March 21st, Vernal Equinox;Read about this here;
https://viewfromrhoshill.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-vernal-equinox-how-demeter-lost-her.html
This moment is known by many names, ALBAN EILER, ASTORA, and the vernal equinox, which takes place when the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north. This marks the beginning of astrological spring. The world stands still as we reach this balance of star and stone.
As day begins to dominate night, and the days grow warmer and lighter, we turn our thoughts to the progress we make through our lives. As birds return to mate and build their nests, and the first flowers of the year grace our gardens, as the crops are being sown, we can thing about decisions of the past and present and how they effect the pathways of our life. Now is a time to take stock, take a moment, to consolidate the pathways we have chosen to be on.
This season is known by many names, ALBAN EILER, ASTORA, and the vernal equinox, which takes place when the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north. This marks the beginning of astrological spring. The world stands still as we reach this balance of star and stone.
As day begins to dominate night, and the days grow warmer and lighter, we turn our thoughts to the progress we make through our lives. As birds return to mate and build their nests, and the first flowers of the year grace our gardens, as the crops are being sown, we can thing about decisions of the past and present and how they effect the pathways of our life. Now is a time to take stock, take a moment, to consolidate the pathways we have chosen to be on.
AIR speaks: air is warming up around us and the blooming of spring flowers, their scent and perfumes. How birds take flight to gain territory and create nesting sites and mating. The way the sun stands in in the east, high point of the circle and the equal light of day and night.
FIRE speaks: the light of the sun in the wheel of the year grows strong, shedding light and warmth upon creatures of the land including ourselves
WATER speaks: love and emotions; love and procreation; balance in nature and in life; strength of the great equinoctial tides; and of how peace and calm can be part of the gaining of balance
EARTH speaks: the warming earth, tilling of the soil
the sewing of seeds, the rising of sap, bursting of buds.
The changes of colour across the land. The work needed now.
MOON HARE; I am Gearr, the sacred hare, symbol of fertility and resurrection. Moon bright, I prance in the meadows, box with other hards and race over the furrowed fields. Yet, at night, I am seen to gaze up at the full moon, bright as a silver penny.
This is the vernal equinox, the time of the great tides, moon-pulled. Moon mates with Sun, and Nature stands in balance. I proclaim this moment a most powerful time for magic.
The spring goddes, Oestre, has asked my to guard and treasure the beautiful eggs, in which are carried the sacred dreams of this tribe, which they have wished and dreamed over the winter, and written into the art of these gifts – for wishes and dreams are magic in embryo.
Awake, Awake! Be renewed, be happy! The Goddess is alive, and magic is alive!
Let us call to Oestre, the goddess of springtime, to step into our circle, and be with us tonight.
Eostre, (oystre) of the North!
Ostara of the South!
Oestra (eastra) of the moon and radient goddess of the dawning light
We ask you to step into our circle!
EOSTRE steps into the circle
Yes, I am Eostre, of the North and Ostara of the South and Oestra of the moon and radiant goddess of the dawning light. My sister, Bridgit has cast her mantle over the land and now I can oversee the budding plants and burgeoning fertility of the earth. I can watch over the farmer as he ploughs his fields and the gardener, as they plant their first crops; broad beans, potatoes, onion sets. Into their ears I whisper my words - take care of this land, little ones, for it does not belong to you, however much you paid for it. It belongs to the great goddess and the great god, and the spirit which is above all things. Keep your work in harmony with them. If you love the land as you tend it, all will be well.
One day, I found a bird, wounded, on the ground late in winter. To save its life, I transformed it into a hare. But the transformation was not a complete one. The bird took the appearance of a hare but retained the ability to lay eggs...the hare would decorate these eggs and leave them as gifts to me as thanks for protecting it. And so I, the spring lady of life, have a deep affinity with the sweet, fast-running hare.
Another myth associated with spring is that of the Goddess DEMETER
I am a mild Goddess; I have a gentle soul. I aim to do no harm to any being. My delight is to care for the land. When I am happy, the earth is happy. When I am ready to enjoy the fruits of nature, they blossom, flower and fruit for everyone. In my youth, I was always happy and the earth was always fruitful; every day way a day of bounty, of harvest, where each had what they needed, and more. Every part of the land had a cornocopia of plenty and no creature went without. Everyone was warm, sheltered, fed to fullness...and so they had time to turn to thoughts of love.
It was my role to show you timid humans how to truly love each other; how to give pleasure in the showing of your love. I was not immune from my own counsel, I became inflamed with the nectar of love on occasion...too many occasions, perhaps. I lay upon the couch of love with my own brother, Zeus, and from this heady union came my dear and beautiful daughter, a goddess in her own right. Persephone. She is as fresh as a spring dawn. Her hair is as golden as ripened corn; her face is as clear as the spring moon. When she was still a maiden, she loved to run with her friends in the meadows among the flowers; I often did not know whither she had run, but trusted her to return to me, as a mother should. One glorious spring day, my brother, Hades, saw Persephone. She was kneeling close to a fast-running brook, and the glitter of the water shone fair upon her face. She was picking the flowers that grew along its bank, the pale lemon flowers of spring. As she plucked them, she took in their scent, and the look of wonder upon her young face was so radiant, that Hades fell in love with her on that instant. He knew, should he ask me for her hand in marriage, I would refuse. So he simply took her. He went to her in the meadow and abducted her. He forced her into his black carriage and drove the horses full speed down into the dark drear of his underworld. Who can blame him? He lived alone down there, amid the dead, with no companion and no sight of the light of the day or living beings.
You see...I am a mild and forgiving Goddess. I can understand. I can forgive. But that does not lessen the pain of losing your daughter. I wandered far in search of Persephone, not understand why she did not run back to me, laughing. I called her name, I asked those I passed if they had see her. I wept for the loss of her. Food did not pass my lips as I searched. And, as I am the fruitfulness of the earth, as I did not eat, neither did it. It wasted away as I went upon my quest, neither seeding or fruiting. The rivers dried. The corn withered before it ripened. And the crops, once gathered, did not grow again.
Finally, I came upon old Hecate, my sister in Olympus, who told me her story. She had been walking early one morning when she’d heard a young girl crying RApe! Rape! She’d run to help her but found nothing. Together we approached Helius, for, as he makes his daily circuit of the earth, he sees everything. Finally, he admitted he had seen Hades take my daughter through a gaping hole in the earth. Now, we had our evidence, we approach Zeus. His pronouncement was that Hades should restore Persephone to me and to the light and the living...so long as she had not eaten the food of the dead.
This gave me such hope; Persephone is a bright girl and would have taken care to do no such thing. But she had, without knowledge of it, consumed just seven pomegranate seeds.
I was consumed with rage. I am not a vengeful or wrathful goddess, but I spoke then, I cried out to heaven that I would never remove my curse from the earth if my daughter was not returned to me. It would continue to wither and die and there would be no harvest from now on.
And so, a compromise was reached. It was the time of the equinox, a time of balance and arbitration. Six months I was to have Persephone with me, her slight frame running with joy through the warm air, her nose buried into the scent of flowers. But for six months also, she would belong to Hades, and return to the underworld. And for that time, I would mourn and the earth would whither and die.
And so it does. Every winter it remains in this dormant state while my daughter goes to do her duty to her so-called husband. And every spring, she returns to life and the to world and to me. Then, the earth begins to warm, the rains come, the soil bursts with life, the animals give birth and the corn grows tall, ripens, and before winter is upon us, it is cut down for the bread of life...
Beltaine, May Day the 1st of May and beginning of summertime. Read about this here;
Long before the Romans came, Beltane was celebrated in one way we know of, as it is recorded in Irish annuals...two sacred fires were lit in each village, and the cattle were driven between them. Practically, this was a good early form of de-infestation for the animals, symbolically it suggested the burning of anything you wanted rid of; the moving from the cold half of the year to the warm one.We celebrated Beltane at Stanton Drew Stone Circles this year. Jim and I thought that we would like to have the two fires as the centre of the ritual, but the farmer would never allow us to light fires – nor would we –so we chose two fiery members of our Dobunni Druid Grove – Ana and Mark - to represent the fires. They spoke to the circle, sparking with their eyes and flaming with their tongues, and then the assembled company (about 80 of us) walked between them. The Irish God Bel, in the imposing form of Ronald, spoke about his role in this time of year, and then we were ready to choose the May Queen and May King by circle dancing. The two Fires stood ready as we circle danced and they chose the nearest man and woman to their fiery selves as they music stopped. These two people were crowned with circlets I’d made in Wales; oak leaves, bluebells and hawthorn for the King and hawthorn, ivy and a surfeit of flowers for the Queen. They then took gifts to all the company around the circle; sprigs of just blossoming May.
Perhaps one of the most pleasant parts of the Stanton Drew Fire Festival Ceremonies is the ‘grounding’ afterwards; we all decamp to the Druid Arms to partake of chips and something to wet our whistles. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the ritual, especially the dancing which kept the children happy and the grownups warm.
May-day! delightful day!
Bright colours
play the vale along.
Now wakes at morning's
slender ray
Wild and gay
the blackbird's song.
Now comes the bird of dusty hue,
The loud cuckoo,
the summer-lover.
Branchy trees are thick with leaves.
The bitter evil time is over
Loaded bees with puny power
Goodly flower-harvest win;
Cattle roam with muddy flanks,
Busy ants go out and in.
A bright shaft has smit the streams.
With gold gleams the water-flag;
Leaps the fish, and on the hills
Ardour thrills the leaping stag.
Loudly carols the lark on high,
Small and shy, his tireless lay.
Singing in wildest, merriest mood,
Delicate-hued, delightful May.
9th C Irish poem translated by TW Rolleston
Summer is icumen in
Loudly sing Cuckoo
Grows the seed and blows the mead
And springs the wood anew.
Sing Cuckoo!
Ewe bleats harshly after lamb
Cows after calves make moo
Bullock stamps and deer champs
Now shrilly sing Cuckoo ...
... Cuckoo ... Cuckoo.
Wild bird are you!
Be never still Cuckoo!
Medieval song.
Beltane is deep in the collective consciousness of the British people; we all know about maypoles and ‘casting a clout’, and in Bristol a Jack in the Green festival was held every year (maybe still is) up on Horefield Common. We actually get May Day off every year now, so things are looking up...maybe one day there will be bank holidays for the three other fire festivals; the Celtic Celebrations that herald four parts of the farming year; Laughnasad (or Lammas) which is Harvest Festival on the 1stAugust; Samhuinn (Hallowe’en) on 31st of October; Imbolc (Candlemas) on the 1st February and Beltane, the beginning of Summer (ha!) on the 1st May. It’s the beginning of summer because this is the time that trees green and the seedlings are sprouting in the ground; a climatic reckoning rather than a weather-tuned one. Imbolc is the beginning of spring in the same way. But the timing works perfectly – 6 weeks after Beltane we have Mid Summer, the 21st June.
Midsummer 21st June; the Solstice
We met at Gors Fawr stone circle in time on midsummer’s day. The views that confronted us were magnificent. The summer solstice, June 21st this year, was a clear, hot, bright day – the hottest in 40 years – and being there was powerfully invigorating.
We were in a bleak, but strikingly beautiful place – a moorland full of gorse and reeds and sheep, lying quite flat for a mile or more until the hills suddenly loom up as a backdrop. We’d come to hold a ritual at the very place in Pembrokeshire where Neolithic worshipers also gathered, to watch the sunrise on the solstice. We were at Gors Fawr Stone Circle.
Gors Fawrs dates from the Neolithic. It is part of a surprisingly large and active sacred landscape at the foot of the Preseli Hills called the Glandy Cross. This is an area rich in Neolithic burial chambers, Bronze age settlements, barrows, standing stones and a chambered tomb. There were once three stone circles, but one is lost. The smaller of the remaining two, Bedd Arthur (Arthur’s Bed), is a small, boat-shaped horseshoe of stones high in the hills, while at the foot of the hills on the flat plateau of moorland is the larger circle – Gors Fawr, whose name translates as 'great wasteland'.
The circle has a very special atmosphere. It consists of 16 small remaining stones about 22 metres in diameter. They are small stones, unprepossessing on the north side of the circle, but getting bigger towards the south until they’re about a metre in height. Eight of the stones are composed of local glacial erratic boulders, but, very excitingly, the other eight stones in this circle are bluestones, the same stone as the smaller stone arc inside that far more famous circle…Stonehenge.
We were here to hold a ritual on the summer solstice, which is called Alban Hefin by Druids and Litha by Wiccans. The solstice is the peak of the power and radiance of the sun. It’s union with the earth at its zenith. Over the last week, the sun had shone above us, strongly and brightly.
It had been so hot, records were being broken. In fact, the 21st became, the hottest day since 1976. I recall that summer very well, as I was pregnant with my first child, so ‘hot’ was what I remained most of the time.
As we prepared the circle, and met up with the people who had been here for the sun’s rising in the very early morning, I looked up to the hills above us. I could see a short area of jagged rocks running along the ridgeway of the Preseli's. This is the Dragon’s Back – the peak of Carn Meini, a natural outcrop of Blue Spotted Dolerite – the place where the Stonehenge bluestones originated.
Carn Meini has a very strong radiant quality. On some level it feels like the yang counterpart to the Yin Gors Fawr. It’s not surprising the bluestone found there was used and loved so much in the Neolithic. As well as being used for the building of an early stage at Stonehenge, ‘crystal-sized’ pieces have been found in Neolithic burial chambers around the Salisbury Plain area, as if people kept these beautiful stones close as talismans, perhaps for healing. I constantly find it amazing that bluestones found their way from a very powerful and ancient site in Pembrokeshire to another very ancient and powerful site a couple of hundred or so miles away. How they were moved is still debated, but around Pembrokeshire, the story goes that in ancient times, the ceremonial route of the bluestones from Carn Meini to Stonehenge followed the streams down the hill and past Gors Fawr.
There are two outlying stones to the north-east of the Gors Fawr circle. These align to the sunrise on the summer solstice. As you walk towards them from the stone circle, the first you meet is about five feet high, much larger than the stones in the circle, and this makes one think it must have been of importance. The larger of these, a few metres on, is around six feet in height, and is known as "The Dreaming Stone". Some accounts suggest that they were originally part of an avenue leading off from the circle. The dreaming stone has been shown to be strongly magnetic, especially where one’s head would rest if one sat on the little seat. And the seat itself does not look inviting – one imagines one would slide off, but once there, it’s wonderfully comfy, and I have sat there for twenty minutes and more.
SUMMER SOLSTICE
ALBAN HERUIN RITUAL
GORS FAWR 2017
PARTICIPANTS PROCESS TOWARDS THE STONE CIRCLE OF GORS FAWR, LED BY HERALD.
THE LADY OF THE STONES STOPS THEM AS THEY READ THE STONES.
Spirit of the Stones; I stand here, as you approach the gateway to this ancient and sacred place to challenge and caution you. For what purpose are you here?
Herald; Spirit of this place! We come in peace at
this time of the summer solstice, to honour the spirit of these stones and to honour the spirits of our ancestors. We come to work in peace and love.
SOS; Then know this – as you step beyond the edge of this circle,
you will enter the magic of Gors Fawr, where time itself has no meaning
and there is no telling of what any of you will encounter; for this realm is full of spirit and is interconnected in every direction.
These stones bless each being who steps within it, leaving them refreshed and blessed.
As you enter this place in peace, then so shall you leave in the same man
ner.
Herald; It will be so
SOS; If you come in love and peace, you may pass
through.
COME TOGETHER AT CENRE OF CIRCLE TO HOLD HANDS.
Herald; By the power of star and stone,
By the power of the land within and without,
By all that is fair and free,
We welcome you to this celebration of mid summer
Let us hold hands and take three breaths…
ONE for the earth below our feet
ONE for the sea around our coasts
ONE for the air above us.
Herald ; Oh, Great Spirit, we ask for your blessing on this our ceremony. today. Oh, Spirit of these stones, the sacred circle of Gors Fawr and this wild land of the Presili Hills, we ask for guidance, protection and inspiration on our work here today.
Herald; Let us begin by giving peace to the quarters, for without peace, can no work be.
Peacegiver; Let there be peace in the NORTH, SOUTH, WEST, EAST
All, Let there be peace throughout the whole world.
Herald; Let all disturbing thoughts be cast aside. (CASTS CIRCLE)
Herald; Let the circle be consecrated with fire and water.
West; (or Water Carrier) I consecrate this circle with the element of water
South; (or Fire Carrier) ; I consecrate this circle with the element of fire
Herald; Let the four directions be honoured that power and radiance might enter our circle for the good or all beings.
East; With the blessing of the hawk of dawn, souring in the clear blue air, I call upon the powers of the East. Behold, I open this eastern gate. Hail and welcome.
All; Hail and welcome
South; With the blessing of the Great Stag in the heat of the chase, and the inner fire of the sun, I call upon the powers of the south Behold, I open this southern gate Hail and welcome
All; Hail and welcome
West; with the blessing of the salmon of wisdom, swimming in the sacred pool, I call upon the powers of the west Behold, I open this Western gate Hail and welcome
All; Hail and welcome
North; With the blessing of the Great bear in the starry heavens and the deep and fruitful earth, I call upon the powers of the North. Behold, I open this Northern gate Hail and welcome
All; Hail and welcome
All; May the harmony of our lands be complete
Herald; Let us raise the power of this circle cast, by chanting together in the ancient language of this land. Three Awens for Inspiration
3 AWENS
Herald. We stand together her at midday on midsummer day. It is the summer solstice, also called Alban Heruin by Druids, and Litha by Wiccans.
This time is the peak of the power and radiance of the great high sun, when the union of the earth and sun is at its zenith.
This is a time of year of brightness and warmth. Over the last few days, the sun has shone above us, strongly and brightly, reminding us of the glories of summer and brightening our world with the colour of flowers.
The power of the sun at Midsummer is at its most potent, and the earth is fertile with the bounty of growing life, and this heat warms our bones and imbues us with new hope. This is a day of both outer an inner power and brightness.
What does this time of year mean to you? Please pass around this oaken branch and find one word or phrase that sums up your feelings about midsummer.
All; speak for the time of year.
Herald;
I call upon the Guardian of the Wild to tell us about Gors Fawr
Guardian of the Wild
I am the wild force of this land. I am the snow on the hilltop in winter, and the wind behind the driving rain. I am the heat of the high summer sun and the power of fertility in the soil.
I am the dragon’s back you see to the south; (POINT TO DRAGON’S BACK TO THE SOUTH), the natural outcrop of bluestone – Blue Spotted Dolerite – that makes up Carn Meini, the place where the Stonehenge bluestones originated. Half the stones in this circle are bluestones; the rest are local glacial boulders. In ancient times, the ceremonial route of the bluestones from Carn Meini to Stonehenge followed the streams down the hill and past Gors Fawr.
This circle is part of a powerful and ancient site, which stretches for miles all around us, and is often called the Glandy Cross. It includes Bronze aged settlements, as well as Neolithic sacred sties, including a lost stone circle, barrows and a chambered tomb.
This circle of 16 stones is at least 4000 years old, built in the late stone age with love, honour and meaning. You might notice how they are larger and higher in the south of the circle. Once, there may have been an avenue of more stones, leading to two outliers, POINT TO OUTLIERS IN THE NORTH EAST) which you can see if you look to the north-north-east. At sunrise today, those two stones aligned with the midsummer sun over the nearby hill of Foel Drych.
Lady of the Land
I am the sovereign lady of Gors Fawr. This circle came into being when I gave our ancestors the power to move and raise stones so that the summer sun could be witnessed at its rising, and worshiped as it warmed the land.
The far one of the two outlying stones is called The Dreaming Stone. It has strong magnetic qualities and a curious seat shape. If you sit there and lean back, place your head on the stone and close your eyes, visions or dreams will fill your soul.
All ancient circles like this one have a fay presence which is a lovely summer bonus, but do not forget how careful you need to be when dealing with faeries; they need to be given due respect or they can play tricks.
Here in my basket I have the blossoms of the Elder Tree. Celtic lore indicates that if you stand near an elder tree at Midsummer's Eve the land of the fairies will be revealed to your searching eyes. The blossom of the elder protects from fay trickery yet helps those who use it wisely to come closer to the world of Celtic faerie lands. It can also induce vivid dreams, particularly of the Faerie realms; why not take your spray to the dreaming stone and see what happens.
LADY OF THE LAND AND GUARDIAN OF THE WILD TAKE THE BASKET OF ELDER BLOSSOM AROUND THE CIRCLE, DISTRIBUTING THE SPRAYS.
Herald: It is said at the time of the summer solstice, two great kings battle for a crown – the oak king, who reigns as the light grows – and the holly king, who reigns as the light fails. I call upon the oak king and the holly king!
The Holly King; (stepping into circle) Each Midsummer Day, the sun bright rises over the dreaming stone at daybreak on to reach its highest zeneth of the year. Time out of mind, these stones have witness this nadir of Midsummer, the sun’s longest journey across the sky. From this moment, the sun will start to wane. Which mean, this is the moment the Oak king’s rein ends in this world. and the beginning of my time.
The Oak King; (stepping into circle) With ancient hands, the old people built this circle. With magic they raised theses stones to honour the land. Since the sun began to wax at midwinter, it has been my time. I have grown fat with pink leaf buds in early spring. By Beltaine, my flowers hung like earrings. And now I am in my greatest power, my dark green leaves covering my branches. Surely I can keep the Holly King from taking my crown?
But at this time of the summer solstice, a figure waits in the dark shadows cast by dragon’s back. (moves towards the Holly King)
Greetings, Brother! What is your name.
The Holly King Not hard to answer!
I am Tinne, the king of the Holly. I am Arawn, lord of the underworld. I strip bear the leaf-ridden trees as cold comes upon the land and the land grows dark. I banish the warmth of summer and bring in the bone cold of winter.
So, my brother what is your name?
The Oak king; Not hard to answer! I am Duir King of the Oak. I am Hafgan, Lord of summer. I bring bud to leaf and bright life to earth. I banish the cold of winter and welcome the warmth of spring.
Brother, where do you come from?
The Holly King; Not hard to answer! I come from Annwn. At the time of your greatest power I am born into the three concentric circles of Abred, which is this spirit of this world.
I ride through the night with the wild hunt to claim my throne, my laughing breath icing the air, as I herald the coming of the Cailleach, and the beauty of deep winter. My time is a time of sleep, reflection, peace and renewal.
So brother, where do you come from?
The Oak King Not hard to answer! I come from Annwn, At the time of your greatest power I am born into this world of Abred, the circle within a circle, within a circle, the spirit place of Earthly creatures. I am born out of warmth and love, with which I bathe this world. The heat of my breath is wakens the land, and the strength of my eye coats the trees in bud, flower and leaf.
Brother, what art do you perform?
The Holly King Not hard to answer! I give space to thought. I bring renewal to your crown of green. I bring transformation to your inner fire. I am the stillness of the winter sky, and the tears of ice. I light the inner fire and the hearth. I offer lovers a flickering fire and warm blankets, a space where dreams can gather.
Brother, what art do you perform?
The Oak King Not hard to answer! I lift the saddened heart. Give flight to birds and insects. My bards sing upon their wings. I offer lovers a walk in sweetened air through long grass to lay under the bright stars. I offer the bright air where folk can work the land and gather food for the winter.
The Holly King; It is time, Brother. From this day, the longest day, the year wanes into winter. I am here Brother, to take that crown you wear, for my own.
The Oak King; I will not let you take it. You turn leaf to earth. You turn water to ice. Your time is too hard for the beasts of this land. I will not let the people of this land suffer the cold and dark. I am in my fullest power and I can win any fight.
They fight. The holly king wins.
The Holly King; I am victorious, Brother! The cold and dark of winter must come, for the land needs to have its rest. Hand me my rightful crown!
The Oak King;
Take this crown, but know this, I will return, to bring joy back into the land, from Imbolc to Beltaine, to Midsummer.
Places the crown on the holly king’s head.
(WITH THANKS TO AN ORIGINAL IDEA BY DAHM THE BARD)
Herald;
It is now time for Eisteddfod. I call upon the bards who have brought readings, songs, poems or other offerings. I will pass the oaken branch around.
All; Give of their offerings.
Herald; It is the hour of recall. As the fire dies down may it be relit in your hearts. May your memories hold what your eye and ear have seen.
Herald; May the spirits of the 4 directions be thanked for their blessings
North In the name of the Great Bear and the Element of Earth We thank the powers of the North. Behold, I close the Northern gate
All; Behold, the gate to the North is Closed!
West In the name of the Salmon on Wisdom & the Element of Water We thank the powers of the West Behold, I close the Western gate.
All; Behold, the gate to the West is Closed!
South In the name of the Great Stag and the Element of Fire We thank the powers of the South. Behold, I close the Southern gate
All; Behold, the gate to the south is Closed!
East In the name of the Hawk of Dawn and the Element of Air We thank the powers of the East Behold, I close the Eastern gate
All; Behold, the gate to the East is closed!
(Quarters face in again)
All May the harmony of our lands be complete
Herald; I now declare this festival of Alban Heruin closed in the apparent world. May its inspiration continue within our beings.
Uncasts the circle and leads company out of the circle, honouring it as we leave.
Time to use the dreaming stone and picnic.
We processed into our little stone circle, with the fire in the pit lit and sparking and the lanterns in the four quarters of East South West and North glowing. After setting up our circle in the usual way, each person placed their chosen autumn gift into a basket, using one word or phrase to describe their feelings about this time of year. The basket of goodies was dedicated to the goddess.  |
All photos by Carni
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