Rituals
I
am not really comfortable sharing our ritual outline here, we have made
changes since we did so and much of what we do now, with it just us, is
not planned out.
We celebrate four seasonal festivals
of Samhuinn, Imbolg, Bealtuinn, and Lùnasdal; we use the Gaelic names,
but due to the seasonal changes here these tend to fall on days
somewhat between the Gaelic calendar and the Norse one. On these days
we observe
the changing of the seasons, give offering and take omens regarding
coming season.
Our
rituals are about making offerings and
sacrifice to and making contracts with the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits;
the primary focus is Hospitality, if you have guests you take care of
them, be they of this World or Other..
We give various food offering either into the fire or upon the land,
some are left in containers (especially alcohol, which is not
poured upon the land out of respect for those Native to this
continent and their Spirits). We not only offer to the Gods, Ancestors
and Nature Spirits, but also to the Sìth (who we believe are sometimes
interrelated to the three but not always) and to the Outsiders (who are
those Beings we simply do not know but are around us, these may be
those who might normally feel hostile to us or our Gods, but they may
also be those who we simply do not know...either way, we work to make
peace and treaty with them. Some of the Sîth may be among them also if
they are not friendly to us).
Our rituals are outside from
Bealtuinn through Samhuinn, only An Fhéill Bhride is indoors. Our
Samhuinn feast, however, usually is also indoors, as is Bealtuinn many
years, and Lùnasdal feasting is sometimes outside. Things that will not
change, there will be fire (candles indoors), there will be offerings
and there will be feasting.
There may also be other, non-seasonal ritual and
ecstatic practices. These are not something I'm comfortable sharing at
all at this time.
Devotions
We
have several shrines in our home. The photos above was our central
"Hearth Shrine" many years ago which has changed a bit now. These are
places where we make offerings to the Gods, Nature Spirits and/or
Ancestors. We do keep things upon them that are relevant to Who they
are for and that we hope will please Them. Yet the main purpose is to
extend Hospitality upon them, to place food, drink, flowers, and other
items for Them. Exact designs and schedule of offerings will vary from
person to person. . Along with the Hearth Shrine, where we might
offer to any of our Gods, we also maintain personal ones to our own
Patrons as well as have one in our gym. The gym shrine is the one place
we do not offer food items, our work in the gym is our offering to the
War Goddesses and the warrior ancestors. We also have several areas
upon our property, aside from our ritual site, where we might leave
offerings including some which are developing into full outdoor
shrines.
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