1.
Compare and contrast the rituals from one Western and one Eastern
Indo-European culture. What elements do they have in common, if any? In what
ways are they different? (minimum 300 words)
Every time I begin to explore
different cultures, I’m always surprised and fascinated by the many
similarities, especially when they are cultures that we typically wouldn’t
expect to find correlations. That’s
exactly what I encountered when I began comparing the Vedic Agnistoma Rite and
the Roman Sacrificial Rites.
Compare
Both the Vedic Agnistoma Rites and
the Roman Sacrificial Rites were heavily focused on animal sacrifices being
given to the gods. Both rituals also emphasize
the importance of fire in the sacred space.
The Vedic rite describes the fire being transferred to the High Altar as
part of making the space sacred (Drury 26)
while the Roman ritual altar has a “good fire” (Ogilvie 47) . Purification was also an important step in
both rituals. The Vedic sacrificer bathed and groomed themselves prior to
performing the ritual (Drury 27)
and the Roman priests washed their hands in holy water (Ogilvie 47) . Both rituals describe an animal being
sacrificed and then part of the offering was given to the gods, while the other
part was consumed by the participants. Both
ritual descriptions also had brief mentions of the participants covering their
head for at least part of the ritual. Additionally,
both of these cultures had specific people who would perform these rituals,
including priests and sacrificers.
Contrast
While there are many similarities
between these two cultural rituals, there were a few differences that I found
interesting. The Vedic Agnistoma rite
described choosing a place to perform the ritual, but also indicated that the
Earth was seen as “divine” so ritual could happen anywhere (Drury 25) . The Roman Sacrificial rite could be
performed at home, but most often these types of rites were performed at a
permanent altar outside of a physical temple location (Ogilvie 47) . In the Vedic rites, only the top three castes
were allowed to attend, or even speak to the gods, and those who performed the
ritual were not even allowed to directly speak to anyone outside of those
castes (Drury 26) . Meanwhile, the Romans may have asked
“intruders” to leave the ritual, but even slaves were allowed to attend some of
the rites (Ogilvie 47) .
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many
similarities between these two cultures, and I believe that many of the
differences between the two may exist only in the explanation of the ritual and
not necessarily in practice.
2.
Compare and contrast ancient IE ritual elements and the elements of the
ADF Core Order of Ritual. Explain why you believe the differences exist and the
impact the differences may have on our modern work. (minimum 300 words)
I believe that the ADF Core Order of
Ritual had a lot of inspiration from ancient ritual styles, so there are many
similarities between what we do today, and the ancient rituals we are discussing. Many of the differences are because of
cultural adaptations that have been undertaken by ADF to bring these rituals
into the modern era. I think the easiest
way to compare and contrast the ancient Indo-European ritual elements with the
Core Order of Ritual is to break it down, step by step, through the COoR found
on the ADF website (Ár nDraíocht Féin) .
Initiating
the Rite
The beginning of a ritual in ADF can
occur through a specific sound, prayer, or meditation. However, it can also begin with a procession
into the ritual space. The Vedic ritual
describes the Soma being taken to the sacred space with a procession (Drury 32) . The Romans also led their sacrificial animal from the
market to the altar in their own type of processional (Ogilvie 47) .
Purification
Purification is an important step in
the ADF Core Order of Ritual, and must be performed prior to opening the
gates. It is also described as an
important part of both the Vedic and Roman rituals. They utilize hand washing and ritual bathing,
both of which are purification methods that we also see within ADF.
Honoring
the Earth Mother
Honoring the Earth Mother does not
appear to be a step in either of these two ritual formats. However, the Vedic rite does acknowledge that
the Earth is divine (Drury 25) ,
so an appreciation of the earth was present at the very least, even if it did
not have a specific role in these specific rituals.
Statement
of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose is what
explains we use to explain why we are performing a ritual. The Roman Sacrificial Ritual included a time
prior to the sacrifice to speak a “carefully written and rehearsed prayer”
toward the temple where the statue of a deity resided (Drury 47) . The prayer itself isn’t explicitly described,
but I can imagine that it would praise the deity, and potentially explain to
them why a sacrifice is being made on that day.
This sounds very similar to our Statement of Purpose. There does not seem to be anything similar in
the Vedic rite. However, with it being a public event it’s quite possible that
it’s something that was done but not necessarily documented.
(Re)Creating
the Cosmos
Recreating the cosmos and creating a
sacred center is a very important piece of our COoR rites, but I wasn’t sure if
I would find any correlation in these ancient cultures. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I
was wrong. I knew the Roman rituals were
most often held in or around a temple, and that in itself considered a sacred
space. Vedic Agnistoma Rite makes it a
much more important piece of the ritual.
In these rituals, the sacrificer had an entire ceremony for establishing
a sacred space, including exact measurements and directions for their actions (Drury 26) . While it looks quite different from what we
would see in most of our rituals, it was interesting to see. There was no three
realm motif that I could distinguish.
However, both cultures utilized fire as part of their sacred ritual
space, which is the one element that we require in our rituals and the
(re)creation of the cosmos.
Opening
the Gate(s) - Must include a Gatekeeper
Opening the gates and working with a
gatekeeper is one element of the Core Order of Ritual that I could not find any
correlation in these ancient rites. However,
I wasn’t terribly surprised that this element did not exist considering that we
have acknowledged that this practice was adopted from Afro-Caribbean ritual
forms and not Indo-European roots (Corrigan) .
Inviting
the Three Kindreds
In ADF, the Three Kindred are the
Ancestors, Nature Spirits, and Shining Ones.
While ancestor worship was often found in Indo-European practices, I do
not see anything about including them in these sacrificial rites. Specific deities were called in both cultures,
but there wasn’t a grand gesture to invite all the gods and goddesses to be
involved. I also didn’t see a specific
invitation to the Nature Spirits.
However, in the description of the Vedic rite, they describe the use of
a tree to create the stake for the sacrificed animal. This tree is viewed as a living organism
which “participated in a spiritual life shared by all creation” (Drury 28) . They made offerings to the tree before
cutting it down and honored the life that it held. It’s not quite the same as our practices, but
it does show an acknowledgement for spirits of nature at the very least.
Key
Offerings
Key Offerings were another item that
I didn’t really expect to see in the ancient ritual formats. However, in the Vedic ritual, there is a long
description of purchasing Soma and taking it to the hall in a procession, where
the sacrificer takes on the role of the god by the same name (Drury 31) . Between the bartering with the vendor and the
libations given, this seems quite similar to a Key Offering in our rituals,
even though it isn’t exactly the same.
With the Roman, the same prayer that I described in the statement of
purpose could also have been part of the Key Offering, inviting a specific
deity (or deities) to attend the ritual and take part in the sacrifice (Ogilvie
48) .
Prayer
of Sacrifice
Both rituals I researched were
sacrificial rites. Animals were
sacrificed in each ritual to the deity of occasion. This would be replicated in our modern Prayer
of Sacrifice. The biggest difference
between their practices and ours is that ADF forbids blood sacrifices, which
obviously would include sacrificing animals.
Omen
The Omen is an important part of ADF
rituals, acting as the way that we learn if our offerings were accepted and
asking what gifts we will receive. I did not see any form of omen in the Vedic
ritual. However, in the Roman ritual,
they explained that they wanted a “clean kill” for their animal sacrifice. If the animal was not killed or escaped, this
was a bad sign for the ritual.
Additionally, the internal organs of the animal were also examined for
perfection and any faults in those organs indicated that the sacrifice was not
successful (Ogilvie 49-50) .
It’s very different than us utilizing runes, etc. but ultimately the
purpose was the same.
Calling,
Hallowing, and Affirming the Blessings
From what I could see, there was no calling
or hallowing of the blessings in either of these rituals. Instead both rituals concluded around sacred
feast, consuming the meat from the animal sacrifice that was not given to the
deities. This meat would have been
blessed and shared among the participants, which is similar to our
blessings.
Thanking
the Beings, Closing the Gates, Thanking the Earth Mother, and Closing the Rite
While our Core Order has an
intentional method of thanking everyone who has attended, closing the gates,
and ending the ritual, neither of these rituals describe anything like that.
Both of these rituals essentially end with festivities, with the Vedic rite
ended with libations and offering to the gods (Drury 32) and the Roman ritual
seeming to end in a feast (Ogilvie 48) . The gates were not opened, so they don’t need
to be closed. The Earth Mother wasn’t
specifically mentioned, so she doesn’t need to be thanked. The same goes for the Three Kindred.
Outdwellers
The one final element that I found
interesting was the Outdwellers.
Acknowledging the outdwellers is an optional step of the ADF Core Order
of Ritual. However, some sort of outdweller
acknowledgement was a included in each of these rituals. In the Vedic Agnistoma rite, a part of the
ceremony is described where the sacrificer is purified and handed a staff “to
ward off evil spirits” (Drury 27) .
I’ve not seen a staff used for as part of the Outdwellers acknowledgement, but
I found it a very interesting concept. The
Roman Sacrificial rite includes a description of ensuring that there were not
“intruders” present that could potentially “contaminate” the ritual (Ogilvie
47) . There is no specific direction given on how
this was done, but this mention does at least indicate some sort of process for
dealing with Outdwellers.
3.
Compose an ADF-style ritual, following the Core Order of Ritual, using
as many elements as possible from one of the four cultural ritual traditions.
(no minimum word count).
Outdwellers
Knock staff on ground three times
and say:
Outdwellers,
intruders, and evil spirits, you who wish to contaminate this ritual. I pour this offering to you, and ask that you
not disturb this rite.
Pour offering of beer away from the
ritual space.
Initiating
the Rite
In the place where offerings were
left for tout Outdwellers, begin to beat slowly and steadily on a drum. Process from that location toward your ritual
space. Once you have entered the sacred
space, say:
Friends,
allies, and spirits, we stand now in this sacred place. Let this rite
begin.
Purification
Pass a bowl of water around,
followed by a clean linen towel, to allow each of the of the participants to purify
themselves.
Honoring
the Earth Mother
Earth
Mother, ancient one, bringer of life, creator of sustenance, you who were
present in ancient times when these rituals began. You who still exist below our feet
today. We ask that you join us in this
rite. Welcome, Earth Mother.
Make offering of grain
Statement
of Purpose
We’ve
gathered here today to re-create an ancient path. Sacrificial rites looked different to the
ancient people, but they can still be a beneficial part of our practice
today. We give offerings to the Kindred,
and ask for their blessings in return. It is this cycle, the reciprocal
relationship, that we celebrate today.
(Re)Creating
the Cosmos
We stand in this
sacred space, beside the focus, the sacred flame
of our hearth. The flames reach to the Shining Ones. Focus, gateway to the upper realm, we ask that
you become a gate
We stand in this sacred space, beside the
mundus, the pathway to our ancestors and the realm of the dead. Mundus, gateway to the lower realm, we ask that
you become a gate.
We stand in this sacred space, beside the
portus, the pillar between the realms. You
connect our realm to all others. Portus,
gateway to all the worlds, we ask that you become a gate.
Opening
the Gate(s) - Must include a Gatekeeper
Janus, you who open the doors, and guard every
household. You who guide us through the
gates. Through your door, let our words
reach the Three Kindred. We ask that you
come forth and join us by the fire.
Make offering of wine
Mundus, portus and flaming focus,
as you open up before us, grant us guidance beyond your gates, and allow us access to our Fates.
Janus, I call to you and ask that your magic
carry our words to all the realms, and let the Gates be open.
Inviting
the Three Kindreds
Ancestors,
heroes and loved ones, beings of heart, blood, and spirit. You who walked in this spiritual life before
us, we ask you to join us by the fire.
Make offering of coffee
Nature
Spirits, plants and animals, creatures of land, sea, and sky. You who participate in the spiritual life
shared by all creation, we ask you to join us by the fire. Welcome, Nature Spirits.
Make offering of seeds & water
Shining
Ones, gods and goddesses, guides, guardians, and wise ones. You who established the spiritual life that
we are all a part of, we ask you to join us by the fire. Welcome, Shining Ones.
Make offering of wine
Key
Offerings
Minerva, wise
one, crafty one, we stand in this sacred space to honor you. Golden haired
goddess, we call to you and ask you to join us by the fire.
Pour libation
Minerva,
you who gift us with your guidance and intellectual illumination. Skillful and industrious one, we ask you to
join us in this sacred space so we can honor you. Welcome, Minerva!
Pour libation
Minerva, we honor you in the way of
the ancients by sharing prayer from the poet Statius. Let this prayer reach your ears, as it did in
those ancient sacrificial rites: “Oh, glory and spirit of your great father, Fierce goddess, mighty in war, on whose fair head, in fearful beauty, sits the grim helm; at whose breast The blood-spattered Gorgon glares (nor could Mars Nor Bellona armed with spear for battle raise more Fiery trumpet blasts), show favor to these honors, Whether you come from Pandion’s Athenian citadel to see this slaughter, or turn aside from Aonian Itone, Lover of the dance, or comb your hair bathed in Libya’s Lake Tritonis, to which, at your call, your pair of virgin Mares bear you, drawing your chariot on swift wheels: To you I dedicate the shattered spoils, and shapeless Trophies of these warriors. But if I should reach my Native Calydonian lands again, and Aetolian Pleuron Open her gates at my return, I shall dedicate a golden Shrine to you on the city’s heights where it may be Sweet to you to gaze on Ionian storms, where wild Achelous raises the waves with his yellow head, Leaving the Echinades, behind him, in his wake. There I shall portray ancestral battles and the dread Visages of great-hearted kings, and there I shall fix Weapons to high walls, weapons I have gathered Won by my efforts, and those that you, Tritonia, Will grant when Thebes is taken. There a hundred Calydonian maidens, vowed to serve your virgin Altars, will duly wind purple ribbons striped with White about the Attic torches made of your chaste Olive-tree. And an aged priestess shall feed your Eternal flame, your arcane image never to be seen. In war or peace, by custom, you shall then receive First fruits, nor shall Diana resent her loss of them.”
Prayer
of Sacrifice
In those
ancient rites, an animal was sacrificed to honor you, Minerva. We now recognize that there are other methods
to build our relationship with you.
Today, I offer you this loaf of bread, made by our hands. May this sacrifice of sustenance and hard
work bring you joy. Minerva, accept this
final offering.
Omen
Take the omen in your preferred
method
Calling
for the Blessings
We’ve
given our gifts to you, mighty Kindred, and now we call to you and ask you to
bless the meal laid out before us, for us to share in this feast with you.
Hallowing
the Blessing
Ancestors,
join us at our table and sanctify this food.
Nature Spirits, join us at our table and sanctify this food. Shining Ones, join us at our table and
sanctify this food. Minerva, join us at
our table and sanctify this food.
Hold hands over meal
May this
food be blessed by the Kindreds. Join us
in our feast!
Affirmation
of the Blessing
Prepare a portion of the meal for
the Kindreds, and set it aside on the altar
The
Kindred has blessed this food. We’ve
offered them their own portion and now we welcome all who have joined us in
this meal. Let this food nourish us and
bless our lives with joy.
Participants
all take place in the meal brought to the ritual. After most of the meals have been finished,
finish by thanking everyone for attending.
Thanking
the Beings
Minerva,
wise one, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and sharing a meal with
us. Thank you for the gifts you bring to
our lives. Minerva, we thank you.
Shining
Ones, eldest and brightest, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and
sharing a meal with us. Thank you for
the gifts you bring to our lives.
Shining Ones, we thank you.
Nature
Spirits, spirits of this land, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and
sharing a meal with us. Thank you for
the gifts you bring to our lives. Nature
Spirits, we thank you.
Ancestors,
you who walked before us, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and sharing
a meal with us. Thank you for the gifts
you bring to our lives. Ancestors, we
thank you.
Closing
the Gate(s)
Janus, you who guardian of the gate, thank you
for guiding us between the worlds, and opening the way between the realms. I ask that you join your magic with mine once
more. Let the focus once again become
just a fire upon our hearth. Let the
mundus become once more just a bowl upon our altar. Let the portus become once more just a tree
standing in this realm. Let the gates be
closed!
Thanking
the Earth Mother
Earth
Mother, ancient one, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and sharing a
meal with us. Thank you for the gifts
you bring to our lives. Earth Mother, we
thank you.
Closing
the Rite
This
ritual has ended, but our festivities don’t have to. Thank you all for joining us in this modern
sacrificial rite. We’ve done as our
ancestors did in a way that works in the modern world. We’re grateful for this opportunity, and hope
this work blesses all of your lives.
This rite has ended.
Works Cited
Clergy Training
Program – 3rd Circle
Comparative Ancient Ritual Styles
Rev. Amber Doty
1.
Compare and contrast the rituals from one Western and one Eastern
Indo-European culture. What elements do they have in common, if any? In what
ways are they different? (minimum 300 words)
Every time I begin to explore
different cultures, I’m always surprised and fascinated by the many
similarities, especially when they are cultures that we typically wouldn’t
expect to find correlations. That’s
exactly what I encountered when I began comparing the Vedic Agnistoma Rite and
the Roman Sacrificial Rites.
Compare
Both the Vedic Agnistoma Rites and
the Roman Sacrificial Rites were heavily focused on animal sacrifices being
given to the gods. Both rituals also emphasize
the importance of fire in the sacred space.
The Vedic rite describes the fire being transferred to the High Altar as
part of making the space sacred (Drury 26)
while the Roman ritual altar has a “good fire” (Ogilvie 47) . Purification was also an important step in
both rituals. The Vedic sacrificer bathed and groomed themselves prior to
performing the ritual (Drury 27)
and the Roman priests washed their hands in holy water (Ogilvie 47) . Both rituals describe an animal being
sacrificed and then part of the offering was given to the gods, while the other
part was consumed by the participants. Both
ritual descriptions also had brief mentions of the participants covering their
head for at least part of the ritual. Additionally,
both of these cultures had specific people who would perform these rituals,
including priests and sacrificers.
Contrast
While there are many similarities
between these two cultural rituals, there were a few differences that I found
interesting. The Vedic Agnistoma rite
described choosing a place to perform the ritual, but also indicated that the
Earth was seen as “divine” so ritual could happen anywhere (Drury 25) . The Roman Sacrificial rite could be
performed at home, but most often these types of rites were performed at a
permanent altar outside of a physical temple location (Ogilvie 47) . In the Vedic rites, only the top three castes
were allowed to attend, or even speak to the gods, and those who performed the
ritual were not even allowed to directly speak to anyone outside of those
castes (Drury 26) . Meanwhile, the Romans may have asked
“intruders” to leave the ritual, but even slaves were allowed to attend some of
the rites (Ogilvie 47) .
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many
similarities between these two cultures, and I believe that many of the
differences between the two may exist only in the explanation of the ritual and
not necessarily in practice.
2.
Compare and contrast ancient IE ritual elements and the elements of the
ADF Core Order of Ritual. Explain why you believe the differences exist and the
impact the differences may have on our modern work. (minimum 300 words)
I believe that the ADF Core Order of
Ritual had a lot of inspiration from ancient ritual styles, so there are many
similarities between what we do today, and the ancient rituals we are discussing. Many of the differences are because of
cultural adaptations that have been undertaken by ADF to bring these rituals
into the modern era. I think the easiest
way to compare and contrast the ancient Indo-European ritual elements with the
Core Order of Ritual is to break it down, step by step, through the COoR found
on the ADF website (Ár nDraíocht Féin) .
Initiating
the Rite
The beginning of a ritual in ADF can
occur through a specific sound, prayer, or meditation. However, it can also begin with a procession
into the ritual space. The Vedic ritual
describes the Soma being taken to the sacred space with a procession (Drury 32) . The Romans also led their sacrificial animal from the
market to the altar in their own type of processional (Ogilvie 47) .
Purification
Purification is an important step in
the ADF Core Order of Ritual, and must be performed prior to opening the
gates. It is also described as an
important part of both the Vedic and Roman rituals. They utilize hand washing and ritual bathing,
both of which are purification methods that we also see within ADF.
Honoring
the Earth Mother
Honoring the Earth Mother does not
appear to be a step in either of these two ritual formats. However, the Vedic rite does acknowledge that
the Earth is divine (Drury 25) ,
so an appreciation of the earth was present at the very least, even if it did
not have a specific role in these specific rituals.
Statement
of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose is what
explains we use to explain why we are performing a ritual. The Roman Sacrificial Ritual included a time
prior to the sacrifice to speak a “carefully written and rehearsed prayer”
toward the temple where the statue of a deity resided (Drury 47) . The prayer itself isn’t explicitly described,
but I can imagine that it would praise the deity, and potentially explain to
them why a sacrifice is being made on that day.
This sounds very similar to our Statement of Purpose. There does not seem to be anything similar in
the Vedic rite. However, with it being a public event it’s quite possible that
it’s something that was done but not necessarily documented.
(Re)Creating
the Cosmos
Recreating the cosmos and creating a
sacred center is a very important piece of our COoR rites, but I wasn’t sure if
I would find any correlation in these ancient cultures. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I
was wrong. I knew the Roman rituals were
most often held in or around a temple, and that in itself considered a sacred
space. Vedic Agnistoma Rite makes it a
much more important piece of the ritual.
In these rituals, the sacrificer had an entire ceremony for establishing
a sacred space, including exact measurements and directions for their actions (Drury 26) . While it looks quite different from what we
would see in most of our rituals, it was interesting to see. There was no three
realm motif that I could distinguish.
However, both cultures utilized fire as part of their sacred ritual
space, which is the one element that we require in our rituals and the
(re)creation of the cosmos.
Opening
the Gate(s) - Must include a Gatekeeper
Opening the gates and working with a
gatekeeper is one element of the Core Order of Ritual that I could not find any
correlation in these ancient rites. However,
I wasn’t terribly surprised that this element did not exist considering that we
have acknowledged that this practice was adopted from Afro-Caribbean ritual
forms and not Indo-European roots (Corrigan) .
Inviting
the Three Kindreds
In ADF, the Three Kindred are the
Ancestors, Nature Spirits, and Shining Ones.
While ancestor worship was often found in Indo-European practices, I do
not see anything about including them in these sacrificial rites. Specific deities were called in both cultures,
but there wasn’t a grand gesture to invite all the gods and goddesses to be
involved. I also didn’t see a specific
invitation to the Nature Spirits.
However, in the description of the Vedic rite, they describe the use of
a tree to create the stake for the sacrificed animal. This tree is viewed as a living organism
which “participated in a spiritual life shared by all creation” (Drury 28) . They made offerings to the tree before
cutting it down and honored the life that it held. It’s not quite the same as our practices, but
it does show an acknowledgement for spirits of nature at the very least.
Key
Offerings
Key Offerings were another item that
I didn’t really expect to see in the ancient ritual formats. However, in the Vedic ritual, there is a long
description of purchasing Soma and taking it to the hall in a procession, where
the sacrificer takes on the role of the god by the same name (Drury 31) . Between the bartering with the vendor and the
libations given, this seems quite similar to a Key Offering in our rituals,
even though it isn’t exactly the same.
With the Roman, the same prayer that I described in the statement of
purpose could also have been part of the Key Offering, inviting a specific
deity (or deities) to attend the ritual and take part in the sacrifice (Ogilvie
48) .
Prayer
of Sacrifice
Both rituals I researched were
sacrificial rites. Animals were
sacrificed in each ritual to the deity of occasion. This would be replicated in our modern Prayer
of Sacrifice. The biggest difference
between their practices and ours is that ADF forbids blood sacrifices, which
obviously would include sacrificing animals.
Omen
The Omen is an important part of ADF
rituals, acting as the way that we learn if our offerings were accepted and
asking what gifts we will receive. I did not see any form of omen in the Vedic
ritual. However, in the Roman ritual,
they explained that they wanted a “clean kill” for their animal sacrifice. If the animal was not killed or escaped, this
was a bad sign for the ritual.
Additionally, the internal organs of the animal were also examined for
perfection and any faults in those organs indicated that the sacrifice was not
successful (Ogilvie 49-50) .
It’s very different than us utilizing runes, etc. but ultimately the
purpose was the same.
Calling,
Hallowing, and Affirming the Blessings
From what I could see, there was no calling
or hallowing of the blessings in either of these rituals. Instead both rituals concluded around sacred
feast, consuming the meat from the animal sacrifice that was not given to the
deities. This meat would have been
blessed and shared among the participants, which is similar to our
blessings.
Thanking
the Beings, Closing the Gates, Thanking the Earth Mother, and Closing the Rite
While our Core Order has an
intentional method of thanking everyone who has attended, closing the gates,
and ending the ritual, neither of these rituals describe anything like that.
Both of these rituals essentially end with festivities, with the Vedic rite
ended with libations and offering to the gods (Drury 32) and the Roman ritual
seeming to end in a feast (Ogilvie 48) . The gates were not opened, so they don’t need
to be closed. The Earth Mother wasn’t
specifically mentioned, so she doesn’t need to be thanked. The same goes for the Three Kindred.
Outdwellers
The one final element that I found
interesting was the Outdwellers.
Acknowledging the outdwellers is an optional step of the ADF Core Order
of Ritual. However, some sort of outdweller
acknowledgement was a included in each of these rituals. In the Vedic Agnistoma rite, a part of the
ceremony is described where the sacrificer is purified and handed a staff “to
ward off evil spirits” (Drury 27) .
I’ve not seen a staff used for as part of the Outdwellers acknowledgement, but
I found it a very interesting concept. The
Roman Sacrificial rite includes a description of ensuring that there were not
“intruders” present that could potentially “contaminate” the ritual (Ogilvie
47) . There is no specific direction given on how
this was done, but this mention does at least indicate some sort of process for
dealing with Outdwellers.
3.
Compose an ADF-style ritual, following the Core Order of Ritual, using
as many elements as possible from one of the four cultural ritual traditions.
(no minimum word count).
Outdwellers
Knock staff on ground three times
and say:
Outdwellers,
intruders, and evil spirits, you who wish to contaminate this ritual. I pour this offering to you, and ask that you
not disturb this rite.
Pour offering of beer away from the
ritual space.
Initiating
the Rite
In the place where offerings were
left for tout Outdwellers, begin to beat slowly and steadily on a drum. Process from that location toward your ritual
space. Once you have entered the sacred
space, say:
Friends,
allies, and spirits, we stand now in this sacred place. Let this rite
begin.
Purification
Pass a bowl of water around,
followed by a clean linen towel, to allow each of the of the participants to purify
themselves.
Honoring
the Earth Mother
Earth
Mother, ancient one, bringer of life, creator of sustenance, you who were
present in ancient times when these rituals began. You who still exist below our feet
today. We ask that you join us in this
rite. Welcome, Earth Mother.
Make offering of grain
Statement
of Purpose
We’ve
gathered here today to re-create an ancient path. Sacrificial rites looked different to the
ancient people, but they can still be a beneficial part of our practice
today. We give offerings to the Kindred,
and ask for their blessings in return. It is this cycle, the reciprocal
relationship, that we celebrate today.
(Re)Creating
the Cosmos
We stand in this
sacred space, beside the focus, the sacred flame
of our hearth. The flames reach to the Shining Ones. Focus, gateway to the upper realm, we ask that
you become a gate
We stand in this sacred space, beside the
mundus, the pathway to our ancestors and the realm of the dead. Mundus, gateway to the lower realm, we ask that
you become a gate.
We stand in this sacred space, beside the
portus, the pillar between the realms. You
connect our realm to all others. Portus,
gateway to all the worlds, we ask that you become a gate.
Opening
the Gate(s) - Must include a Gatekeeper
Janus, you who open the doors, and guard every
household. You who guide us through the
gates. Through your door, let our words
reach the Three Kindred. We ask that you
come forth and join us by the fire.
Make offering of wine
Mundus, portus and flaming focus,
as you open up before us, grant us guidance beyond your gates, and allow us access to our Fates.
Janus, I call to you and ask that your magic
carry our words to all the realms, and let the Gates be open.
Inviting
the Three Kindreds
Ancestors,
heroes and loved ones, beings of heart, blood, and spirit. You who walked in this spiritual life before
us, we ask you to join us by the fire.
Make offering of coffee
Nature
Spirits, plants and animals, creatures of land, sea, and sky. You who participate in the spiritual life
shared by all creation, we ask you to join us by the fire. Welcome, Nature Spirits.
Make offering of seeds & water
Shining
Ones, gods and goddesses, guides, guardians, and wise ones. You who established the spiritual life that
we are all a part of, we ask you to join us by the fire. Welcome, Shining Ones.
Make offering of wine
Key
Offerings
Minerva, wise
one, crafty one, we stand in this sacred space to honor you. Golden haired
goddess, we call to you and ask you to join us by the fire.
Pour libation
Minerva,
you who gift us with your guidance and intellectual illumination. Skillful and industrious one, we ask you to
join us in this sacred space so we can honor you. Welcome, Minerva!
Pour libation
Minerva, we honor you in the way of the ancients by sharing prayer from the
poet Statius. Let this prayer reach your
ears, as it did in those ancient sacrificial rites: “Oh, glory and spirit of your great father, Fierce goddess, mighty in war, on whose fair head, in fearful beauty, sits the grim helm; at whose breast The blood-spattered Gorgon glares (nor could Mars Nor Bellona armed with spear for battle raise more Fiery trumpet blasts), show favor to these honors, Whether you come from Pandion’s Athenian citadel to see this slaughter, or turn aside from Aonian Itone, Lover of the dance, or comb your hair bathed in Libya’s Lake Tritonis, to which, at your call, your pair of virgin Mares bear you, drawing your chariot on swift wheels: To you I dedicate the shattered spoils, and shapeless Trophies of these warriors. But if I should reach my Native Calydonian lands again, and Aetolian Pleuron Open her gates at my return, I shall dedicate a golden Shrine to you on the city’s heights where it may be Sweet to you to gaze on Ionian storms, where wild Achelous raises the waves with his yellow head, Leaving the Echinades, behind him, in his wake. There I shall portray ancestral battles and the dread Visages of great-hearted kings, and there I shall fix Weapons to high walls, weapons I have gathered Won by my efforts, and those that you, Tritonia, Will grant when Thebes is taken. There a hundred Calydonian maidens, vowed to serve your virgin Altars, will duly wind purple ribbons striped with White about the Attic torches made of your chaste Olive-tree. And an aged priestess shall feed your Eternal flame, your arcane image never to be seen. In war or peace, by custom, you shall then receive First fruits, nor shall Diana resent her loss of them.”
Prayer
of Sacrifice
In those
ancient rites, an animal was sacrificed to honor you, Minerva. We now recognize that there are other methods
to build our relationship with you.
Today, I offer you this loaf of bread, made by our hands. May this sacrifice of sustenance and hard
work bring you joy. Minerva, accept this
final offering.
Omen
Take the omen in your preferred
method
Calling
for the Blessings
We’ve
given our gifts to you, mighty Kindred, and now we call to you and ask you to
bless the meal laid out before us, for us to share in this feast with you.
Hallowing
the Blessing
Ancestors,
join us at our table and sanctify this food.
Nature Spirits, join us at our table and sanctify this food. Shining Ones, join us at our table and
sanctify this food. Minerva, join us at
our table and sanctify this food.
Hold hands over meal
May this
food be blessed by the Kindreds. Join us
in our feast!
Affirmation
of the Blessing
Prepare a portion of the meal for
the Kindreds, and set it aside on the altar
The
Kindred has blessed this food. We’ve
offered them their own portion and now we welcome all who have joined us in
this meal. Let this food nourish us and
bless our lives with joy.
Participants
all take place in the meal brought to the ritual. After most of the meals have been finished,
finish by thanking everyone for attending.
Thanking
the Beings
Minerva,
wise one, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and sharing a meal with
us. Thank you for the gifts you bring to
our lives. Minerva, we thank you.
Shining
Ones, eldest and brightest, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and
sharing a meal with us. Thank you for
the gifts you bring to our lives.
Shining Ones, we thank you.
Nature
Spirits, spirits of this land, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and
sharing a meal with us. Thank you for
the gifts you bring to our lives. Nature
Spirits, we thank you.
Ancestors,
you who walked before us, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and sharing
a meal with us. Thank you for the gifts
you bring to our lives. Ancestors, we
thank you.
Closing
the Gate(s)
Janus, you who guardian of the gate, thank you
for guiding us between the worlds, and opening the way between the realms. I ask that you join your magic with mine once
more. Let the focus once again become
just a fire upon our hearth. Let the
mundus become once more just a bowl upon our altar. Let the portus become once more just a tree
standing in this realm. Let the gates be
closed!
Thanking
the Earth Mother
Earth
Mother, ancient one, we thank you for joining us by the fire, and sharing a
meal with us. Thank you for the gifts
you bring to our lives. Earth Mother, we
thank you.
Closing
the Rite
This
ritual has ended, but our festivities don’t have to. Thank you all for joining us in this modern
sacrificial rite. We’ve done as our
ancestors did in a way that works in the modern world. We’re grateful for this opportunity, and hope
this work blesses all of your lives.
This rite has ended.
Works
Cited
Ár
nDraíocht Féin. The ADF Core Order of Ritual for High Days. 2010. 2019.
<https://www.adf.org/rituals/explanations/core-order.html>.
Corrigan, Rev.
Ian. "Reconsidering the Gates." n.d.
Drury, Naama. The
Sacrificial Ritual in the Satapatha Brahmana. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,
1981.
Ogilvie, R. M. The
Romans and Their Gods in the Age of Augustus. New York: W W Norton Company
Inc, 1969.
Statius. The
Thebaid. Ed. Translated by A. S. Kline. 2013 .
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