SLG Yule Ritual 2000

Welcome to

Shining Lakes Grove, ADF

Yule 2000 Order of Service

Welcome to Our Celebration!

Before we begin...

Enjoy the antics of the Fool and other entertainments, greet each other, and check out the Raffle items before the Briefing. Words to the songs we will be singing are on the back of this sheet.

Preparing ourselves for our time with the Gods and Spirits

Processional and Purification - The Wassail Song
Bardic Invocation for our eloquence and inspiration
Welcoming the Allies, the spirits of the people and their gods who lived in this land before us
Honoring our Mother Ana
Meditation, grounding and centering
Unity Chant - We Are One With the Mother
Statement of Purpose - Yule is a time of joy as we celebrate the rebirth of the sun-god, Bel, with the help of the first mother, Danu.

Declaring Center and Opening the Portals

Tree, Fire, and Well - The Portal Song
Acknowledging the Outsiders - the forces of chaos and change
Invocation of Manannan mac Lir, our Lord of the Dead, to guide and protect us in the Otherworld

Acknowledging and Honoring our guests

Ancestors - our beloved dead
Nature Spirits - the spirits of the land and its creatures
Deities: Lugh, Bríd, and Aren (feel free to offer a silent welcome to your own gods)
Archetypes - Acknowledging the three societal functions within us
Deity of the Occasion: Bel and Danu, our primal father and mother. We honor Danu and ask her to help Bel regain his strength and return the warmth to the land.

Giving and Receiving

Passing the wreath - Direct your praise and energy to the wreath to build a group offering. While oyu hold it, you may give praise or thanks to the gods silently or in the form of a vocal or physical offering. When you finish, pass the wreath to the person next to you.
Group Praise - mask dance, Fire in Our Hearts/Kindle the Flame
Main Sacrifice - Offering the wreath
Omen of Return
Return blessing - tie ribbons on Yule tree
Cauldron blessing
Welcoming new members, officers, and guild members, and bestowing other honors

Unwinding and Closing

Recessional - Now the Rite Is At an End

And afterwards... Join us for a potluck and socializing, and don't forget to get your Raffle Tickets!

Yule Songs 2000

Processional:

The Wassail Song

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too,
And may all our Gods bless
you throughout the new year,
May the gods bless you through the year.

Unity:

We Are One With the Mother

(trad. ADF)

We are one with the Mother,
We are one with the earth,
We are one with each other,
By our lives, by our birth.

Opening the Ways:

The Portal Song

By Fire and by Water,
Between the Earth and Sky
We stand like the World-Tree,
Rooted deep, crowned high.

Come we now to the well

We will kindle a fire

Gather we at the tree

Group Praise:

Fire in Our Hearts/Kindle the Flame

Fire in our hearts is burning, burning. (4 times)

Kindle the flame, I feel the sun returning,
Kindle the flame, the spark of love is yearning,
Kindle the flame, the fire of life is burning,
Kindle the flame.

Recessional:

Now the Rite Is At an End

And now the rite is at an end, again we're parting ways
May truth and hour be your friend and lucky be your days.
I'll hold you dearly in my heart, I'll hold you in my mind,
And through our branches grow apart, our roots shall be entwined.

Note to Parents: Children are welcome to stay and attend the ritual with you, but only if they are supervised. If they decide to leave and go back to Child Care, they may not return to the rite.