Hymn to Demeter

Daughter to the Great Titans Kronos and Rhea,

Earth Goddess par excellence,

She who brings forth the fruits of the earth

And the life sustaining grains of the land,

We Pray!

Goddess who forsake the throne and riches offered to Her by Her might brother Zeus,

Father of all the Gods,

So that She could live among men upon the earth,

We Pray!

She who taught man the arts of seed and plow

To end the nomadic lives they lead,

Who became the Goddess of planned society.

We Pray!

Great Beloved Goddess Demeter, Mother of Persephone,

We come to honor and praise you!

In Your sadness from the lose of you daughter,

The world suffered bitter winter and death, finding no relief or joy,

Teaching men that all things end.

With the return of Your Daughter, Persephone,

You allowed life to return to the land sending away the cold winter of death.

With this You taught man that life once gone returns anew to the world,

That the eternal soul of all things flows with the cycle of the land.

Demeter, Goddess of the Eleusinian Mysteries,

We come before You in honor of all Your teachings to man,

We come before You to ask that You burn away our impurities

As You once sought to do with Demophon.

Blessed Mysteries of life, death, and life again are yours,

Great Beloved Demeter.

ADF styled Hellenic Beltane

Offering to the Outsiders: You who are not a part of our right, though your way are mighty they are not our ways, give you this offering and ask that you leave us in peace, Outdwellers, turn from our grove!

Precession Song: (Bardic) We approach the Sacred Grove with hearts and minds, flesh and bones, Join us now in ways of old, we have come home. We have come home. 

Purification of the people

Welcome

Two Powers Meditation

Consecration of Place and Time 

Offering to Hestia: Bright shining fire of hearth, warmth of home and soul, source of human survival, We call to you Great eldest and youngest Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, Mighty Hestia, be in our grove! 
Offering to Zeus: Loving King of all the worlds, Father of the gods, hurler of the great lightning bolts, bringer of life sustaining rain, Mighty Zeus, be in our grove!
Offering to the Earth Mother: Great Mother, you who gives live to all to all things that dwell upon your land, sea, and sky, you who bears the green of the land and the fruit of the sea, Blessed Ge, be in our grove! 

Offering to Poetic Inspiration: ( ) Spirit of Inspiration, be in our grove!

Recreation of the Cosmos and Establishing Scared Center 

Invocation of Gatekeeper: Swift footed messenger of the Gods, traveler between the worlds, mighty god of magic, Hermes Chthonos, come to our grove!

Invocation of Spirit of the Well: Spirit of the Well, who’s form is every changing, flow about, beneath, and through us,Let this well be no more a simple well but all wells and all waters of the seas, and the foundation of all the worlds! Spirit of the Well, be in our grove!

Invocation of Spirit of the Tree: Spirit of the Tree, who’s body give us the air we breath, grow beneath, above, and within us, let this tree be no more a simple tree but all trees of all the lands and the axis of all the worlds! Spirit of the Tree, be in our grove!

Invocation of Spirit of Fire: Spirit of Fire, who’s essence sustains the souls of all shine above, about, and within us, let the fire be no more a simple fire but all the fires of all the heavens and the crown of all the worlds! Spirit of the Fire, be in our grove!


Opening of the Gate: Well, Tree, Fire


CHORUS
By Fire and by Water, between the Earth and Sky
We stand like the World-Tree rooted deep, crowned high. (repeat once)



(Yellow makes offering of silver to well-opens the gate)

Come we now to the Well, the eye and the mouth of Earth,
Come we now to the Well, and silver we bring,
Come we now to the Well, the waters of rebirth,
Come we now to the Well, together we sing:

CHORUS

(makes offering to the tree-opens the gate)

Gather we at the Tree, the root & the crown of all,
Gather we at the Tree, Below & above,
Gather we at the Tree, Together we make our call,
Gather we at the Tree, In wisdom & love.

CHORUS

(makes offering to the fire-opens the gate)

We will kindle a Fire, Bless all, and with harm to none,
We will kindle a Fire, and offering pour,
We will kindle a Fire, A light 'neath the Moon & Sun,
We will kindle a fire, our spirits will soar.
CHORUS (with gusto)

All: Let the gates be OPEN!

Let the gates be OPEN!

Let the gates be OPEN!


Chorus

: The gates are OPEN!


Kindred Invocations


Offering to Ancestors: Might Dead ancestors to us, those that have come before so that the way was cleared, we come to honor you this day, come forth to our fire we pray! Beloved Ancestors, accept our offering!

Offering to Nature Spirits: Creatures of fur, feather, flesh and scale, cousins to us all mortal and spirit alike, you who give so much so that we may live, we come to honor you this day, come forth to our fire we pray! Spirits of Nature, accept our offering!

Offering to the Gods: Great Shining Ones, gods and goddess of all times, you who bring order to the cycles of the cosmos we come to honor you this day, come forth to our fire we pray! Mighty gods, accept our offering!


Song: (Bardic) Gods & Dead & Mighty Sidhe, Powers of earth & sky and sea. By fire & well, by sacred tree, Offerings we make to ye!

Main Rite 

Kindred of the Occasion Invocation: 

Invocation to the Nymphs:

We welcome the Nymphs to our Grove,
Bring with you the sacredness of nature,
Help us make this land better for us having been here,
Might Nymphs, accept our offerings! 

Invocation to Pan: 

We call to the son of Hermes and Peneloria, the divine shepherd,
Glorious Pan, the piper of the gates of dawn,
We call you forth from the wild, the untamed woods,
Be in our Grove!
We ask that you bring joy and happiness in our hearts,
Might Pan, accept our offerings!


Invocation to Priapus: 

We call to the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite,
Blessed Priapus, God of the woodlands,
Protector of agriculture,
Rustic God of sheep and bees,
We ask that you bring your fertility to our Grove,
Glorious Priapus, accept our offerings! 


Praise Offerings (a round for each Kindred Invoked, then open to all):


Main Offering :

Gods of sheep herds, bees, fertility, and nature; 
Pan, god who plays the pipes of reed, we give this offering to you.
Priapus, god who is the protector of gardens and graves, we give this offering to you.
Nymphs, spirits of the land and sea, we give this offering to you.
We of the Ozark Mountain Grove give this offering,
We ask that you bless the land in which we gather,
We ask that you bless each member of this rite,
And we beautiful this land in light and in love for all!
Spirits and Gods of the land, Accept our offerings! 


Prayer of Sacrifice-Communion: (Hold Plate of meat, fat and bones towards the fire)

(Place Fat and Bones into the Fire- Then circle through those attending so they make take their portion of the Sacred Meal)


As in days of old, we share the great meal with the Gods! We give unto the Gods that which is their right,

(Place fat and bone into the fire)

And the people share in what is their part,
Blessed Gods, bless us! 

(Each person takes their part of the meal)


Prayer of Sacrifice Libation Hymn: (Pour each out as it is said)

Shining Gods and Goddesses,
We come to you as in times of old, bringing libations, gifts to honour and soothe:

To you all that have come, to all that heard our call we give you these gifts;

White milk, sweet to drink from the animal sacred Hermes, the cow;
(Pour Milk)

Golden honey, the distillation of the bees that work on sweet Persephone’s blossoms; 
(Pour Honey)

Holy water brought from the source a pure spring domain of the Nymphs;
(Pour Water)

This refreshing, unmixed drink from the ancient vine, its mother Demeter the Goddess of all growing things, the gift to human kind from Beloved Dionysus;
(Pour Wine)

And the fragrant fruit of the pale green olive that lives its abundant life among the leaves and light of Helios, the gift of Athena to her people; (Pour Olive Oil)

These gifts we give to you in love and in respect, in friendship and kinship.
Might Ones accept our offerings! 


Taking of the Omen:

Cup Litany:

You among the Mighty Dead, ancestors to us all,
Offerings we have made, offerings you have received.
We ask that you bless these Waters so we may share in the wisdom of
Your great Knowledge! 

(All) The gifts of the Ancestors for the people of the Ancestors!


You of land, sea, and sky; both mortal and spirit alike,
You who are the Nature Spirits,
Offerings we have made, offerings you have received.
We ask that you bless these Waters so we may share in the warmth of your Great Kinship! 

(All) The gifts of the Nature Spirits for the kin of the Nature Spirits!


You among the divine and gods and goddesses of all time,
Offerings we have made, offerings you have received.
We ask that you bless these Waters so we may share in the great Light of Your Truth! 
(All) The gifts of the Gods for the children of the Gods!


In the name of Memory, the preserving shrine.(Well)
In the name of Earth, our common mother.(Tree)
In the name of Truth, the light which has no beginning and no end.(Fire)

May we never know thirst or need while in your service. Awen! (Make sign of ADF sigil over the Waters of Life)


Return the Waters of the Earth: We return the Water of Life so that the land will be better for us having been here. Hail great giving Earth! Keep safe always the sacrifice, keep it ever holy!

End of Rite 

Thank deity of occasion:

Thank the Gods: Might Gods and Goddesses, we of the Ozark Mountain Grove thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts!

Thank the Nature Spirits: Blessed Nature Spirits, cousins to us all, mortal and spirit alike, we of the Ozark
Mountain Grove thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts! 

Thank the Ancestors: Glorious Ancestors, kin to us all, we of the Ozark Mountain Grove thank you for being with. Be with us always in our hearts!
Thank the Spirits of Inspiration: ( )

Thank the Earth Mother: Blessed Ge, mother to us all, we of the Ozark Mountain Grove thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts!

Thank Zeus: ( ) Mighty Zeus, King of all the gods, we of Ozark Mountain Grove thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts!

Thank Hestia: ( ) Bright Virgin Hestia, tender of the sacred flames, we of the Ozark Mountain Grove than you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts.

Close the Gate: By the powers of the Kindred, by the powers of three realms, and by the power of Well, Tree and Fire;

(All) Let the gates be closed!

(All) Let the gates be closed!

(All) LET THE GATES BE CLOSED!
The Gates are closed 

Thank Hermes Chthonos: Might Hermes Chthonos, we thank you for being here at our rite, we ask now that you spend upon your way carrying our prayers and offerings to the Other Worlds and be with us when next we call!

De-Hallowing

Fire: Let this Fire be no more the Crown of all the worlds but simply a fire! Spirit of the Fire we thank thee!

Tree: Let this Tree be no more the Axis of all the worlds but simply a tree! Spirit of the Tree we thank thee!

Well: Let this Well be no more the foundation of all the worlds but simply a well! Spirit of the Well we thank thee!

Closing Two Powers Meditation

End of ritual 


Song: (Bardic) Walk with wisdom from this hallowed place. Walk not in sorrow, our roots shall ere embrace. May strength be your brother, and honour be your friend, And luck be your lover until we meet again.

Beltane

          Beltane is another of the cross quarter Fire Festivals. Traditionally Beltane is a High day much like Samhain, due to the connection the two High Days have, celebrated on the eve of April 30th. Beltane and Samhain divide the year in half. They were both seen as a time when the veil between our world and the Other World is at its thinnest. There are many different names for this time of year; May Day, May Eve, May Morn, and Walpurgis.

          From what I have read in my research of Beltane, that High Day stems from the Celtic culture of ancient times. In the Celtic world it was the Druids who lead this ritual. They would first put out all the fires within the village. Then the Need-Fire would be created. The villagers as well as their live stock would be lead between the flames of the bonfires to help purify and protect them against the spirits from the Other World . There would also be rituals to help guarantee a successful harvest later in the year. Since 1988 there has been a revival of the Beltane Fire Festival that is held each April 30th on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. There are upwards of 15,000 people who attend annually.


          At this time I have not found any cultural festival or practice within the Hellenic culture that corresponds to Beltane or this time of year. The Greeks had hundreds of different festivals and celebrations through out the different cities and Greek states. Many of the local and rural celebration were not in the official Greek festival calendar. The one thing we do know for sure is that festivals where not held during a time that would infer with the planting or harvesting of food.

          Beltane is a celebration observed by the majority of neo-pagans throughout the world. The celebrations are as widely varied as the people who celebrate. The High Day helps us as a people to reconnect to our common distant past.

The unseen wounds...

A friend posted a very powerful image on Facebook, Steve Witzberger, today that really struck home for me. This image is about child abuse but if you look closer it is about more than the physical... it is about the unseen wounds that anger and rage can cause.

Though this image is about children, and we should protect our children at all costs, it of more than that it is about people in general. It speaks of the unseen wounds that are created through physical violence which are carried with us through out this life time. When we strike out in anger there can be serious physical pain. The physical injuries heal with time... the pain they cause fades from memory. What does not heal so easy is the emotional damage that such outrages can cause.

When a child is struck in anger many times they see the person who is suppose to love and protect them causing fear and harm. This action, which to adults seems minor, can and does have life long ramifications. If repeated, over time children begin to develop trust issues with those close to them. Trust issues carry on into adulthood if not resolved.

So please... before you strike out in anger or rage at a child, or another adult, take a moment... walk away from the situation for five minutes. Take deep slow breaths to allow yourself to calm and relax. It is less costly to do this than to strike out for that one brief second. You will thank yourself later... as will the actions of your child when they see you walk away when angry. It is a habit which they too will develop instead of striking out themselves.

Destructive force, we must stop!

 

Take this message to heart. We are the most destructive force on this planet. We consume and consume with little thought or care to what we are doing to the planet around us. One day in the not so distant future our race will wake up and realize we have utterly destroyed a planet filled with life. A planet amazingly rich in diversity solely for the gratification of our own egos and needs.

Nature itself is a destructive force. She can be violent, harsh, and unforgiving but she is also balanced about her forces. What She destroys She rebuilds anew. Within the cycle of Nature all things are in balance... but us.

We are the destabilizing force on our planet. We are the clever creatures that have learned to warp and shape the environment to our every desire while leaving nothing but waste behind us. There has to be change. There has to be balance restored. If we destroy the planet with our constant consumption Nature will find the balance... even if that means the end of our species. She will regenerate without us here. We however will not continue with Her. All life is dependent on the Earth Mother, She is nature... She is life. She cares for all things on Her surface and will not think twice of removing one species to save the rest.

Take this message to heart, know that you are no more important than an ant colony, a herd of elephants or a pod of whales... you are just another animal among many... and we as a species ARE replaceable.   

Pagan Clergy... what do we expect of our Pagan/ADF Clergy

When we think of Clergy there are many versions of what a Clergy member is. Forever path, tradition, or domination there is a different meaning. Heck for that matter for every person there is a meaning for what a Clergy person is and is not. To me a Clergy member serves several functions.

For me Clergy are the driving force expanding our understanding of the cosmos. They are the ones exploring the frontier which is the misty regions beyond what most people understand about the world, the universe, and the Kindred.

For me Clergy are the group who help us understand a more in-depth understanding of our beliefs... they take us beyond the ADF Druidry 101 stuff. Let's face it, the Pagan world is FILLED with 101 crap. It's time to get into the really DEEP understanding... the 'science' behind the art.

For me Clergy are the ones I turn too when in a personal or spiritual crisis. They are the ones who help me see beyond the immediate pain to see the other side... to see where I cannot.

And for me Clergy are the teachers... they are the ones who help us understand the will of the Kindred when it is clouded to us.

I do not think that Clergy are administrators. That is what the rest of the 'flock' are for. They are there to help run the day to day things so Clergy CAN do what they were drawn to service for. But then that is just me.

Consumer wastes... fashion needy morons.

I love the morning radio. It really is an insightful media on just how far our society is falling. This morning the DJ crew were talking about fashion and how it is a major fopa to wear the same outfit more than once. REALLY? This really brought home for me just how moron as a society we are. We are so into consumerism that we have begun to believe that items such as cloths and electronics are disposable.

What is wrong with wearing the same outfit more than once? Cloths are made to last. They are made from durable fabrics which are meant to last for years. To wear article of clothing just once is a terrible waste and a drain on the nature resources. I have some cloths that I have had for 5, 6, even 7 years that are still is outstanding condition and I wear regularly. Why on earth would I replace them after just ONE use? Cloths are not cheap. The process of getting them from the plant state to wearable cloths is a long drawn out process that requires a great deal of resources and produces a great deal of green house gases. Do people not realize that by replacing cloths after just one use they are dramatically adding to the destruction of the planet?

With electronics we are even worse, and I admit at times I have been quality of this as well when it comes to electronics. Every year or two new phone designs come out, especially with Apple's iPhones. People replace perfectly good phones for the newest and latest phones. Why? If you phone works just fine, doesn't have any serious malfunctions that prevent it from working as designed WHY does it need to be replaced? Same thing for tablets, e-readers, and laptops. Why? Again the process of creating electronics is extremely drawn out and unbelievably destructive to the environment yet we want the latest, newest, most powerful tool... that gets used to do the same on thing; check emails, update Facebook or twitter, to surf the web or to just text. The year old electronics you have will do just fine! Look at gaming consoles... they last for extremely long periods of time before newer version come out. Why? because people don't want to spend large sums of money replacing them... yet they will spend $500, $600, $800  every year to two years to update that iPhone or Android phone, or get the NEWEST tablet.

It is NOT just our cars or AC's in our homes that cause green house gases. The factories that great the goods we consume produce them even more than we do... yet we refuse to stop consuming at such an alarming rate. Stop for one moment and seriously think about how much you consume. Do you use a item until it is no longer functioning or do you simply get the latest newest fashion item on the market?

E-ink Android Smartphone

I have been completely and totally fascinated with E-ink and E-Readers since I first started reading about the concept. The technology has taken off a lot better than most people believed it ever would. Well now it appears that there will be an Android Smartphone that uses E-Ink. Read this article... this would be truly amazing!

If you don't need all the latest screens, all the latest super fast text... but want a smartphone for reading, texting, light browsing, and making calls and still have battery you can use for weeks this would be an amazing phone... I think I would love this!

E-Ink Android smartphone unveiled for the hyper-connected minimalist