MY RITUAL-BASED WRITING

Eternal God, you who see all through ages past
As the years move on
We call on you to bestow on us
Your beneficent presence

Early in our lives we know you
As our fathers
The lovers of our mothers
The protector of us and our families
It is you who we draw our strength and courage from
You who we turn to for support and protection
When times are tough
When fears surround us
When all that is needed is a strong protective arm
To hold us and be our champion

You were also know throughout the years as the infamous lover
Don Juan or Casanova
Or the loyal friend
Who could always be trusted
With any secret or even any boyhood mischief
Young maidens may have seen you in the eyes of their young lovers
Strong and virile you are to them
Who would only sometimes see you as they wish you to be
For you are not always what you seem to be

While you may be strong and courageous
You may also be seen through the eyes of mothers
Who see only their precious young darlings
Their tiny little sons, once new-born babes, grown to manhood
It is these women who know the inner truth
Strong and virile young men who were once quiet suckling young babes
Who cried for "Mommy!" when nurturing was needed
Vulnerable these babes and young men are
As vulnerable you are at times, Lord
For without our nurturing
You would not be as strong and courageous without knowing of us

In spite of all that may be said of you, Lord
There is another side of you
Which seeks to reveal itself to us
In time, when we are all accepting
Of you, the true you
Today, this side of you remains slightly hidden
Almost afraid, like a little boy gone lost from his mom
That someone might see the hidden insecurities and frailties
That are thought should not exist in someone such as you
But there they are, along with your strength and courage

Eternal God, we honour you
All the many facets of you
Your frailties and your strengths
Today, as in ancient past
We call upon you
You who live through all the years
Through the turning of the wheel of life
Reverence we give you in the rites
We now perform

We welcome you and blessed be

Eternal Goddess, you who see all through ages past
As the seasons turn
We call on you to bestow on us
Your beneficent presence

Warm pale flowers bloom
A joyous result of your work
Green is the ground
As it awakes from its deep slumber
Blue skies and cool rains
Showers the Earth and us
Waking what lays dormant in the season past
We are waking up now
With the call of your showers and green fields

As the sun shines forth upon us
Strong and hot are its rays
Scorching the ground feels
But yet pleasant the heat feels upon our skin
Seeds sown the season past have now sprouted
A luscious first harvest awaits us
Blessed we are to receive the treasures you give us
With your hard work and sacrifice
Knowing the abundance may soon end

The second harvest you make for us now
As day by day, it gets cooler
Leaves slowly fall to the ground
A symbol of the abundance you gave us
Colours of red, brown, yellow
Faded from the green of your youth
Cooler are the winds though the sun still shines
Now we seek the warmth of our hearth
Which we will now make to last for the upcoming cold season

Savings from our last harvest we have kept
To last for this the coldest time
The warmth of our hearth endures
While outside as we watch from within
Cold icy crystal flakes you make for us
To cover us with white
A celebration of the rest and repose that awaits us
Covering your Earth with white
A cold blanket that hides
What lays within will bloom again
And warmed by our hearth we await

Eternal Goddess, though you were nearly forgotten
Today, as in ancient past
We call upon you
You who live through all the seasons
Through the turning of the wheel of life
Reverence we give you in the rites
We now perform

We welcome you and blessed be

Bountiful Goddess, Abundant God
Before us lie the fruits of our harvest
That which you have lovingly nurtured
That which you have graciously given life
That which you have allowed us to take
As nourishment for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits
As we celebrate and call on you tonight
Grant that this feast be filled with your blessings
Grant that we partake of your blessings as we share this feast
And grant that your blessings be made manifest in our lives
So mote it be

Land, it surrounds us
Yet it is the center of our being
It is land that nourishes us
Feeds us, sustains us
Long have we worked the land
Toiled long and hard many hours
Imagine if you will
The feeling of the earth, the soil of the land
As one who has worked the land with bare hands
The earth, the soil is being molded in your hands
It is cool and soft, malleable
A contrast to the firm, solid ground we stand upon
Feel the cool, soft earth in your hands
Let the touch of it purify your mind and spirit
Then when you are done, slowly focus your mind upwards

High above us is the endless sky
It looms above us always somehow out of our reach
No matter how high we may travel or fly
There are more heights to attain
Many wonders we see in the sky
Clouds moving, sun shining through
Stars twinkling, lightening flashing
Storms pouring down and thunder crashing
Imagine, if you will
The feeling of the soft breezes and thrashing winds
As one who has lived and worked on the land
Feel the gust of wind swirl around your body
And then the soft breezes gently caressing your skin
Let the touch of it purify your mind and spirit
Then when you are done, focus your mind back down to land

From the edge of our lands and the sandy beaches
We can see the great expanses of oceans and sea
How terrifying and thrilling it looks
To beings who are accustomed to solid ground
But look we see other creatures in the waters
Swimming, playing, frolicking and enjoying the sea
What a wondrous site and how different these creatures are from us
They have no fear of the great waves that rise ready to engulf all
Great waves that splash and throw itself against our shores
Leaving only but small pools of water
Rushing in and out on our sandy beaches
The water gently smoothes out the sand, the soil
It gently massages the land we live on
Imagine if you will
The feeling of the cool water from the sea
As you cautiously step in it
It rocks back and forth over the sand
Slowly you move further and further into the water
Until soon you are engulfed by it
Let the touch of it purify your mind and spirit
Then when you are done, step out of the water onto the sand
And focus your mind back to your center and now

You have been purified by land, sea, and sky.

Shining One, Lugh
When you were needed, you were here
As you are now
Known by us as the God of light and the great leader
Champion of the Tuatha De Danann
Who none can rival in Tara
Keeper of the magic spear
Wielder of the deadly sling-shot
Descended from the Formorians
You were born to defeat them
Lugh Lamfhada, Lugh of the Long Arm
Warrior, spell-caster, bard, healer, smith
Master of all crafts
God of travel and commerce
Patron of smiths and metal craftsmen
From you we learn of all skills and crafts
From you we learn how to lead
Lugh Samildanach, many-skilled god
Inventor of all the arts
Inventor of games of cunning
Creator of the festival of Lughnasadh
Who showed us how to celebrate
God of all skills and abilities
It is you we look to for light and all skills
Multi-skilled god of light, Lugh
Be you welcome
Blessed be

Phantom Queen
Through space and time, you were always here
As you are now
Known to us as the sensual maiden
Attempting to seduce virile, young warriors
Great warrior goddess
Who watches over all great battles
Prophetess who decides the victors
The battle raven comes
Fury and Frenzy follow
Chaos abounds
Hear the shrieking call
Triple goddess of war, sex, death
Birth, death, rebirth
Within you are these mysteries hidden
Mysteries of change and magic
You are the Shape-shifter and the spell-weaver
Raven and crow
Sensual maiden and clever crone
Beautiful and fearful harbinger of death
The washer at the ford
Keeper of the red cloaks
It is your face that men fear to see
Yet look upon with reverence and love
By these names you are known to us
Morrigan, Morrigna, Morrigu, Mor Righ Anu
Yet we know you not
And by these names we call upon you
Badb, Nemhain, Fea
Be you welcome
Blessed be!