1.  Write two chants or songs (with music and lyrics). Each chant shall be 2-9 lines in length. These pieces shall be submitted in either .pdf, .gif, .jpg, .mus or similar formats. A format that ‘plays' on a computer (like .mus files) is preferred.
I written two short chants, one to initiate a rite and a second to close a rite. I’ve included jpg files of the sheet music in this document, but below is also a shared google drive folder with PDF, MP3, and MID file formats if those are preferred. Admittedly, this is my first attempt at composing any sort of music, so I hope you enjoy my work.


https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tlo1KpXt04WGNOcmfd_Ey_wZ7I_EuzMr?usp=sharing

Gather We: This is a short chant/song that can be used to initiate a rite:




We Came, We Saw: This is a short chant/song that can be used to close a rite:

Compose 6-15 poems, half of which are suitable for use in an ADF ritual. (50 to 300 lines)

Tellus Mater

Tellus Mater, primal goddess of the earth,

Great mother of all,

You who nourish and sustain us,

In your presence we flourish.

Tellus Mater, gracious goddess of the earth,

Bright goddess of joy and prosperity,

You who are the source of continual creation

From who all life flows.

Tellus Mater, magnificent goddess,

We thank you for the abundance you give to us

And honor you now, before all others.

Roman Gates

Mundus, portus and flaming focus

As you open up before us,

Grant us guidance beyond your gates

And allow us access to our Fates.

Ianus Pater

Ianus Pater, opener of doors,

Guardian of every household,

You embody beginnings and endings

And guide us through the gates.

Through your door, let our words reach the Kindreds .

Through you, may our hearts be open.

Through you, may our homes be safe.

Through you, may all who join be welcomed.

And through you may our words travel past the portals.

My Fox

Sly Fox, quick to spring, quick to act,

And quick to disappear.

You came into our world, unexpected,

And left us all too soon,

With a void that can never be filled.

But, silly Fox, your departure is not your end,

For your memory lives on,

In the hearts of all of those you left behind,

And your name echoes,

In the dreams that we’ve fulfilled.

Old Fox, my promise to you is one I won’t forget,

The tales will still be told,

And the story will continue

Travel well, dear friend,

I’ll look for you in the shadows.

Puddle Jumper

Muddy puddles form in every hollow as the rain falls.

Splashing, joyful laughter echoes as the rain falls.

Cold, wet hair sticks to my face, as the rain falls.

Chilly water fills my shoes, as the rain falls.

Squishy noises under my feet as the rain falls.

Teaching my son to dance as the rain falls.

Holding hands, we jump as the rain falls.

I forget I’m an adult as the rain falls.

Festival

Golden arms stretch high,

Reaching into darkness and

Breaking through the night.

Fire barely warms me.

My toes frozen in my shoes,

Still damp from the dew.

Rhythm vibrates deep

Echoing through the darkness

Matching my heartbeat.

Compose one story between 300 and 600 words in length.

Greek Creation Story

In the beginning, there was no life and no light, only endless chaotic darkness.  In the infinite void existed Nyx.  Nyx was the embodiment of night in the form of a glorious ebony bird with expansive dark wings.  She was present when the rest of the universe was empty.  While she sat alone in the darkness a gust of wind brushed against her.  She danced and swayed with it, letting its rhythm guide and move her, and from the wind she was impregnated.  From this pregnancy, Nyx laid a beautiful golden egg.  Alone in the darkness, she cared for it, sitting upon it to keep it warm, and singing songs lovingly into the shell.  She waited with the egg for ages, waited patiently for it to hatch.  Eventually, she began to feel the stirrings of life below her and the egg began to crack.  From this shining golden egg, a god named Eros was born. It was Eros who brought love and light to the world.  And it was from Eros’ egg that everything we can see was formed.  One half of the egg rose into the air and became the sky, and the other fell far below to become the Earth. Nyx named the earth Gaia and the sky Ouranus and Eros made them fall in love. 

It is from this love between Gaia and Ouranus that the Titans were born.  However, Ouranos as much as he loved Gaia, he hated his children.  He believed they would overthrow him and take away his power, so as each of them was born he hid them away deep in the earth.  Gaia was furious with her husband, so she conspired with her children to seek revenge.  She plotted with her son, Kronos and together they made a plan.  Kronos, ambushed Ouranos and castrated him.  The blood from Ouranos’s wounds poured into Gaia, and from it Erinyes and the Nymphais, the Furies and Nymphs, were born.  Ouranos’s genitals were cast into the sea, and from them grew Aphrodite.  Ouranos was defeated, but he promised that the Titans would be punished for their betrayal. 

Kronos became the ruler over the Titans.  He took his sister Rhea as his wife, and together they had many children.  However, he never forgot his father’s curse and feared that he too would be overthrown by his children.  To avoid this, he chose to swallow his children as they were born.  Rhea was devastated as child after child were consumed by her husband.  She decided to follow her mother’s footsteps and conspire against Kronos.  When it was time to give birth to her sixth child, she hid with the nymphs, leaving the child, a son named Zeus, with them to care for.  She then wrapped a stone in a blanket and returned to Kronos, who then swallowed the rock.  Zeus grew strong and brave. He returned to the land of his birth and fought with Cronus.  After a great battle, with one final thrust, Zeus cut Kronos’ stomach open and the children he had swallowed were freed!  Zeus’ siblings were so grateful that they chose him as their king. 

Note: this playlet was written to be performed with the aid of young children at our grove’s ritual, so some of the parts are written very simply to allow them to participate.

Characters: 

·      Narrator

·      Telipinu

·      Shining One

·      Shining Two

·      Hannahannah

·      Citizen One

·      Citizen Two

Narrator: Telipinu was the son of the mighty storm god.  He helped the plants to grow, and with his help, fertility was abundant.  One day, Telipinu was angry. He put his left shoe on his right foot, and right shoe on his left, and with this all happiness seemed to leave the world.  Plants wouldn’t grow, fire wouldn’t burn, and mist filled the world. In that moment, Telipinu went away!

Telipinu:  I’m so angry! I’m going to hide in the valley where no one can find me.

Narrator: Telipinu left the city and took with him all the grain and growth the people depended on. He went to a moor and hid from the world.  While he was there, the world began to fade.  Even the Thousand Gods began to feel his wrath, finding themselves hungry and thirsty. 

Shining One:  I’m so hungry!  No matter what I eat, I can never get full.

Shining Two:  I’m thirsty!  Where is Telipinu?

Narrator: The gods began to worry and searched for Telipinu from the high mountains to the deep valleys but no one found him.  Days went by, and still no one knew where Telipinu had gone. Finally, Hannahannah decided to get involved.

Hannahannah:  I will send a bee to find Telipinu.  He is wise and knows the hills and valleys better than anyone else. 

Shining One: The bee is much too small and weak to find Telipinu!

Shining Two: Its wings are too small to fly so far!

Hannahannah: I have faith in my tiny friend. The bee will find Telipinu.

Narrator:  The bee flew off and searched the lands high and low until finally it came upon Telipinu, sleeping in the moor.  The bee tried to wake Telipinu gently, buzzing around his ears and resting on his face, but Telipinu didn’t stir.  Eventually, the bee decided he could wait no longer and began to sting Telipinu’s hands and feet wake him. Telipinu finally began to wake.  However, he was still mad.  He knew he had to return to the city, but he was still quite displeased, so when he arrived the people of the city began to make offerings.

Citizen 1: Mighty Telipinu! We offer you honey, a gift from the bees.  May it sweeten your temperament and remind you of the beautiful growing flowers.

Make offering of honey

Citizen 2: Glorious Telipinu!  We offer you grapes and the goodness that lives inside.  Each grape bears the gift of wine behind its skin.  May the grapes bring goodness to your heart.

Make offering of grapes

Citizen 1 and 2: Telipinu, anger is a burning fire, and just as this fire….

Put out candle burning on the altar

…let your anger be extinguished. 

Narrator:  This prayer finally got his attention.  Telipinu looked at the land around him, and saw the consequences of his actions.   He began to calm and as he did the mist left the winds, smoke left the homes, and altars were again in harmony with the gods.