This ritual outline is an historical outline from Our Drudiry prior to 2006. Our current outline can be found in our Order of Ritual.

Note: we also have a brief version, more suited to printing and using as a ritual cue sheet.

Procession Opening Prayers Grove Attunement Fire, Well, and Tree Purpose and Precedent Purification Opening the Gates Kindred Offerings Key Offerings Sacrifice and Omen The Blessings Work Closing

0: The Sacred Grove is arranged as described. The celebrants hallow the Grove; the Fire is lit, the Well is filled, the Tree is blessed.

Procession

​With singing, arrive and circle the hallows deosil. The Druids complete the sigil, then give the opening prayers.

Opening Prayers

​A: Earth Mother: All kneel and kiss the earth. The Chief speaks as the Sacrificer makes an offering of grain, bread or flour:

O beloved mother of all
From whose starry womb the green earth springs
You who are the bearer of all life
We pray you bless and uphold this rite.

All: Mother of all accept our offering!

B: Awen: The Bard invokes, saying:

Power of inspiration that attends us
Voice of the fire of wisdom,
voice of the well of inspiration
Come into our hearts' shrine
O! Into our hearts' shrine
Let us ken of every good or ill,
Guide our rite in the way of truth
I call you to place the clear heart in us
O power of inspiration in this holy place
O power of inspiration at this holy time
So be it!

Grove Attunment

​The Druids lead a meditation intended to attune the company to the Earth and Sky powers and to join the company in spirit. This might conclude with an intoning or a proper chant or hymn.

Fire, Well And Tree

Druids or members of the grove make offerings to the Sacred Center. Silver is offered to the well, saying:

O sacred waters that flow and swirl beneath all being accept our offering! Let us know the elder depths within ourselves the source of all, the well of elder wisdom

Tobar naomh, ruith a steach mise!

All respond: Sacred well, flow within us!

An offering of oil is made to the Fire, saying:

O sacred fire that consumes and transforms
True and holy light of the shining ones
Accept our offering! O sacrificed and sacrificer
Let holy flame warm our spirits and our lives.

Teinne naomh, ls a steach mise!

All: Sacred fire, burn within us!

The Bile is censed and sprinkled, saying:

O sacred pillar, boundary of all worlds,
Stand at the center of the sky,
Stand at the center of the sea,
Stand at the center of the land on which we dwell.
Let us be deepened in your depths
Raised to your heights
Strengthened in your strength

Crann naomh, fas a steach mise!

All: Sacred tree, grow within us!

Purpose And Precedent

​As proper to the work.

Purification

A: Outdwellers: An offering is made to the south of the Grove, saying:

Ancient dark ones, we make this offering to you.
You who dwell in the outer dark
You who stood against the gods
You twisted and misshapen
You cold of heart and dim of mind
Take this offering and trouble not our working.

Likewise we acknowledge in ourselves
Weakness and perversity
Hatred and spite
Cowardice and ignorance
We contemplate these ills and enemies
And for this sacred time
We set them aside!

B: Fire and Water: Druids draw water from the Well and light a censer from the Fire. They quickly cense and asperge the company, while the company intones or chants.

Opening The Gates

​The sacrificer makes an offering to Manannan, saying:

A Manannan, a thiarna na geatai duinn, ta muid ag siul ar do bealach.

O Manannan, Lord of the Gates, Lord of Wisdom, open the ways for us. We walk in your holy ways, we walk the Sacred Road. Share your magic with us, ward us as we walk in safety. Manannan mac Lir, accept our sacrifice!

An offering of oil is given to the Fire. The Druid then conjures the Gates, making an opening triskel on the Fire and Well, saying:

Now, lord of ways, join your magic with mine and let the fire open as a gate, let the well open as a gate, let the tree be the crossroads of all worlds. Open as a road to our voices and to the spirits. Let the gates be open!

All: Let the gates be open!

Kindred Offerings

​The druids make proper offerings to each of the kindreds, standing at the fire.

Ancestors

The children of the earth call out to the mighty dead. Hear us, our ancestors, our kindred.

Eistigi anois, a shinseara, a mhuintir

To all those whose bones lie in this land, whose hearts are tied to it, whose memory holds it; ancient tribes of this place, we offer you welcome.

To all of our grandmothers and grandfathers, our own beloved dead, blood-kin and heart-kin; ancient tribes of our blood, we offer you welcome.

To all those elder wise ones who guide their people, poets and seers, judges and magicians; wise women and men of ancient days, we offer you welcome. So, o mighty ones, we call to you as our kin, in the love of the all-mother, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, spirits; meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways. Ancestors, accept our sacrifice!

A shinseara, glac an h-iobairt seo muid!

(an offering of food and/or drink is made onto the ground or into a shaft)

Nature Spirits

The children of earth call out to the spirits of this land. Hear us, companions and teachers.

Eistigi anois, a sprideanna na haite seo.

To all our allies, kindreds of stone and stream, crystal and fertile soil, pools and every water; kins of the earth, we offer you welcome

To all our allies, kindreds of the growing green, herb and flower, shrub and mighty trees, root and stem and fruit. Green kins, we offer you welcome.

To all our allies, kindreds of fur and feather and scale, all who walk or fly or swim or crawl, we offer you welcome.

So, o noble ones, we call to you as our allies, in the joy of life upon earth, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, spirits; meet us at the boundary. Guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways. land-spirits, accept our sacrifice!

A sprideanna na talamh, glac an h-iobairt seo muid.

(an offering of herbs, flowers and/or trinkets is scattered around the nemeton's edge or hung on the tree)

Deities

The children of earth call out to the shining ones. Hear us, eldest and brightest. eistgigi anois, a dheithe na seanamsiri.

To all the shining ones, first children of the mother, wisest and mightiest, loving and comforting; gods and goddesses, we offer you welcome.

To the gods and goddesses of this place, ancient and powerful, known to us or unknown; gods of this place, we offer you welcome.

To all the deities of those here gathered, you whom we worship, you who bless our lives; o patrons and matrons, we offer you welcome.

So, o shining ones, we call to you as our elders, in reverence and love, to join in our magic. Come to our fire, shining ones; meet us at the boundary. guide and ward us as we walk the elder ways. deities, accept our sacrifice!

A dheithe, glac an h-iobairt seo muid.

(an offering of scented oil is poured on the fire)

After all the offerings have been made, the druids recenter the company and lead an attunement to all the spirits that have been called, and a proper chant or hymn is sung to the three kindreds.

Key Offerings

​Druid speaks, saying:

Failte! A dheithe, a seanara, a sprideanna! Welcome to the god/desses, the dead and the sidhe! To all of you who have gathered at our fire, we pray you join us in worshipping the patrons of this holy rite here in our sacred grove.

The druids now give the descriptive invocations of the patron powers of the rite. This is followed by any proper customs for the occasion, and by praise offerings. offerings are made, and a portion of each is held back for the final sacrifice.

Sacrifice and Omen

The druids prepare the final offerings and say:

So we have given of our love and our wealth to the lord and lady. Now let our voices arise on the fire, let our voices sound in the well let our words pass the boundary to the otherworlds. o lord, o lady, we give you our love, our respect, our devotion as we pray you...

Bhantiarna agus tiarna, glac an h-iobairt seo muid!

All: Lady and Lord, accept our sacrifice!

All are led to send their energy through the gates to the powers, meditating on the deities and the nobles. Then druid speaks:

Having prayed to the powers, let us open to them, asking what blessings they offer us in return.

Omen is taken as usual. The seer then interprets the omen, leading the company to contemplate the things they would ask of the powers, especially as suggested by the omen. Company recenters in preparation for the blessing.

The Blessing

A: The litany of the waters:

Druid speaks:

Ancient and mighty ones we have honored you. We pray you honor us in turn, for a gift calls for a gift. Hear your children...

All: Shining ones, give us the waters!

We thirst for the waters of wisdom, of bounty, of rebirth from the well of wisdom, from the spring of renewal, from the bosom of the earth mother. Hear us...

All: Shining ones, give us the waters!

We open our hearts to the great ones blessing. We stand in pride, honor and friendship with all the powers of the worlds. Hear and answer us now...

All: Shining ones, give us the waters!

B: Hallowing the waters:

Ale is poured into the horns and elevated. Druid speaks:

We draw blessing from the cauldron of blessing. We pour the ale of inspiration. Behold the holy cup of magic, the outpouring of blessing from the mighty ones. When we share the draught of the gods we drink in wisdom, love and strength to do as we will in the worlds, in service to the shining ones.

Eisdigh anois a tiarna, a bhantiarna; beannaich na h-uisci seo duinn! Hear us o lord, o lady; hallow these waters! We, your children, rejoice in your gift. Bless our spirits and our lives with love, magic and bounty as we drink these sacred waters.

Seo iad uisci na beatha!

All: Behold the waters of life!

The horns are passed and all drink as a proper hymn is sung.

Work

As needed.

Closing

When all is done, the druids lead a resettling, then begin to close the grove, saying:

The mighty ones have blessed us. With joy in our hearts let us carry the magic from our sacred grove into our lives and work.

Each time we offer to the powers they be come stronger and more aware of our needs and our worship.

So now as we prepare to depart let us give thanks to those who have aided us.

O (patron powers), go raibh maith agaibh!

All: We thank you!

O gods and goddesses of elder days, go raibh maith agaibh!

All: We thank you!

O spirits of this land, go raibh maith agaibh!

All: We thank you!

O ancestors, our kindred, go raibh maith agaibh!

All: We thank you!

To all those powers that have aided us, we say again...

Go raibh maith agaibh!

All: We thank you!

Druids renew the company's centering once more, signaling the return to common awareness and ease of access to the centered state. Then any unused offerings, return flow, incense, water etc. is given to the earth, saying:

Mother of all, to you we return all we leave unused. Uphold us now in the world as you have in our rite.

Go raibh maith agaibh!

All: We thank you!

The druids go to the center, bearing the wand. They speak:

O gatekeeper, warder of the ways, for your presence and power, your guiding and guarding we say...

Go raibh maith agaibh!

All: We thank you!

Druid makes the closing sign over the hallows with the wand, saying:

Now by the keeper of gates and by our magic we end what we began.

Now let the fire be flame
Let the well be water;
Let all be as it was before.
Let the gates be closed!

All: Let the gates be closed!

Go now, children of the earth, in peace and blessings. the rite is ended!

The bard leads a proper chant as the company processes out of the Grove.