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This is the general ritual behind my grove’s seasonal ones. Or, more truthfully, it’s a theoretical ritual that has been spun out of the ones we have. The idea of it, however, is the framework of those other ones.
The root principle of the Indo-European (IE) ideology is reciprocity. In human society this shows up in the laws of etiquette, which require that a social invitation obligates the recipient to respond in turn – if you’re a guest, then at a future date you serve as a host. This is summed up in the Proto-Indo-European word *ghostis, from which we get both “guest” and “host.” A *ghostis is someone in a reciprocal relationship of hospitality.
In religion this shows up in ritual. A typical IE ritual is a social function to which the gods are invited. We serve as their hosts. Since the gods follow the rules of etiquette, by accepting our invitation and coming to our meal, they obligate themselves for a future occasion. We give to them, they give to us. We are ghostēs to each other.
This ritual calls for two fires. One is the hearth fire, which is incense briquettes in a cauldron filled with sand, and other is a low, square barbecue, also filled with sand. The cauldron for the hearth fire has a wooden disk glued partway up and sealed along the edged, and then covered with about 3/4 inch of sand, to make it lighter than it would be if it had just sand in it. For the altar, wood is used outdoors and charcoal briquettes indoors. We pour a small amount of lighter fluid on briquettes before we light them, even though they may be self-lighting. Otherwise they take way too long to light up enough to use. The Fire Tender will need a fire glove to be able to carry the cauldron.
ADF uses what are called the "Hallows." These are the Well, the Fire, and the Tree. For our well, we use what we call by the Roman ritual word "mundus." We use a large, dark vase, which is covered by a tile when not in use. This is our portable ritual shaft, into which offerings that can't be burned or scattered around the space are made. It's also the opening to the land of the Dead, which is why we keep it covered except during rituals, so as to separate the land of the living from that of the dead.
Our Tree is a pole with a large ring on the top to which we've tied strings with various things on their end. The idea is for it to be the Cosmic Pillar, the axis mundi. Among other things, it represents the source of life, so among the things we've tied on are animal toys and small bags of different kinds of seeds. At first we used brown string, but when we discovered that the same kind of string came in green, we started using that. We also started tying green ribbons, of various shades, on. As a result, we now have a tree with "branches" (the brown strings), surmounted by "leaves" (the green strings and ribbons). It goes into a large flower pot with a PVC pipe in it which is in turn surrounded by concrete. We used to pound a hole into the ground in which to insert it, but the pole is top-heavy pole, and had a tendency to fall down.
Just as the mundus is where the power of the Underworld comes up, so the Tree is the way in which it goes up further into the celestial realm. The mundus is therefore in the west, where the sun goes down, and the Tree in the east, where it rises. The square altar is in the middle. The idea is that the the Hallows represent the axis mundi in its entirety, represented on the horizontal ritual space: it comes up in the west, with the mundus, crosses to the center, where the fire is, and then goes on to the east, where it ascend with the Tree.
Most of our tools are either glass or silver metal. The mundus and the bowl in which the kidney beans for the Ancestors is are made from clay, and thus from earth, because the dead are chthonic, and therefore the earth. This establishes an opposition between the chthonic and the celstial.
The main sacrifice is made of red velvet cake, cut into the shape of the animal appropriate for the deity to whom the ritual is dedicated, and frosted in an appropriate color. (This was suggested to me by Francesca Hedrick; when cut, the cake looks like meat.) There is as well a piece of pita bread, used for the piacular sacrifice. The last is placed on a metal plate, and then another metal plate is put on top of that with the main sacrifice on it. On the main sacrifice are two gold chains, vertically parallel to each other, and over everything a white cloth.
Either on top of the sacrifice or carried in separately is a small dish with silver in it. This includes a piece of silver from the grove (we use a sterling silver head pin bought from the jewelry department of a craft store) and a dime from every non-grove member attending. The dime is required because we give a lot of offerings, and the grove members are the ones who pay for them; if guests don't pay a share, then the offerings are from us, and none of them from the guests. The dime is a token payment; when dimes used to be made of silver, they were the smallest silver coin. The bowl of dimes and silver is carried by a guest if possible. Once it is in the space, it is placed to the left of the board, or held by the guest until it is used.
There is also a small pitcher with corn syrup to which red food coloring has been added. This represents the sacrificial animal's blood.
The board is a low table on which is a bowl of water a bowl of barley on the left, and a knife on the right. We use a wooden cutting board placed on two low stools.
The butter used in the ritual is clarified and melted before the ritual. Clarifying butter removes the solids that make it unattractive when melted. It needs to be clarified the day before the ritual, as it takes four or five hours to do that. (Supposedly it can be done very quickly in a microwave; good luck with that.) On warm days putting it in the sun in a clear glass is enough to melt it. It is put on the fires with spoons. For the hearth altar at the starting place we use an iced tea spoon, while at the main ritual site we use the spoon half of a metal salad serving set.
We use pure frankincense. Since it comes in nodules, we powder it in a coffee grinder. This not only makes it easier to spoon; it means that it burns instantly when it's thrown in the fire, giving a satisfactory "whoosh."
This ritual is written for five people: a Priest, a Fire Tender, an Earth Priestess, a Champion, and a Diviner. If you wish to have more people involved, the parts assigned to the Priest can be broken up among them, but those of the Fire Tender are specifically associated with her function and should not be divided. It can also be done by fewer -- we have performed it with two by combining all the parts other than the Fire Tender -- but that is not optimal.
Because a plurality of our rituals are in the Irish tradition, I've used Irish deities in this example. In our Proto-Indo-European rituals, we use Páxusōn as our gatekeeper, and have been experimenting with Bhṛgṇtyā for inspiration. For our American tradition rituals, Minerva opens the gates, and the Muses are asked for inspiration.
Opening Rite
When it is time for the ritual, the Priest makes a musical signal.
The musical signal varies according to the ritual, as may be appropriate to the ethnic orientation or occasion. We've used a drum, a horn, jingle bells, and, for Samhain, a sickle struck with a thick stick.
All gather at the processional site. The Priest says:
[“Be silent” in the appropriate liturgical language.]
May we all maintain a holy silence.
ADF is fond of liturgical languages. They’re used because: 1. there are some concepts associated with each ethnic tradition which are best expressed in the language of that tradition. 2. the use of such a language provides a signal of ritual time and space. 3. members of ADF generally see the deities as existing in actuality, which means that they have preferences; it’s polite to address them in their primary languages. 4. a lot of ADF members are language geeks.
The call to silence was a part of Roman, Greek, and Vedic ritual. It doesn't mean that everyone has to be quiet, but rather that all speech from that point to the end of the ritual to be ritual in nature.
The Fire Tender says:
And In that holy silence, may truth be spoken.
May lovely Brighid inspire our words,
inspire our actions,
inspire us all.
May her flame, a living flame, burn in us.
This is for our Celtic rituals. For our Proto-Indo-European rituals, we ask Bhrgntyā́, in our Anglo-Saxon rituals Eostre, and in our American ritual Minerva for inspiration.
The Priest or another person then describes the intent of the day's ritual. After this, the Fire Tender asperses herself and the others, while saying:
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.
and asperses herself and the others.
Fire and water aere both considered pure in Indo-European thought, so it's the Fire Tender who performs the purification.
Traditionally, Indo-European Fire Tenders were female, such as the Vestal Virgins or the wife who tends the garhapatyāgni in Vedic ritual. We therefore prefer that our Fire Tender be a woman.
In Indo-European ideology there is a distinction made between two aspects of the divine: the sacred and the holy. The sacred is that which is set apart, cut off. It’s the dangerous border which must be crossed to come into the presence of the holy. The holy is the unreservedly benevolent, the center. The sacred is identified with water and the holy with fire.
She then puts the bowl down. She pours a small amount of lighter fluid over the briquettes in the x̄́āsa, 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.
The theology here is that a family can be defined as those who worship around the same hearth.
She starts to sing, and the others join in.
This flame is small
that’s how it seems
yet even so
it bears our dreams
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
For flame’s a goddess
to whom we pray
to be one family,
here today.
The flame has spread
from heart to heart.
It binds us still
when we’re apart.
For flame’s a goddess
to whom we pray
to be one family,
here today.
She burns within
through all our days.
Let all as one
sing out her praise.
For flame’s a goddess
to whom we pray
to be one family,
here today.
For flame’s a goddess
to whom we pray
to be one family,
here today.
The Fire Tender sings the last chorus once more by herself, with " family, here today" sung more slowly.
(A recording of this can be found at Hearth Goddess Song
The Fire Tender spoons 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.
All: [“So be it” in the appropriate liturgical language.]
(She pours butter on the fire with each line.)
The hearth goddess is part of the family, so she eats the same thing that we does. Practically, butter is flammable, and thus “feeds” a fire.
The Procession
The Champion says:
Set forth upon the shining path,
the ancestral way laid out before us.
Place your feet with measured stride,
in ancient rhythm.
All then process to the ritual site, either in silence, singing, or with percussion. The Champion leads the way, carrying the axe. The Priest is next, carrying the sacrifices, followed by the Fire Tender, who carries the heath altar, then the others, in no particular order. The Chthonic Priestess carries a bowl of mixed cornmeal (the American Indian sacred grain), spelt (the Roman sacred grain), and barley flour (the Proto-Indo-European, and possibly Celtic, sacred grain) (or the bowl is already in the space). In rituals dedicated to the Earth Mother, she is the first person in the procession, and scatters the grain as she goes. In those rituals we also sing the "Earth Mother" song (see below) as we process.
When he arrives at the gate, the Champion says:
We are here to worship the gods!
Each person also says this as they enter the space, with the Priest saying it in the liturgical language.
As the Champion enters the space he begins to sing:
Earth Mother, we honor your body,
Earth Mother, we honor you bones.
Earth Mother, we sing to your spirit,
Earth Mother, we sing to your stones.
As each person enters, they pick up the chant.
The tune may be found here; the words are slightly different there..
Everyone goes around the space once, and then go to their places.
The priest goes to the speltá and puts the sacrifice down. He stands behind the speltá, facing east.
Standing to the west of the fires, the priest is facing east. This is the traditional direction of prayer for the Indo-Europeans. This is based on the IE love of light.
The Chthonic Priestess takes the bowl of mixed grain to where the hearth altar will be placed. While the others continue to sing, she scatter grain while saying:
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.
She waits for a break in the song and says:
Mother of All, receive this gift!
All: Mother of All, receive this gift!
One of the basic and required parts of the ADF order of ritual is an acknowledgment of the Earth Mother. In some groves this is a very large and important part of the ritual, but since this wasn’t the case in ancient times, Nemos Ognios prefers to put less emphasis on it.
The Fire Tender puts the xá:sa: down and sits to the north, between them so that she can tend both easily.
The Fire Tender is facing the south, the bright direction, where the fire of the sun is. The Chthonic Priestess is facing the north, the dark direction.
The Main Ritual
The Fire Tender offers some butter to the hearth altar, 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 he gestures from side to side.
Just as earlier we expressed the principle that worshiping around a common hearth makes us a family, here we express the principle that placing a hearth on a spot is the same as claiming it as a home. This was the case under Welsh law, and Vedic practice. In Rome, it is implied by the fire in the temple of Vesta being the hearth of Rome. When the Greeks created colonies, one of the first things they did was to set up a sacred hearth dedicated to Hestia, which burned in the prytaneion, the public building in which much civic business took place.
The Fire Tender transfers a briquette from the hearth altar to the square altar, while the Fire Tender says:
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 transformed,
that they might be received by the Kindreds
and secure for us their blessings.
The Fire Tender blows on the briquette to enflame the tinder while the Priest says:
We our prayers we feed you,
with the breath of our mouths.
It may be necessary to use matches, lit by pressing them against the briquette, to get the tinder going.
In ancient times fires either needed to be lit by friction or flint and still, or carried from one place to another. From a practical point of view, then, a sacrificial fire could best have been lit by coals carried to it.
The religious point of view is more important, that by lighting the square altar from it’s identified as a new hearth. The public fire of offering is therefore in a sense the private hearth fire. Further, lighting the square altar second and extinguishing it first (as we will see) emphasizes the primacy of domestic religion.
Once the fire is going well, the Fire Tender offers butter and the Priest says:
Receive our offerings and bless our rites.
It can’t really be said that a space exists until it has a border and a center. In the creation of sacred space ritual we created the border, setting our space apart, but it isn’t really “alive” until the fires are lit in it.
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 holds both of his hands, joined together, out towards the fire, and then brings them in to touch his heart. He sings:
May all the Kindreds bless us.
May our worship be true.
Others: May our worship be true.
Priest: May our actions be just.
Others: May our actions be just.
Priest: May our love be pure.
Others: May our love be pure.
All: Blessings, and honor, and worship to the Holy Ones.
The tune may be found here
This song is complex. It begins with a description/establishment of the Indo-European cosmos - waters beneath and around, and the sky above us. The words, hand motions, and tune all descrbe this structure. There is then a bridge between the cosmos and the ritual being enacted. Next comes a petitionary prayer to the Kindreds arranged in the order of the three functions that Georges Dumézil postulated for Idndo-European society: worship (the priests), actioin (the warriors), and love (the producers). The final line is a worship prayer returning blessings, but in reverse order: blessings (producers), honor (warriors), and worship (priests). It can therefore be seen as a microcosm of the entire ritual: the cosmos is formed, the fire is established, the Kindreds are asked for blessings, and blessings are returned, in the reciprocal relationship that binds us to the Kindreds.
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 [the purpose of the ritual, including naming the spiritual being(s) to whom it is addressed.]
The Champion casts mixed grain out through the gates and says:
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,
receiving this offering,
and our hands outstretched in friendship.
He scatters grain around the base of the Tree, saying:
Gather with us about the World Tree.
Nature Spirits, accept our offering!
All:
Nature Spirits, accept our offering!
The Champion says:
They come, they come, they come to us,
in their massed ranks, they come,
and we see them here,
gathered at the World Tree,
to join us in our rites.
Nature Spirits, welcome!
All:
Nature Spirits, welcome!
All:
Nature Spirits, welcome! [Percussion]
Someone takes the dish with the silver 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!
We generally have a guest make the offering to the Ancestors, so as not to create too strong a connection between the grove celebrants and the impurity of the dead.
The Chthonic Priestess sings:
Rise, rise, up from the deep,
Ancient Powers, come to we.
Wake, wake, up from the deep,
Come among the living.
All repeat twice, the second time louder and with percussion.
This is by Ian Corrigan, and may be found on his youtube channel here.
The Chthonic Priestess says:
Bearers of Ancient Wisdom,
we see you as you have come among us,
sitting here around the fires:
join together with us in our rites.
We honor you in your presence.
Welcome to the Ancestors!
All: Welcome to the Ancestors!
While this is going on, the person with the silver pours the silver in silently with their left hand. On the way back to their place, they purify themselves with the water in the bowl on the board.
The Champion sets up the image of the gatekeeper in front of the Tree. The Fire Tender offers some whiskey on the fire and 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:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender offers some whiskey on the fire and 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:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender offers some whiskey on the fire and 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:
O gently come
All:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
Á Mhanannán, open the way!
All:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender says:
From the land of the gods
to the land of men
All:
All: May sacred power flow.
May Manannán be our guide to the gods.
[In our Proto-Indo-European rituals our gatekeeper is Páxusōn, and butter is offered instead of whiskey. The prayer is this:
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, and back again,
be our guide to the sacred realm.
God of the Way, open the way,
open for us the gates to the gods.
The Fire Tender puts down the spoon, and makes a gesture of opening, saying:
God of the Way, reu 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, reu dhurns!
Open the way!
All say:
Open the way!
The Fire Tender:
Páxusōn, guardian of the borders,
Open up the gate
that our prayers, that our offerings,
may go easily to the Holy Ones.
God of the Way, reu 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.]
The Champion holds the image of Xáryomēn high and says:
The gate is open, and Xáryomēn comes,
Xáryomēn, who teaches our ways,
Xáryomēn, who joins people together,
Xáryomēn, friend of the grove:
Xáryomēn comes to us,
And we greet him with song.
The Champion then sets up the image of Xáryomēn to the east of the ʔṇ ́gʷnis. The Fire Tender offers butter. The Priest sings:
Xáryomēn Dhétipotei,
Others: Xáryomēn, Lord of the Law of the People.
Priest: Sumēnesns priʔons dṓtor
Others: Giver of well-disposed friends.
Priest: Suwéstēr zdhi.
Others: Be our good Herdsman.
Priest: Wédhe nōs som
Others: Bring us together.
Priest: Xrneu nōs sḗm.
Others: Make us one.
Priest: Tebhyo zmgénse spendəmes!
All: May we worship you as one people!
The Priest: Unite us, Xáryomēn, make us one,
All: May we come before the gods, speaking with one voice.
A rite of unity, in which those present become one group, is a common part of the ADF order of ritual. Nemos Ognios does this by invoking and offering to Xáryomēn, the Proto-Indo-European deity of social law, and thus of society itself. In a sense, this has been accomplished earlier, with the lighting of the xā́sā. That made us one family, however; at this point we become one society. The relationship is that between the xā́sā and the ʔṇ ́gʷnis.
As one of the patrons of the grove, Xáryomēn is the first deity through the gates.
We tell our guests that if there's one thing they can say at the same time with everyone, it's "May we come before the gods, speaking with one voice," so we can, you know, speak it with one voice.
The Fire Tender puts more incense on the ʔṇ&769;gʷnis and says:
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.
The idea of “proper” is very important in IE ideology; there are right and wrong ways to do things. In particular there’s a belief in three types of law, the Xártus (cosmic law), the dhétis (social law), and the yewesa (ritual law). In a perfect world, all three would coincide. Thus proper ritual words would be ones that are in accord primarily with the yewesa, and by that, the Xártus and dhétis.
The Fire Tender:
Hail all the gods!
All use their percussion instruments and say:
Hail all the gods!
The Fire Tender:
Hail all the goddesses!
All use their percussion instruments and say:
Hail all the goddesses!
All sing "Hail All the Gods":
Hail all the gods
Hail all the goddesses
Hail all the Holy Ones
we dwell together
Lords of the sky
Ladies of the sacred earth
Ancient and Undying Ones
we dwell together.
Hail all the gods
Hail all the goddesses
Hail all the gods
and goddesses
Hail all the gods
Hail all the goddesses
Hail all the Holy Ones
we dwell together.
The tune may be found here
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 Chthonic Priestess says:
Called to our presence,
with prayers and with offerings,
the Kindreds are here
with favors and friendship.
He spreads his hands and says:
Welcome to the Kindreds,
to the Kindreds all
with blessings, with honor, with worship.
All:
Welcome to the Kindreds,
to the Kindreds all
with blessings, with honor, with worship.
The Priest then uncovers the sacrifice, putting the cloth on top of the knife. He lifts the sacrifice and says:
This [ ] has come willingly, eagerly,
to the place of sacrifice
bedecked with gold
in celebration and beauty.
There is good evidence from ancient times of using bread or other grains as substitutes for animals. In Iran, for instance, flat breads are used, and in India balls of rice. The theory behind this is the most basic ritual principle, that anything that happens in a ritual is real. From the outside of the ritual, we see it as an organized structure of symbols, but inside it things are as they are said to be. Thus when the cake is said to be an animal, that’s what it is. This is can be made more effective through the use of imagination. As the sacrifice is brought around, imagine the animal's sounds, smells, etc. This will increase the intensity of the ritual.
White frosting is used for sacrifices to celestial deities, and dark frosting for chthonic deities or the Ancestors.
Roman and Greek sacrificial animals wore ribbons; cattle sometimes had their horns gilded. In some Vedic rituals, sacrificial animals had gold pieces placed on them.
He uncovers the sacrifice and sprinkles water on it, using his right hand, three times, saying:
A pure offering is this,
without blemish or stain,
fit for [the deity of the occasion].
He puts down the bowl of water, picks up the bowl of barley in his left hand, and 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 main sacrifice (that is, the top plate) 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 bowl down, holds up the sacrifice, and says:
A proper offering is this,
as it is right to give.
This [sacrificial animal] to [deity of the occasion.]
He picks up the knife (still covered with the cloth) in his left hand and, carrying the animal in his right, he goes to the Tree and squats. He puts the knife and plate down, touching the Tree. The Fire Tender motions to the Champion, who comes and faces her. When the Champion has arrived, the Fire Tender says:
[“Strike!” in the appropriate liturgical language.]
The Champion goes clockwise around the space, holding the axe upright and out.
Clockwise is the proper Indo-European direction for going around a sacred fire.
As he walks, the Fire Tender strikes the bell, and the others clap, stomp their feet, or use percussion instruments. They follow her lead in increasing the tempo and volume as he walks. When the Champion returns to the sacrifice, he stands and faces the Fire Tender. She says:
[“Strike!” in the appropriate liturgical language.]
He 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.
This is actually the opposite of the Greek tradition, where it is when the animal is struck that the noise begins. But it is a very dramatic way to do this part, and brings people into the ritual.
The Priest quickly cuts off the head of the animal, using his right hand.
In Indo-European ideology, right is the side for the celestial deities. If the ritual is for the Ancestors, the left hand would be used.
He takes the sacrifice and the small pitcher of red corn syrup to the square altar. He puts the the animal's head into the fire, saying:
[Deity of the occasion], here is your share.
Sit down at our table,
and see the meal we have spread out for you.
Eat, and be strong.
All: Eat, and be strong.
[When the Priest says, "Eat, and be strong," he pours the red corn syrup in the fire.]
While the killing has been going on, the Fire Tender has put a piece of wood onto the fire, which is what the red corn syrup is poured onto.
This is the central point of the ritual, when the meal takes place. The gods are fed first, since they are our guests. Then we eat some of the meal, so that it is a shared one. The red corn syrup represents the blood of the sacrifice. It's poured onto a new piece of wood because otherwise it may extnguish the fire.
He cuts off the front leg of the animal and holds it over the fire a moment, then cuts it in two. He eats the top half and gives the bottom half to the Fire Tender. They wipe their hands off with a wet towel. He holds the rest of the sacrifice, on the plate, over the fire a moment, and brings it around the space. The wet towel is passed around after it for people to wipe their hand off. After everyone has had some, he eats one last piece. He breaks up the rest and puts it in the fire.
The "cooking" of the sacrifice goes from being put in the fire to being held over the fire directly to being held over the fire indirectly by having the plate between it and the fire. This reflects the Indo-European practice of putting part of the sacrifice into the fire, for the deities, roasting part of it to be eaten by the main celebrants, and boiling the rest to be eaten by the people as a whole. The Priest and the Fire Tender are those closest to the sacrifice and the sacred fire, so they eat the "roasted" portion. Since a cake can hardly be boiled, the portion for the people is "cooked" indirectly by having the plate in-beteen it and the fire.
When this is finished, the Priest pours beer or mead with his right hand at the base of the ʔṇ́gʷnis, saying:
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.
He returns to his place. He says:
Have the folk brought praise?
The Fire Tender says:
They have!
Praise offerings are then made by those who wish. ADF has a commitment to providing an opportunity for public worship. Praise offerings give everyone, including guests, to perform a personal act of worship within the context of the larger public one. Praise offerings may be offered to any of the Kindreds, and be of any kind – physical objects, libations, songs, prayers, dance, etc.
After 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.
He breaks the bread into pieces, and puts once piece on the one on the xā́sā, one on theʔṇ́gʷnis, one in front of the image of Manannán, one in front of the image of Xáryomēn, and one in the mundus. He breaks the rest up and scatters it about the space.
This is the piacular sacrifice. Under the principle that our ritual actions should be in accord with proper order, but with a realization that mistakes will be made, the piacular sacrifice brings any such mistakes into the ritual order.
The Priest or Fire Tender then says:
Diviner, would you take the omens?
After the divination has been announced, the Priest or Fire Tender says:
We hear what the Kindreds have to say,
and are made wise by it.
A required part of basic ADF ritual, the divination asks whether the Kindreds are pleased with our ritual, and if so, what messages or blessings they wish to give us. It can be done in any way a grove wants. Nemos Ognios uses runes (although we flip coins at our Independence Day rituals). The most common result of our divinations is a statement of the ritual itself, which we interpret as approval, indicating that the ritual has achieved its goal.
The Priest pours the Waters of Life into the large bowl and takes it to the ʔṇ́gʷnis. He holds the bowl over the fire for a moment and then raises it. The Fire Tender says:
[“Behold the Waters of Life!” in the liturgical language.]
Behold the Waters of Life!
All reply:
Behold the waters of life!
This is done two more times. Then the Priest holds the Waters high and shouts:
Fire!
All:
Fire!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid on the ʔṇ́gʷnis with a pastry brush. The Priest shouts:
Water!
All:
Water!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid on the ʔṇ́gʷnis with a pastry brush.
This is done two more times. Then the Priest shouts:
Fire, Water!
All:
Fire, Water!
The Priest shouts:
Fire, Water!
All:
Fire, Water!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid on the ʔṇ́gʷnis with a pastry brush.
This is done two more times, and then the Priest joins in with the others, and the others join in with him, so that they are chanting "Fire, Water!" continually. They may also join in with percussion instruments. After a bit of this, while the others continue, the priest sings loudly:
Bring us inspiration,
Bring us power,
Bring us unending life,
Fire in water, water in fire.
He sings this more softly as he lowers himself to hold the Waters as low over the fire as he can bear. After a while, he stands suddenly and yells:
Behold the Waters of Life!
There is general rejoicing, with percussion.
The Waters of Life are the gift the Kindreds give in return for our offerings. We hope, of course, that they will give us more gifts after the ritual, but this is in part representative of what those gifts will be.
The Waters are far more than that, though. One of the central mysteries of Indo-European is fire-in-water, a fluid which may be drunk, filling them with this paradox. Different Indo-European traditions use different actual beverages in ritual or myth – ale, mead, nectar, haoma, soma – but what they share in common is that they contain mind-altering substances.
In our rituals, however, we don’t use such substances. That’s because the obvious choice would be alcohol, and since ADF rituals are open to anyone who shows up, there’s always the possibility that someone will come who can’t drink alcohol. Instead we usually use honey water (one tablespoon of honey per cup of water, with an extra tablespoon for each eight cups). This is meant to play off the idea of mead, which was likely the drink used by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. For Samhain, however, we use spiced cider, since on that occasion the Waters are seen as coming from the Ancestors rather than from the deities; rather than the bright honey water, we use the dark cider. This is especially appropriate for a Celtic ritual, since in Celtic traditions apple trees grow in the land of the dead.
For a short summary of evidence on the Indo-European sacred drink(s), see here
When this dies down,the Fire Tender says:
What the Kindreds have given to us, we distribute freely.
The Priest ladles some of the Waters into a cup, which the Priest takes to the bases of the images of the gatekeeperand Xáryomēn, while the Fire Tender says:
May the Kindreds always receive their due.
The Waters are then are distributed. They're ladled into cups by the Fire Tender. They are then passed out by either the Priest or someone else. After she has ladled out all the cups, she ladles one for the person who's been distributing the Waters. She fills one for herself, and then she and the person who began the ladling exchange their cups. All go to their places.
The last exchange, between the Fire Tender and the distributor, is so that everyone is given their cup, and everyone receives one. To me, this is the center moment of the ritual, in which the series of reciprocal givings reaches its climax.
The Priest says:
With the gates opened and the offerings 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 lift their cups and say:
These Waters of Life!
After all have drunk, 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.
Then 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 offered to [the deity of the occasion],
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.
["So be it!" in the liturgical language.]
All: ["So be it!" in the liturgical language.]
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.
Having invited the Kindreds we must, if we are to be polite, thank them and say goodbye. By this point it shouldn’t be a surprise that we do this with offerings, parting gifts.
Then the Fire Tender offers incense into the ʔgṇ́ʷnis, while the Priest says:
Blessed ones, may you always be with us.
We thank all of you, Kindreds for your many gifts.
All: [“Thank you” in the appropriate liturgical language.]
The Fire Tender offers incense and the Priest says a prayer thanking the deity of the occasion. He ends with “Thank you” in the appropriate liturgical language. All respond:
[“Thank you” in the appropriate liturgical language.]
The Fire Tender offers incense, saying:
Beautiful gods, whose continued presence is our constant joy,
we thank you for your attendance at today’s rituals.
Know this: we are always your friends.
May we always have reason to feel gratitude towards you.
We thank you!
All: We thank you!
The Fire Tender makes an offering of butter on the fire, while the Priest says:
Xáryomēn, 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.
Xáryomēn, we thank you for your presence and blessings.
May we grow and flourish under your benevolent gaze.
Tebhyo gʷṛ́tins dedəmes.
All: Tebhyo gʷṛ́tins dedəmes.
The Fire Tender offers incense into the fire, saying:
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.
Go raibh maith agait!
All: Go raibh maith agait!
"Oirbsen" was the original name of Manannán.
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!
All: Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
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 those
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 Champion 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.
may there ever be peace between us in this world we share.
Nature Spirits, we thank you!
All: Nature Spirits, we thank you!
The Chthinic 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 offers incense to the ʔgṇ́ʷnis. When it is burned, she takes a coal from it and puts it into the xā́sā, saying:
The true altar of the people is the hearth.
The ʔgṇ́ʷnis was lit from the xā́sā at the beginning, so now, as the ritual winds up the fire must return to it.
She then extinguishes the ʔgṇ́ʷnis with the water from the pitcher. The Priest then says:
Extinguished without
but burning within.
All: The living fire flames within us.
The Fire Tender offers butter to the xā́sā, 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, receive this offering.
All: Shining One, receive this offering.
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 hard. When it has finished smoking, a person goes to each corner pole, and the Priest says:
With the hearth fire extinguished,
the center of our sacred world is gone.
With the flow of fiery water ceased,
the sacred site dissolves about us.
We will carry it in our hearts, though,
nestled deep with the love of the gods.
With the line "the sacred site dissolves about us," the corner poles are pulled out and cast away.
The hearth is the center of the home, and the ritual space is a sort of home, so when the hearth is extinguished it is like the home “dying.”
The Priet says something which declares the intent of the ritual accomplished.
The Champion says:
We have made sacrifices to the Holy Ones
and they are well-pleased.
The Fire Tender 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:
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 Champion says:
With our sacred space dissolved
With the gates closed
With the gods worshiped
We will walk in wisdom.
All leave, to song, silence, or percussion. When they reach the end of the recession, they form a circle and take each others’ hands. The Priest says:
On all who have worshiped here:
All: Inspiration, power, peace.
The Priest says: On all who revere the Kindreds:
All: Inspiration, power, peace.
The Priest says: On all who walk the ancient path:
All: Inspiration, power, peace.
Depending on the ritual and where it is performed, the benediction may be performed beforethe recessional.
The Priest: ["So be it!" in the liturgical language.]
All: ["So be it!" in the liturgical language.]
Credits:
"May we pray with a good fire!" - Rig Veda 1.26.8.
“We are here to worship the gods!” – ADF traditional; I don’t know its originator.
“Hail All the Gods” – First verse, ADF Traditional (?); Second verse, Richard MacKelley; Seventh line (“Ancient ...”), Ceisiwr Serith. Bridge section, Gwynne Green. Music: Paul Maurice, Sean Miller, Gail Williams.)
“Have the folk brought praise?” “They have.” – ADF traditional.
“Behold the Waters of Life.” – ADF traditional, from the Reformed Druids of North America.
“Walk with Wisdom” – Title of song by Sable.
All other words and music by Ceisiwr Serith.
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