Welcome to Shining Lakes Grove, ADF

Yule 1997 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 shown below.

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 a Circle Moving
• Statement of purpose - Yule is a time of joy as we celebrate the rebirth of the sun-god, Bel.

Declaring Center and opening the Portals

• Well, Fire, and Tree - Portal Song
• The opening of the Ways
• 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, Aren, and Danu (feel free to offer a silent welcome to your own gods)
• Archetypes - acknowledging the three societal functions within us
• Deity of the Occasion: Bel, the Sun, the First Father

Giving and receiving

• Passing the Solar Wheel - Direct your praise and energy to the Wheel to build a group offering. While you 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 wheel to the person next to you.
• Group praise - Fire in Our Hearts/Kindle the Flame/From the Fire of Stars
• Omen of return - rune cookies
• Return blessing -tie ribbons on the 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 1997

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.

Ana, Come Be With Us*

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.

We Are a Circle Moving**

We are a circle moving
One with another, we are
Moving together, we are one. (2x)

I am spirit and I flow in you.
You are spirit and you flow in me.

The Portal Song***

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

Come we now to the well

We will kindle a fire

Gather we at the tree

Wake Little Sun****

Wake, little sun, come out and shine,
We're gonna have a really good time.
Wake, little sun, come out and play,
Make today a sunny day.
Wake, little sun, stay longer in the sky;
We know you can do it if you try!
Wake, little sun so bright and new,
Shine for us; we'll sing for you.

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.

From the Fire of Stars

From the fire of stars,
Burn until who we are comes dancing.
From the flame of life,
Burn until who we are comes dancing.

Now the Rite Is at an End*****

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

*by the Shining Lakes Grove Bardic Guild
**©1996 Marae Price
***by Ian Corrigan
****Lyrics by Mama Moon; tune "Hush Little Baby" (trad.)
*****©1996 Paul Kershaw and Marae Price

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.

Questions? Comments? Please contact Rob Henderson, SLG Webmaster. All content copyright Shining Lakes Grove, ADF, or the individual author(s), all rights reserved.