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Posted By Hearthsidecuups on January 5, 2010
First Uiversalist Society in Salem Church 211 Bridge St.
6pm in Bolles Hall
6:30 ritual starts
Come join us for the first sabbat of 2010.
Door fee is 5.00 or comparable donation to the food pantry.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Posted By Hearthsidecuups on January 5, 2010
Opening: “This is the night of the solstice, the longest night of the year. Where darkness triumphs; yet, gives way and brings us into the light. The breath of nature is suspended: all waits while within the Cauldron, the Holly King is transformed into the young Oak King. We watch for the coming of dawn, when the Great Mother again gives birth to the Divine Sun, who is bringer of hope and the promise of light. This is the stillness behind motion, when time itself stops; the center is also the circumference of all. We are awake in the night. Help use turn the wheel once more bringing us out of the darkness and into the light.
cast circle:
Quarter calls
East: Hail to the guardians of the east powers of air I call upon you to guide us in this circle, protecting us from any and all harm. Hail and welcome.
South: Hail to The guardians of the south powers of fire I call upon you to guide us in this circle protecting us from any and all harm. Hail and welcome.
west: Hail to the guardians of the west powers of water I call upon you to guide us in this circle protecting us from any and all harm. Hail and welcome.
North: Hail to the guardians of the north the powers of earth I call upon you to guide us in this circle protecting us from any and all harm. Hail and welcome.
charge the Goddess candle: I charge this candle in the name of the Goddess. Asking you to be with us this night bringing your nurturing guidance into this new year. Hail and welcome.
charge the God candle: I charge this candle in the name of the god. Asking you to be with us this night bringing your strength and light into this new year. Hail and welcome.
Meditation
The Holly King has died he has run the course and completed the cycle; and so like him some of our habits and traits have outlived their usefulness.
This is a time for shedding what is no longer needed.
Please take a few moments to consider what you would like to leave behind as you go into the coming year.
(Pause)
As the holly king dies away these old ways will fade into memory.
(pause)
In the beginning we came from the darkness of the womb. There we were created, nourished and prepared for our birth into the light. Within us, we still carry that fertile darkness. There we hold the seeds of hopes and dreams to come. There we nourish our hopes for love, joy and peace for all. We shield these tender roots until they are strong enough to come forth and flourish. Spend a little time now tending these creations to come. Name them, nurture them for they will grow with you and bloom in the coming year.
(pause)
As the sun strengthens above, so will our new ways grow.
(Pause )
Now after all that seriousness I think its time to have a little fun will everyone join Mia and the children in singing some carols
Sing Deck the halls
Story for children
We all know that Yule is at the end of December. When the night and the day are equal to each other. But the story really starts much earlier. In fact over a month earlier. For in August the Harvest Lord laid down his sword of power and went away to Summerland to rest. Well the Goddess missed her husband so much that she began to grow old just with the grief alone and that is why we have Winter. The time when the Earth grows barren and cold.
“Well the Goddess because of her sadness after a time, left us also and went on a journey to Summerland to try and find him. Now she doesn’t die now, she only goes on a quest. But she is gone so long that at Samhain her body passes on and when she is found frozen in the forest two weeks later a wake is held for her in the Holly King’s drinking hall.
“It took over a week for all the faeries and other mourners to come. For they came from all corners of Creation. But there was one unexpected guest, an old woman. She was so old that she almost looked like a walking skeleton. So of course everyone there was mean to her because they were afraid.
“Yet when she greeted the Holly King, calling him her Son, everyone realized with much fright that this was the Goddess returned to them. The very Goddess whose death, they were there to mourn.
“So angry was she, that she was treated so poorly, the Goddess passed a prophecy to the Holly King. That she had within her the Oak King, soon to be reborn. And for rebuking her, the Holly King would pass to Summerland upon the birth of that child.
“Now this scared the Holly King that he decided to lock the old Crone away in the top room of the tallest tower in all of the world. Then he walled up the doors and all but one of the windows so that she is trapped within the room at the top of this tower. The window he left open so that he could have the birds fly food to her.
“He did this hoping that he could escape the doom that was foretold to him. But the Crone knew that the birth of her child was her only hope of escape. The Crone then wove magick and took the light and warmth from the Sun, and passed it to her son. So that in just four weeks, she gave birth to the Oak King. Who ever after was also given the name of the Sun King. For he was born fully grown and glowing with a golden light so bright that it caused the dying of the Sun to be reversed.
“But the birth was hard on the old Crone, so hard that she slipped into a sleep very near to Death. The Sun King in his anger thinking that his mother was dead, flew out the lone window as a large golden eagle. All across the Earth he hunted the Holly King, Lord of the Wintertime. Finally cornering him at the shores of a great ocean.
“And when he found him he threw his magickal spear at him and destroyed him. The spear hit the Holly King so hard that his body just vanished. But don’t worry, for the Holly King simply reappeared in Summerland. When he got there he found the Crone in one of her other aspects, the Young Maiden.
“She spoke to him of prophecy and the Wheel of the Year. She spoke of the new cycle that had been made in the last year. That the events of the last year would repeat themselves forever and ever.
“And although the Holly King had passed away now, he now knew that he would return just past the height of Summer to take the Sun King’s place again.
This is why the Holly King, as Santa Claus, brings us gifts every year to make up for the Winter that he brings with him. But he only brings presents to good little boys and girls because he wants us to learn to not be mean like he was to the Crone on that first night that he met her so long ago.
bless cakes and ale
Release the quarters
East: hail to the guardians of the east we thank you for joining us this night stay if you will go if you must hail and farewell
South: hail to the guardians of the south we thank you for joining us this night stay if you will go if you must hail and farewell
West: Hail to the guardians of the west we thank you for joining us this night stay if you will go if you must hail and farewell
North: Hail to the guardians of the north we thank you for joining us this night stay if you will go if you must hail and farewell
goddess candle: Great mother we thank you for being with us this night; we thank you for granting us your guidance in this coming year. We bid you hail and farewell
god candle: Great father we thank you for being with us this night; we thank you for granting us your strength in this coming year we bid you hail and farewell
open circle: this circle is open but the energy remains unbroken and sent into the cosmos to do our bidding and to this we say merry met merry part and merry met again. Tis done
Posted By Hearthsidecuups on November 28, 2009
The General Invocation
adapted from The Turning of the Wheel, by Stanley J. Modrzyk
We meet within these blessed bounds to celebrate Samhain, the time of passing from one season to the next, passing from the old year to the new, passing from life to death to life. The pumpkins are ripe in the fields as the North wind chills the air. The Earth is dark and cold and brown–the Earth that was so fair. The Wheel has turned full cycle, from birth to death at last; and we look back for knowledge from the life that now has passed–the knowledge that is the seed of all we will be and feel–the knowledge that comes from living the turning of the Wheel.
Elements invited into circle
Adapted from The Sabbats Edain McCoy pg 204 and 205
east-Elements and Powers of the East and of the Air, we ask for your breezy cleansing presence in our circle tonight. Hail and welcome.
south-Elements and Powers of the South and of the Fire, we ask for your fiery transformative presence in our circle tonight. Hail and welcome.
west-Elements and Powers of the West and of the Water, we ask for your flowing and ever changing presence in our circle tonight. Hail and welcome.
north-Elements and Powers of the North and of the Earth, we ask for your sturdy, comforting presence in our circle tonight. Hail and welcome.
Now let us invite the Goddess and God to our circle.
Goddes candle-Blessed Lady Goddess, we humbly ask for your presence here in our circle tonight. Hail and Welcome.
God Candle-Blessed Lord God, we humbly ask for your presence here tonight in our circle. Hail and Welcome.
Circle is cast
The Goddess
adapted from Seasonal Dance, Broch and MacLer, p.33
This time and season are your time, Grandmother Crone. You,the keeper of wisdom, mistress of magick, keeper of riddles. You who wore the Maiden’s white and the Mother’s red cloak now wear a cloak of black. Ascending the throne of the Queen of the Night, you who ruled beside the Sun, now oversee his exile.
Join our rites, if you will, showing us the wisdom of this time.
Candle is lighted
The God
original text by Melissa Creighton
In this time and in this season, O lord of the Sun, now you leave us for the Summerland, to hide your face for a time, to sleep in Mother Gaiea’s sheltering embrace, under ice and snow, safe until your return. In this time of darkness and renewal, we call upon you, O Ancient Lord, to join our rites, if you will, and bless us that we may know the wisdom of the Wheel. That we may remember that in death there is rebirth, in sorrow, there is also joy.
Candle is lighted
Main Working
Adapted from Celtic Magic, by D.J. Coway
Samhain is a day and not a day. It is the day of the traditional “year and a day”, a day of endings and beginnings when the division between this world and the next is thin. In this night, we remember those who have passed from this world in the past year. Those who wish may name loved ones who have passed in the last year, share a memory and so invite them to be present in our circle tonight.
As each person (pets are included also) is named and shared with the group, a stone is placed on the altar.
We welcome those who, though no longer living in body, live on in our hearts, with our families and friends, in our stories and our memories. Be with us tonight as we reflect on joy and sorrow, how we let go and what we let go, and how we keep what is precious to us.
It is not only our loved ones that we need to release in our path through life. We have experiences, habits, pain, mistakes, embarrassment, beliefs that no longer serve, even dreams which are no longer useful. As we sit in this circle, we may reflect on that which we would like to release from our lives, knowing that each of us at some time, has something to let go of.
Participants will have time to reflect on what he/she would like to release. Taking time to reflect on what he/she would like to remember about that which is being released; (Is there something good to be gleaned from this experience and the act of release?)
Participants may take this time to share their thoughts or just meditate silently.
“let go of all that is painful, shameful or useless and replacing it with good intentions of the future”
As we release these feeling and emotions, so also we release the spirits of our loved ones, though we keep our memories of them. It is their time to move on as others have. Now is a time to share some memories of ancestors, friends, pets and other loved ones who have gone in years past. As we remember these, remember that the newly dead tread the path that has been followed by other beloved souls and will, someday, be followed by each one of us in our time. Who would like to share a memory?
Photographs and mementos may be put on or around the altar at this time.
Wheel of the Year poem
Bless the Food via the Libation Offering
Release the elements
North Elements and Powers of the North and of the Earth, our time in this circle has come to an end, stay if you will, go if you must. Hail and farewell
West-Elements and Powers of the West and of the Water, our time in the circle has come to an end, stay if you will, go if you must. Hail and farewell.
South-Elements and Powers of the South and of the Fire, our time in this circle has come to an end, stay if you will, go if you must. Hail and farewell.
East-Elements and Powers of the East and of the Air, our time in this circle has come to an end. Stay if you will, go if you must. Hail and farewell.
Thank the God and Goddess
God candle-Beloved God, we thank you for your presence and your
blessings within our sacred circle. Go if you must, stay if you will;
Goddess candle-Beloved Goddess, we thank you for your presence and your
blessings within our sacred circle. Go if you must, stay if you will.
Circle is released
