"YULE"
*The Spiral of Rebirth - A Ritual for “Winter’s Beginning”
(winter solstice)
in Australia, approx. June 21/22
Performed at Mid-Afternoon.
ITEMS NEEDED:
*ALTAR/FEAST TABLE/CHAIRS (indoors) & ENTRANCE TABLE (if outdoors.) BRAZIER.
*Roast meat (optional) and sundries for feast.
Apple pie/cream for dessert. Alcohol (optional)
*Bread or cakes or pudding, and milk or juice for
libations. Libation bowl.
*Druid/Celtic music, playing softly in background.
*Jug of purified/filtered water and a cup for each participant.
* A washing bowl for feet and a washing bowl for hands. Sponge and wash-cloth.
*Watering can with salted water.
*Essential oil (Rosemary, for remembrance, optional) for Anointing.
*White ribbon for head bands, one for each participant (optional).
*Druid Staff.
*SALT in a container. Representative of EARTH/NORTH.
*INCENSE in a holder. Representative of AIR/EAST.
*OIL LAMP/CANDLE. Representative of FIRE/SOUTH.
*Cup of WATER. Representative of WATER/WEST.
*Quartz crystal (GOD/MALE/ACTIVE ASPECT/the Infinite)
*White/Pearly Seashell (GODDESS/PASSIVE ASPECT/the Integral)
*2 White Candles (God/Goddess)
*Semi-precious gemstones (optional).
*Leaf and flower decorations for Altar.
*Tools for Divination.
*Potted or artificial tree for decoration.
Leafy branches to decorate house.
*Token gifts to Life and Divinity to hang on the Tree.
*Presents for participants.
CREATING A SACRED SPACE:
With the Druid Staff, the Priest/Priestess, and Aides (optional), go throughout the area which is to be used and needs to be protected from ill-will and cleansed of
negative energies. E.g., If a house and yard, go throughout the house and yard, including the street frontage. Waving the switch up, down and around, the Priest/Priestess recites (with intensity of feeling and
power):
Mother/Father God,
Cleanse this place of Negative Energies.
Fill it with your Life Force,
Your Love, and Wisdom.
Protect it and All within it from harm or negativity.
As Above, So Below,
As Within, So Without.
Repeating this over and over, wherever they walk or stop until the whole area is covered.
LAYING THE ALTAR & FEAST TABLE:
THE ALTAR: (While facing North, with the
altar in front of you)
*Lay flowers/leaves around the Altar’s edge.
*To the Left of the centre, put the Seashell, and then a White Candle.
*To the Right of the centre, put the Quartz Crystal, and then a White Candle.
*At the East side of the Altar, put the Incense.
*At the South side of the Altar, put the Oil Lamp/Candle (this position can be reversed with the salt if you live south of the equator, as
Australians do; follow your personal preference) .
*At the West side of the Altar, put the Water.
*At the North side of the Altar, put the Salt.
*Lay the libation bowl, milk/juice, and bread/cakes/pudding, to the South of the centre.
*Lay the Druid Staff on the Altar when not in use.
*Lay the Torch next to the Druid Staff when not in use. Divination tools also lie here.
*Lay gemstones in a circle around the Altar, or around the Burning bowl.
*Put the Washing bowls/sponge/cloth/watering can beneath the Altar. [Note: This
ritual can be acted indoors around a dining table. In this case, forgo the washing part of the ritual, and set up the Altar at one end of the table. Circling can be visualised, holding hands, rather than
actually moving.]
THE RITUAL AREA:
*Place a chair for each participant in a circle around the Altar and
Feast Table.
*Place the Feast Table South of the Altar, within the circle. Put all
cutlery/plates/cups/food and drink on it.
*Make sure there is plenty of room for movement within the circle of chairs around the Altar and Feast table.
*Place the Entrance Table just outside the circle, and place upon it the
purified water/cups/anointing oil, and a torch for reading.
(The torch can be carried into the circle later, once it gets dark).
CALLING THE ANGELS:
Taking up the Druid Staff, the Priest/Priestess stands pointing it to the North as
the Priest/Priestess recites:
Angels of the North, of Earth, of Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn,
Of Pentacles and Worldly Issues,
Of Protection, Nurturing and Growth,
Bless our Ritual and
Attend our Circle:
Heed our Prayers and carry them into the world,
That they may be Manifest
By the Laws of Right Action.
The Priest/Priestess stands pointing the
Druid Staff to the West,
(Sun-wise), as the Priest/Priestess recites:
Angels of the West, of Water, of Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces,
Of Cups and Issues of the Heart and Psyche,
Of Feeling and Inspiration and Refreshment:
Bless our Ritual and
Attend our Circle:
Heed our Prayers and carry them into the world,
That they may be Manifest
By the Laws of Right Action.
The Priest/Priestess stands pointing the
Druid Staff to the South,
(Sun-wise), as the Priest/Priestess recites:
Angels of the South, of Fire, of Aries/Leo/Sagittarius,
Of Wands and Issues of Creativity and Endeavour,
Of Light and Brightness and Love:
Bless our Ritual and
Attend our Circle:
Heed our Prayers and carry them into the world,
That they may be Manifest
By the Laws of Right Action.
The Priest/Priestess stands pointing the
Druid Staff to the East,
as the Priest/Priestess recites:
Angels of the East, of Air, of Gemini/Libra/Aquarius,
Of Swords and Issues of Knowledge and Balance,
Of Intelligence, Exploration and Union:
Bless our Ritual and
Attend our Circle:
Heed our Prayers and carry them into the world,
That they may be Manifest
By the Laws of Right Action.
ANOINTING & CLEANSING:
The Priest/Priestess stands at the entry point to the circle, where
the participants queue for entry. All participants have washed and may be bare-foot and bra-less (optional), with light-coloured clothes. (Men may be bare-chested) Each participant wears a
white ribbon tied across their forehead. The officiating
Priest/Priestess/Aides may also have a blue crescent marked on their
forehead.
The Priest/Priestess recites, with intensity/power, while the
Priest/Priestess/Aides pours water into a cup for each participant.
Drink this water to Cleanse yourself of Negative Energies,
That you may Recognise the Divinity within you
without Obstruction.
The Priest/Priestess/Aides gives the water to the participant, who drinks it all.
The Priest/Priestess recites with intensity/power, while the
Priest/Priestess anoints the Third Eye of the participant with a smear of
essential oil on their thumb.
This Oil Anoints your Psychic Centre so that you may
Communicate with the Divine more easily.
The Priest/Priestess recites:
Leave the troubles of the Mortal World behind you now
as you enter the Sacred Space.
Walk Sunwise, East to West, around the Circle
until you find your seat.
The ceremony continues until all are seated. When all are seated, the Priest/Priestess/Aides collect the washing bowls/sponge/wash-cloth/watering can from beneath the
Altar.
The Priest/Priestess/Aides pours water into the foot
bowl in front of the first participant (East of the circle entrance). He/She bathes the
feet of the participant as the Priest/Priestess recites:
Let this Water cleanse your Feet
so that the Energy of the Divine Earth
Flows into you more easily,
filling you
With Healing and Love.
The Priest/Priestess/Aides carries the used
bowl to behind the participant’s chair and solemnly empties it onto the ground, as the Priest/Priestess recites:
Let the Earth accept this soiled water
And restore it the Cycle of Life.
The Priest/Priestess/Aides places the foot bowl in front of the next participant (moving sun-wise, to the West), and places the hand bowl on the lap of the first participant, pouring
water into it, and washing the participant’s hands (wiping them dry with the squeezed sponge/cloth), as the Priest/Priestess recites:
Let this Water cleanse your Hands so that the Divine Energy
That flows through you from the Earth
May flow out more easily into the World around you,
Bringing Healing and love to All you touch.
The Priest/Priestess/Aides again carries the used
bowl to behind the participant’s chair and solemnly empties it onto the ground, as the Priest/Priestess recites:
Let the Earth accept this soiled water
And restore it the Cycle of Life.
This process continues around the circle, until all participants are bathed with salted water. (The Priest/Priestess/Aides wash each other or, if there is only one
leader, a member of the washed participants may wash the leader). Once all are bathed, the Priest/Priestess/Aides
sit in their chairs.
ENERGY RAISING:
The Priest/Priestess recites:
Now we are gathered together in this Sacred Space
To honour the Divinity within us and without Us.
Let us close our Eyes and meditate upon the Joy of Life’s Spirit.
Let us feel it’s Energies coursing around our Circle
from East to West and back again.
Around and around, building it’s Energy within us
Until it’s Colours blend into White
And fill us with Healing and Power.
Let this Energy link us together,
Making us One as we are naturally One.
As we have always been One
with each other
And with the Divine.
All meditate. When the Priest/Priestess feels ready and rested,
he/she rises and says:
All stand and move forward to join hands in a Circle.
The Priest/Priestess recites, looking up at the sky:
O Mother/Father God,
Answers to All Mysteries and yet
Mysteries Un-Answered,
In this Place of Power
We have opened ourselves to your Essence.
We have breathed your energies into our bodies -
Co-mingling, blending, mixing them with ours,
So that we may see the Divine in Nature and
Nature in the Divine, and
Divinity within ourselves and
All else.
All repeat after the Priest/Priestess:
Make us One with your Essence.
Make us One with your Essence.
Make us One with your Essence.
The Priest/Priestess says:
All shut your eyes and breathe in the Essence of God. Let it flow through you, through your heart centre and into the centre of our Sacred Space.
CIRCLING:
When the Priest/Priestess is ready, he/she says:
Three times around the Sacred Space
We circle sun-wise, holding hands and chanting:
All hold hands and move around the circle, sun-wise (East to West), three times, chanting with the Priest/Priestess:
O Gracious Divinity,
Bathe us with Enlightenment in this Magical Time.
Charge us with wonder and joy.
Help us to attune to the Energies adrift on
The Enchanted Air.
At the end of the circling the participants, except for the Priest/Priestess/Aides, resume their seats.
RECITALS & WELCOMING:
The Priest/Priestess recites:
O Mother/Father God, we come to Honour our Union with you, and with all Life.
As Nature’s Quiet fills the Land we remember the Quiet Pauses
in our Lives, and accept that
in the Cycles of Existence there is always Balance and Movement between Light and Dark,
and between Outward and Inward Activity.
We know that in the Quiet times our Life Trees send down their Roots deep into Nourishment so that
when Growth is required of them again they will have
the Strength to Flourish.
We know that in our Lives, when nothing appears to be happening, when we appear to bide our Time and have no Progress,
that much Progress is occurring on an Inner Level,
so that our Spirit may Flourish in
the New Life that always follows.
For in the Circles of Life, Light and Activity
always follow Darkness and Resting.
We thank you for the Blessings of our Lives and
Honour this symbolic Tree of Life with Gift Tokens in recognition of the Gifts bestowed upon us as we Journey, symbolically returning some of what we receive to the Divine,
to Nourish you with our Love as you Nourish us.
And we Pray, as we bestow further Token Gifts upon this Tree,
for Blessings to flow on to Others,
to those who have become Quiet in our Lives, for whatever reason, so that they may be Nourished and Restored, and become a Positive Force in the Cycle of Life, or in our Lives
by the Laws of Right Action.
He/she places a token gift on the Tree, and beckons to the other participants to do the same.
After the first tokens are placed, the Tree is decorated by participants with all the other Ornaments, and as each is placed a
name is spoken of a person who needs to be nourished and restored in the cycle of life.
These may be people we have fallen out with, people who have died, or are sick, or have simply faded from our lives, etc.
The Priest/Priestess recites:
Life quietens now. The air is cold. The Land sleeps.
We long for the warmth of Spring and Summer.
The Nights are Long. The Days are Short.
We find it hard to go on with the Activities of our Lives.
We turn inward, seeking the warmth of the Light within us
as the Light outside withdraws. We rediscover ourselves.
We think. We sleep. We meditate. We plan for the future.
We hope and pray.
The Priest/Priestess recites:
Now is the time of Resting. We remember the Spiral of Rebirth. We know that Life will go on
even after all appears to have come to an end.
We know that in Spirit we will be reborn,
even as the Land is reborn with the return of Spring,
and our Lives are reborn after Dark Nights of the Soul.
It is the time to Plan for the Future, to Gather together our Energies for the Projects ahead of us, to Nurture ourselves
and our Life Spirit, so that we may one day again
Nurture others with Spirited Life.
The Priest/Priestess says:
Let us meditate upon the Interweaving forces of
Life and Death, Creation and Destruction,
so that we may Understand that Death is the Inevitable Outcome of Life and that after Death Life is Renewed.
All Nature is Balanced and returns always to Balance through Sacrifice and Transcendence, which allows Healing to occur.
All Meditate.
When the Priest/Priestess is ready, a libation is made, and he/she says:
Mother-Father God, I thank you for the Blessing of Life.
I share with you these libations to Acknowledge your Graciousness and to Remember that I must not take for granted what is given but must always remember to return some to the
Cycle of Life.
The other participants follow his/her example and repeat the recitation.
The Priest/Priestess says:
We ask now for the Blessings and Protection of our Divine Guests as we move from the Circle of Prayer to
Prepare and Cook our Feast meal.
We hope they may enjoy our gathering.
All participants then move to be seated at the Feasting table,
or to cook and prepare the meal, and set the table to eat and drink. There is a relaxed and happy atmosphere of joy and play.
When the food is brought to the table, some is put aside on a plate to honour the the Divine. (It is later buried/emptied in/on the ground. It doesn’t really matter if
animals/birds eat it...)
The Priest/Priestess says:
Accept our offering in your honour, Divine Spirit, we thank you.
After the Feast, the table is cleared and the
tools of Divination are brought out, (optional), and those who wish to do so can give or receive readings for the coming year.
Then gifts are given to each other. (See note at end).
DE-CIRCLING:
The participants join hands again in a circle and circle thrice in an anti-Sunwise direction, (West to East), as the Priest/Priestess
recites and the participants repeat after him/her:
We disperse the energies of this Circle,
Returning them to the Cycle of Life,
To the Divine Mind,
So that our Prayers may Progress and
Balance may be Restored.
We send the Energies of this Circle on their Way
Into Us, into Our Lives and
Into the Lives of those we care about.
All stop and reflect as the Priest/Priestess recites:
We thank you, Mother/Father God, again, for attending us,
For all the guidance and knowledge given us
and all the wisdom, strength and support of your
healing love toward us.
We give thanks for all you have done for us and with us, and
For all you will be to us and in us
As our lives unfold.
The Priest/Priestess recites:
We thank the Angels of the North, the West, the South and East; of Earth, Water, Fire and Air for attending us. May you heed our prayers for Right Action manifest in
our world.
We thank you for your Blessings upon us.
The Priest/Priestess recites:
We thank again all spirits who have attended our rites.
Go in Peace to God and rest.
DISPERSING THE ALTAR:
The Tree and inside decorations may stay until they die, or until Imbolc.
The offerings for God, etc. are poured on the ground and/or buried.
The plant decorations on the Altar are dispersed on the ground.
All other items are put away, as well as the Altar,
chairs and tables.
REVELRY:
A bonfire or brazier may be lit and leaped through or over; and damper
or pudding cooked on it. House fires are doused and relit from the bonfire.
Gifts are given to each other at this festival to denote the boons that are ahead, as they have been in the past, and
which will return with the changing cycles of life.
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