Yule 2001 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 - Ana Come Be With Us
Meditation, grounding and centering
Unity Chant - We Are One With
the Mother
Statement of Purpose - Yule is a time of joy as we
settle in for the winter. We honor Danus presence in the
land, and Bels growing presence from this day forth.
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: Danu and Bel, our primal father and mother.
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 - Danu's Wave of Power
Main Sacrifice - Offering the
wreath - The River is Flowing
Omen of Return - runes
Return
blessing - tying ribbons to Yule tree - Deck the Halls
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 2001
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.
River Mother:
Ana Come Be With Us
by the SLG Bardic Guild
Ana, come be with us,
May your blessings ever flow,
Ana, still
and quiet,
Take our love beneath the snow.
Blessed Mother, Ancient and renewing
Blessed Mother, take our love
below.
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
Main Sacrifice:
The River is Flowing
The River is flowing,
Flowing and growing,
The River is
flowing,
Down to the sea.
Mother carry me, your child I will always be.
Mother carry me down
to the sea.
Return Blessing:
Deck the Halls
Deck the hall with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
'Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Don
we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Troll the
ancient Yuletide Carol,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
See the blazing yule before us,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Strike
the harp and join the chorus,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Follow
me in merry measure,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
While I tell of
Yuletide Treasure,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Recessional:
Now the Rite Is At an End
© Paul Kershaw and Marae Price
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.