diwós Sunú.
He puts down the bowl of water, and picks up the bowl of barley in his left hand. He scatters grain from it three times with his right hand onto the sacrifice, saying:
Be blessed and fed with the fruits of the earth.
He then picks up the plate with the horse and brings it clockwise about the space, carrying the bowl of barley as well. Each person takes some barley and throws it on the sacrifice with their right hand. When he returns to his place, he puts the sacrifice down.
He puts down the bowl, holds up the sacrifice, and says:
A proper offering is this,
as it is right to give.
This horse to the Diwós Sunú.
He picks up the sacrifice in his right hand, and then crosses his left hand under it to pick up the knife, still covered by the cloth, in his left. He goes to a point just to the west of the deity images and puts the sacrifice down so that it touches the Tree and squats with his back to the fires. The Fire Tender motions to the Champion, who comes and faces her. When the Champion has arrived, he holds the head of the axe down towards the Fire Tender, who touches it with the butter spoon and says:
Perkʷeti!
[May he/she/it strike!]
The Champion goes clockwise around the space, holding the axe upright and out. As he walks, the Fire Tender strikes a bell, and the others join in with their percussion instruments. They increase the tempo and volume as he walks. When the Champion returns to the sacrifice, he stands and faces the Fire Tender. She says:
Perkʷeti!
The Champion brings the axe down hard against the sacrifice, and then lifts his axe to a vertical position in front of him and returns to his place. When he hits the sacrifice, everyone stops making noise. The Priest quickly cuts a slice from the right side of the sacrifice, using his right hand. He cuts this in half in turn. He carries the sacrifice and the bowl of red liquor to the square altar. He puts the top half of the slice into the altar fire, saying:
Diwós Sunú,
here is your share.
Sit down at our table,
and see the meal we have spread out for you.
Ɂed, ʔeti weǵ!
Eat, and be strong!
deḱ Diwós Sunú, deḱ nos spṇtstóm.
Diwós Sunú, accept our offering!
All: Diwós Sunú, accept our offering!
The Priest pours the red liquor into the fire with the line “Diwós Sunú, accept our offering!”
He holds the bottom half over the fire a moment, then breaks it in two. He eats the top half and gives the bottom half to the Fire Tender. The rest is then distributed, along with a wet towel so people can wipe their hands. Any extra is burned in the fire.
The Priest pours mead at the base of the altar fire, saying:
May all the Kindreds be honored in our midst.
We pour out our offering to you,
like living water,
like grain from a bag.
Drink deeply of the gifts we give.
Wesuǵenōs deḱ nos spṇtstóm.
[We pour a libation to All the Kindreds.]
Tód ʔestū.
All: Tód ʔestū.
He returns to his place and says:
Have the folk brought praise?
The Fire Tender says:
They have!
Praise offerings are then made by those who wish. When the last offering has been made, the Priest takes the piece of bread from the bottom plate, holds it up, and says:
Gods and Goddesses,
Holy Ancestors,
Spirits of this place:
If anything that we have done here has offended you,
If anything we have done here has been incomplete,
If anything we have done here has not been done in the proper manner,
accept this final offering in recompense.
As he speaks, he breaks the bread into pieces, and puts one piece on the altar fire, one on the hearth fire, one in front of the image of Xausós, one in front of each of the Twins, one in front of the images of Páxusōn and Xáryomēn, and one in the mundus. He breaks the rest up and scatters it about the place.
The Fire Tender then says:
Diviner, would you take the omens?
The Chthonic Priestess divines.
After the divination has been announced, the Fire Tender says:
We hear what the Kindreds have to say,
and are made wise by it.
The Priest goes to the altar fire and picks up the Waters bowl. He holds it over the fire for a moment and then raises it. The Fire Tender says:
Spéḱyete Nekterm!
Behold the Waters of Life!
All reply:
Behold the Waters of Life!
The Priest holds it over the fire again, raises it again. The Fire Tender says:
Spéḱyete Nekterm!
Behold the Waters of Life!
All reply:
Behold the Waters of Life!
The Priest holds it over the fire a third time, and raises it. The Fire Tender says:
Spéḱyete Nekterm!
Behold the Waters of Life!
All reply:
Behold the Waters of Life!
The Priest stands, holds the bowl up as high as possible, and shouts:
Fire!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid from a bowl using a pastry brush into the altar fire, while all yell:
Fire!
The Priest shouts:
Water!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid into the altar fire, while all yell:
Water!
This is repeated two more times. Then The Priest shouts:
Fire! Water!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid into the altar fire, while all yell:
Fire! Water!
This is repeated two more times. Then The Priest again shouts:
Fire! Water!
but this time he repeats this instead of waiting for the response. Everyone joins in, and the chant becomes continuous. When the time seems right, while everyone else continues the “fire, water” chant, The Priest sings:
Bring us inspiration!
Bring us power!
Bring us unending life!
Fire in Water!
Water in Fire!
He lowers the Waters over the fire (as close as possible) and sings this again quietly. Then, when the time seems right, he stands quickly and says:
Behold the Waters of Life!
All repeat, amid general merriment and noise-making.
The Fire Tender says:
What the Kindreds have given us, we distribute freely.
The Fire Tender fills a cup for the Kindreds and gives it to the Priest, who puts in front of the Dawn pole, while the Fire Tender says:
May the Kindreds always receive their due.
The Waters are distributed. If cups are used, each person is given their cup, with the Priest and Fire Tender receiving the last two. They exchange cups before they drink, so that everyone has received one from someone else.
The Waters are then distributed. While this is done, people sing:
Power of the waters
with the alternating responses:
Flowing through me…
Burning in me…
Growing with me…
(Tune here
When everyone has received a cup, the Priest raises his and says:
Through the offerings we have made
we have established the bonds of hospitality with the Kindreds
and in return, they have given us this blazing water to drink,
this sacred water, this holy water,
All: these Waters of Life.
All drink. Then the Champion says:
Filled with the Mystery of Fire in Water
we rest in the presence of the Kindreds.
There is a pause while all meditate on the divine presence which fills them.
The Fire Tender offers incense, saying:
With wondering souls we have welcomed this mystery,
with grateful hearts may we accept its manifestation in our midst.
The Priest says:
We have prayed to the Diwós Sunú,
we have prayed to Xausós,
we have prayed to all the Great Ones,
and they have given us only a token of what they will bestow.
We have asked, we have given, we shall receive.
Tód ʔestu ̄!
All: Tód ʔestu ̄!
Then the Fire Tender says:
Never would we take without returning,
never receive without appreciation.
We must end our rites, but we will do it with gratitude.
The Fire Tender offers butter while the Priest says:
You who rise,
who, each day newly young,
bring light and warmth to those who worship you:
Be true, Xausós,
uphold the Xártus,
and we will always have reason to offer to you,
as we have done today,
as we do now.
Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes!
[We thank you!]
All: Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes!
The Fire Tender offers butter while the Priest says:
Diwós Sunú, Mankind's dearest friends,
be ever her help,
be ever the horses that pull the cart in which she rides,
be ever the saviors of those who call to you in distress.
Uzmei gʷṛtins dedəmes!
[We thank you!]
All: Uzmei gʷṛtins dedəmes!
The Fire Tender offers incense and says:
Beautiful gods, whose continued presence is our constant joy,
we thank you for your attendance at today’s ritual.
Know this: we are always your friends.
May we always have reason to feel gratitude towards you.
Gods and goddesses, we thank you!
All: Gods and goddesses, we thank you!
The Fire Tender offers butter while the says:
Xáryomen, who guards society’s peace,
you have joined us together in our ritual today:
though the rites may end, and the people scatter,
may our fellowship remain strong.
Xáryomen, we thank you for your presence and blessings.
May we grow and flourish under your benevolent gaze.
Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes.
All: Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes.
The Fire Tender offers butter, saying:
Páxusōn, we thank you for opening the way.
God of the Way, close the way;
May we be blessed in your closing,
even as we were blessed in your opening.
Although the door may be closed
May the holy ones be never far away
to answer us in our need.
Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes.
All: Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes.
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender: Let the gates be closed!
All: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender: Let the gates be closed!
All: Let the gates be closed!
The Chthonic Priestess says:
Our elder family,
you who have celebrated with us in honor of the ones
whom you in your own time looked to in worship,
we bid you return to your proper place,
leaving the land of the living to those who live.
We send you on your way with our thanks.
Ancestors, we thank you!
All: Ancestors, we thank you!
The person who opened the mundus now closes it, purifying themselves afterwards.
The person who first offered to the Nature Spirits says:
Nature Spirits who have come among us
we honor your departure with this prayer,
with these words of thanks for all you do.
Guardians of the world around us,
Nature Spirits, we thank you!
All: Nature Spirits, we thank you!
The Chthonic Priestess pours butter on the ground, saying:
Having given you your due
we bid you farewell, Mother Earth.
But how can we do that, with you all around us?
How can we do that with you always in our hearts?
Not a farewell, then, but a giving of thanks
and a promise to remember you throughout our days.
Mother of All, we thank you!
All: Mother of All, we thank you!
The Fire Tender takes a coal from the altar fire using the butter and incense spoons, and puts it into the hearth fire, saying:
The true altar of the people is the hearth.
She then extinguishes the altar fire with the water from a pitcher (leaving a small amount). The Priest then says:
Extinguished without
but burning within
All: The living fire flames within us.
The Fire Tender offers butter to the hearth fire, saying:
Lady of Fire, Queen of the hearth,
who by rights receives the last,
bless and guard all those who worship you
whether in their home or without
whether alone or with others
whether thinking of you or engaged in business.
Shining One, accept our offering.
All: Shining One, accept our offering.
Fire Tender:
Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes!
All: Tebhyo gʷṛtins dedəmes!
When the butter is burned, she extinguishes the fire by pouring water from the pitcher on it and then putting the top of the cauldron on. When it has finished smoking, the Priest says:
With the hearthfire extinguished,
the center of our sacred world is gone.
With the flow of fiery water ceased,
our sacred site dissolves about us.
We will carry it in our hearts, though,
nestled deep with the love of the gods.
Someone says:
We have offered to the Holy Ones
and they have accepted our sacrifices.
Someone else says:
We have worshipped the Old Ones as it is right to do.
The Chthonic Priestess says:
We have done what the people before us have done.
The Fire Tender says:
We have given proper worship to Xausós,
We have welcomed well the spring.
The Priest says:
May we always be mindful of those we have worshiped.
May we always be mindful of them, worthy of worship.
May this grove grow strong, under their watchful eyes.
The Priest raises his hands in blessing, and says:
On all who have worshiped here:
All: Inspiration, power, peace.
The Priest: On all who revere the Kindreds:
All: Inspiration, power, peace.
The Priest: On all who walk the ancient path:
All: Inspiration, power, peace.
The person who announced the procession says:
With the gates closed
With the gods worshiped
We will walk in wisdom.
With Xausós we will rise,
from darkness to light,
from sorrow into happiness,
out of all oppressive darkness,
we will rise, we will rise,
we will rise and walk in wisdom.
All recess.
"May we pray with a good fire" is based on Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty’s translation of Rig Veda 1.26.8.
Proto-Indo-European lines are translated immediately afterwards. Translations not intended to be said out loud are enclosed in square brackets ( [ ] ). For pronunciation, see here.
|
Main Page 
