adfdruidry

Artemis, for the right to choose

On this National Day of Prayer,
as we watch our rights threaten to be eroded,
I call out to Artemis, protector.

Artemis, you were born in conflict,
with your mother, Leto, making the choice to give birth.
You, in turn, helped deliver your brother.

Artemis, when you were but a child,
You demanded sovereignty:
to choose your own path,
to follow your own passions,
to remain childless,
and not forced into the role of mother.

Artemis, I ask you now to be present.
To stand beside those who fight
for their own right to choose as you did.
You have always defended your followers,
And in this fight I ask that you continue to do so.

Lend your strength of will,
Lend your protection,
Let your precedence sway the minds of those who rule.

Artemis, as you have always been there for me,
be there for us all now.

Second Annual Prayer-A-Day

picture of a candle in a lantern against a dark background with words that say "Light the Way, Draw others to the Flame: Write a Prayer a Day in November. #prayeraday #adfdruidry"

It’s time for the Second Annual Prayer-A-Day Challenge!

November tends to be a month when people work on doing something each day of the month, whether it’s moments of gratitude or writing for National Novel Writing Month. Last year, I decided that I would try my own variation on this trend and began a #PrayerADay Challenge. The idea was to write one prayer each day, to whatever spirit or on whatever topic called to you at that particular moment. After deciding that I was was going to take this on for myself, I thought “wouldn’t it be awesome if we were able to have a whole collection prayers compiled from clergy and other ADF members?” So, I issued the challenge to other members of ADF clergy, and the whole experiment kind of exploded from there. Many people across ADF joined in to write one or more prayers, and it has been absolutely fantastic.

So, it’s time to do this again, and this year I challenge all of you. Yes. All of you! I don’t care if you’ve never written a prayer, or if you’ve written lots and lots. The idea here is to write a new prayer each day. It’s okay if you don’t like it, but write _something_ every day in November.

The hash tags we’ll be using for this across social media are #PrayerADay and #adfdruidry. When you post it to social media, make sure you use both of those tags so we can all find it!

November Prayers: Day 7

When the black dog has her claws hooked in you,
threatening to never let go,
trying to pull you under, into the darkness…
When the world is too loud, and too bright,
overwhelming all your senses,
pushing you to escape into the void…
When the night seems to go on forever,
dragging into the black,
until it seems even the stars have lost their light…
Then is when the sky will lighten,
Then is when the cloud-cover will dissipate,
Then is when the Dawn will come.
So, after the storm has raged,
go to where the Waters flow more freely now,
won and blessed for you,
and find your peace in nature.

November Prayers: Day 5

A Meal Blessing of Thanks:
We thank the Earth Mother, first and foremost,
for the bounty she has shared.
We also thank:
The Ancestors, for teaching us their ways,
The Nature Spirits, for sharing of themselves,
And The Shining Ones, for walking with us.
To all those spirits we love,
Come, join us at our feast,
and be welcomed by our hospitality.