Spiral SpiritWhat to expect when visiting Spiral Spirit PG
ADF has developed a basic framework for its rituals that all ADF Groves must adhere to. This "Core Order of Ritual" allows Druids to participate in rites with each other and still have an idea of what is going on even outside their home Grove.
If you wish to visit our services, you are more than welcome! You won't be expected to know the words or tunes to our songs, and no one will look at you funny if you just participate quietly: if our rituals help you to connect with the Gods and Spirits, that's enough for us.
Beginning the ritual
Once the Druids have gathered, there will usually be a pre-ritual briefing where the basics of the service will be gone over. Once everyone is ready, the rite will begin with some sort of definitive action. This might be a procession into the ritual space, an opening prayer, a musical signal, or some other way to mark the transition from "ordinary time" to "sacred time." Often at this point there will be a group meditation to establish a common connection to the powers of the cosmos.
The space and the participants will be ritually purified. This often takes the form of censing with incense and/or sprinkling with water.
Honoring the Earth Mother
The Earth Mother will be honored. Often we will make an offering to Her; Spiral Spirit usually offers a mixture of oats and cornmeal, grains from the Old World of our Indo-European forebears and from the New World where we make our home.
Establishing the sacred space
The purpose of the particular rite being performed will be stated, clarifying and focusing our attention on the matter at hand.
The sacred space will then be established using the symbols of the Druidic cosmos: the three worlds (Land, Sea and Sky) will be acknowledged and the sacred center will be re-created in the Grove. A sacred fire will always be lit—anything from a candle to a large bonfire depending on the space being used. There will often be a representation of the World Tree and the Well as well, and the Fire, Well and Tree will often be offered to as a way of sanctifying them.
Opening the gates
Once the sacred cosmos has been recreated and honored, the Druids will open a Gate to the Otherworld. They will call upon, and often sacrifice to, a Gatekeeper—usually a God or Goddess known for being the patron of liminal places and transitions, such as Manannan mac Lir in the Irish tradition, Heimdall the guardian of the bridge to Asgard in the Norse tradition, or Janus, the two-faced Roman god of gates and doorways. This gateway allows the Druids more direct contact with the Powers and provides a conduit for the Gods and Spirits to convey their blessings to us.
These Gods and Spirits, often referred to as the Three Kindreds—the Gods, the Mighty Dead, and the Nature Spirits, are then invited to join us at the Gate and share our fire.
Offering to the Kindreds
Now that the people and the Powers have gathered together in the Grove, we make offerings to them, continuing our participation in the web of mutual obligations that tie us together with the Powers. Often there will be one or two particular deities to whom the rite is especially dedicated, and they will receive a special offering. Offerings may include physical objects, which are given to the deities and removed from human use; they may be offerings of wine poured onto the ground or into a bowl, or oil burned in the fire; they may also be offerings of praise, such as a song or poem in honor of the Gods. Other traditions appropriate to the occasion may also be done—the dancing of the Maypole at Beltane is one example.
A final prayer of sacrifice will end this section of the rite and the Druids will focus their energies towards the Powers, giving them their love and respect, and finishing the outward flow of gifts and obligations.
Seeking the Omen
One of the Druids will then seek the Omen for the rite. In Spiral Spirit this can be done in a number of ways; what we are usually looking for is confirmation that our offerings were accepted and an idea of what gifts the Kindreds are offering us in exchange for our offerings. The diviner will tell the people gathered what the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits wish to bestow on them during the time following the rite.
Receiving the blessings
If the blessings are the sort of things we wish to receive from them, we will ask them to give us their gifts. In the rare cases in which the omen is a bad one, we will make more offerings to the Powers to try to rectify whatever we have done to caused them their displeasure, and seek the go-ahead from them by taking another Omen.
The blessing of the Kindreds is usually directed by the Druids into a cup of whiskey or other liquid, often with the call to "Give us the Waters of Life!" The cup is then passed around so that everyone may partake of the blessings.
Thanking the Beings
As the end of the rite nears, the Powers who have attended are thanked for their presence and the blessings they have bestowed.
Closing the gates
The Druids then close the gates that were opened, thanking the Gatekeeper for his assistance and returning the space to its ordinary use.
Thanking the Earth Mother
As the Earth Mother received special honor at the start of the rite, she also is given special thanks at the end—as she is the source of all we are and have.
Closing the Rite
The rite will be ended with another signal to delineate the return from sacred time to ordinary time.