Samhain To-Do List

1. Meditate on my life, and what I'd like to begin/end/change in the coming year.

2. Create a fun and tasty all-locally-grown feast for my family - include some silly items like Rosemary Garlic Blue Mashed Potatoes from locally-grown All-Blue potatoes.

3. Spend some extra quality time with the furry children and the green leafy children.

4. Order will-making software so I can get my personal paperwork updated.

5. Plant garlic and perennial onions in the garden for next year.

6. Make some of my famous ketchup!

Alban Heruin (Summer Solstice)

A ritual to be performed at noon on the longest day of the year.

Have an altar ready, indoors or out as weather or situation dictates, with representation of the elements, a druid sword, a special clear chalice with appropriate drink (or water), and a simple feast of whatever fruits of early summer were ready for harvest from the garden that morning.

[Perform solitary grove opening then move into seasonal blessing below.]

[Stand facing the noonday sun in the south and say the following aloud with feeling...]

The earth turns, and with its turning, the sun "rises" and that which we call time is called into being
The earth circles the sun, and with its circling, that which we call the seasons become
And with these times and with these seasons the Sun gives order to our existence
And with this order we measure out our lives upon this earth

On this, the longest day of the year, we give thanks for the blessings summer brings
We give thanks for the light, for without it, the plants could not grow
We give thanks for the warmth, for without it, the earth would be barren
We give thanks for summer for within its warm and fertile embrace the plants of summer grow to bring forth the fruits of the harvest!

Lift the chalice from the altar

The maiden of spring becomes once again the green queen of summer! Behold the richness of the growing season, the fertility of the living earth, and the first fruits of the year. We give thanks for the return of summer and the rich promise of a new harvest to come!

[Salute the noonday sun with chalice]

Father Sun, bless and warm us!

[With chalice, salute the earth]

Mother Earth, bless and feed us!

[Pour a small libation from chalice to each tree in the grove in turn, and by either pouring into dishes or dipping fingers into the chalice, let the critters have a taste as well]

All of life, live! Grow! Rejoice!

In Gaia, all life is one!

[Bow head and drink also from the chalice, signifying oneness with all the other life present]

[close grove]

Modified Solitary Grove Ritual

Ceremony to open, close and work within the Druid Grove

Required:

One Druid
Basic Altar Setup (elements, altar candle and sword)
Seasonal Items or Offerings
Cakes & Ale

Optional:

Cauldron
Written Affirmations

Setting:

Basic Altar setup placed upon white or colored cloth or special items appropriate to the season, and on table or other flat surface in center of open space. If indoors, the potted Grove Trees can be moved to encircle the altar area. If burning affirmations, have a cauldron with salt or ash base ready, as well as matches for lighting fire. All artificial lighting is turned off during ritual, but natural sounds of water or of family pets joining the ritual are welcome.

Opening the Grove:

Druid enters the Grove from the North, lights the altar candle, and proceeds to proclaim peace to the four directions and throughout the Grove by saluting each direction with an open hand in turn and saying “I proclaim peace in the North” (South, East, West…) or by partially unsheathing, then re-sheathing the small sword from the altar while saying the same.

Conclude this portion with “Golden Aspen Druid Grove is now open. Let nothing hinder or interrupt the work of this Grove.”

Consecrating the Grove:

Hold each element up in turn to do their work of cleansing and protecting the Grove. “Ask” the elements of air/sky, water/sea, and earth/land to be a part of the mystery and magic of the grove ritual, and to cleanse the participant and the area of any negative or unproductive feelings they might be carrying into it. State with each presentation of the elements, “May [element] cleanse and prepare this Grove and all present for its holy work and banish from here any element of discord or other hindrance to its peace.” Conclude with “I hereby declare this Grove cleansed and consecrated for all work required of it this day.”

Working Within the Grove:

At this point, the Druid will do whatever work is required, or desired, within the Grove. Any seasonal ritual, personal working or meditation can be inserted here. Here is also where affirmations should be given voice and then burnt in the cauldron. If there is no other work required, move to thanking the Universe for providing sustenance, symbolized by the Cakes and Ale.

Closing the Grove:

Proclaim the work of the Grove to be finished for this day by unsheathing the sword and holding it aloft for a moment, and then sheathing it again and saying “I declare the work of the Golden Aspen Grove closed for this day; may good fortune and peace follow all who are a part.”

Morning Sun Salutation

A short ritual to greet the day

Required:

One Druid
Clear glass chalice with water
One G2V class star (substitution allowed if not available from your location)

Setting:

Get up early enough to watch the sun rise. Pick a spot with a clear view of the horizon.

Ritual:

Watch as the sun slowly moves from below the horizon and into view. Appreciate its beauty, and the light and warmth it gives. (If it is cloudy, imagine the sun shining beyond the clouds sending its light and warmth to the Earth.)

Salute the rising sun with your open palm facing outward and give thanks to the sun for its gifts – light, warmth, energy, just enough gravity to keep the earth from being flung out into darkest space... If the sun is not visible that morning imagine it where it should be and salute that spot in the sky.

Notice where on the horizon the sun has risen and make a mental note to notice the changes in its location as the year progresses.

Fill the glass or goblet with the cool water, and raise it in front of you as if toasting with it to the sun. Watch the sparkles of light from the new day dancing within the clear depths. Imagine the life giving energy of the sun flowing into the water and pooling there as liquid gold. Imagine the water becoming charged with this energy and life.

Drink the water meditatively. Savor the coolness of it as it travels down your throat and into your body. Feel the energy from it moving into your being, bringing with it health, vitality and life.

When finished, wash and dry and put away the goblet. Go about the rest of the day with a good attitude.

This is a good ritual to perform at least once a week, if not more often.

Pimpin' My Altar

Here's a picture of my altar, all packed up in a special box I decorated just for this purpose. The box is 5.75 inches on a side, and has a gold oak leaf imprinted upon the top. The goal was to have everything I needed for the basic AODA rituals and ceremonies in a small enough container that it could be easily tucked into a backpack, suitcase or into my Crane Bag.


Here is a picture of the altar case, opened. The AODA patch I received when I first joined decorates the inside of the lid, and gives an idea of the scale. In the case are two altar cloths - one is a lacy white doily and the other is a pretty green mistletoe print that I can use under it if I want. I will have other holiday themed cloths at some point, I just haven't cut them out yet. Also in the case are two tiny chalices for water and salt, a small candlestick for the beeswax candles I use, and a tiny incense burner. There is also a small sword and sheath, a pack of matches, a bottle of some special water, a small jar to hold the salt when it's not being used, a small black cauldron, the actual altar platter that everything rests upon, and a small goblet and platter for cakes and ale.


This is a really nice piece of petrified wood that I often use to support the other items when I'm at home. It's nice and flat and polished on the top, and I like the idea of using something that came from a tree so long ago. This is also something that's been in the family for a while - came from a relative that was a geologist.


Here is everything for a Grove Ceremony all out on the altar and ready to go (except for the tiny token cakes and ale.) You can see the tiny sword and sheath out and ready. The sword is a martini pick, and I made the sheath from some heavy paper and decorated it with Awens.

For a pet who has passed on...

We had one of those sad events in our household a couple of weeks ago. My stepson's pet hamster, Samwise Gamgee (affectionately known as "Sammie Hammie" to those who loved him) passed along in his sleep one afternoon. We knew he was probably not going to be with us much longer, as he was starting to experience some of the age-related hamster issues that plague these little guys who are often quite inbred. But the reality of his passing was still very upsetting for us all.

We created a nice ritual for saying goodbye to Sammie that I thought I would share here. First, we all had a good cuddle and cry and talked about what a wonderful little hamster he was. And, this was very true - unlike many hamsters who seem to have a real mean streak, Sammie had not one mean bone in his little body. He loved to be picked up and held and to sit on people's shoulders. My husband had even made a little song up for when he wanted to call him out from his little house - and Sammie would hear that song and climb up the ramps to the top of the cage where he could be picked up. So, we had a lot of loving memories to share of our time spent with the little guy.

Then, we discussed how everything that dies goes back into the Earth, and from the elements that once were the hamster - or the person - we knew, new life would spring. So in the spirit of that knowledge, my son chose not to put Sammie into a box or anything that would inhibit his returning to the Earth. He chose instead to simply wrap him up in a piece of brightly colored cloth, along with a sprinkle of his favorite hammie food.

We chose to bury Sammie out in the back yard, in a special area we've reserved for departed pets. My son wanted to dig the hole himself, so we helped him do that. Then, we placed Sammie tenderly in the earth, and told him goodbye. My son put some earth in on top of the little bundle, several inches of it (we have dogs and cats, so we buried him deeply to keep him unmolested.) Then, we planted some daffodil bulbs on top of the burial site - one bulb for each person in the family who loved him. In this way we celebrated the new life that would come from our loss.

Alban Arthuan (Winter Solstice) Ritual

In this place, the house critters (sometimes up to a full half dozen cats and dogs) tend to gather around me when I'm trying to work. In the past I've handled that by locking them outside the room so they can't get underfoot, knock things over, get singed whiskers from nosing the candle or steal the food offering from the altar when I'm not looking. But then I had to listen to them cry piteously from the other side of the door the whole time, which was terribly distracting and made me feel a bit guilty.

After thinking about this for a while, I decided to just let them be part of the ceremonies and to adjust what I'm doing so they can be present without getting too much in the way or getting into things. (Having the altar on a taller stand helps a lot here...) I also make sure food offerings are critter-safe so the critters can have a bite at the end of the ritual. Sometimes, if what I plan for the cakes and ale portion is not good for them (ie, mead or something made with chocolate) I will have one set of foods for me and one for the critters. I actually like how this has worked out. It feels more inclusive and natural to not exclude the four-legged residents from the ceremonies.

Here is a ritual I'm working on for the winter solstice this year. This time of year is also my "new year" instead of Samhain, as I like to begin the new year on the positive note the lengthening of the days provides.

A ritual to be performed at the dawn after the longest night of the year.

Have an altar ready, indoors or out as weather or situation dictates, with representation of the elements, a druid sword, a chalice with appropriate drink (or water), a cauldron with sand or salt at the bottom for burning affirmations, affirmations or goals for the year written out on paper to read aloud, and a specially decorated candle to represent the sun (unlit.)

[Perform solitary grove opening then move into seasonal blessing below - try to time it so that the sun rises at the finish.]

[Stand facing the east and say the following aloud with feeling...]

The earth turns, and with its turning, the sun "rises" and that which we call time is called into being
The earth circles the sun, and with its circling, that which we call the seasons become
And with these times and with these seasons the Sun gives order to our existence
And with this order we measure out our lives upon this earth

On this, the longest night of the year, we give thanks for the blessings winter brings
We give thanks for the darkness, for without it, we would have no rest
We give thanks for the cold, for without it, the earth would have no rest
We give thanks for winter for within its dark and quiet womb are nurtured the seeds of spring

But behold! From this night forward the days will lengthen, and the earth will begin again to warm.

[Light the sun candle using the altar candle and hold it aloft]

From this night forward, dark gives way to light as the white crone of winter becomes once again the green maiden. Behold the lessening of the darkness, the returning of the light, and soon - the first stirrings of new life. We give thanks for the return of longer days and the promise of the coming of spring!

[Place sun candle, lit, back on altar. Take up the filled chalice. Salute the rising sun with chalice]

Father Sun, bless and warm us!

[With chalice, salute the earth]

Mother Earth, bless and feed us!

[Pour a small libation from chalice to each tree in the grove in turn, and by either pouring into dishes or dipping fingers into the chalice, let the critters have a taste as well]

All of life, awaken and rejoice!

In Gaia, all life is one!

[Bow head and drink also from the chalice, signifying oneness with all the other life present]

[Read aloud affirmations and goals for the new year, burning each in turn in the cauldron.]

[close grove]