Ritual Mechanics

1) Explain why purification is important prior to ritual, and what you do to purify yourself before you lead a rite. Include any prayers said, items used, and any stage directions needed to help your reviewer understand what is happening. (min. 150 words, not including prayers, items, and directions)

Purification is designed to prepare all participants and celebrants in the ritual for the work of the ritual, honoring the Kindreds, and making sacrifice. Purification is important because as we approach our work it is important to leave behind those things that don’t serve us in honoring the Kindreds in the best way we are able. This can be physical acts of purification, but more commonly is preparing the mind, so that “we can approach ritual pure and focused” (Newburg). It is customary in ADF rituals to purify the Folk before they enter the ritual space. This is often done with water and fire/smoke. The Folk are asked to wash their hands, or are aspersed with waters and/or incense is lit and the smoke is encouraged to mingle about the body. This covers the three parts of purification that Newburg discusses: the Folk are washed clean, thus removing ‘undesirables;’ they are then fumigated, thus adding ‘desirable’ to themselves before ritual; and the space is purified to mark it as sacred for the work ahead. Purification with water and fire/smoke also acts as a sort of neuro-linguistic programming trigger, helping to signify to the Folk that they are about to enter a Sacred Space and the should prepare themselves for the work.

When I am leading a rite I always make sure that I am clean in the mundane sense the day of a ritual, and so if possible I shower as close to the time of ritual as possible, though if nothing else I will at least wash my face and hands. During this process I visualize the water washing away the extraneous thoughts that weigh me down and distract me from the ritual work at hand, and think about setting aside any emotions that would distract me from carrying out the work ahead. When I do rituals at my home shrine, I also wash my face and hands first. I don’t have any set words that I say as I purify myself in this way, just the visualization.

The next step for me when I am leading a ritual is to prepare the space that I’m using, making sure that all necessary tools and sacrifices are accounted for, set up, and ready to go. After the space is prepared, the pre-ritual briefing occurs. This is a time to tell the Folk what to expect going into ritual. It’s extremely brief if it’s a well-practiced group of celebrants, or can be rather long if there are a lot of new Folks who aren’t familiar with the way an ADF ritual is run. It is after this that I reconnect with anyone who has an active part in the ritual (in our grove it’s kind of a group huddle with a brief establishment of group mind, and a little pep talk), and then in the moments after that, but before the processional, I purify myself. This where I take a moment to find my own center and take several deep breaths, once again letting go of anything that may distract me from the ritual at hand. Oftentimes I stand with my left hand on my belly and my right hand wrapped around my Fire necklace that I received for my Initiation and represents the Fire at the Center of Worlds. I find my own center in those breaths, and then wait for the Folk to arrive and be purified.

2) Explain how you position your body and hands when inviting the Kindreds and making Key Offerings, what that position means, and why it is important to have a position that is (or several positions that are) consistent between rituals. (min. 100 words for description and meaning, min 150 for importance)

When calling to the Earth Mother I crouch down on the balls of my feet and put my fingertips on the ground, sometime with one leg down on the ground in a kind of half-kneeling position. I feel that it is important to have a physical connection with the Earth when calling to Her. When I call to Hestia I have a lighter or match in my right hand and her candle flame in my left. I hold the candle chest level while I speak the prayer to her, and then light the candle and set it down. I hold the candle at chest level because part of my typical invocation is to let “the flame in my heart kindle the flame on my hearth.” My Grove has adopted certain postures for calling to each of the Kindreds that I use both in Grove rituals as well as in rituals at my home shrine. When calling to the Ancestors I look and reach towards the ground, palms parallel to and facing the ground at about hip level. When calling to the Nature Spirits I reach out to my side, looking levelly across the earth, arms bent at the elbows and palms facing in towards the center flame. My fingers are spread and my hands are slightly cupped. When I call to the Shining Ones I reach up and look towards the sky, arms extended upwards slightly more than shoulder width apart, palms cupped and facing up. These positions help reaffirm in my mind the beings that are being called. When I make the Key Offerings my body position for the invocation will depend on which of the Kindreds the being most closely matches. Most often, my body position matches the position for the Shining Ones. This is also the position I use when speaking the words for the Final Sacrifice.

When making physical offerings, there are a couple of things to take into consideration. First is what I am offering. Typically for me, I am offering either oil or wine, and less often some form of grain or a highly flammable liquid. A mundane thing to take into consideration is where the offering will go, and how to make that offering safely. This means when offering a highly flammable liquid to the Fire, you should definitely be careful to not set yourself on fire. So, when I am pouring an offering, I typically hold the container for the liquids in my right hand, and bring my left hand across my belly to hold my robes and any paraphernalia I’m wearing out of the way of the flame and the splash zone. If I am offering something else that is dry, I will typically hold the container it is in in my left hand, and reach into it with my right hand, taking up a handful to sprinkle out onto the ground (or offering bowl if I am inside). I feel that when I am making offerings it is not just the physical offering that I give, but it is also the act of pouring or sprinkling that is part of the offering and sends the gift to the Kindreds.

It is important to keep some postures and gestures consistent between rituals for a couple of reasons. First, it is useful from a trance standpoint. Making the same gesture or holding the same position every time you do something will create that as a pneumonic device, or an anchor. Anchors are a type of stimulus that invokes a certain mindset. As the anchor is created and reinforced it becomes more successful. A successful anchor is something that is a unique stimulus and can be linked to a specific state and repeated (Ellerton). This means that, for example, if you kneel to touch the ground when honoring the Earth Mother at the beginning of ritual, it may be wise to avoid that position for other parts of the ritual, especially because this happens so early in our rituals and is one of the first physical indicators that will pull the Folk into a group mind. This, and other postures and gestures, are useful to keep consistent between rituals because as they link up with a specific state of mind, it allows the group mind to be more quickly and more firmly established.

3) Describe your meditation practice as it stands today. Include its regularity, any positions you may use or prayers you may say, and the method(s) you typically use. (min. 200 words)

The form of meditation that I practice most regularly is mindfulness. This is being aware of your surroundings and being able to acknowledge the thoughts passing through your mind and let them go. It is one of the ways that I practice the quiet mind and let the thoughts and cares from the day go. Mindfulness is something that I practice everyday. By practicing mindfulness I am more able to keep my emotions from influencing my thoughts and actions. I can be aware of them all simultaneously and make more mindful and thoughtful decisions in all parts of my life.

Another method I use is a form of active meditation. This is done when my body is focused on doing one thing, which then occupies parts of the brain enough that a quiet mind is easier to achieve. It helps me to calm the “monkey mind.” When my body is engaged, the extraneous thoughts tend to go with it, and then the remainder of my mind is free to process deeper thoughts. Activities that I use for this include practicing yoga, karate forms, as well as detailed coloring and crocheting. I practice this active form of meditation about 2 to 3 times per week, and for around 30 minutes at a time.

I also engage in more traditional meditation practices. These involve sitting comfortably and entering a meditative state through square breathing (breathe in 2-3-4, hold 2-3-4, breathe out 2-3-4, hold 2-3-4, repeat…). When I do this type of meditation I spend between 5 and 15 minutes breathing like this. I try to make time for this type of meditative about 4 times per week. I have better luck on weekdays when I am able to wake up before my daughter is awake, and before I head to work.

While I don’t regularly pray before meditation, the prayer that I speak when I do is:

The fire in my heart flickers and flames,

Its glow warms my heart and my soul.

May the light and warmth spread throughout me,

as I breathe its embers to life.

All of these methods, mindfulness, active meditation, and square breathing, help me maintain a calm and present state where I get more out of my devotionals, rituals, and trance work.

4) Explain how two different active ADF Priests light a ritual fire. Describe the actions done, any prayers or magical work done. Explain how you light a ritual fire, including actions, prayers, and magical work you may do.

Rev. Rob Henderson lights a ritual fire:

Rev. Rob Henderson is a Hellene, so I have chosen to include his short and to the point description of how he lights a ritual fire.

“I used to keep a perpetual flame in my home, but my new living circumstances don’t allow it. These days I just use a lighter to light the candle, then hold my hand over it and say “Hestia, bless this flame.”

For SLG, we light the candle the night before the ritual (or the day of if nobody wants to stay the night) and say a prayer to Bel, Bri’d, and Lugh. No special magical work.”

Rev. Michael J Dangler lights a ritual fire:

Rev. Michael J Dangler probably has the most thorough explanation of lighting and consecrating a ritual fire that I have seen, so I have chosen to also include his method, as it can be adapted and applied to many cultures.

Lighting the Fire

I’m a bit picky about my fires and how they’re lit, if they’re going to be used for ritual. On the very mundane side, I tend to make teepee-style fires because they light easily and concentrate the flame and coals in the center. On the spiritual side, it’s a bit different.

I light my fires “one technological step back” from the current technology (which happens to be lighters and accelerant) wherever possible; typically, this means matches and untreated wood (though I don’t mind using kiln-dried wood, particularly with Emerald Ash Borer’s around). The reason for this is because while I’m sure that our ancestors would totally have used a lighter to light a fire used for purely mundane needs, they wouldn’t have used it to light a ritual fire or hearth fire in their home. Sacred fires were always lit in a terribly inefficient way (brought from far away on a certain night, lit by fire-bows or drilling, or lit from special woods); thus fire is the “Son of Strength” in Vedic lore.

While the fire is catching on the tinder/kindling, I recite a prayer to the flames.

Because of the very nature of fire, this prayer expands and contracts a bit with the amount of time it takes to light the fire and get it to a point where it can receive offerings (without being put out by someone pouring beer on it, thinking it will burn). Despite this, the fire always includes some very specific things: it references the fire as the center, and its importance to all three realms; it mentions the birth of fire and its relation to the waters; and it describes the fire as first guest and first host. Other things that are commonly added talk about the fire bringing the Kindreds forth, devouring the sacrifice, and other similar images.

Here might be a basic prayer for a quick fire-lighting:

Quick Fire Lighting Prayer

Born in the waters,

Kindled upon the land

With a pillar of smoke that rises through the atmosphere

And supports the heavens:

This fire burns at the center of all.

May it carry our voices to the Kindreds.

Longer Fire Lighting Prayer

Born in the waters,

Kindled upon the land

With a pillar of smoke that rises through the atmosphere

And supports the heavens!

This fire burns at the center of all.

First guest and first host:

You bring the Gods to sit with us,

Light the ways for the Blessed Dead,

And shine in the eyes of the Nature Spirits.

As we make our offerings here today,

May our voices be carried to the Kindreds.

Extra-Long Fire Lighting Prayer

Born in the waters,

Kindled upon the land

With a pillar of smoke that rises through the atmosphere

And supports the heavens!

This fire burns at the center of all.

First guest and first host:

You bring the Gods to sit with us,

Light the ways for the Blessed Dead,

And shine in the eyes of the Nature Spirits.

We see them as they sit among us,

Your voice singing them down the old roads.

As we offer to you, you offer to them,

Devouring and transforming the sacrifice.

As we make our offerings here today,

May our voices be carried to the Kindreds.

By now, I typically hope that the fire is finally lit, or I keep praying until it is.

Throughout the process, I am concentrating on the flame: watching it move from place to place, encouraging it with smiles, helping it spread. I will typically move the flame about, and feed it a bit more. Very often, at the end, I will pour out or place a small offering in the fire, the first of many.

Consecrating the Sacred Fire

If I light the fire, then I have no difficulty at all with the fire being sacred and prepared for ritual. If I do not, though, I will often re-consecrate the fire with a bundle of sacred woods. The process of making these bundles is a bit laborious, but it gets the job done.

I begin with collecting woods from nine sacred trees. As I do this, I pray to each of the trees a short prayer to the tree in question.

Prayers for The Nine Woods:

Oak (quercus robur) – English Oak

Mighty Oak, cup of study!

You who love the lightning

And are loved by the gods of the sky:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Birch (betula pendula) – Silver Birch

Birch, tree of authority!

You go first into the brave new world

And teach others through your example:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Hazel (corylus avellana) – Common Hazel

Hazel, voice of the Bard!

The Salmon ate your wisdom,

And those who eat him have wisdom’s voice:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Rowan (sorbus aucuparia) – Mountain Ash

Rowan, tree of magic!

Strong and resilient with blood-red berries,

You grant tools to those who know you:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Hawthorn (crataegus monogyna) – Common Hawthorn

Hawthorn, bough of piety!

Purifying flame that frightens evil,

Protective thorn that guards my life:

I ask that you give of yourself

That I may grow in your ways.

Willow (salix viminalis) – Common Osier

Willow, depth of understanding!

Liminal Tree of the world’s edge,

With Cranes among your branches:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Fir (abies alba) – European Silver Fir

Fir, words of silver!

Favorite of the hungry fire,

Whose voice crackles when he sings of you:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Apple (malus sylvestris) – European Wild Apple (crabapple)

Apple, tree of the Ancestors!

Your silver fruit lines the land of the dead,

And the wind in your leaves rings clear:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Vine (vitis vinifera) – Common Grapevine

Vine, knower of truth!

You wrap around the issue,

Digging in and rooting for the cause:

I ask that you give of yourself,

That I may grow in your ways.

Bundling the Nine Woods

You will need:

Your Nine Woods
A white cord of cotton (approx. 9” long)
A red cord of cotton (approx. 9” long)
A green cord of cotton (approx. 9” long)

When you have all Nine Woods brought together and the three cords cut, light a fire upon your altar and lay the wood so that one end is away from you. Speak these three prayers as you tie the woods together:

As you tie the green cord at the far end:

From the land I have brought these woods:

The Spirits of the Land have aided me in finding them.

I tie a knot of fertility;

I tie a knot of moderation;

I tie a knot of hospitality.

May this bundle of woods make my good fire

Warm and welcoming to all.

As you tie the red cord in the middle:

From the waters I have brought these woods:

The Spirits of my Ancestors aided me in finding them.

I tie a knot of perseverance;

I tie a knot of integrity;

I tie a knot of courage.

May this bundle of woods make my good fire

Bright and visible to all.

As you tie the white cord at the near end:

From the sky above I have brought these woods:

The Shining Gods and Goddesses aided me in finding them.

I tie a knot of piety;

I tie a knot of vision;

I tie a knot of wisdom.

May this bundle of woods make my good fire

The shining Fire of Sacrifice.

Once the woods are bundled, I bless them with fire, water, and additional prayers. Here’s the basic instructions on how to do this step:

Blessing the Bundle of Woods

You will need:

Your Bundle of Nine Woods
Blessed waters from your rite

With the woods gathered and bundled, now is the time to bless them. Speak these words in the presence of fire, as you sprinkle waters upon them:

These are the blessings from the Holy Ones,

Granted to me through sacrifice and blessing:

May the omens of this rite bless these woods.

May these woods soak up the blessing from above.

May these woods soak up the blessing from below.

May these woods soak up the blessing from all around.

I shall remember the omens drawn tonight,

And I will work with these blessings,

Bringing them to the Folk,

As the Spirits require.

So be it.

Consecrating the Fire

Of course, when all is done, you’ll use them to consecrate a flame. The basic prayer here is similar to the one above, but since the fire is already going, it doesn’t typically have to account for “OMG THE FIRE ISN’T GOING YET!” sort of thoughts.

Here at the center, this fire burns:

Born of the Waters,

Kindled upon the land,

Reaching through the atmosphere,

Supporting the heavens with a pillar of smoke.

May our words reach the ears of the Kindreds.

May our sacrifices be pleasing to them.

May this flame see all, and never burn the just.

Jan Avende lights a ritual fire

I am a Hellene, so when I am doing a ritual at my hearth, or in a Hellenic culture for a public rite, I call to Hestia. She is the sacred flame, and therefor is who I call when I am lighting a fire for a sacred purpose. I have written many variations on the prayer I say from the simple one that I use at my hearth, to the version for public ritual, to the version used within the Hellenic Kin (Oi Asproi Koukouvayies) for tending our communal flame. I am including here the version of this prayer that I use in public ritual:

The Children of the Earth call out to Hestia!

First-born and last-born,

You are the Lady of our Hearth and Heart.

Your fire burns strong in us,

And we ask that it burn brightly here on our hearth now.

Hestia, sweet fire-maiden,

Join us here. Be our good fire and sanctify our hearth.

Warm us and light our way.

Hestia, accept our sacrifice!

To light the fire itself, I light a long stick of incense. Before blowing it out I light the Hestia candle. The incense becomes the offering that is made to her. If it is an indoor rite, this is all the physical actions that need to be done. If it is an outdoor rite with a large fire, then I will have done some work ahead of time such as laying the wood, and lighting the larger fire. I avoid as much as possible using accelerant of any kind (inclement weather can sometimes impede this desire), and instead rely on the careful laying of kindling, and the controlled air that breathes the fire to life. Then, in the very beginning of the ritual, I take the lit incense and transfer the flame to the fire that the Folk will be sacrificing to.

The magical actions that are done when lighting a ritual fire for me include a visualization of the flame that I tend at my hearth and that I maintain as one of my connections to the relationship with the Kindreds. I hold this flame within myself always, and when I’m light the flame for ritual, I see my inner flame joining with the ritual flame. I then see the fire licking around the logs and making the earth glow as the embers heat. These embers connect the fire to the earth. I then see the smoke spiraling up into the sky. This smoke connects the fire to the heavens. Our prayers and sacrifices are sent to the gods on the smoke when they are burned, so establishing this connection between the fire and the heavens is vitally important.

5) Describe three different methods of (Re)creating Sacred Space, as used by at least two different active ADF Priests. Explain the actions done, the reason for those actions, and any specific magical work the Priest does during the (Re)creating of Sacred Space portion of the ritual. Provide an original script with stage directions for (Re)creating of Sacred Space based on one of these methods.

Rev. Sue Parker describes (Re)Creating Sacred Space:

We use the Fire, Well, and Tree to recreate the cosmos with those symbols. We purify the area with fire and water. Fire and water are the first elements. It’s what all things come from and sustains all life. The magical work we are doing when we recreate the cosmos is connecting with all the sacred fires and all the sacred waters that exist within us all. We are focusing on having that magic come into our grove and into our heart to aid us in our work.

Rev. Melissa Hill describes (Re)Creating Sacred Space:

I primarily work with the hallows as the Fire, Well, and Tree when I recreate sacred space. One way that I like to work in ritual is by having the Folk tone while I speak words over each of the hallows in turn. I usually start with the well, and will silver the well and hold my hand over the well. I might say something like:

This is the sacred well of the world, this is the place where the ancestors dwell. Let this sink deep into the earth and let our words travel deep down to the waters under the world. See now as the waters swirl upward from the depths, and settle in this place and time, connecting us to our ancestors and the primordial waters. Let this well be part of the triple center.

As I do this I envision the waters in the aquifer below swirling upward and connecting with our physical representation of the well.

Then I give oil to the fire and holding my hand over the flames I might say something like:

This is now the sacred fire of the gods, touched by the blessings of the kindred. The flames of this fire reach up and light the way for us, transforming our offerings and letting them rise like smoke to the highest and wisest of us, the gods and goddesses. See now as the fire burns ever more brightly and the spark of divinity resides within it. Let this fire be part of the triple center.

As I do this I envision the fire becoming more intense. Pouring oil on the fire is a nice way to create the physical reality of this phenomenon.

Lastly I light incense from the fire to cense the tree with. Rather than holding my hand over this hallow I start from the top and cense the tree from top to bottom and back to the top again. As I do this I say something like:

This is the sacred tree which connects all the realms. Let the roots of this tree reach deep into the otherworlds, let its branches span the heights. We are connected with all the realms by the will of the tree.

Rev. William Ashton describes (Re)Creating Sacred Space:

What method, or methods, do you use when recreating sacred space?

Honestly, nothing that I see as out of the ordinary or unique. It’s pretty much the standard ADF Fire/Well/Tree model. We mark a center, and within the visible Firelight is our ‘space’.

What do you do?

Light Fire, Silver Well, Cense Tree.

Why do you do that?

As per ADF custom, and Pan-IE traditions, these hallows are the Triple Center of the Cosmos. Essentially, in recreating the Triple Center, we’re making our space, for that time, THE space.

Are you doing any specific magical work?

Not that I would define as magic. I believe that by naming Fire/Well/Tree as sacred, and as a trifunctional center, that the consciousness of the Folk helps to create that Truth.

Jan Avende describes (Re)Creating Sacred Space:

The Re-Creation of the Cosmos lines up the different realms, so that they are overlaid, or parallel. It is common to sanctify the space around the ritual and the ritual participants as part of the (Re)Creation of the Cosmos. This works well, since we are creating the Sacred Center of ritual, and setting aside the mundane for a time in order to commune with the spirits.

When I Re-Create the Cosmos I first hallow the space around the ritual participants, to be sure that the miasma is washed clean and chaos is left behind. Then I initiate the connection to the worlds by declaring that the smoke from our sacred Fire will carry our prayers to the gods. I then Hallow the Fire and the Well, allowing the objects that represent them to become fit for the purpose of ritual. Then I take the omphalos and bring it to the center, declaring that it marks the Sacred Center of all the Realms. The (Re)Creation of the Cosmos works because it establishes the Sacred Center and primed the space for the Opening of the Gates.

Because I am mimicking the first establishment of the Center, the magic being performed here is sympathetic. I am mimicking the directions of Zeus, as he searched for the Center of the World.

Below are the words I say most often when (Re)Creating the Cosmos:

“Let this area around us be purified sacred space where we go to meet the gods, and the gods descend down to meet with us.

Let the smoke from our sacred fire carry our voices to the heavens to be heard by the gods.

I place this omphalos at the center of worlds, just as it marked the center of the ancient world. My hands, like two eagles, flying to meet in the middle and establish this as the sacred center of worlds.

Through this sacred center, let the World Tree grow, plunging deep within the earth to touch the Sacred Waters below and reaching through the sky to embrace the Sacred Fires above.”

6) Describe three different methods of Calling/Hallowing/Affirming the Waters, as used by at least two different active ADF Priests. Explain the actions done, the reason for those actions, and any specific magical work the Priest does during the Calling/Hallowing/Affirming of the Waters. Provide an original script with stage directions for the Calling/Hallowing/Affirming of the Waters based on one of these methods.

Rev. Sue Parker describes Calling/Hallowing/Affirming the Waters:

We are taking the blessings of the omen and the blessings of the Kindreds and imbuing the drink with that power and those blessings. I visualize the omen in the water, either through the symbol or through other means. I see the lights, the colored lights, coming in from all around and imbuing the waters with those lights. A lot of it is visualization. I get tingly and can feel it.

Rev. Melissa Hill describes Calling/Hallowing/Affirming the Waters:

With the waters in a bowl, I ask two or three ritual participants to help me by holding the bowl. It works particularly well if these people have been part of the hallowing of the fire, well and tree, or had another significant part in the ritual. If I’m not holding the bowl with them, I put one hand up with my palm toward the bowl. The idea is that I am serving as one channel for the energies that will flow back to us in the blessing of the waters. Certainly the gods and spirits can choose to bless the waters without using me as a conduit, but I find that it aids in the power of the moment if we provide multiple channels. I find that it is also useful to ask the congregation to quietly tone while I speak the words of the blessing over it. It allows the entire group to become a conduit and also is a nice way of increasing group unity.

I usually call on each kindred in turn to bless the waters, as well as trying to incorporate the omen into the blessing, which requires some improvisation. I put the kindred that includes the BotO last. That means on Samhaine the ancestors would be the last group I call on, but for Yule it would be the Shining Ones most likely since we often celebrate the return of Saule for that holy day. Here is an example of something I might say:

I call to the Ancestors to bring their blessings to us on this day

Let these waters be filled with their energy and their love

Let these waters swirl and move with the dark energies of potential and the strength of the lessons learned from the past.

Let them be infused with the blessings of (whatever the omen was)

Give us the waters!

All repeat: Give us the waters!

I call to the Nature Spirits, those of green shoot and red blood.

I call to the Alfar and the Totem spirits great and small who guard the land

With wild eyes and glowing green light I call to you and ask that you bless these waters with your energies and gifts. As we have given to you so we ask that you give to us and let these waters be infused with the blessings of (whatever the next omen pulled was)

Give us the waters!

All repeat: Give us the waters!

I call to the Shining Ones, the goddesses and gods who guide the worlds

I call to those who shine in the darkness and those who dwell in the light

Blessed ones, wisest and mightiest of us all I ask that you share your powers with us and imbue these waters with your gifts! Let these waters be infused with the blessings of (whatever the last omen was)

Give us the waters!

All repeat: Give us the waters!

Each time we say Give us the waters the people holding the container of the Waters of Life raise them up a little higher until at the end they’re over our heads. At the end I say, “Behold, the Waters of Life!” and then we distribute them according to what is appropriate for the rite.

Rev. William Ashton describes Calling/Hallowing/Affirming the Waters:

How do you do the Return Flow?

Recently, I’ve taken to speaking (or sometimes singing) Rev. Melissa Burchfield’s “Send Down the Waters”, ending with a call and response of “Behold, the Waters of Life!”

What do you do?

In short, sing the song while visualizing the lyrics in offering energy, flowing to the realms, and the filling of the Horn from those realms.

Why do you do that?

There needs to be a physical, liturgical and magical component of the return flow. I believe that utilizing the song (with the Folk joining in the chorus) as well as visualization, accomplishes the complete practice of securing the return flow for the Folk.

Are you doing any specific magical work?

Other than visualization, and “energy” directing, I wouldn’t say so.

Jan Avende describes Calling/Hallowing/Affirming the Waters:

The Return Flow takes place after all the offerings have been made. It is the reciprocal part from the Gods, that as we have given gifts to them, now we ask for gifts in return. When we ask for blessings from the Kindreds, we take an Omen to see what form those blessings will take. Then the Blessings are infused in some way, often within the Waters, so that the Folk can imbibe them and take them within themselves, and carry them into the work ahead and into their lives.

When I Call for the Blessings, I first reflect on the omens that the Seer has received and interpreted. It is important to understand the omen, because that is what you are going to be infusing the Waters with, and offering to the Folk. I find it useful in larger, especially diverse, rites to also call on the Folk themselves to consider the omens and their interpretation, and how it applies to them. I then ask for the Theoi to give us their blessings, as we have given of ourselves.

I use the imagery of the moon to help the Folk visualize the Blessings filling the Waters. I hold the vessel of water aloft as I ask for the Theoi to send down their blessings and Hallow the Waters. As I am doing this I reach out in all directions with tendrils of awareness, and use them to act as a conduit and a funnel for the blessings, so that they make it into the vessel.

As I feel the vessel getting heavier, more dense, and often slightly warmer, I declare that with the blessings of the gods we can grow ourselves, and symbolize this mixing of our energies by pouring the blessing infused waters into the wine (or juice). Some of the water is reserved for any workings that will be done, as well as for those who desire a non-alcoholic drink (when wine has been used). The Folk are then invited to imbibe and reflect on the blessings. The Blessings are Affirmed as we declare that we accept and welcome them, and take them into ourselves.

Below are words, or a variation on them, that I commonly say when conducting the Calling/Hallowing/Affirming of the Waters:

*have vessel filled with wine, and vessel filled with water. Water is infused with the blessings and poured into the wine. Some water is set aside for the working*

Having given of ourselves, and received wisdom and blessings in return, we now seek to take of those blessings to enrich ourselves for the work that is to come. We seek to fill ourselves with these blessings so that we may be thusly imbued with the sacred powers and apply ourselves to the work ahead.

*take vessel filled with water and hold it aloft*

Theoi, Give us the Waters!

See the Power of the Fires Above filling these waters.

Theoi, Give us the Waters!

See the Power of the Waters Below filling these waters.

Theoi, Give us the Waters!

See the Power of the world around us filling these waters.

*vessel held now at chest level with one hand holding it below and one hand hovering above. The hand above trances the symbol of each omen, then hand, palm down, focusing the intent of that symbol into the waters*

Let the brightness of the Shining Gods fill these waters with the omens we have received, [Omen, Omen, and Omen]. Let their blessings grow in strength like the light of the moon, shining with the brilliant power akin to the noon-day sun.

*vessel is held aloft as water is infused with the blessings*

Theoi! Rain your blessings down upon us, and fill our Sacred Cup.

Their strength shall augment our strength *blessed waters are poured into wine. reserve some waters for the working* as we approach the workings ahead.

Drink deep, Children of Earth, and think on the gifts we’ve been given.

Esto!

7) Describe three different methods of Opening the Gates, as used by at least two different active ADF Priests. Explain the actions done, the reason for those actions, and any specific magical work the Priest does during the Gate Opening. Provide an original script with stage directions for the Gate Opening based on one of these methods.

Rev. Sue Parker describes Opening the Gates:

We say a prayer to Manannan mac Lir and ask him to ward the ways. I see a mist and use a spiral along with breath work and visualization and open my hand as the gate opens. Always move the spiral clockwise to open and counter-clockwise to close. The hallows are arranged in a triskel and the final let the gates be open is the circle that surrounds a triskel. The spiral motion is used for each of the hallows at their point on the triskel and for the final openings. When the Gates open it’s more of a veil that is opening and parting. The mists flow around and part as each gate opens. Each individual gate is like a key that must be turned in order for the Gates to open, and when the Gates open it is more like a light tingly curtain that is opening across a stage.

Rev. Melissa Hill describes Opening the Gates:

One way I enjoy using to open the gates in public ritual is using my staff. First we sing the portal song and hallow each of the gates in turn with silver for the well, oil for the fire, and incense for the tree. Then the I ask the grove to help me open the gates and we make a pushing motion with our hands as we repeat, “Open the Gates!” over and over building from a quieter voice to a louder and more authoritative one. I hold the staff in one hand and use it as a baton to direct the energy. When I feel that the energy has built to a crescendo I use the staff as a focus to push open the gates as I raise it up in a physical signal to the grove that we are releasing the energy. After that I stand solemnly and state that the gates are open and say something like, “The ways between the worlds are open and our words will resonate to the edge of all things for we stand at the center of the all.”

Rev. William Ashton describes Opening the Gates:

How do you Open & Close the Gates?

After offering to The Ferryman, our Gatekeeper, I name the Fire and Well as gates, and the Tree as the connection and highway between the realms… then ask together with the Folk that the gates be open (sorry, I don’t do the Thomas-Twist).

What do you do?

Post offerings, I “draw” druid sigils over the Fire, Well and Tree as I say,

Let the Fire open as a Gate

Let the Well open as a Gate

Let the Tree hold fast the Way between

By our will, and by our words…

Let the Gates be OPEN!

Why do you do that?

It’s the way I learned how to do it, to be honest. I’m still not fully on board in the historic relevance of a “Gatekeeper”, but since I’m an ADF loyalist, I do the gate thing to the best of my ability in service to the Folk, and to the order.

Are you doing any specific magical work?

Absolutely. There’s some high theurgy goin’ on here.

By inviting The Ferryman, and asking for His aid in fostering connection between the realms, and carrying our words and intentions to the Kindreds at the Otherworld Fires, combined with the sigil making and naming ‘will’ and ‘word’, the Gates “magically” open. 😉 poof!

Jan Avende describes Opening the Gates:

After the Cosmos has been Re-Created, the space is primed and the Gates are ready to be opened. When the Gates are opened the space between the realms is connected, so that we are better able to hear the Kindreds and they are better able to hear us. It is akin to ringing the doorbell of a spirit. While they are all around us, Opening the Gates allows us to get their attention.

When I Open the Gates, I call on a Gatekeeper for assistance. In my personal rites, this is usually Hekate. I say an invocation that praises Her and extols the reasons why I desire to work with Her in particular. Then I ask that She join Her magic with mine, and help me open the Gates. The physical motions that I make are echoes of what many in ADF do. When Opening the Gate to the Underworld through the Well I make a spiral motion from my center, counter-clockwise down towards my feet. When Opening the Gate to the Upperworld through the Fire I make a spiral motion from my center, clockwise up towards the sun towards my feet. The reason these spirals go opposite directions is because they are meant to form a single ‘corkscrew’, so as the orientation changes as it passes the horizontal horizon, the direction of the spiral appears to change.

To connect the realms I first form a ball (Tai Chi “hold the ball”) at my navel with my right hand on top and left on bottom, then I press my right hand up towards the heavens, and my left hand down towards the earth. Finally, as I proclaim the Gates to be open I take my hands from a ‘prayer’ position and open them out to my sides.

The motions help to focus the intent of the magic, and the gatekeeper helps provide the power to do so. It is the relationship with the spirit that makes the magic possible.

Below are the words I say most often when Opening/Closing the Gates:

“We call out now to Hekate to guide us in walking between the worlds:

Hekate, at moonlit crossroads, you befriend the helpless.

Keyholding Mistress of Earth, Sea, and Sky.

Dark Mother Hekate,

Ghosts and hounds follow you.

You are the black puppy and the black she-lamb.

Torchbearer, we praise you for the brightness of your power.

We offer you [eggs and wine].

Hekate of the Crossroads be our Guide!

Guide us as you guided Demeter in her journey.

Reveal to us the way to walk in safety.

Radiant Hekate of the Torches,

Guiding Light, Keeper of the Keys,

Join your hidden knowledge and power with ours

and help us to open the Gates between the worlds.

Let this water become the Well, and open as a Gate to the worlds below.

Our connections deepen to the Chthonic beings as the Gate is opened.

Let this flame become the Fire, and open as a Gate to the worlds above.

Our connections deepen to the Ouranic beings as the Gate is opened.

Let this Omphalos stand at the center, and mark our sacred center here and in all the world.

Let the tree wrap its roots around the stone and sink into the Well, and let it’s branches stretch upwards and reach for the Fire.

We stand here, connected at the Sacred Center to all the realms of Land, Sea, and Sky.

Let the Gates be Open!”

8) Explain the purpose and function of the Pouring of Waters for an ADF Unity Rite. Provide a script with stage directions for this portion of the Unity Rite. (min. 150 words for explanation)

“The ADF Unity Rite is designed to foster growth of the spiritual egregore (group mind) of ADF. In this rite, all ADF Groves and Protogroves are called and all ADF members are represented as being spiritually present. The rite is done for ADF as one people” (“Unity Rite FAQ”). During the Unity Rite, there is a Pouring of Waters for all the Folk of ADF.

While the Pouring of the Waters can be placed at many different locations within the COoR, I have most often seen it performed during the Return Flow portion of the ritual. The idea behind this is that when we Call for the Waters, we are drawing forth the waters from a common source, from a common well, from the sacred waters that dwell within all the waters. We then Hallow the Waters by drawing forth the blessings we have received in the ritual and putting them into the waters. Then, as we Affirm the Waters, the Waters are poured so that the blessings can be provided to all all of ADF through the Waters as they return to us. Of note, is that the ADF Unity Rite is specifically done in a way that does not embrace any one cultural specialty but embraces the commonalities of these many practices” (“Unity Rite FAQ”).

Pouring the Waters for an ADF Unity Rite

*when calling for the Waters, have three vessels full of the blessed waters, as well as the Unity Cauldron that contains the Waters from previous rituals, and a small chalice that will be used for the Pouring.*

We have honored and we have offered. The Blessings have been received. Into these three sacred vessels the Waters have been drawn forth. We have received the Waters from the Shining Ones *gesture to one vessel*, the Waters from the Nature Spirits *gesture to another vessel*, and the Waters from the Ancestors *gesture to the last vessel*.

These Sacred and Blessed Waters that we have been gifted with, now mix with the Waters of Ar nDraiocht Fein, that they may fill us, nourish us, and sustain us.

*pour water from the three vessels into the Unity Cauldron*

In these Waters, see reflected the Bright Fire around which we gather.

*stir the Cauldron*

As these Blessings are ours, may they sustain our Wisdom, Vision, and Piety.

*stir the Cauldron*

As these Blessings are ours, may they sustain our Courage, Integrity, and Perseverance.

*stir the Cauldron*

As these Blessings are ours, may they sustain our Moderation, Fertility, and Hospitality.

*stir the Cauldron*

In these waters, see reflected the Sacred Fire to which we Sacrifice.

Now let us pour out these Blessings for all the Folk of Ar nDraiocht Fein, that they may be shared though our hearts, our communities, and the world.

In each place where Our Druidry roots deep, may these Waters flow.

In each place where Our Druidry springs forth, may these Waters flow.

In each place where Our Druidry burns bright, may these Waters flows.

Let these Waters flow forth into the hearts, minds, hands, and souls of all those who walk these ancient ways.

*take chalice and fill with water from the Cauldron*

The Solitaries of ADF *pour*

*Name Groves, Protogroves, and Worship Groups in sets of three, pouring after each set.*

*After all have been named, take one final chalice of water*

As the Waters flow forth to all of the Folk of Ar nDraiocht Fein, we pour a final libation of these Sacred and Blessed Waters that Our Druidry itself may be nourished, and continue to grow. *pour*

Let the Waters fill us, as we stand as one Folk, one People, one Grove, and let our voices sound together as we continue Our Druidry.

So be it!

Works Cited:

Ellerton, Roger. “Basic NLP Anchoring Concepts.” Basic NLP Anchoring Concepts. Renewal Technologies Inc, 2005. Web. 2 June 2014. <http://www.renewal.ca/nlp31.htm>.

Newburg, Brandon. “Ancient Symbols, Modern Rites: A Core Order of Ritual Tutorial for Ar nDraiocht Fein” Ar nDraiocht Fein. ADF, 2007. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/index.html>.

“Unity Rite FAQ” Ar nDraiocht Fein. ADF. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <https://www.adf.org/rituals/general/unity/faq.html>.

Liturgical Writing 1

1) Describe how ADF’s order of ritual expresses the following concepts: “Serving the people”; “Reaffirming shared beliefs”; “Reestablishing the cosmic order”; “Building enthusiasm”. (Min. 500 words)

ADF’s order of ritual expresses “serving the people”:

When discussing how the folk are served in ADF ritual, it is important to acknowledge that not all celebrants are looking for the same thing when they enter a ritual space, nor are the purposes of all rituals the same. Bonewits discusses how various age groupings of people may come to and enjoy a ritual for varying reasons. A teen and a senior are likely not expecting to get the same thing out of ritual, and so serving each of them exclusively would look different (Bonewits 66-70). Corrigan highlights some of the many purposes of ritual, which range from season celebrant to rites of passage (Corrigan “Intentions”).

In general however, the folk are served in ritual as their connection with the Kindreds is deepened. This is done throughout the ritual as we engage in acts of sacrifice and *ghosti. Offerings are made to each of the Kindreds in turn as they are invited (“ADF COoR” Step 7), and then, during the Return Flow (“ADF COoR” Step 11-13), gifts are given back to the folk. In our local rituals, the folk are always given an opportunity to bring forth their own offerings of praise to the Kindreds, which I think helps to further deepen the connection that each individual can feel with the spirits. This personal offering can also make the blessing received during the Return Flow more personal as well. Each individual is more likely and more able to take the Omen and the Blessing within themselves as they connect to the spirits.

ADF’s order of ritual expresses “reaffirming shared beliefs”:

As an orthopraxic, rather than orthodoxic, religion, our shared beliefs are perhaps more understated and less necessary than the shared practices of our ritual. Beliefs that we are likely to share are reaffirmed through our expression and practice of them. For example, we revere the Earth, and this belief is reaffirmed through our practice of honoring her first and last in the core order of ritual (“ADF COoR” Step 3). We believe in the concept of reciprocity, and this belief is reaffirmed through the act of making sacrifices and partaking of the Return Flow (“ADF COoR” Step 11-13). Reaffirming shared beliefs can also occur during the pre-ritual briefing, though this is not an official step of the core order of ritual. This allows the people leading the ritual a time to briefly explain things such as the worldview and mythological setting that the ritual will be occurring in, and to field any questions that folks may have to that everyone is on the same page going in to the ritual (Bonewits 59-60).

ADF’s order of ritual expresses “reestablishing the cosmic order”:

The purpose of reestablishing the cosmic order is to provide an orientation for our ritual and to help “orient the ritual participants in relation to all the other parts of their universe and to all the other beings in it” (Bonewits 31). This is done rather explicitly in the core order of ritual where the cosmos is (re)created with the Sacred Center situated in a triadic cosmos where the Three Realms are acknowledged and the Fire is included (“ADF COoR” Step 5). In this way an axis mundi is established connecting the vertical realms (the Lower Realm, the Mid Realm, and the Upper Realm) as well as a horizontal division of the realms, often the land, sea, and sky.

I find it most effective to first find the Center within ourselves. This is often done by acknowledging the Outdwellers and purifying and preparing ourselves for ritual (“ADF COoR” Step 2). Then find the Center within the group. This is where the Two Powers meditation comes into play, allowing the participants to establish a group mind (“ADF COoR” Step 1) where they connect to the Waters deep in the earth and the Fire high in the sky, becoming their own axis mundi. Then finally establishing the Sacred Center of the Worlds where the ritual will take place and making sacrifice as we (Re)Create the Cosmos and order the world (“ADF COoR” Step 5).

ADF’s order of ritual expresses “Building enthusiasm”:

We build enthusiasm in our ritual when we raise energy through the ritual performance. This often begins by calling to a power of inspiration to fill us, such as the Awen, the Muses, or Soma, and it is often the person filling the role of Bard who has a large part in maintain the flow of energy and enthusiasm (“ADF COoR” Step 1). Enthusiasm can translate to mana, or energy, or power. The Bard keeps the energy level high, keeps the folk focused, and the power steady and building throughout the ritual until it comes to the point to use it for something, whether that is taking the Blessings into ourselves or performing a working.

The enthusiasm continues to build as the Gates are opened (“ADF COoR” Step 6) and the connection to the powers deepens. As each of the Kindreds are called, and sacrifices are made, more enthusiasm is generated (“ADF COoR” Step 7). “Mana stimulates mana — the more you generate, the more you attract, and vice versa” (Bonewits 139). While there are many ways of generating mana, one of the most common we see in ADF rituals is sacrifice, as we make offerings through the ritual. The power and enthusiasm continues to build in waves as more songs are sung, chants are chanted, and sacrifices are made up through the Final Sacrifice (“ADF COoR” Step 9), when it can be sent as part of this offering. Following this the energy we are gifted in return is taken into ourselves for the work that is to come.

2) Create a prayer of praise, offering, or thanksgiving to a deity modeled on a mythic, folkloric, or other literary source of at least 75 words. Include a summary of what your sources were and how you utilized them (summary at least 150 words).

“Ushas, Shining Dawn”

O, Daughter of the Sky, dancing in the light arising from darkness

I stand entranced by your beauty,

Your radiant form laying across my mind just as it drapes across the sky.

Rosy gold droplets stream down your freshly bathed limbs, bright and beautiful maid,

As you waken the pious spirits to sing your hymns.

Rekindling my heart just as you rekindle Agni each new day.

Burning hot and strong in me, just as you do on earth.

I court you, O brilliant maiden, as you shower me with your riches,

Singing praises with my voice just as the sky itself sings colors for you.

Breath and life of all, awaken all to motion as you dance across the rim of the world.

Goddess of the ever-rising sun, glowing in radiant splendor,

Never far from my thoughts, never far from me.

Ushas, Bright greetings of the morning!

I have had a growing interest in the Vedic deities, and have always loved the dawn. This led me to begin reading from the Rig Veda the many hymns to Ushas, the Vedic Goddess of the Dawn. One of the things I’ve found most interesting about the Vedic deities in general is that they do not represent the things of their domain, but rather they simply are the things of their domain, similar to the Titans and earlier deities in Greek mythology. For example: Agni is the Fire, Soma is the juice of Inspiration, and Ushas is the Dawn.

I read the hymns that mentioned Ushas in the Rig Veda, both silently and aloud. I must throw in an aside here: always, always read hymns aloud. This is how they were meant to be conveyed, and there is a certain power held within the words that is released when they are spoken. Some of the things I noticed in particular in the structure of the Vedic hymns is the use of repetition and parallel structure. Ushas is often addressed as “Ushas”, “Daughter of the Sky,” “Lady of the Light,” with “O” often beginning these phrases. This makes the whole hymn seem more regal, and while perhaps simply a product of the translation, it is common across most of the Vedic hymns. The structure of the many of the hymns to Ushas set up to describe her, and then tell what she does, and then describe her some more, and then tell more of what she does. The hymns then often end with a petition, asking her to give something to those who are signing her praises. These aspects of the original hymns are what I kept in mind as I wrote mine: the regal use of her name and her titles, the descriptions of what she looks like, telling what she does, and in this instance a greeting to her rather than a direct petition for something from her. I’ve included a list below of some of the specific imagery that that I’ve pulled from the Rig Veda in writing my own hymn to her.

I addition to reading about her, mostly straight out of the Rig Veda, I spoke with others who have worked with her, and I wrote a lot. I filled pages and pages of my bardic notebook describing her, praising her, exploring her facets, and courting her. I spent pages detailing how she looked on a clear morning, and even more pages on how she looked as she forced the clouds to parts to make way for the sun. I wrote excessively on all the colors she displayed as she arose, and lamented the mornings where the fog was too thick to see her clearly, writing about those as well. I spent a lot of time both in exploring how my view of her reflects and matches the view of her in the Rig Veda, but also how to phrase the hymn so that it carried aspects of the style of the hymns in the Rig Veda.

Here are the hymns I referenced when writing this prayer (Griffith), as well as what imagery or phrasing I used from it:

RV I.48 (O Daughter of the Sky, breath and life of all, answer our songs of praise with your brilliant light)

RV I.113 (Agni being rekindled, breath and life of all)

RV I.123 (resplendent, always appearing at the appointed time and place: rta)

RV IV.51 (awaken the pious)

RV V.79 (use of repetition, O Daughter of the Sky,

RV V.80 (freshly bathed limbs, rta)

RV VI.64 (arising from the waters dripping, rta)

RV VI.65 (waken pious spirits, rta)

RV VII.77 (stirring all life to motion)

RV VII.78 (rekindling Agni and the fire-priests, Daughter of the Sky, inspired with thoughts of you)

RV VII.79 (painting the Sky with her colors)

RV VII.80 (awaken pious spirits and the fire-priests to sing her praises, turns our thoughts to fire and sun and worship)

RV VII.81 (O Daughter of the Sky, giver of wealth)

3) Discuss a poem of at least eight lines as to its use of poetic elements (as defined by Watkins): formulaics, metrics, and stylistics. Pay particular attention to use of meter and phonetic devices, such as rhyme and alliteration. (Minimum 100 words beyond the poem itself.)

“Do not go gentle into that good night”

by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Formulaics is the use of repetitive words and phrases across languages. These are common phrases that have the same meaning, as well as the same root, morphology, and syntax. They are especially common in Vedic and Greek poetry, and the closer a language is to the common proto-language, the more instances of common phrases across the languages occur (Watkins 12-16). The use of formulas was extremely useful for ancient poets, because it gave them phrases to gather and use when orally reciting and embellishing their text, and allowed the work itself to focus on a particular theme or themes. This meant that the oral tradition was in part so successful in this time piece due to the phrases that were well-recognized and used through many of the works of the time (Watkins 16-19).

“Do not go gentle into that good night” is a villanelle, which means that it follows a strict formula in the repetition of its lines as well as its rhyme scheme. A villanelle is a 19 line poem that uses the first and third lines of the first stanza alternating as the last line of each remaining stanza, until the final stanza where they form a rhyming couplet. The repeating lines in this poem are “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Thomas 3, 7). Thomas also juxtaposes throughout the poem with these lines the idea of light and dark, death and life. As these lines repeat they emphasize the theme of the poem, which is to fight against the end of life and continue living with passion until your last breath.

Metrics is how stressed and unstressed syllables combine to form words, lines, and phrases. Ancient poetry was often isosyllabic and if lines were longer would often contain a caesura in the middle of the line near the 5th syllable. Poems analyzed with metrics are often viewed by looking at the chunks of syllables based on where the breaks in the line are, meaning both the caesura and the end of the line. The formulas that are used often conform to these syllabic boundaries (Watkins 19-21).

“Do not go gentle into this good night” is written in iambic pentameter, which is notated as [10 -] (except for line 14, which is 11 syllables, and notated as [11 -]) and divided into five tercets followed by a quatrain (Watkins 123-4). Each stanza explains a thought: the first introduces the idea of living until your last breath and fighting against dying; the second through fifth stanzas each give an example of the type of men that fight against death; and the sixth stanza (the quatrain) implores the speakers father to be as those men described and fight against his death (Thomas). Additionally, the strong meter creates a rhythmic quality to the poem, making it feel more like a call to arms, and really augmenting the “rage, rage” imperative of the poem.

Stylistics are all the other poetic elements that are examined when analyzing texts. This includes things like alliteration, parallel structure, assonance and consonance, rhyme, repetition, simile, metaphor, among others. Alliteration was one of the most common poetic elements that ancient poets across many Indo-European cultures employed, and was often used as an embellishment to the text (Watkins 21-25).

The rhyme scheme of a villanelle is a strict ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABAA. Thomas makes extensive use of repetitive sounds using alliteration, assonance, and consonance. Each of these devices emphasizes words in the text to highlight their meaning as it relates to the overall theme of the piece. Some examples of alliteration in the poem are “Go Gentle..Good” (1), “Learn…Late” (7), and “ Sang…Sun” (10) Some examples of assonance are “Age…rAve…dAy…rAge…agAInst” (2, 3) and “dEEds…grEEn” (8). An example of consonance is “bLinding…bLind…bLaze” (13, 14).

4) Create a prayer suitable for the main offering of a High Day rite which includes invocation of at least one deity suitable to the occasion, description of the offering and its suitability to the occasion, and the purpose of the offering, totaling at least 100 words. Any stage directions necessary for performance of the offering should be included.

This invocation was made at Three Cranes Grove’s Summer Solstice ritual in 2014, celebrating Prometheia and honoring Prometheus as the deity of the occasion.

Prometheus, flame-haired Foresight and friend of mankind

The Children of the Earth call out to you!

Sculpting our flesh from the banks of the sacred River Styx

You made us: Children of the Earth and starry Sky.

You see the future, and know what may come.

You stole the Divine Fire, the Sun itself,

Giving us this gift of Fire, knowing the cost to you.

Through you we know the ways of the land,

We gather together as community, bound together by your gift,

Though this gift yet binds you to the Earth.

The Fire, burning light of the Stars, burning light of the Sun,

Meant only for the Gods.

You won it for us, your Children.

Your fiery spirit burns hot and strong,

sharing its heat with us here on Earth.

Flame-haired trickster, and Mighty Titan.

Your wisdom shines brightly down upon us

As the Sun rides high in the Sky today.

Prometheus, you who sacrificed for us

So that we may sacrifice for you and all the Gods.

We call out to know and honor you this day!

Come, be warmed at our Fire, that we have kept burning for you,

Join us at our Sacred Hearth, that we would not have if not for you,

Meet us here at this time when the Fire is strongest,

And continue to aid and guide us as we walk the Elder Ways.

We bring you sweet oil *hold aloft*, for your Fire to drink in.

Prometheus, Fiery Titan,

Accept our Sacrifice!

*pour oil on the fire*

Works Cited

“The ADF Core Order of Ritual for High Days.” Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship. ADF. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. < https://www.adf.org/rituals/explanations/core-order.html>.

Bonewits, Isaac. Neopagan Rites: A Guide to Creating Public Rituals That Work. Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications, 2007. Print.

Corrigan, Ian. “The Intentions of Drudic Ritual.” Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship. ADF. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. <https://www.adf.org/rituals/explanations/intentions.html>.

Griffith, Ralph T.H. Rig Veda. Sacred Texts, 1896. Web. 8 Jan. 2015. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/>.

Thomas, Dylan. “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 1937. Web. 8 Jan. 2015. <http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night>.

Prayer for the Helpers

Prayer on Behalf of Another

I call through the fire! I call through the well!

That my voice may be heard by those Spirits beyond.

I call out on behalf of NN, who needs your support.

May NN be filled with the blessings of your strength, wisdom, and love.

Let these offerings I make be offerings from NN,

that you may care for NN as you care for me.

Let NN’s heart be brightened as the Fire burns,

and NN’s soul filled as the Waters flow.

So be it!

Indo-European Myth 2

Standard Set 1: Basic Myths

1) Describe and compare how the cosmos is created through sacrifice in two different IE cultures. (150 words min. each culture)

The generation of the cosmos in most IE cultures comes out of sacrifice. In both the Norse and the Greek mythology we see the destruction of a being bringing about the world as we know it. The sea, the sky, and the land were created out of the death, the sacrifice, of a great being (Serith Deep Ancestors 22-24). These pieces of the cosmos are all tied together by the Sacred Center, which is established through the sacrifice of those beings.

The Norse myths describe the creation of the world as it came into being guided by three brothers: Odin, Vili, and Ve. In the North was icy Nilfhiem, and in the south was fiery Muspell. In the middle was Ginnungagap, a mild place where Ymir, a frost giant, lived and sweated out the race of frost giants. This myth goes on to explain how Ymir was killed by the three brothers, Odin, Vili, and Ve as they grew tired of his and the other frost giants evilness. The Norse world was made out of Ymir’s body. His flesh became the earth, his bones the mountains, his blood the lakes and seas, and his skull the sky, held up by four dwarves. The brothers took the embers from fiery Muspell and threw them up into the sky making the sun, and moon, and stars. The Norse brothers Odin, Vili, and Ve then divided the world so there would be a place for the giants, Jotunheim, and a safer place made of Ymir’s eyebrows, Midgard. The dwarves were made from the maggots that had crawled over Ymir’s body (Crossley-Holland 3-7).

In Greek mythology an example of the cosmos being created or ordered through sacrifice can be found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In book four, when telling the myths of Perseus, Atlas, defeated by the hero, is turned into a mountain. Perseus is seeking the golden apples of the Hespirides, which are guarded by a great dragon. Because Perseus is unable to best Atlas with strength he uses his cunning. When Perseus reveals the head of Medusa, Atlas looks upon it and becomes a mountain. His hair and beard become the trees, his shoulders and hands become mountain ridges, his head becomes the highest peak and his bones become rocks. Through this transformation he becomes huge and vast and the stars, the sky, rest upon his shoulders (Ovid). Thus Atlas becomes the literal axis mundi. “this forms a link between the sacrificial cosmology and its origin, the cosmogony” (Serith Deep Ancestors 23).

2) Describe the image of the Otherworld and/or afterlife in three different IE cultures. How may these images impact your understanding of your own afterlife beliefs and those of Neo-Pagans in general? (400 words min.)

The Otherworld in Norse mythology contains many different lands described in the Grimnismol. Some of these include Valhalla, Folkvang, and Hel. Valhalla is ruled over by Odin, and it is there that he offers hospitality each night to the slain who have fallen in battle and brought to Valhalla by the Valkyries, whose title literally means “chooser of the slain” (Ellis Davidson 61-6). The warriors there fight all day, and each evening are restored to feast on pork and mead (28). The Hall of Valhalla is described in the Grimnismolas existing in Glathsheim, and “its rafters are spears, | with shields is it roofed, / On its benches are breastplates strewn. […] There hangs a wolf | by the western door, / And o’er it an eagle hovers” (Sturlson Grimnismol 90). Folkvang is the realm that Freya rules over. It’s not described in great detail, but it is “where Freyja decrees / Who shall have seats in the hall; /  The half of the dead | each day does she choose,  / And half does Othin have” (Sturlson Grimnismol 91-2).

While Valhalla is ruled over by Odin, and Folkvang by Freya, Helhaim is ruled by the goddess Hel. It is described in detail in Gylfaginning in the Ride of Hermóðr when he searches for Balder. Hermóðr is said to have taken Sleipnir, and has to ride a long distance over dark valleys until he reaches the river Gjöll and rides over the covered bridge made of gold. He meets with Módgudr, the maiden who challenges him about the noise he had made in crossing the bridge, and tells him he then must continue to travel down and north until he comes to the gates of Hel, which Sleipnir must jump over in order to enter (Ellis 171) (Sturlson Gylfaginning 73-4).

In Vedic India the Otherworld is described as a pastureland that Yama found for men after they have died and are following in the steps of their fathers. The place is described as full of sacred grass where one may sit and rest while singing joyful hymns and eating sacred food. Here the departed have a place to rest with Yama in blessed light and waters. The living are encouraged to gift Yama with Soma, gifts enriched with butter, and sacrifices through Agni so that “he may grant that we may live long days of life among the Gods” (Griffith RV 10.14). This implies that while reincarnation is unclear, the Vedics believed in the possibility of life after death.

In Greek mythology, there are several places that have been described, including the Isles of the Blessed, places for the heroes and the righteous dead, and fields warmed by breezes and not encased in fog (the Elysian Fields) (Puhvel 139). Another explanation of the Underworld is described as being to the north at the edge of the river Akherosian, which must be crossed with the help of Charon (Atsma “Charon”). Odysseus travels there in Book 11 of the Odyssey. Homer describes the place they visit as “enshrouded in mist and darkness which the rays of the sun never pierce neither at his rising nor as he goes down again out of the heavens, but the poor wretches [the dead] live in one long melancholy night” (Homer & Butler). Landmarks that are seen in the Greek underworld include the House of Hades, a white, and possibly shining, cypress tree, a spring, as well as the lake of Memory. These are all within the “darkness of murky Hades” (Graf 5). There are clearly different places where the dead can go, and for those who know the mysteries, they will travel on a road to the “holy meadows and groves of Persephone” (9).

There is some belief in reincarnation evident in Ancient Greece, as discussed in Plato’s Meno in the conversation between Socrates and Meno: “They say that the soul of man is immortal, and at one time has an end, which is termed dying, and at another time is born again, but is never destroyed. […] “For in the ninth year Persephone sends the souls of those from whom she has received the penalty of ancient crime back again from beneath into the light of the sun above, and these are they who become noble kings and mighty men and great in wisdom and are called saintly heroes in after ages.” The soul, then, as being immortal, and having been born again many times, and having seen all things that exist, whether in this world or in the world below, has knowledge of them all” (Plato). This is to say that the soul can be reborn if the person lived with virtue in their lifetime and if Persephone decides to send them back to the world of the living. The ancient crime is probably referring to the loss of her child, Dionysos, which eventually led to the birth of humanity (Graf 68-9).

I, like many other neo-pagans, have a belief in both reincarnation and the ability to form connections and communicate with the Dead after they have passed. My personal beliefs follow closely to what Plato describes, with the idea that our souls are ever-learning. After a time spent in the afterlife we may be chosen to be reborn and continue the learning of our soul. A spark is left glowing if we drink from the Lake of Memory, and that spark can be used to ignite a new life. I also feel drawn to the idea it is more important to live a virtuous life than to live for the afterlife. It is in this life that we learn, that we influence the path of the world, and that we form the connections with those around us and with the spirits. So it is this life that we should be focused on.

3) Describe the raiding of cattle by warriors (or divine reflexes of this action) in two cultures. How does this theme reflect the culture of the ancient Indo-European peoples, and is this theme relevant to modern Pagans? (300 words min.)

The Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge) from Irish lore tells how Queen Medb of Connaught decides she must have the Brown Bull, and will do anything to obtain it from Daire of Ulster. The hero Cuchulain ends up having to defend all of Ulster against Medb and her forces. The White Bull of Connaught and the Brown Bull of Ulster end up fighting, with the Brown triumphing. In the end, neither side ended up with the Brown Bull, and many people died over the course of the fighting (Dunn Táin Bó Cúailnge).

In Greek mythology, when Hermes was a baby he found Apollo’s herd of cattle and decided to steal them. He lured them out of the meadow and made them walk backwards, so they did not appear to be leaving. In addition to stealing the cattle, he also slaughtered two of them and cooked their meat (though did not eat it). From the intestines of the cattle he slew he made strings for the first lyre by stretching them across a tortoise shell. Later, when Apollo accused him of the theft of the cattle, he not only denied taking the herd of cows, but also traded the lyre he had made to Apollo for the herd. Thus he avoided blame and yet got to keep the cows honorably anyways (Homer & Athanassakis 31-47).

In these ancient cultures cattle were directly correlated to wealth, and both Hermes and Queen Medb succumbed to greed when they attempted to gain another’s wealth. In both cases, they came up against obstacles in obtaining or keeping the cattle. This reflects the culture of the ancient Indo-European peoples because the idea of protecting and defending one’s assets, and keeping wealth moveable and tradable was very important. These stories relate how greed and the covetous nature of the deities involved can wreck havoc on those around them, especially within the ancient Indo-European culture. Queen Medb recognized the value of the Brown Bull, but her greed caused hundreds to die as she tried to obtain it. Hermes also recognized the value of the cattle, and traded a novel and valuable item (the lyre) to Apollo in order to keep them after Apollo called him out on stealing his whole herd.

While theft and greed was frowned upon in ancient cultures just as it now, there are lessons to be learned from these stories. As modern pagans, these stories are a reminder that we need to walk our virtues and live an honest life. We should be wary of becoming greedy, jealous, envious, or dishonest. We can also look deeper into the stories for other lessons that may apply in a different way to our modern culture. They can both speak to the value of diplomacy in modern paganism. As a modern pagan, when we are involved in a situation and trying to have our needs met, it is important to remember the value in diplomacy and recognizing that we have things to offer. As the bulls in the Cattle Raid of Cooley did not allow either side to have their needs met, the two tribes may have been better served by working through accepted channels of trade and diplomacy, rather than through trickery and war, in order to have their needs and desires met. We can also recognize the value of exchanging gifts to build a stronger community. Apollo and Hermes are considered to be very close now, after having exchanged the herd of cattle and the lyre, their friendship cemented by working together through their conflict, rather than jumping to conclusions and continuing to accuse (falsely or not) the deeds of each other.

4) Describe instances of “freeing” or “winning” the waters in two different IE cultures. How can this theme be used to reinforce our current practices and cosmology? (300 words min.)

“All waters are, by their very nature, sacred. We take these waters and set them aside, as they have been won for us. We set them aside for our use, because these are the gifts we have been given by the Kindreds.”

— from the liturgy of Three Cranes Grove, ADF

The winning of the waters is the giving of blessings and knowledge to the folk. It is the transference of energy that happens during the Return Flow. We do this in every ADF ritual. The deities, in their awesome power, have won these gifts, these blessings, these waters and are giving them to us. It is part of how they maintain the *ghosti relationship that we have built.

Vedic mythology provides a very clear and literal example of the winning of the waters. In the Rig Veda Indra battled with Vrtra to free the waters and win them back for all the people. Vrtra, the dragon on the mountain, was hoarding the waters all for himself and his kin. Then Indra, the Thunderer, having drank of mighty Soma, struck the mountain with his thunderbolt and slew Vrtra and his kin. When he slew Vrtra the waters flowed forth, finally free, down to the ocean (Griffith RV 1.32). This example is straightforward. Indra won the waters, and set them free to flow to the people of Earth and provide them with the blessings that the water contains.

There is a myth in Avestan mythology told in Yasht 19 that relates the story of Atar, the Son of the Waters (Ahura Mazda), who is protecting the gift of Glory (which belongs to the bright ones, the Amesha-Spenta) from Azhi Dahaka, the three-mouthed evil one, who is the most powerful demon that Angra Mainyu created. Azhi Dahaka tries to take Glory forcibly and Atar threatens him and frightens him so much that Azhi Dahaka pulls back and lets go of it. Then, “Glory swells up and goes to the sea Vouru-Kasha. [Atar] seizes it at once” and forces it “down to the bottom of the sea Vouru-Kasha, in the bottom of the deep rivers.” Now when we make sacrifice to the Son of the Waters, he gifts them to us, as the gift of Glory bubbles up and flows forth into the rivers of the world. As the water flows forth from Mount Ushidhau it brings wealth, strength, beauty, power, and health (Darmsteter “Zamyâd Yast”) (Puhvel 278-9).

This theme of winning the waters is relevant to our current practices and cosmology because when we call for the blessings it is important for us to know we are calling to in order to receive them. As we engage in our practice of establishing and maintaining our *ghosti relationship with the Kindreds, it is important to know what gifts we are receiving, how those gifts were initially received, and why those gifts are so special and sacred.

This theme of winning the waters is used to reinforce out current practice most often when we call for the blessings. For example, because in Vedic mythology Indra won the waters and let them flow forth to provide wealth, strength, and inspiration to all the Folk below. The Hymn declares of Indra that “Thou hast won back the kine, hast won the Soma; thou hast let loose to flow the Seven Rivers” (Griffith RV I.32.12). This would be an excellent image to include in a Vedic ritual where the Waters, the Blessings, are shared amongst all the Folk. The same theme can be seen in Avestan mythology as the Son of the Waters seizes the waters, the Glory, for us, for those who make sacrifice to him.

5) Show two examples in one IE culture of a deity engaging in actions that are unethical or unvirtuous, and speculate on why the deities sometimes engage in this type of behavior. (min. 100 words per example)

There are many examples in Greek mythology of deities engaging in actions that are unethical and unvirtuous. Zeus and Hera are related in many of these. Zeus engages in acts of lust, pursuing consorts against his wife’s wishes, and Hera in turn engages in acts of jealously, punishing these consorts in turn. One such example involves Kallisto, one of Artemis’ hunting companions. There are many versions of the story. One version explains how Zeus fell in love with Kallisto and forced himself on her. He knew Hera wouldn’t approve, so he turned Kallisto into a bear. When Hera found out she convinced Artemis to shoot the girl-bear to death (Atsma, Aaron J. “Kallisto”).

Another example of deities engaging in unvirtuous behavior is the story of the Golden Apple in Greek mythology. This story shows how vanity can have dire consequences. In this story Eris throws a Golden Apple in the middle of Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena addressed “to the “Fairest of All.” Eris was angry that she wasn’t allowed to attend the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis. The three goddesses were sent to Paris of Troy for him to make the decision. Each goddess in their vanity offered him something in an attempt to curry his favor and win the designation of the Fairest of All. Hera promised wealth, Athena promised knowledge of every skill, and Aphrodite, so desirous to be named the fairest, promised Paris that he could have Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. So Paris, being vain and shallow himself, chose Aphrodite, and as Helen was abducted in order for Aphrodite to keep her word, the war between Greece and Troy began (Atsma, Aaron J. “Judgment of Paris”).

There are many reasons why there are a multitude of stories of this sort throughout mythology. One reason could be as simple as the fact that we, as human, love hearing engaging stories that contain drama. When we hear these stories it allows us to experience things from a safe distance, to experience these situations in such a way that we can come out of them. Another reason is because our deities are limited in nature. Because they are not omnipotent, they cannot see the bigger picture, and thus cannot always make decisions that would benefit all aspects of a situation. Having flaws not only makes them more believable and relatable because they can make mistakes, but it also gives them a methods of teaching us way to behave virtuously ourselves. The unvirtuous behavior that we see allows us to find reflections of ourselves in the deities and connect more deeply with them.

6) Explain the monomyth (aka “hero cycle”) and show how it applies to a single hero from the IE culture of your choice. (150 words min.)

The monomyth, a theory developed by Joseph Campbell and detailed in The Hero with A Thousand Faces, is the premise that all heroes represent archetypes in mythology and that all mythologies follow a common myth cycle. This is very useful in Indo-European studies because it allows us make educated guess for filling gaps in mythology that may have been lost or never written down in the first place. The monomyth follows the basic cycle of Departure- Initiation – Return. These three pieces of the Hero’s Journey are broken down into steps, and while not all hero myths contain every step, enough of the similarities exist to make it a well-researched and arguable theory. The hero begins with Departure. The steps here are The Call to Adventure (Campbell 49), The Refusal of the Call (59), Supernatural Aid (69), Crossing the First Threshold (77), and The Belly of the Whale (90). During the Initiation phase the steps are The Road of Trials (97), Meeting with the Goddess (109), Woman as Temptress (120), Atonement with the Father (126), Apotheosis (149), and the Ultimate Boon (172). The final phase, the Return, contains the Refusal of the Return (193), Magic Flight (196), Rescue from Without (207), Crossing the Return Threshold (217), The Master of Two Worlds (229), and the Freedom to Live (238).

The Hero’s Journey, the monomyth, can be seen in the journey of Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey. Some of the steps in Odysseus’s journey are shifted around within his tale, but most can be seen fairly easily within the epic.

Separation:

The Call to Adventure – The Greeks are at war with Troy, and Odysseus must go to help them (prior to Book 1)
The Refusal of the Call – Odysseus does not want to leave his family and go to war (prior to Book 1)
Supernatural Aid – Athena comes to the aid of Odysseus (Book 5&6)
Crossing the First Threshold – Odysseus leaves Troy after the war, and gets blown off course because he neglected to offer to Poseidon before setting sail (Poseidon is also further angered when Odysseus blinds Polyphemus) (alluded to in Book 4)
The Belly of the Whale – His crew becomes trapped in the cave of Polyphemus, and they must trick him to escape. Odysseus must become “no man” in order to escape (Book 9)

Initiation:

The Road of Trials – Odysseus is lost for a decade, facing many trials as he journeys, lost, across the sea (these include the land of the lotus-eaters, the sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the Clashing Rocks, the Laestrygonians, the Sun God’s Cattle) (Books 9-12)
Meeting with the Goddess – Odysseus meets Circe, and while he is trapped there for awhile, and many of his men are turned into pigs, once Odysseus defeats her, she releases the spell on his men and provides supplies and aid for them when they set out again (Book 10)
Woman as Temptress – Odysseus meets with Calypso and spends 7 years on her island. He is unable to act as a hero during this time and is finally released when Zeus demands it. Even then, Calypso tries to tempt Odysseus into staying by offering him immortality. (Book 5)
Atonement with the Father – Odysseus journey’s to the edge of the underworld and meets with Tiresias who gives him knowledge of how to return home unharmed and later atone with Poseidon. (Book 11)
Apotheosis – staying with Phaeacians after he has washed ashore with his crew. He stays awhile and relates his stories (Books 7&8)
The Ultimate Boon – Odysseus receives the bag of winds from Aeolus (and while he gets within sight of home, his crew is too curious and releases all the devastating winds, and they are again blown off course) (Book 10)

Return:

Refusal of the Return – Odysseus doesn’t recognize Ithaca when he returns, and Athena disguises him so no one will recognize him. (Book 13)
Magic Flight – The Phaeacians guide Odysseus home, giving him safe passage back to Ithaca (Book 13)
Rescue from Without – Odysseus upon his return to the island meets with Eumaeus (the swineherd), who greets him with hospitality and demonstrates devotion to Odysseus (though he doesn’t recognize that the beggar is Odysseus) (Book 14)
Crossing the Return Threshold – Odysseus defeats the suitors when he is able to string the great bow (Book 21&22)
The Master of Two Worlds – Odysseus defeats the suitors and reclaims his name, his title, his kingdom, and his family. He is able to live both as the man who experienced the trials, and as the returning hero. (Book 23)
The Freedom to Live – Athena stops the suitors from taking revenge and Odysseus tells Penelope of the trip he must make to atone with Poseidon and be able to live in peace. (Book 23, 24 and after the epic)

Standard Set 2: Applications

1) Using your answer to question 1 above (cosmos creation), create a piece for use in ritual that describes the process of cosmos creation through sacrifice. (no min. word count)

Recreate the Cosmos & Place the Omphalos-

Let this area around us be purified sacred space where we go to meet the gods,

and the gods descend down to meet with us.

Let the smoke from our sacred fire carry our voices to the heavens to be heard by the gods.

Through this sacred center, let the World Tree grow, plunging deep within the earth to touch the Sacred Waters below and reaching through the sky to embrace the Sacred Fires above.

Standing here at the Center, it is now time to Open the Gates to the Many Realms.

Let this water become the Well, and open as a Gate to the worlds below.

Our connections deepen to the Chthonic beings as the Gate is opened.

Let this flame become the Fire, and open as a Gate to the worlds above.

Our connections deepen to the Ouranic beings as the Gate is opened.

Let this Omphalos stand at the center, and mark our sacred center here and in all the worlds.

Let the tree wrap its roots around the stone and sink into the Well,

and let its branches stretch upwards and reach for the Fire.

We stand here, connected at the Sacred Center

to all the realms of Land, Sea, and Sky.

Let the Gates be Open!

We now seek assistance in maintaining our connection to the Other Realms, and so we call on a Gatekeeper:

The children of the Earth call out to Atlas,

Great guardian who holds the earth and sky asunder.

You stand as the axis mundi, amongst the pillars connecting the many realms.

Driving the stars before you as the very heavens revolve around you.

Your feet know the depths of the sea and you hands the clouds of the sky.

Mighty Mountain, with your starry crown,

I make this offering to you and bid you welcome.

Meet us at the boundaries

Join us at our Sacred Hearth and be warmed by our good fire.

Aid us and guide us as we walk the Elder Ways.

Atlas, accept this offering!

And now, Atlas, I call to you and ask that you act as our Great Guardian here.

Be our Star Crowned and Earth Shod Pillar.

Be the Mountain that holds the earth and heavens asunder.

Hold our axis mundi firm and maintain our connection to all the realms.

Atlas, Guard the Gates!

2) Using your answer to question 4 above (winning the waters), create a piece for use in ritual that describes the winning of the waters. (no min. word count)

Vedic Spring Equinox: “Indra Megahavahana” A poem intended to be performed for the Return Flow:

Calling for the Blessing

Sing to Indra the Cloud Rider!

On eagles’ wings, borne across the land,

He chases Vrtra, drawn valiantly onward,

Rushing up from the sea upon the very clouds

That bear the waters.

Like a thunderbolt striking a mighty tree,

Split asunder by the tawny-armed Thunderer.

Indra, give us the Waters!

Hallowing the Blessing

Waters of the sea

Set free from the dark and boiling clouds.

Waters of the mountain

Set free as he cleaved the earth in two.

Flowing streams released by his bolt

As he watches from the clouds.

The cows roaring, bellowing, at the victory

As the fort-shatterer gives us the Waters

That we may drink them as

Mighty Indra consumes Soma.

Affirming the Blessing

As Indra is infused with the strength of Soma,

So might we be emboldened as we drink of these Waters.

Indra Megahavahana, we glory at your victory

And partake of the gifts you have won for us.

Works Cited:

Atsma, Aaron J. “Charon.” Theoi Greek Mythology. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Kharon.html>.

Atsma, Aaron J. “Judgment of Paris.” Theoi.com. The Theoi Project. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/JudgementParis.html>.

Atsma, Aaron J. “Kallisto.” Theoi.com. The Theoi Project. 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theoi.com/Heroine/Kallisto.html>.

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 2d ed. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton UP, 1972. Print.

Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon, 1980. Print.

Darmesteter, James. “Zamyâd Yast.” The Zend Avesta, Part II. The Internet Classics Archive. 1882. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://sacred-texts.com/zor/sbe23/sbe2324.htm>.

Dunn, Joseph, and David Nutt. “The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúalnge).” Internet Sacred Text Archive. 1914. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/cool/>.

Ellis Davidson, H.R. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. London: Penguin, 1964. Print.

Ellis, Hilda Roderick. The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature. New York: Greenwood, 1968. Print.

Graf, Fritz, and Sarah Iles Johnston. Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.

Griffith, Ralph T. H. “Rig Veda.” Internet Sacred Text Archive. 1896. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda>.

Homer, and Apostolos N. Athanassakis. “Hymn to Hermes.” The Homeric Hymns. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1976. Print.

Homer, and Samuel Butler. “The Odyssey.” The Odyssey of Homer. Internet Sacred Text Archive. 1900. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://sacred-texts.com/cla/homer/ody/index.htm>.

Ovid. Trans. Brookes More. “Metamorphoses, Book 4.” Classical E-Text: Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. Theoi.com. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses4.html>.

Ovid. Trans. Sir Samuel Garth, and John Dryden. “Metamorphoses.” Metamorphoses by Ovid. The Internet Classics Archive. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://classics.mit.edu/Ovid/metam.4.fourth.html>.

Plato, and Benjamin Jowett. “Meno.” Meno by Plato. The Internet Classics Archive. 380 BCE. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/meno.html>.

Puhvel, Jaan. Comparative Mythology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1987. Print.

Serith, Ceisiwr. Deep Ancestors. Tucson, AZ: ADF Publishing, 2007. Print.

Sturlson, Snorri, and Henry Adams Bellows. “Grimnismol.” The Poetic Edda. Internet Sacred Text Archive. 1936. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe06.htm>.

Sturlson, Snorri, and Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur. “Gylfaginning.” The Prose Edda. Internet Sacred Text Archive. 1916. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm>.

Crafting a Magical Working

Crafting magical workings can be quite a daunting task, especially if it is something that you are new at, or have very little experience with. There are some things you can do to help you grow in confidence and experience with your magical work. If you’re doing magical work for one of the advanced study programs, remember: you should be experimenting and trying new things out, and writing down what does and doesn’t work so that you can learn from them.

First off, if you’re struggling coming up with ideas for what to do for magical workings, or if you have an idea but don’t know where to start or how to begin writing it, my best suggestion is to go to the texts of folks who have already done it. By this I mean primary sources. The Greek Magical Papyri, the Artharvaveda, the Galdrabók, and other such texts. These are excellent sources of inspiration. I’d also like to note that while I think it’s imperative to get some practice writing your own workings, there is also nothing wrong with doing workings that others have written. It is good practice, and can really help you get your feet wet and gain confidence. Additionally, if someone has written a really good magical working for something you really need, there is no need to reinvent the wheel, and you shouldn’t be afraid to use that working and write up your own experience using it.

Second, I’d try to remember that not all magical workings have to big and huge, and it’s far more important that they are meaningful to you. There’s nothing wrong with big, huge workings, but if that is all you are doing, you will probably end up getting burnt out rather quickly. For many of the advanced study programs you nee dot be doing regular magical work. For me, this meant that I aimed for at least one magical working a week.

This may seem excessive, but I think it’s important to look at how you view magical workings. For me, magic is often a tool in my toolbox for accomplishing something, and the question I ask myself is “Would I take a mundane action to try to resolve or aid this situation?” If the answer is yes, then I have met the requirement for the magical working to meet my own moral standards. So, after consulting the gods via divination, I will proceed with a magical working. My thought process is that if I truly want something to happen or manifest, and have determined that it is the right course of action and morally sound, then there is no reason why I shouldn’t use all of the tools I have to achieve my goals.

Third, having determined that you’re going to do a magical working and as you’re planning what kind of working to do, remember that for the advanced study program work you’re going to have to have at least three magical workings that have “demonstrable, intended results” and that you’ll have to explain how the results manifested. So, be sure that at least some of your workings will have results you can explain in that way: meaning not everything should be energy work or something similar or you may find yourself frustrated when you go to answer that question. I had good luck with this by doing some workings where I wanted to change the expected outcome of something, or alter the quantity of something. Though I imagine you could have good luck here with healing work as well if you have a baseline on which to base what the original outcome would have been without magic.

Fourth, I found it helpful to categorize the types of magic that I do, and then rotate what kind I was doing so that I didn’t get tired of any one specific type. I categorized based on both intent and method. Categorizing the various types of magic like this also helped me come up with what kinds of workings to do, as well as better brainstorm new kinds of magic to experiment with. It also allowed me to mix and match intents with methods to practice all different kinds and ways. For example, you can do healing work via energy, or charmed candles, or tinctures/tonics that are actually consumed, or talismans that are worn, or spirit arte (working with helper spirits), or toning, or spoken charms, or any manner of things. Each of those is a different working. This means if you know you are good at healing work, then you can stick with healing for awhile but try a whole bunch of different methods. Let’s say you then find that you’re good at making talismans. You could then use that as a jumping off point to try other intents like protection, blessing, inspiration for creative arts, manifestation of specific things. Then you just keeping moving on in that fashion, letting the intent inspire the methods, and the methods inspire the intent, and back and forth and back and forth.

I’ve listed below some specific ideas (note the mix and match with methods and intents that could be done with these). Most of these I’ve tried, and items with and asterisk* have a full working written up (full disclosure, most, though not all, of these are Hellenic in nature). Feel free to ask questions about any of them.

– Spoken charm to bless the tools you use for your work
– Using materials sacred to a deity associated with divination to increase your Sight with divination tools.*
– Toning for healing a physical ailment
– Blending ingredients to soothe a fussy or teething baby*
– Spoken charm to create a purification/grounding and centering stone (included below)
– Creating an amulet/magical object for prosperity*
– Knotwork to use as needed for wisdom and guidance*
– Talisman for protection of material goods*
– Spoken charm to bless mode of transportation (shoes, bike, car)
– Talisman for the protection of young children and/or mothers*
– Spirit arte to increase milk production for breast feeding (this was done each week)
– Spoken charm for canning food for the winter
– Use blessed waters to create a protective charm for the home* (this is renewed each month)
– Spirit arte for bardic inspiration
– Visualization of a ‘fetch’ to help during trance work
– Spoken charm with offerings to introduce a person to a deity and encourage a relationship to form*
– Carve a binding tablet to stop someone from bothering you (magical restraining order)
– Tea used for grounding and centering in a time of chaos

To wrap up, here is one of the workings I’ve done. I’ve found this one particularly nice because I, like many people, find having a worry stone or fidget calming and centering. The creation of this stone includes magical intent alongside that simple tactile form of self-soothing.

Creation of a Purifying Grounding/Centering Stone

Magic: Let the maelstrom strip away those things that are pulling in our unwanted attention. Let the stone stand firm at the center of the swirling storm, and help us to maintain our own center.

– need a stone (or some other focus object), myrrh, and salt.

Poseidon, Earth Shaker, Wave Bringer:

You whose trident stirs the mighty maelstrom,

whose waters wash us clean in the storm.

I bring you this gift of salt for your realm, and myrrh for your delight

As I ask your aid in this working tonight.

You teach us of endurance and patience:

The calm in the raging storm.

You teach us of strength and perseverance:

The gates holding the Titans at bay.

You teach us of persistence and change:

The ebb and flow of the tides.

*each person takes stone, holds it at their center, and speaks:*

“Poseidon, may this stone mark my center,

Holding me firm and strong here within myself.

Let the whipping winds cyclone about me

Stripping away the miasma I carry.

Strip away the obstacles I put up in front myself.

Strip away the extraneous emotions and thoughts diminishing my focus.

Let me stand firm at the center,

Even though the storm may rage about me.

Though the maelstrom spins, I stand strong.

Like this stone, I stand firm upon the Earth:

Unshaking and unafraid.

Like this stone, I stand firm amidst the storm:

the waves breaking around me, the riptide passing me by.

Like this stone, I stand firm and strong

Here at my Center.”

Poseidon, Lord of the Deep,

Connect us to the foundations of the Earth

And help us to find peace and joy

in the blossoming waves of the storm.

Magic 1 for Priests

Survey:

1) Discuss the importance and actions of the magico-religious function as it is seen within the context of general Indo-European culture. (minimum 100 words)

Within the context of the general Indo-European studies and applying Dumezil’s Theory of Tripartition, a culture is divided into three social strata: the priestly strata, the warrior strata, and the herder-cultivator stratum. The magico-religious function would fall into the first strata of people (Littleton 4-5). These are the people who serve as magicians and priests within their culture, as well legal and justice role. When looking at the lore from an Indo-European culture, it should be noted that the gods associated with the first function were often paired in order to include both roles. One of example of this is Odin and Tyr in Norse mythology. Odin fulfilled the magician and priest role, while Tyr fulfilled the legal and justice role (Mallory 131-2). It was the function of the magician to perform rites of passage as needed, but also to act as seers and spell casters for both individuals and institutions within their culture. It was the duty of the priest to be sure that all proper forms of sacrifice were observed and that each necessary holiday was celebrated appropriately. They would also perform rites of passage as needed, as well as preside over other seasonal and cultural celebrations. In some cases the function of the priest and the magician would overlap, however their paths diverged more in some cultures than others. The legal aspect of this first function was fulfilled by the community leaders, whether this was a king, members of the Assembly, members of the Senate, or a clan leader.

2) Identify the terms used within one Indo-European language to identify ‘magic’ and ‘magician’ examining what these terms indicate about the position of the magician in that society and the practice of his or her art. (minimum 100 words)

There are a variety of terms that are used to describe magic and magician, and the connotation of the word would change depending on which term is used to describe a magical person or magical act. Mageia, the Greek word for magic, is what is practiced by the magos or magi, the magician or sorcerer. The term magi comes from Persian, and when used in Greek, refers to a foreigner. There is a kind of grudging respect because they are skilled in and responsible for “royal sacrifices, funeral rites, and for the divination and interpretation of dreams” (Graf 20), however due to the cultural and political tensions between Persia and Greece, they were not trusted. The Heraclitus prophecies threaten these “wanderers of the night, … the magi, … with tortures after death” and with torturing by fire because “the mystery initiations [are] impious rites” (Graf 21). There are other subsets of terms used to describe the various magicians. The agurtes were beggar priests, to whom people could go for individual work, with the likelihood that the amount you paid them would effect what they told you. The mantis was a diviner. He was the freelance diviner, as opposed to the institutional diviners. Both of these people were defined in the Derveni papyrus as “a professional of rites” (Graf 21). They were lumped in with the night wanderers because they were privy to and specialized in the secret rites.

3) Discuss the existence and relative function of trance-journey magic within at least one Indo-European culture. (minimum 100 words)

In many Indo-European cultures trance work is often linked to divination of some sort. Trance and trance-journeying appear to be a common method for conducting divinatory magic. The most prominent example of trance-journey magic within ancient Greece remains the existence of the institutional oracles. These women would enter a trance state in order to commune with the divine and receive answers from the spirits.

For example, the oracle of Delphi (the Pythia) was said to sit above a chasm in the rock, on a three-legged stool, and breathe in the vapors of the mountain. The ancients believed these vapors were the breath of Apollo, and by breathing it in, he (or his daimons) would possess her and speak through her (Johnston 44-7). This is the idea that “when this prophetic potency mixes with the Pythia’s body, it opens up channels through which her soul can receive impressions of the future” (46-7).

4) Discuss the place of alphabetic symbolism as part of the symbolism of magical practice within one Indo-European culture. (minimum 150 words)

Within ancient Greece the use of the Greek Alphabet in divination was, while not the most famous method of divination, a useful tool for many people. A common method for this style of divination was to place pottery shards that had been inscribed with the letters and shake them in a drum frame until one or more leapt out (Sophistes “Oracle”). Divination was a deeply ingrained magical practice within ancient Greece. It is interesting to note, however, that the institutional oracles were likely not using the alphabet system to divine, but were rather much more likely to be engaging in enthused prophecy (as discussed in question 3) (Johnston 44-7). The freelancer diviners were more likely to use the alphabetic or other tactile methods for divination. Part of the reason for their use of these methods was likely because they were operating on a smaller scale than the institutional oracles, and as such needed a wider variety of tools because they were “clarifying problems on the spot” (109). Additionally, because they were freelance entrepreneurs, they were “willing to expand their repertoire as their clientele demanded” (177).

The letters of the Greek alphabet are used in the creation of amulets. This can be seen in the variety of examples within the Greek Magical Papyri. For example, PGM VII. 206-7 describes the creation of an amulet to prevent coughs. The magician takes hyena parchment and inscribes a series of ancient Greek letters upon the talisman (Betz 121).

When referring to sounds, it is interesting to note that sometimes within the Greek Magical Papyri, there are direct instructions on how a specific sound is to be made, and the feel of it in your mouth. For example, in PGM V. 1-53 it directs the magician to pronounce AOIAO EOEY by saying “the ‘A’ with an open mouth, undulating like a wave; / the ‘O’ succinctly, as a breathed threat, / the ‘IAO’ to earth, to air, and to heaven; / the ‘E’ like a baboon; / the ‘O’ in the same way as above; / the ‘E’ with enjoyment, aspirating it, / the ‘Y’ like a shepherd, drawing out the pronunciation.” This detailed description implies that the exact way in which the letters were said, and the exact sound they made, was imperative to the successful completion of the magical act, in this case, creating and working with an oracle (Betz 101-2).

5) Discuss three key magical techniques or symbols from one Indo-European culture. (minimum 100 words each)

Rites of Binding (defixiones)

Binding spells are found in the curse tablets that are scattered across the ancient world, most notably in the Mediterranean area. They are texts, primarily written on tablets of lead, that are intended to force another to the magician’s will, or make them unable to follow their own desires. The texts themselves are divided into five different types of spells: judicial, erotic, agonistic, anti-theft, and economic. In these cases, while the written texts have allowed us to study them, the part that is more important is the rite itself where the binding is carried out (Graf 119-123). The text of who is bound and in what way conveys the intent of the spell, but there were also instructions for the magician for how and where to send the tablet down, whether by burying or sinking or nailing, etc. The magician treated with chthonic beings to help him carry out the binding spell (134-5).

Divination

There are a whole host of techniques revolving around divination. The famous methods of divination involve the use of direct visions either directly to the querant or through an intermediary (Graf 197). This is what is seen at the Oracle of Delphi and the Oracle of Dodona. This type of divination uses trance work to determine the message. There are instructions to conduct such a direct vision in the Greek Magical Papyri specifically with Apollo in PGM VII. 727-39 (Betz 139). There is also the use of augury to conduct divination, as well as knucklebones (or astragaloi) and basic lots for sortilege. This is what we most often use in modern paganism. Some other methods include divination through lamps, mirrors, or bowls of water. These methods often have an elaborate set of directions to prepare the magician and the object for use. For example, one set of instructions in PGM IV. 221-258 explains how to take a bronze vessel and fill it with a specific type of water depending on who you wish to contact, as well as the words to say over it in preparation (42).

All of these methods of divination are magic because they depend on having a relationship with spirits in order to achieve the results you desire. Even if the result is no more than being able to interpret an omen, to be able to do that you must develop a relationship with a spirit to do so properly, and convince, cajole, bribe, etc. them to get their help in the matter. Because spirit arte is working with spirits to achieve the goals of your work, divination within the Hellenic hearth culture is a form of spirit arte. If you want something, including the answer to a divinatory question, then you have to find a spirit and win them over to your cause in order for that thing, or that answer, to happen. This is seen time and again within the Greek Magical Papyri, as spirits are called for both simple and elaborate tasks (Betz).

Amulets

There are a great many examples of amulets begin created and worn to achieve a certain end. In paging through the Greek Magical Papyri, there are hundreds of examples. One category of amulets has to do with healing. The magician takes the material required and inscribes a series of letters or sigils. The person the spell is for then wears the amulet. PGM VII. 213-14 describes wearing an olive leaf about the neck as an amulet, with a shape that looks like a cone inscribed on the shiny side of the leaf, and a crescent moon inscribed on the dark side of the leaf (Betz 121). Another description of an amulet is PDM xiv. 1003-14 which gives instructions on how to create an amulet to cure gout (244).

6) Discuss the relative place and methodologies of magic within your personal religious/spiritual practice. (minimum 100 words)

I have struggled with the concept of magical work, partly because for me it is so entwined with both trance and divinatory work. Magic, trance, and divination all contain pieces of the others that make it difficult for me to pull out just one of them and discuss it independently of the others. Magic is simply prayer with intent, and so it is a very broad term that can encompass many things.

When I do magical work, it most often takes one of five different forms: trance work, divinatory work, ritual magic, healing work, or bardic work. And these forms can happen at the same time, and often do. I often use trance in combination with all of the forms, as well as independently to better focus the intent of the work, or to gain a clearer or more intense understanding of the desired outcome. When I do divinatory work, I always call on Apollo Mantikos to aid me, making this a form of spirit arte. Ritual magic is the kind of things that happen within a ritual. Within ADF these are things like opening the gates and calling for the blessings. When I do healing work, it is most often done with the aid of a spirit. I make offerings to the spirit and call on them to help me focus my intent and lend energy to the person in need of healing. Bardic work is done through trance and calling on various spirits for inspiration. An initial offering is made to a spirit, and the outcome is often the creation of a bardic piece that can then be used to further honor the spirit.

Practicum:

7) Healing Work – Provide and explain one example of healing magic from an Indo-European culture, and write an ADF-style healing working based on that example. (min. 150 words for example explanation)

The Artharvaveda is a collection of spells, prayers, charms, and hymns designed for a variety of purposes. Many of these relate to healing work that can be done. The example quoted below is a charm for teething, specifically for the first two teeth that break through. The text of the charm calls directly to the teeth themselves, as well as to Agni. Many of the healing charms within the Artharvaveda call to Agni. I think this is both because he is the priest of the Gods and the one who accepts sacrifices, but also because Fire itself is purifying when dealing with illness or pain. The charm calls on Agni to sooth the teeth that are breaking through the gums. Offered to the teeth themselves are rice, barley, beans, and sesame, with the intent that the child will eat these rather than harm his parents. This is especially apt, as breastfeeding a teething infant can lead to biting, which is supremely uncomfortable. The next part of the charm asks that the teeth come forth gently and that the fierceness, the pain, be passed away from the body.

“VI, 140. Expiation for the irregular appearance of the first pair of teeth

Those two teeth, the tigers, that have broken forth, eager to devour father and mother, do thou, O Brahmanaspati Gâtavedas, render auspicious!
Do ye eat rice, eat barley, and eat, too, beans, as well as sesamum! That, O teeth.. is the share deposited for your enrichment. Do not injure father and mother!
Since ye have been invoked, O teeth, be ye in unison kind and propitious! Elsewhere, O teeth, shall pass away the fierce (qualities) of your body! Do not injure father and mother!” (Bloomfield VI, 140)

“HYMN CXL

A blessing on a child’s first two teeth

(1)Two tigers have grown up who long to eat the mother and the sire:

Soothe, Brāhmanaspati, and thou, O Jātavedas, both these teeth.

(2)Let rice and barley be your food, eat also beans and sesamum.

This is the share allotted you, to be your portion, ye two Teeth.

Harm not your mother and your sire.

(3)Both fellow teeth have been invoked, gentle and bringing happiness.

Else whither let the fierceness of your nature turn away, O

Teeth! Harm not your mother or your sire.” (Griffith CXL)

In creating this healing work for modern use, I have written a charm to be said while mixing the ingredients together for “Dr. Tally’s Soothing Tooth-Tiger Liniment.” As a baby is able to start of solid foods around the same time that they will be getting teeth, I decided that a concoction that can actually be consumed and eaten by the child easily would be the way to go. One of the ingredients called for in the ancient charm is beans. Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are the main ingredient in hummus, which can be easily eaten by most infants who have started on solid foods (though it may cause gassiness). Both rice cereal and barley cereal can be mixed into the pureed chickpeas, and then seasoned with just a little bit of sesame oil or tahini. This will create a pureed food that even babies who are just starting solids could eat, as it could be thinned with as much water as necessary for them. There have been reported cases of sesame seed allergies, so as always, before introducing new foods to your baby, consult their doctor.

To make “Dr. Tally’s Soothing Tooth-Tiger Liniment” combine the following ingredients in a food processor while saying the charm that follows (alternatively, say this charm over the dish before you serve it if you aren’t the one who made it):

1 can of drained chickpeas (or chickpeas that you’ve cooked yourself)
2 Tbsp tahini (optional)
1 Tbsp rice cereal
1 Tbsp barley cereal
1 tsp sesame oil
water to desired consistency

“Fierce and sharp tooth tigers, you who have broken through,

Be eased, bright tigers, in your work by this gift.

Come forth, and bring with you smiles of joy, rather than grimaces of pain.

Be soothed, sweet tigers, and be not over eager in your entrance.

Come forth, and partake of this share allotted to you.

Fierce and sharp tooth tigers, born of blessed Fire, be warmly welcomed here!”

8) Warding Work – Provide and explain one example of warding or protection magic from an Indo-European culture, and write an ADF-style warding working based on that example. (min. 150 words for example explanation)

There are many examples of protective talismans within the Greek Magical Papyri. PGM VII. 206-7 describes the creation of an amulet to prevent coughs. The magician takes hyena parchment and inscribes a series of ancient Greek letters upon the talisman (Betz 121).

In other parts of the Greek Magical Papyri there are direct instructions on how a specific sound is to be made, and the feel of it in your mouth. For example, in PGM V. 1-53 it directs the magician specifically in how they should pronounce AOIAO (101-2). The materials used, the letters and words inscribed, and the words spoken were all important parts in the creation of talismans.

Each Hellenic Full Moon ritual I lead has a magical working in it. During the Artemis full moon, we created protective talismans for the children of the folk who normally attend (or for the children of those close to those who normally attend). I wrote out the text for the working, and we did it in a call and response fashion. I felt that it was important for each person to speak the words themselves, because they knew who the talisman was being created for, and could better focus the intent. It was also important for each person to speak the words due to the power that the verbalization of those words carry.

I fashioned this protective working after some of the amulets in the Greek Magical Papyri, such as what things were done to the item in order to make it fit for the intended use. For example, PGM VII 149-54 gives instructions for grinding and mixing ingredients (goat bile, water, rosemary, saltwater) to sprinkle about to prevent bugs/fleas from getting in the house (Betz 119). In the case of this working I wanted the talisman infused with the powers of the land, sea, and sky, as well as ensuring that the child would be looked after by all the Theoi and by Artemis specifically, so I considered what types of things could be done to put those aspects into the talisman. I also considered what words to say to accompany the creation of the charm. PGM VII 370-73 gives instructions on what to wear as well as what to say to keep wild animals, aquatic creatures, and robbers away (127).

Creating a Protective Talisman:

Need a token of some sort that will be on or near child/young mother
Need blessed waters, cypress or walnut (both sacred to Artemis), and incense

We come together now in the presence of all the Theoi, but most especially Artemis, protector of children.

I take this token and ask that it be blessed.

Blessed in the light of the moon which has infused these Waters.

Blessed in the presence of the Maiden, who watches over all children.

Blessed by the breath of the Theoi, who watch over us all.

Let these waters wash clean (this child) as they infuse this token.

*blessed waters form the Return Flow are sprinkled on the token*

Let this plant, sacred to Artemis, fill (this child) with strength, and protect (her) from all harm, as it infuses this token.

*cypress/walnut is rubbed into the token*

Let this smoke breathe life and joy into (this child) as it infuses this token.

*incense is wafted around token*

Infused with the blessings and in the presence of the Kindreds, we call now for the powers of Land, Sea, and Sky to combine with ours and with the bright, fierce essence of Artemis, to seal this intent into this token.

*brief pause to focus and visualize intent*

Esto!

9) Purification Work – Provide and explain one example of purification magic from an Indo-European culture, and write an ADF-style purification working based on that example. (min. 150 words for example explanation)

The Greek Magical Papyri contains examples of amulets and talismans that aid in the work of the magician. There are many spells that are designed for the consecration of tools. One such is PGM IV. 1596-1715 (Betz 68-9). This particular spell calls on Helios to consecrate a tool, which in the example in the Greek Magical Papyri is a stone, though it indicates that it can be any object. A great portion of the words that are said are praising the work of the god. This spell is designed to invoke Helios in each of the hours that he is seen in the sky, and for each hour provide a skill to the magician and his consecrated object. Towards the end of the spell, the magician would speak: “Hear my voice in this present day and let all things done by this stone or for this phylactery, be brought to fulfillment, and especially NN matter for which I consecrate it” (Betz 69)

The magic that is being done here in the modern working is a visualization of a maelstrom stripping away those things that are pulling in our unwanted attention. The swirling maelstrom then purifying us and allowing us to find our center. We are consecrating a stone to help us stand firm at the center of the swirling storm, and help us to maintain our own center. The working focuses not only on the purification of the individual, but also in maintaining that purified and grounded state. It uses the imagery of the sea and the omphalos as the axis mundi to center the individual who is creating this tool. For this working you will need a stone (or some other focus object), myrrh, and salt.

“Poseidon, Earth Shaker, Wave Bringer:

You whose trident stirs the mighty maelstrom,

whose waters wash us clean in the storm.

I bring you this gift of salt for your realm, and myrrh for your delight

As I ask your aid in this working tonight.

*salt and myrrh are offered*

You teach us of endurance and patience:

The calm in the raging storm.

You teach us of strength and perseverance:

The gates holding the Titans at bay.

You teach us of persistence and change:

The ebb and flow of the tides.

*each person takes stone and holds it at their center and speaks:*

“Poseidon, may this stone mark my center,

Holding me firm and strong here within myself.

Let the whipping winds cyclone about me

Stripping away the miasma I carry.

Strip away the obstacles I put up in front myself.

Strip away the extraneous emotions and thoughts diminishing my focus.

Let me stand firm at the center,

Even though the storm may rage about me.

Though the maelstrom spins, I stand strong.

Like this stone, I stand firm upon the Earth:

Unshaking and unafraid.

Like this stone, I stand firm amidst the storm:

the waves breaking around me, the riptide passing me by.

Like this stone, I stand firm and strong

Here at my Center.”

Poseidon, Lord of the Deep,

Connect us to the foundations of the Earth

And help us to find peace and joy

in the blossoming waves of the storm.”

10) Introspection – Having done the above work, provide detail of your understanding of why self-knowledge and introspection are critical for working with magic and how you intend to pursue your own course of self-understanding. (min. 350 words)

The work described in the practicum for this course, as well as the work done in Magic 2, have both helped to inform my understanding of why self-knowledge and introspection are critical for working magic. They have helped me consider how I approach magical work, what methods I use, how I determine what magical work to do, and how my work reflects on how I am perceived by others.

Self-understanding and introspection are essential for every person who practices magic, whether or not they consider themselves a magus or magician. For me this becomes a discussion of ethics, and a discussion of ethics within my practice turns towards the Delphic Maxims (Oikonomides). Personal introspection falls under maxim #8 “Know Thyself” or perhaps “Be Yourself,” depending on the translation. This requires a person to examine their personal values, and determine why they feel the way they do, and how to best act in accordance with those values they have come to own. Many other values are accounted for within the maxims that help to guide who that “self” is that you should strive to know and be.

In the work described in the practicum, I looked at what type of magic would actually be useful to me and to those who were attending the rites where that magic was performed. Part of the introspection was setting aside ideas for workings that would be ‘cool’ or ‘flashy,’ but not necessarily be the best way to accomplish the goal of that work. This required me to deepen my understanding of myself. An understanding of yourself requires that you know who you are and continually exploring who you want to become. It requires an understanding of how your actions and inactions affect yourself and others, and your view of yourself and how others perceive you. This does not require you to cater to or be afraid of how others will view you, but at least have an understanding. This understanding as you grow will help you to distinguish the role that magic is taking in your life. I believe there is always a danger that hubris can overtake a person, and in the case of magical work, this hubris can be more devastating as the magician breaks from reality. One of the guiding maxims that I think helps to curb hubris is to “Be (religiously) silent.” It is more important to do the work than talk about all the work you have, or could have done. One of the things I’ve noticed as I’ve done the work for the initiate path as well as the beginning work for the clergy training program (including the practicum for this course), is that my view of myself will affect the way that others view me, and the best course of action for me is to let my work speak for itself and let others determine their view of me from my actions.

An understanding, and continual drive for better understanding, of how you view yourself and how others view you will help to keep hubris from taking root and destroying both the self and any relationships that may exist. You should like who you are, and act in such a way that you continue to do so. If you don’t like yourself, then you should be able to take steps to fix that. You should also have an understanding of how those around you view you, and be able to accept that view.

Ways that I pursue a course of self-understanding are first by examining (and re-examining) my biases. It is important for everyone to know their biases so that they can account for the ways that may pre-dispose them to a certain belief or outcome. I do divinatory work to consult the divine on whether or not an action (magical or not) is called for. I meditate on how my actions will affect myself and others. I work to determine what I view as right and wrong, and where my line is that I won’t cross. I do my best to stay honest with myself and true to my gods, because in the end, I have to answer to my conscience and my gods.

Works Cited:

Betz, Hans Dieter. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation: Including the Demotic Spells. Chicago, Ill.: U of Chicago, 1986. Print.

Bloomfield, Maurice. “Hymns of the Atharva-Veda.” Sacred-Texts.com. Sacred Books of the East. vol 42. 1897. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Graf, Fritz. Magic in the Ancient World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1997. Print.

Griffith, Ralph T.H. “The Hymns of the Atharvaveda.” Sacred-Texts.com. Sacred Texts. 1895-6. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Johnston, Sarah Iles. Ancient Greek Divination. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Pub., 2008. Print.

Littleton, C. Scott. The New Comparative Mythology: An Anthropological Assessment of the Theories of Georges Dumézil. Rev. ed. Berkeley: U of California, 1973. Print.

Mallory, J. P. In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology, and Myth. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson, 1989. Print.

Oikonomides, Al. N.. “Records of “The Commandments of the Seven Wise Men” in the 3rd c. B.C..” Classical Bulletin: 67-76. Web. 1 July 2014. <http://www.flyallnight.com/khaire/DelphicMaxims/DelphicMaxims_CB63-1987.pdf>

Sophistes, Apollonius. “Hellenic Magic Ritual.” Hellenic Magical Ritual. Biblioteca Arcana, 2000. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://omphalos.org/BA/HMT/>.

Sophistes, Apollonius. “A Greek Alphabet Oracle.” A Greek Alphabet Oracle. Biblioteca Arcana, 1995. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/GAO.html>.

The Importance of Self-Understanding and Introspection

The work described in the practicum for Magic 1 for Priests, as well as the work done in Magic 2, have both helped to inform my understanding of why self-knowledge and introspection are critical for working magic. They have helped me consider how I approach magical work, what methods I use, how I determine what magical work to do, and how my work reflects on how I am perceived by others.

Self-understanding and introspection are essential for every person who practices magic, whether or not they consider themselves a magus or magician. For me this becomes a discussion of ethics, and a discussion of ethics within my practice turns towards the Delphic Maxims. Personal introspection falls under maxim #8 “Know Thyself” or perhaps “Be Yourself,” depending on the translation. This requires a person to examine their personal values, and determine why they feel the way they do, and how to best act in accordance with those values they have come to own. Many other values are accounted for within the maxims that help to guide who that “self” is that you should strive to know and be.

The Foggy Dawn

Sweet Ushas, rising slowly above the horizon,
You brighten the world with your beauty.
As the fog lays thick upon the land,
Let your rays loving brush the heavy sleep of the night aside,
Swirling the mists as you warm them,
encouraging them to rise from their beds.
Warm and light the Earth, O Daughter of the Sky,
As the crisp autumn air beckons you on.

Crisis Response

1) Provide both an objective (from a source e.g. dictionary, textbook) and subjective definition (in your own words) for the following terms: “crisis” and “precipitating event.” (minimum 50 words each, excluding the objective definitions)

Crisis:

cri·sis noun \ˈkrī-səs\

: a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention
: the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever
: a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function
: an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person’s life
: an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome
: a situation that has reached a critical phase

“Crisis situations…are ordinarily initiated by a blow from the outside or from internal pressures that can no longer be sustained. These may result in one catastrophic event or in a series of mishaps whose effect is cumulative… The crisis situation is not essentially a sickness or a pathological experience. It is a realistic struggle in the true circumstances of the lives of the affected persons” (Kennedy 389).

A crisis is a situation that an individual experiences that most often arises from a precipitating event. This situation is one that causes the individual undue stress and can result in them acting and feeling particularly out of character. It often comes out of some external stimuli that then culminates in a combination of internal and external manifestations of the crisis.

Precipitating Event:

pre·cip·i·tate verb \pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtāt\

: to cause (something) to happen quickly or suddenly
: to bring about especially abruptly
: to fall or come suddenly into some condition

“If there is no resolution [to the crisis situation] and the tension builds to a peak, then a precipitating factor may touch off the crisis so that, in an instant…balance collapses and disorganization takes place. This is the state of active crisis” (Kennedy 389). “Understanding what is termed the “precipitation event” governs an intervention that is ordered… Identifying the precipitating stress follows the burned powder trail back from the explosion to that place where the match was struck and touched to it. There we find the circumstances that unbalanced the person and gave rise to the symptoms now displayed” (388).

A precipitating event is the thing that happens to trigger a crisis situation. This can be a “last straw” type of scenario, where the person finally breaks from a long line of stressors, or it can be a sudden event that tips the scales. This precipitating event will most likely relate back to the individual on a mental, emotional, and/or physical level. It can be anything from a loss to a threat to a challenge.

2) Describe at least three different categories of emergency situations and provide a clear example of each. Please ensure you include a source citation. (minimum 50 words each).

Three categories that emergencies can fall into are Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Intertemporal, among others.

Intrapersonal: An interpersonal emergency is one that arises from an individual dealing and coping with their own internal processes, such as depression, anxiety, and/or confusion. These emergencies may not have a clear precipitating event, or at the very least, a clear event that the individual can pinpoint as the root cause of their emotions. For example, an individual could be experiencing anxiety or depression as they anticipate responses to their actions and their internal sense of balance is thrown off. This internal processing and experience of emotions can be a precipitating event that leads to a crisis situation (Kennedy 387-93).

Interpersonal: An interpersonal emergency is one that arises between individuals. This may be in a romantic relationship, a friendship relationship, a professional relationship, or a familial relationship. In all of these there is a person other than the individual involved who’s actions and reactions can influence the development and/or resolution of a crisis situation. For example, an individual could be experiencing a breakdown in communication between themselves and their significant other. This breakdown in communication can be a precipitating event that leads to a crisis situation (Kennedy 387-93).

Intertemporal: An intertemporal emergency is one that happens during times of transition, and is not necessarily tied to a particular time frame or age grouping of people. This transition often occurs between life stages or life events. For example, as a teenager graduates from high school and anticipates moving out of their childhood home either to join the workforce or begin college they may experience difficulties navigating the new experiences and responsibilities that come with that new territory. They will be managing their own time, will be expected to pay for their own expenses, and oftentimes will suddenly be seen as “more responsible,” causing anxiety about these new expectations. This time of transition can be a precipitating event that leads to a crisis situation (Kennedy 387-88).

3) Describe at least five possible events or situations that may cause an individual to experience a crisis in his or her life. (minimum 100 words)

There are many reasons why a person may experience crisis in their life. All of these reasons are a real struggle for the individual and should not be trivialized. A person may experience a loss, whether through death, the ending of a relationship, or the loss of a job, position, or material good. This can cause depression and mourning. A person may be experiencing or anticipating a big life event, such as marriage, a new job, the birth of a child, or moving. This can cause anxiety. A person may be the victim of a traumatic event, such as theft, assault, or rape. This can cause guilt, fear, depression, and anxiety, among many other emotions. A person may be suffering from, or caring for someone suffering from, an illness, whether one that suddenly came on or a prolonged illness. This can cause guilt, depression, and exhaustion. A person may experience triggers that remind them of previous traumatic events, which can bring back the same emotions experienced during the initial event. For example, a victim or rape or assault may be introduced to someone who looks similar to his or her attacker, or may hear a sound that was happening at the time of the attack. That facial structure, or that sound, became linked with the initial event and acts as a trigger back to the original space and time (Kennedy 391).

4) Discuss how an individual’s ability to appropriately cope and/or problem solve may be affected by crisis and explain the process you would use to assist this individual. (100 words).

When a person is in crisis they may become anxious, confused, or overwhelmed by the situation they find themselves in. These feelings can interfere with a person’s ability to make even small decisions, which can lead to them losing the stable footing that they need to maintain their own psychological defenses. We can help be a stabilizing force and “allow others to depend on us during the intense interval of crisis, letting them “lean” on us and telling them what to do” (Kennedy 390). We act as a steady pretense and help the individual with some immediate day-to-day decisions and tasks that will allow them the time and space needed to replenish their own defense so that they can take over that role again. We can help by identifying where the person is strong – “what we understand as their healthiest defenses – and encourage their use in their struggle to recapture their equilibrium” (390).

5) List and discuss at least five suicide warning signs. Explain how you would respond if you were assisting an individual exhibiting one or more of these signs. (minimum 50 words each warning sign and minimum 100 words for response).

“Most experts believe that determination to commit suicide is the clearest signal that we can receive and that three facets may be identified in every suicide: specificity of the means, lethality of the means, and availability of the means. When these conditions are realized we may conclude that the likelihood of suicide is very high” (Kennedy 352).

Warning Signs: (“Suicide Warning Signs”)

1 – Talking/Writing about suicide:

This is probably the number one warning sign of suicide. It can take the form of an individual meeting with people they haven’t seen in a while to say goodbye, getting their affairs in order, writing a will, or giving away treasured possessions. When an individual is talking or writing about suicide they may reveal the specificity of the three facets mentioned above. This warning sign should always be taken seriously and appropriate action taken.

2 – Feeling of hopelessness, helplessness, or being trapped by a situation:

When a person feels like there is no way out of situation or there is nothing that can be done to ever make it any better, suicide can become a risk. When a person makes statements such as “it won’t change anything, so why bother,” this should be recognized a contributing factor to the determination to commit suicide.

3 – Change in Personality/Behavior

This can include anger/rage, sadness, excessive guilt/shame, mood swings, out of the ordinary emotions for the individual, and/or a change in eat/sleeping habits. The important thing to consider here is the shift from normal behavior to something out of the ordinary. This means that this warning sign is harder to recognize unless you know the individual well or spend a decent amount of time around them in order to determine what is typical behavior.

4 – Reckless Behavior

This is best used as a warning sign when taken in conjunction with the other signs. It is more likely to be a warning sign when it is a sudden change in behavior and/or out of the norm for the individual, or when it is couple with the individual setting their affairs in order. It is still important to be aware of a person who always seems to volunteer for the most dangerous jobs, is consistently taking unnecessary risks, or seems to getting hurt all the time.

5 – Withdrawing from friends/family

This includes not showing interest in doing things with those people, as well as no longer taking part in most parts of life they used to enjoy. When a person withdraws from their support network, especially if their behavior changes before doing so, it can be a fairly clear warning sign. A similar risk factor is for individuals who appear to be loners or social outcasts and have a weak support network.

My Response:

My response would depend on how immediate or intense these warning signs presented themselves in an individual. It is a careful balance to neither underreact nor overreact (Kennedy 355-6). If an individual were talking about committing suicide, I would probably ask them if they had a plan for how and/or when they were going to. This would determine the immediacy need of my response. In either case I would probably give them a suicide hotline number and ask them to call in that moment. Additionally, if I knew they were already receiving professional help, I would ask them to call and schedule an appointment with their therapist, begin sure that they told their therapist they were considering suicide, then, as the therapist would most likely suggest in that moment, I would do my best to make sure they went to an emergency room. If the individual was adamantly opposed to this and I felt they were in immediate danger, I would call 911. For individuals who were not currently receiving professional help I would refer them to a counselor.

For individuals who were not displaying immediate warning signs, I would still either ask that they contact their therapist if they had one, or refer them to one if they didn’t. I would give them the suicide hotline number and ask them to program it into their phone so they’d have easy access to it if needed. I would check in with them and continue to act as an active, empathetic listener, being sure to let them know that I would be a support person, available to listen and be there in the ways I am able, but that they should also use the other resources that are available (like the referral to a counselor and the suicide hotline number) and should contact those resources first if they continued to feel they way they are or if they felt like they were getting worse.

6) Choose four of the seven common misconceptions about suicide from the list below and discuss why each is a misconception. (minimum 50 words each)

People who talk about suicide won’t really do it.

Individuals who have committed suicide nearly always have talked about it first. An individual who talks about suicide is oftentimes in pain and reaching out for help in one of the few ways they can think how. They have lost hope and can think of few or no other options. Talk about suicide should always be taken seriously.

If a person is determined to kill himself/herself, nothing is going to stop him/her.

An individual who is determined to commit suicide has often made that choice because they are in pain and can see no other way out. They are looking for a way to end the pain, not necessarily end their life. Suicide is an escape plan to stop the pain. Prevention can be addressed through therapy to help them find other ways to stop the pain they are trying to end. Talking about suicide with these individuals and referring them for help needs to happen.

Talking about suicide may give someone the idea.

This is untrue, and may be counter-productive to aiding someone who is considering suicide. It is prudent to bring up the possibly of suicide with individuals who we think are suicide risk so we can assess how immediate their need for professional help may be. Bringing up suicide to these individuals does not put a new idea in their head but rather may “diminish the symbolic power of actual suicide by showing that the thought can be accepted and understood by others” (Kennedy 357).

After a person has attempted suicide, it is unlikely he/she will try again.

The opposite of this is actually true. One of the risk factors for suicide is whether or not a person has any previous attempts at suicide. The potential for a person to complete suicide is quicker if they have a history of suicide attempts. This is particularly noted in adolescents, because while many will never make another attempt, there are some who previously engaged in some for of self-destructive behavior or a mild attempt at suicide who may eventually commit suicide (Kennedy 353-4).

7) Discuss why an individual in crisis might seek an ADF clergy person for help and explain whether or not you feel this is an appropriate function for ADF clergy, why or why not? (minimum 200 words)

A person in crisis may come to an ADF clergy person because they are seeking support from someone they view as a helper and a leader, who theoretically appears calm and grounded in most situations, as well as someone who is an important figure in their religious practice. People turn “to those nearby who seem capable of offering some understanding and good sense” (Kennedy viii-ix). I think this is both an expected response from people, as well as one that is appropriate for the clergy to be ready and able to handle. Our culture, in the United States at least, is familiar with the idea of pastoral counseling. For ADF clergy, this may look different, but it nevertheless remains one of their many appropriate functions. The structure of our church is such that we build close-knit communities, and those communities have leaders. An ADF clergy person is seen as a leader, making them one who will be turned to in times of crisis. “Faith and Spirituality are now recognized as potent sources of personal integration and emotional well-being. In crisis, we may wisely call on the religious faith of those involved to support them during the time of stress” (390-1).

I think it is an important distinction however, that when a person in crisis comes to an ADF clergy person, that we are there to provide emergency level support and resources should they need more advanced care. As a support person, the skill set is focused on our natural human traits and empathy. The tactics that can be used to be a successful support person include ventilation, exploration of problems, clarification, suggestion, reassurance, education, empathy, and support of defenses (Kennedy 7-10). In these situations, it is also imperative to recognize our own limits, including when we need to step back for our own well-being as well as when an individual needs to be referred for professional help. When considering the line between what is an appropriate function for clergy and what is not, it’s important to remember that we are who the folk have chosen to come to in this instance, and it would be a great disservice, and perhaps even unethical, to not honor the role that they have set us in and turn them away without providing the support and resources we are able. “We are not out to convince people that they are in trouble but to respond to them when they really are” (398).

8) Discuss an example of a crisis situation to which you have responded (this may be a crisis you have personally experienced or an experience in which you tried to help someone else in crisis). Reflect upon your response to the crisis in your example, and explain what you found effective, as well as how you could have improved your response to this situation. (minimum 200 words)

I have a friend who recently came to me regarding her marriage. She’s been married for about 3 years and suffers from anxiety and possibly depression (both untreated at the time of this conversation). She felt like her marriage was falling apart and was debating moving out. She contacted me initially via instant message, and after asking her directly if she felt physically safe, I scheduled a time to go over and talk with her a couple of days later.

Going to talk to her mostly involved me practicing a lot of active listening. I let her talk about how she was feeling and describe to me what she felt was happening and her grievances in the relationship. It sounded like she was trying to sort through her feelings and talking about them out loud to another person was helpful for her to process them and define them. One of the things I think I did well was actively listening with a minimal amount of self-sharing on my part. There was no need for me to discuss or reveal any similar situations: she already seemed comfortable enough to share with me, and didn’t appear to be seeking validation for her feelings in a way that me sharing would have helped.

One of the things she had told me was that she felt nervous thinking about her husband coming home from work, and how she was tired of feeling scared, and how she was tired of walking on eggshells around him all the time. I had brought a couple of phone numbers with me for domestic violence services. I gave them to her, and asked her to please call them if at any point she felt like she was in physical danger or needed to get out. Thinking about it now, if I had to do this again, I would probably have had her program the numbers into her phone so she could get to them immediately.

I felt like, during the course of our conversation, that she was pressuring me to make a decision for her. It’s one of the things I think I did well in: I kept reiterating that it was a personal decision on her part, and one that she, and only she, could make. We did talk about if she would have a place to go if she decided to leave him, and I helped her brainstorm where those places could be, and how she would need to go about applying for jobs to be able to support herself if it came to that.

I also asked her if her and her husband would be willing to go to marriage counseling. She said they had made an appointment, but that it was still several weeks out for their first appointment. She also told me how she had started seeing a therapist for herself, who had brought up her possibly getting on antidepressants. She was resistant and really scared to try that because she was afraid she would start them, and then lose her support network of her husband, and all her friends would turn out to actually be her husband’s friends and wouldn’t be supportive of her either. I talked to her about trying to trust her therapist, and making sure to reach out to her support network.

One of the things I could have done to improve this interaction would have been to have a better sense of when to end the conversation. I didn’t go in with a time frame, and I think it would have made it easier to leave without angst-ridden feelings of whether or not the conversation was at a good stopping point and whether or not it was okay to actually them. I also could have done better by having a better firm time or time frame to check in again with her.

9) Discuss how the skills required of ADF clergy in ritual, especially those which involve mitigating chaos and generating order, might relate to those necessary for appropriately responding to an emergency situation (minimum 100 words).

One of the things that ADF clergy do is ritual is bring order out of chaos. In ADF ritual we are taking actions to maintain the order in the chaos when we (Re)Create the Cosmos and Establish the Sacred Center. When an individual is in crisis, they are experiencing chaos. When a precipitating event occurs that touches off a crisis situation, it is touching off an effect that causes balance within the individual to collapse and disorganization of their world to occur (Kennedy 398). “Bringing order reduces the anxiety that, as in all stressful encounters, can so easily paralyze or lessen the constructive potential of persons standing at the center or the edges of an emergency. Persons who remain calm and maintain self-control in a disaster become its natural leaders and can save many lives… Our ability to master ourselves and to telegraph confidence to others in an emergency calms the tempest, grounding the electric anxiety that crackles in the air, thereby decreasing the intensity of the emergency itself” (386-7). When we take our skills required in ritual, mitigating chaos and generating order, and apply them to respond to those in crisis, we are allowing ourselves to become, in that moment, the axis mundi that the individual needs in order to reorient themselves within their world, and the mountain that they need as a steadying, grounding force.

10) Compile and submit a list of mainstream resources providing crisis services available in your locality. Additionally, explore your locality for a hotline number to access emergency services and discuss the results of your search. (Please provide the following information for each resource listed a) name of resource b) contact information c) how to make a referral d) hours of operation e) specific service[s] provided by the resource). (no minimum word count)

“Hands on Central Ohio 2-1-1.” Hands on Central Ohio 2-1-1. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. <http://www.211centralohio.org>.

suicidal thoughts

Type of Resource: Suicide Prevention

Name of Resource: North Central Mental Health Services
Contact Information:
1301 North High Street
Main Building
Columbus, OH 43201
http://www.suicidepreventionservices.org
(614) 221-5445 24-hour hotline
How to Make a Referral: 24/7 by phone
Hours of Operation: 24/7 by phone
Services Provided: Trained volunteers assist callers through empathetic listening, assessing suicide risk, identifying problems and connecting callers with appropriate resources and referrals. Also presents educational programs about the warning sides of suicide and what to do when those signs are observed.
Hotline Number for Emergency Services:
(614) 221-5445 24-hour hotline – Franklin County Suicide Hotline
(614) 294-3300 24-hour hotline – Franklin County Teen Suicide Hotline
(614) 294-3309 24-hour hotline – Franklin County Senior Suicide Hotline
(800) 273-8255 24-hour hotline – National Suicide Prevention Hotline

mental illness

Type of Resource: Depression Support Group

Name of Resource: North Central Mental Health Services
Contact Information:
1301 North High Street
Main Building
Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 299-6600 Administrative
(614) 299-6600 ext. 2073 Program Number
inquiries@ncmhs.org
www.ncmhs.org
How to Make a Referral: by phone
Hours of Operation: Second and fourth Thursday of each month 7 pm-8:30 pm.
Services Provided: Peer support for those experiencing depressive disorders (no fees and no documents needed)
Hotline Number for Emergency Services: (614) 221-5445 24-hour hotline – Franklin County Suicide Hotline

Type of Resource: General Counseling

Name of Resource: North Central Counseling
Contact Information:
338 Granville Street
Columbus, OH 43230
(614) 475-7090 Administrative
www.ncmhs.org
How to Make a Referral: by phone (Accepts Medicaid, most insurance providers, ADAMH funds and private pay.)
Hours of Operation: Mon-Thu 8:30 am-8 pm. Friday 8:30 am-5 pm.
Services Provided: General Counseling Services, Substance Abuse Counseling. Offers mental health and substance abuse treatment services to children, adolescents, families and adults. The Family Focus team offers individual, family, parent, couples and group counseling with an emphasis on a solution-focused approach.

substance abuse (addiction)

Type of Resource: Substance Abuse Counseling

Name of Resource: North Community Counseling Centers
Contact Information:
1495 Morse Road Suite B3
Columbus, OH 43229
(614) 267-7003 Administrative
(614) 846-2588 ext. 2223 Program Number
How to Make a Referral:
Hours of Operation: by appt only. hours vary.
Services Provided: Offers substance abuse counseling on an individual or group basis. Offers an informational and educational group on substance abuse or addiction.

Type of Resource: Substance Abuse Counseling

Name of Resource: North Central Counseling
Contact Information:
338 Granville Street
Columbus, OH 43230
(614) 475-7090 Administrative
www.ncmhs.org
How to Make a Referral: by phone (Accepts Medicaid, most insurance providers, ADAMH funds and private pay.)
Hours of Operation: Mon-Thu 8:30 am-8 pm. Friday 8:30 am-5 pm.
Services Provided: General Counseling Services, Substance Abuse Counseling. Offers mental health and substance abuse treatment services to children, adolescents, families and adults. The Family Focus team offers individual, family, parent, couples and group counseling with an emphasis on a solution-focused approach.

Type of Resource: Substance Abuse

Name of Resource: Directions Counseling Group
Contact Information:
6797 N. High St.
Worthington, Ohio 43085
614-888-9200
http://www.directionscounseling.com/substance-abuse-addiction/substance-abuse-counseling
http://www.directionscounseling.com/child-teen/substance-abuse-counseling
How to Make a Referral: by appt. Call 614-888-9200
Hours of Operation: by appt. Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Services Provided: teen and adult substance abuse counseling services, both individual and family sessions

financial issues

Type of Resource: Utility & Rent Assistance

Name of Resource: IMPACT Community Action (HEAP)
Contact Information:
700 Bryden Road
Columbus, OH 43215
614.252.2799
How to Make a Referral: Call 866.747.1038 to schedule an appointment for HEAP assistance or for Central Intake for other IMPACT programs and services. Call 866.747.1040 to schedule an appointment for rental assistance, material assistance through the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, or for water utility assistance (offered seasonally: April-June and September-November). Must bring to intake: valid Drivers License/Photo ID, Social Security Cards for all household members, proof of household income for the past 90 days for everyone 18yr and older, current gas/electric bills, copy of your lease if your service are off or being transferred
Hours of Operation: Mondays through Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. call to schedule appt.
Services Provided: The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps households prevent energy service disruptions, restore disconnected services, and/or secure seasonal heating and cooling energy needs. Emergency Assistance provides financial and material support on behalf of customers in crisis situations, including homelessness prevention, home furnishings, and other critical transportation needs.

homelessness (lack of shelter, food, clothing, other basic needs)

Type of Resource: Homeless Financial Assistance (Families with Children)

Name of Resource: Homeless Families Foundation
Contact Information:
33 North Grubb Street
Columbus, OH 43215
http://www.homelessfamiliesfoundation.com
(614) 461-9247 Administrative
(614) 253-3910 Intake YWCA Family Center
How to Make a Referral: by telephone (614-253-3910) to schedule intake. To qualify for services YWCA Family Shelter must complete referral.
Hours of Operation: Mon-Thu 8:30 am-5 pm. Fri 8:30 am-3 pm.
Services Provided: Provides assistance in finding permanent housing and extensive holistic case management for homeless children and their families. Assistance for deposits, rent and sometimes utilities are subsidized for a short time to help stabilize the families in their new homes. When needed, Homeless Families Foundation also provides necessary furniture, dishes, pots and pans, towels and toiletries, cleaning supplies and a starter food basket.
Hotline Number for Emergency Services:
The “Front Door” to the family shelter system in Columbus is the YWCA’s “Family Center”
900 Harvey Court
Columbus, OH 43219
Phone: 614.253.3910

Type of Resource: Individual Homeless Shelters (Men & Women)

Name of Resource: Friends of the Homeless (Southeast, Inc.)
Contact Information:
Administrative Address:
924 East Main Street
Columbus, OH 43205-2338
614.360.0251(v) 614.253.7341(f)
Men’s Shelter Address:
924 East Main Street
Columbus, OH 43205
Women’s Shelter Address:
595 Van Buren Drive
Columbus, OH 43223
How to Make a Referral: intake process by phone or in person
Hours of Operation: 24/7 for shelter; Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 8 am-5 pm. Tuesday 8 am-7 pm. for Admin offices
Services Provided: Provides emergency shelter for adult single men and adult single women. Additional services include meals and referrals to medical, legal, and supportive services. 18 years and older. Individuals must be sober, ambulatory and not dangerous.
Hotline Number for Emergency Services: (888) 474-3587 24 shelter hour hotline

Type of Resource: Teen Emergency Shelter

Name of Resource: Huckleberry House
Contact Information:
1421 Hamlet Street
Columbus, OH 43201
http://www.huckhouse.org
(614) 294-8097 Administrative
(614) 298-4135 (for family counseling)
How to Make a Referral: 24/7 phone (614) 294-8097) and walk-in
Teens unable to get to Huckleberry House on their can go to a White Castle Restaurant, a Columbus Fire Station or a 24-hour Kroger store. They can walk into the site and tell an employee that they need Safe Place Help. The employee/store will contact Huckleberry House, and they will arrange transport. (If you are unsure where the closest Safe Place site is, you can text to 69866 and enter SAFE into your phone and your current location (street address, city, state) they will text you back within seconds the closest safe place location for you. You can also call The National Safe Place hotline at 1-888-290-7233)
Hours of Operation: 24/7 phone and walk-in
Services Provided: Offers 24-hour crisis intervention services for teens (12-17yrs). Provides a 24-hour crisis shelter and crisis hotline. Offers counseling services for youth who have run away from home, or are thinking of running. Counselors work with teens and their families to provide crisis intervention and to develop communication and understanding. Average length of stay is 3-5 days with a plan of reconciliation in place. Transitional housing is available for stays as long as 12-18 months.
Hotline Number for Emergency Services: (614) 294-5553 24-hour hotline

suspected abuse of the individual’s child(ren)

Type of Resource: Child Abuse & Domestic Violence for Children with Families

Name of Resource: Franklin County Children’s Services
Contact Information:
4071 East Main Street
Whitehall, OH 43213
http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/children_services
(614) 229-7100 24-hour Intake hotline
How to Make a Referral: Reports are made to the 24 Abuse Hotline (614-229-7000)
Hours of Operation: 24/7 by phone. Intake process: phone and walk-in (no documents required, and no fees)
Services Provided: Investigation of alleged child abuse, neglect or exploitation within families or childcare facilities, schools, group homes, etc. Alternative intake can also do assessments for cases of domestic violence if children are in the home and affected. Note a case must be opened in order to receive additional services.
Hotline Number for Emergency Services: (614) 229-7000 24-hour Child Abuse hotline

criminal victimization (victims of theft, sexual assault, domestic violence)

Type of Resource: LGBTQ Domestic & Hate Violence

Name of Resource: Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization
Contact Information:
870 North Pearl Street
Columbus, OH 43215
http://www.bravo-ohio.org
(614) 294-7867 (Administrative/Program Number 9am-5pm)
How to Make a Referral:
Hours of Operation: Mon-Fri 10 am-4 pm. Sun-Thu 6 pm-10 pm. Intake process: Telephone. E-mail. Walk-in. (no documents required, and no fees)
Services Provided: Provides confidential crisis intervention services and legal advocacy/attorney referrals to victims of anti-gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, same sex domestic violence and anti-LGBT Hate violence.
Hotline Number for Emergency Services: (866) 862-7286

Type of Resource: General Domestic Violence

Name of Resource: CHOICES – for victims of domestic violence
Contact Information:
500 W. Wilson Bridge Rd. Suite 245
Worthington, OH 43085
http://choicescolumbus.org/
(614) 224-7200
How to Make a Referral: call 24hr hotline
Hours of Operation: 24/7 by phone
Services Provided: 24-hour Crisis & Information Line; Temporary Shelter; Counseling & Support Groups; Legal & Community Advocacy; Education & Training Programs
Hotline Number for Emergency Services: 614-224-HOME (4663)

Type of Resource: Child Abuse & Domestic Violence for Children with Families

Name of Resource: Franklin County Children’s Services
Contact Information:
4071 East Main Street
Whitehall, OH 43213
http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/children_services
(614) 229-7100 24-hour Intake hotline
How to Make a Referral: Reports are made to the 24 Abuse Hotline (614-229-7000)
Hours of Operation: 24/7 by phone. Intake process: phone and walk-in (no documents required, and no fees)
Services Provided: Investigation of alleged child abuse, neglect or exploitation within families or childcare facilities, schools, group homes, etc. Alternative intake can also do assessments for cases of domestic violence if children are in the home and affected. Note a case must be opened in order to receive additional services.
Hotline Number for Emergency Services:
(614) 229-7000 24-hour Child Abuse hotline

Type of Resource: Sexual Assault

Name of Resource: Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (SARNCO)
Contact Information:
1299 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, OH 43212
https://www.ohiohealth.com/sexualassaultresponsenetwork/
(614) 566-4770 General Information
How to Make a Referral: by phone only
Hours of Operation: 24/7 by phone
Services Provided: Trained volunteers provide emotional support, crisis intervention and referral information over the telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to survivors of sexual violence, co-survivors and the community. Also offer long-term advocacy and support to survivors and co-survivors who need assistance working with law enforcement and navigating the criminal justice system. Individual Advocacy for Adult Sexual Assault Survivors, Individual Advocacy for Families/Friends of Sexual Assault/Abuse Survivors, Sexual Assault Hotlines
Hotline Number for Emergency Services: (614) 267-7020 24 hour Rape hotline; Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN): 1-(800) 656-HOPE

grief (resulting from death, terminal illness, divorce or other loss)

Type of Resource: Grief/Loss

Name of Resource: Directions Counseling Group
Contact Information:
6797 N. High St.
Worthington, Ohio 43085
614-888-9200
http://www.directionscounseling.com/adult/grief-loss
How to Make a Referral: by appt. Call 614-888-9200
Hours of Operation: by appt. Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Services Provided: Therapy for grief or loss from: Loss of a loved one, End of a relationship, Retirement, Major life transition, Empty nest, Death of a pet, Past trauma, Loss of job, Health issues

Type of Resource: Grief Support Groups

Name of Resource: Mount Carmel Hospice and Palliative Care
Contact Information:
1144 Dublin Road
Columbus, OH 43215
http://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/grief–loss
614-234-0200
How to Make a Referral: Call 614-234-0200 to schedule an Intake for each particular program
Hours of Operation: varies by program. Most are evenings.
Services Provided: Free Grief and Loss support groups. Schedule varies. PDF of current groups located on website.

Works Cited:

“Hands on Central Ohio 2-1-1.” Hands on Central Ohio 2-1-1. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. <http://www.211centralohio.org>.

Kennedy, Eugene and Charles, Sara. On Becoming a Counselor: A Basic Guide for Nonprofessional Counselors and Other Helpers. New York: Crossroad Publishing. 2001. Print.

“Suicide Myths.” Suicide.org. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <http://www.suicide.org/suicide-myths.html>.

“Suicide Warning Signs.” Suicide.org. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. <http://www.suicide.org/suicide-warning-signs.html>.

References for Resources:

http://www.211centralohio.org

http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/children_services/education/community-resources.cfm

Mist to Open. Mists to Bind.

an Initiate-Priest's journey diving the depths

Author: Rev. Jan Avende

Ritual Mechanics

Liturgical Writing 1

Prayer for the Helpers

Prayer on Behalf of Another

Indo-European Myth 2

Crafting a Magical Working

Magic 1 for Priests

The Importance of Self-Understanding and Introspection

The Foggy Dawn

Crisis Response