Formula for a Solitary Holiday Blót

April 10, 2012 at 11:16 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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A page from my family’s book of traditions…

Although family rituals are the ideal, sometimes circumstances prevent this. At times like this, you still want to honor the Old Ways and feel the connection to, and blessing of, the deities, ancestors, and holy wights- for yourself, and on your family’s behalf. This brief ritual is a simple formula made just for those times. Solitary ritual is also an opportunity for more personal prayers. Instead of using a drinking horn, you can use a 12 to 16 ounce bottled beverage for both libating and drinking from. It’s easier to pour libations from the narrow spout of a bottle than from a drinking horn or goblet, and a single serving size is a good amount for a brief solitary ritual.

  • Beginning: “I am here to worship the Holy Powers and commemorate the turning seasons of the year at the time of ________.”
  • Candle Lighting: light one to three candles on the home altar and say: “In remembrance and love, I light the sacred flame.”
  • The Call: “Hail the Æsir! Hail the Vanir! Hail the Earth, who gives to all! Hail the Ancestors and Holy Wights!” You may want to add hails to the specific deities/wights, and/or sing a deity song like “My Gods, Your Love”.
  • Seasonal Prayer: adlib prayers to specific deities/wights asking for blessings of the season. You may want to add a seasonal song here, if not pressed for time.
  • The Hallowing & Blessing: pass a drink over the fire. Pour some in the blótbolli and take a drink yourself. (Optional: asperge altar and yourself with drink from the blótbolli.)
  • Offering & Closing: pour contents of the blótbolli onto the ground or hörgr outside.    “From the Gods to the earth, to us. From us, to the earth, to the Gods. The cycle continues. The rite is ended.”

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Ôstara Blót

March 20, 2012 at 11:09 am (Holidays)
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This is a simple little ritual I pieced together. The words for the fire lighting is classic Ceisiwr Serith used in ADF liturgy. I use fire to ward and hallow instead of the Hammer Rite. A lot of the wording I’ve gotten for my Norse rites is from The Hammerstead Kindred Blot Book.
On the altar have a goddess figure, to represent Ôstarâ, that has little holes or perforations all in it for placing flowers; it could be just a basic form made of chicken wire or a papier-mâché figure with little holes punched in it with an ice pick. Decorate the altar with colored eggs and an Osterhase (Ôstarâ Hare). Everyone brings flowers and greenery to place on the goddess figure, and any other offerings they want to bring.

Warding: Hallowing Charm

(A musical signal marks the beginning of ritual.)

Introduction & Fire Lighting
“We gather now as our ancestors did, to worship the Old Ones and commemorate the turning seasons of the year at the time of Ôstara. As our ancestors did before us, let us pray with a good fire. I kindle the sacred fire in wisdom, love, and power.” (light fire)
“Sacred fire, burn within us.”

The Call: “Hail Sunna! Herald of Spring: She who brings the warmth & the light.
Hail Nerthus! Mother of Spring: She whose body is crops’ delight.
Hail Frey! Lord of Spring: He who blesses the land; its king.
Hail Freya! Lady of Spring: She who permeates all living things.
Hail Ôstarâ! Flower Maiden: The embodiment of Spring.
Hail Thor!  Bringer of Rain: He who is the friend of farmers, & makes grow the grain.
Make fruitful our labors, & also our crops, that we may live & prosper!”

The Hallowing & Blessing: the mead is passed over the fire. The participants and the altar are sprinkled with the hallowed drink. leader/gothi says: “May the blessings of the Holy Ones be upon us.”

The Sharing: the drink is shared and hails made. When the last of the drink is poured into the blótbolli (blessing bowl), leader/gothi says: “Holy Ones, accept our gifts! Hail the gods and goddesses of life! Hail to the holy, all-giving earth!”

Symbolism: Everyone walks in procession around the circle to the altar to place flowers or other tokens of Spring into the perforations of the goddess figure, while singing “O’ She Will Bring“.

Offering & Closing: the mead in the blótbolli is poured onto the ground at the base of a tree (or over a hörgr).
“From the Gods to the earth, to us. From us, to the earth, to the Gods.
The cycle continues. The rite is ended”

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A SAMHAIN RITE

October 30, 2011 at 6:49 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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(A part of my “little ritual” series.  Materials from, and adapted from; ADF, the Carmia Gadelica, and other sources.)  Bring an apple, cooked pork, and hazelnuts in addition to usual “little ritual” supplies.

*(Edited to note: I wrote this ritual when I was a Celtic Reconstructionist and scheduled it for this later date. For info on how to convert this ritual to an ADF format, see the “little rituals” article highlighted above.)

Purification: Smudge with Juniper smoke

Circumambulation (circle ritual area three times. Skip this if ritual is at home.)

Purpose
“I am here to keep the old ways
and honor the Kindred at the time of Samhain.”

Three Realms Blessing
“As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be —
I stand at the Center of Earth, Sky and Sea.”

Fire Lighting
“I kindle the sacred fire in wisdom, love, and power.” 
(light fire)  “Sacred fire, burn within me.” 

Hail to the Spirits
“Hail, Earth Mother, whole and holy, honor unto thee!” 
(touch the earth if outside, give offering)
“I offer now as the ancients did to the Kindreds Three!”
“To the Fair Folk, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To the Ancestors, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To my Deities, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“Grandmother Cailleach, Grandfather Cernunnos,
I honor you this day (night).”
(place offering in bowl or fire)

Symbolism
*“Behold the apple, fruit of the Otherworld,
fruit of life and death.”
(Cut in half horizontally.)
“Sacred unto my people and to the Three Kindred,
I offer and I partake. 
In so doing, may I receive communion
with the Spirits, the Beloved Dead.” 
(Place half on offering plate/bowl and eat other half.)
*“Behold pork, meat that nourished the ancestors
and was given as holy sacrifice to the Shining Ones. 
Sacred unto the Three Kindred,
I offer and I partake. 
In so doing, may I receive communion
with the Shining Ones, the Deities of my Ancestors.” 
(Place a portion on offering plate and eat a portion.)
*“Behold hazelnuts, nut of wisdom and revelation,
prized by the Celtic peoples.
Sacred unto the Kindred, I offer and I partake. 
In so doing, may I receive wisdom
and blessings from, and communion with,
the Spirits of Nature.” 
(Place a portion on offering plate/bowl and eat a portion.)

Blessing Cup
“Ancient Ones, a Child of the Earth calls out for your blessing.
Hallow these waters, O holy powers. 
Grant me the blessing I seek.
May the Wisdom, Love and Power of the Deities,
Ancestors and Sidhe flow into this Cup of Blessing.”
(Hold cup out with both hands
and feel the energy flow into the cup.)
“This cup now holds the waters of life!
I drink this in the name of the Kindred.”  (drink deeply)
“May these waters I have received
flow through my body and through my spirit,
and may they pour out into the rest of my life.” 

Parting Blessing
“I offer my thanks to the Mother of All. 
I offer my thanks to the Deities, Ancestors and Fair-Folk.
May the Three Sacred Kins bring joy to all beings,
and renew the ancient wisdom.
As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be.”

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Stovetop Hearth Rites

October 2, 2011 at 6:59 am (Arts & Crafts, Food, spirituality)
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Quite a few years ago I came across the idea of having a hearth goddess shrine in the kitchen. I think it was in a book about house magic. The shrine it described was to the Greek hearth goddess Hestia. I liked the idea but didn’t see at the time how I would implement it and I didn’t feel a strong connection to Hestia. I saw a variation on the theme in an article I’ve mentioned before; “Takin’ It All Home” by Kami Landy. I suppose the idea incubated in the back of my mind for a bit, but then it finally occurred to me what form my kitchen shrine would take and the ritual actions that would form around it.

Though I think of her as much more than a hearth goddess, Bríd, as goddess of fire, is my obvious choice of deity to honor at a kitchen shrine. I would decide on a symbol or image to use for her and where to put it. It would need to be small, and something I could place away from splattering oil and steam, but still be right in front of me when I went to cook. I decided against having a lamp or candle to light every time I set out to cook. It would be an extra step that I know I wouldn’t keep doing. I felt that just the imagery should be enough and some simple brief actions surrounding it.

It would be one small object (home-made, of course) to focus on and remind me of Bríd. I’ve collected Pagan and Celtic coloring pages for years, so I searched through my collection to find something I could color in and decoupage. I found a Bríd’s cross superimposed over a sun. I really like the imagery though in the future when this one is worn out, I might go with a depiction of the goddess instead.

So this is how I made it… I cut out three circles from a pizza box lid and glued them together to create a strong disk. I taped the cut edges with small tears of masking tape then painted the entire disk black with craft paint. After this dried, I glued on the picture with a thin layer of white glue and let it dry, then put on a couple layers of Modge Podge. Then I painted the image with craft paints. Originally I was going to put this on the wall above the stove, squeezed in between my spices and cooking utensils. But then it occurred to me that I could stick a magnet strip on the back and place it on the stove’s hood. So that is what I did. It keeps it safer from steam and splatters and easier to reach. I slide it further up onto the stove hood when not being used for my cooking blessing, so it won’t get knocked down.

And this is how I use it in ritual… when I’m about to start cooking, I say a short blessing and rub a pinch of the dry ingredients I’m using in my cooking  (usually salt, spices) around the edge of the image as offering. That’s all there is to it. Not hard to keep up a ritual such as that. The brief words of my cooking blessing was inspired from a couple of Bríd prayers I learned years ago:

~~~
“Gentle red-cheeked Bríd
Of flame and honeycomb,
Bless this cooking, bless this home.”
~~~

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my 1st blót

September 22, 2011 at 2:53 pm (Chants & Songs, Holidays, spirituality)
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As I mentioned a couple of weeks back, I’ve been very drawn to Norse Paganism for a while, so much so that I’ve decided to start making Asatru/Heathenry a part of my life, having Celtic Reconstructionist rituals and traditions for the Celtic High Days, but following Heathen ways for other holidays. Today I had my first Heathen ritual; a solitary blót (blessing).

This was a bit of an emotional ritual for me, since I was kind of “introducing” myself for the first time to the gods/goddesses of my German and English ancestors. I’ve been reading Norse mythology and the Eddas, as well as listening to music about the Norse gods on The Heathen Songbook Online. This has given me a really good feel for what the gods are all about. The stories are so detailed, I feel like it has all “come to life” for me more than any other pantheon/tradition has. Although I am quite new to this, I was very satisfied with this ritual.

My Winter Finding Blót (on the eve of the autumn equinox 2011)

Warding
For the warding, I didn’t want to do a hammer rite; I’ve heard that the hammer rite may be simply a Wiccan carry-over. But I found  something called the “Anglo-Saxon Hallowing Charm” and it seemed really right. So I lit the candles on my tree candelabra and walked around the house carrying it singing that charm, holding it out from me, sometimes circling it. This is a new tradition for me, and it felt really right and powerful. That tree candelabra is heavy and it seemed just the right thing to use for this. Not only does the tree symbolize Yggdrasil,  but also oak trees are sacred to Thor, so it could also be considered his symbol. Though the leaves on this metal tree look a bit more like Yggdrasil ash than Thor’s oak.

Purpose
This is where I said:
“I stand here today upon this holy earth and speak for the first time to the gods and spirits of my German and English ancestors. I stand here today upon this holy earth to give thanks at the harvest time of the year, and to give offering and praise to the Aesir, Vanir, Landvaettir, Alf and Dises.”

Invocation
This is where I said:
“Aesir, Vanir, shining gods and goddesses of my folk from time unknown, hear my call. Come share a drink and hear my praise. Spirits of the Land, and Spirits of my Ancestors, hear my call. Come share a drink and hear my praise.”

Hallowing
I marked the sign of the hammer over my cup of cider and raised it aloft for a moment. (I’m making mead for rituals like this, but it isn’t ready yet.)

Blessing/Libations
I sang both “Gods of My Life” and “My Gods, Your Love”. After each stanza I took a drink and poured some in the libation bowl. I admit that second song got me a little teary eyed. After the songs I did some ad-lib personal toasts and libations, hailing and thanking individual gods and goddesses for the harvest and for coming into my life. I did the same for the Landvaettir, Ancestors, and especially the Disir, the ancestral mothers.

Offering
This is where I poured the rest of the cider into the libation bowl, then took it outside and poured it’s contents onto the ground at the base of a shrub and said:

“From the gods to earth to us, from us to the earth, to the gods.”

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A MID-AUTUMN RITE

September 18, 2011 at 6:43 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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(A part of my “little ritual” series.  Materials from, and adapted from ADF, the Carmia Gadelica, and other sources.)  Bring a cornucopia of first fruits to this ritual in addition to the usual “little ritual” supplies.

*(Edited to note: I wrote this ritual when I was a Celtic Reconstructionist and scheduled it for this later date. For info on how to convert this ritual to an ADF format, see the “little rituals” article highlighted above.)

Circumambulation (Circle ritual area three times. Skip this if ritual is at home.)

Purpose
“I am here to keep the old ways
and honor the Kindred at the time of Mid-Autumn.”

Three Realms Blessing
“As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be —
I stand at the Center of Earth, Sky and Sea.”

Fire Lighting
“I kindle the sacred fire in wisdom, love, and power.”
(light fire) “Sacred fire, burn within me.”

Hail to the Spirits
“Hail, Earth Mother, whole and holy, honor unto thee!”
(touch the earth if outside, give offering)
“I offer now as the ancients did to the Kindreds Three!”
“To the Fair Folk, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To the Ancestors, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To my Deities, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)

Greeting to the Autumn Equinox
(from the Celtic Devotional by Caitlin Matthews page 95)

Cornucopia
Hold up a small cornucopia of fruits and say:
“Earth, Holy Mother, Source of Nature,
you feed us while we live, hold us when we die. 
Everything comes from you, everything returns to you. 
What else could we call you but Our Mother? 
Even the Gods call you that.  Without you there is nothing. 
Nothing can thrive, nothing can live without your power. 
Queen and Goddess, I invoke you. 
You are all-powerful and my needs are so small. 
I ask that you pour forth your blessings
into these fruits to bless me and mine. 
We will receive in love and gratefullness
all that you bless us with.” 
Eat a sampling of the fruit, slowly, mindfully.
(Reserve the rest for the family.)

Parting Blessing
“I offer my thanks to the Mother of All. 
I offer my thanks to the Deities, Ancestors and Fair-Folk.
May the Three Sacred Kins bring joy to all beings,
and renew the ancient wisdom.
As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be.”

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A LUGHNASADH RITE

July 24, 2011 at 6:27 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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(A part of my “little ritual” series.  Materials from, and adapted from ADF, the Carmia Gadelica, and other sources.)  For this ritual, bring bread and flowers in addition to the usual “little ritual” supplies.

*(Edited to note: I wrote this ritual when I was a Celtic Reconstructionist and scheduled it for this later date. For info on how to convert this ritual to an ADF format, see the “little rituals” article highlighted above.)

Circumambulation (Circle ritual area three times. Skip this if ritual is in your own back yard.)

Purpose
“I am here to keep the old ways and honor the Kindred
at the time of Lughnasadh.”

Three Realms Blessing
“As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be —
I stand at the Center of Earth, Sky and Sea.”

Fire Lighting
“I kindle the sacred fire in wisdom, love, and power.”  (light fire)
“Sacred fire, burn within me.” 

Hail to the Spirits
“Hail, Earth Mother, whole and holy, honor unto thee!” 
(touch the earth, give offering)
“I offer now as the ancients did to the Kindreds Three!”
“To the Fair Folk, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To the Ancestors, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To my Deities, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“Lugh and Tailtiu, I honor you on this day.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)

Bread Blessing  Holding up bread, say:
“O Lady of the Harvest, Lord of the Grain,
Bounteous Mother and Father,
for the nourishment you have given, I am thankful. 
I honor the spirit of the grain. 
I honor the spirit of the sun and wind and rain
which have gone into the grain.
May the Spirits of Life live within me.”
Eat some of the bread and offer some to the Spirits.

Blessing Cup
“Ancient Ones, a Child of the Earth calls out for your blessing. 
Hallow these waters, O holy powers. 
Grant me the blessing I seek. 
May the Wisdom, Love and Power
of the Deities, Ancestors and Sidhe flow into this Cup of Blessing.” 
(Hold cup out with both hands and feel the energy flow into the cup.)
“This cup now holds the waters of life!
I drink this in the name of the Kindred.”  (drink deeply)
“May these waters I have received
flow through my body and through my spirit,
and may they pour out into the rest of my life.” 

Farewell to Summer
“Summer lingers here but soon will fade. 
The shortening days will be felt by
the Earth and Her children in crisp air and turning leaves. 
And so I bid my farewells to summer…”
Toss flowers, one by one, into the water
and watch them float downstream and out of sight.
If desired, for each flower you may name an aspect of summer and say “Farewell _____.”

–Optional Reading: 
“Farewell to the Season of Beltane”- from the Celtic Devotional by Caitlin Matthews (p.71),
or “Nothing Golden Stays” (original vesion) by Robert Frost:

“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
In autumn she achieves
A still more golden blaze
But nothing golden stays.”

Parting Blessing
 “I offer my thanks to the Mother of All.
I offer my thanks to the Deities, Ancestors and Fair-Folk.
May the Three Sacred Kins bring joy to all beings,
and renew the ancient wisdom.
As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be.”

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A MIDSUMMER RITE

June 12, 2011 at 6:17 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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(A part of my “little ritual” series.  Materials from, and adapted from ADF, the Carmia Gadelica, and other sources.)  In preperation for this ritual, gather some midsummer herbs and flowers and fashion into a circlet to wear on your head, in addition to usual “little ritual” supplies.

*(Edited to note: I wrote this ritual when I was a Celtic Reconstructionist and scheduled it for this later date. For info on how to convert this ritual to an ADF format, see the “little rituals” article highlighted above.)

Circumambulation (Circle ritual area three times.)

Purpose
“I am here to keep the old ways
and honor the Kindred at the time of Midsummer.”

Three Realms Blessing
“As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be —
I stand at the Center of Earth, Sky and Sea.”

Fire Lighting
“I kindle the sacred fire in wisdom, love, and power.”
(light fire)  “Sacred fire, burn within me.”

Hail to the Spirits
“Hail, Earth Mother, whole and holy, honor unto thee!” 
(touch the earth, give offering)
“I offer now as the ancients did to the Kindreds Three!”
“To the Fair Folk, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To the Ancestors, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)
“To my Deities, I give offering and welcome.”  (place offering in bowl or fire)

Greeting to the Summer Solstice
(from the Celtic Devotional by Caitlin Matthews- page 71)

Walk or dance around fire, singing, praying.  Leap over the fire for luck.
Lift the herb and flower circlet from your head and hold up to the sun while reciting the following:

Prayer to the Sun
“The sun is high above all- shining down upon the land and sea,
making things grow and bloom.
Great and powerful sun, I honor you this day
and thank you for your gifts.
Aine, Belenus, goddesses and gods of light and life,
you are known by many names.
You are the light over the crops,
the heat that warms the earth,
the hope that springs eternal, the bringer of life.
I welcome you, and honor you this day, celebrating your light,
as we begin our journey once more into the darkness.”

Burn herb circlet as offering to the sun.  Watch it burn completely before ending ritual.

Parting Blessing
“I offer my thanks to the Mother of All. 
I offer my thanks to the Deities, Ancestors and Fair-Folk.
May the Three Sacred Kins bring joy to all beings,
and renew the ancient wisdom.
As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be.”

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My Portable Ritual Kit

May 6, 2011 at 6:42 am (spirituality)
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What’s in it, clockwise from the top:

~Fire-pot (I used a ‘decorative’ copper cauldron from a thrift store.)
~a piece of egg carton fire starter (I have replaced this with commercial firestarter, see below.)
~matches
~small cauldron (Yes, that’s a “salsa cauldron”.)
~silver ring (You can also use a piece of silver or a silver coin .)
~divination method (like ogham or runes)
~drinking cup (Yes, that’s a pudding cup.)
~offerings (I have here; oats and cornmeal each in ‘snack-size’ ziplock bags, and a small bottle of oil, all in one drawstring pouch.)

So I put all the items in the fire-pot, small cauldron last, turned upside down, and tie it all up in a drawstring bag and add it to my backpack along with a bottle of water and a small towel or rag for cleanup. You don’t want too big of a fire for a short solitary ritual, but you might want enough of a fire to burn small grain offerings. The first time I used this, I packed a piece of egg carton firestarter and it created a lot of smoke. So you might want to use a small broken off chunk of commercial firestarter instead; its smokeless and environmentally friendly. If you’re not going to be burning offerings, you could even go with a tealight candle. The tall sides of the firepot will shield the flame from wind. If you were to create a bigger fire in your firepot, you would also need to let the fire burn itself out and the pot cool down before packing up and moving on, and a small fire will burn out faster, or can just be puffed out or snuffed out with a rock. When choosing a good place for the ritual, I look to the trees and find one that I particularly resonate with. It’s nice to find a flat rock to use as an altar, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

If you are not familiar with ADF-style Druid rituals, you may be wondering what some of this stuff is for. The central focus of ADF rituals is the Triple Center of Fire, Well, and Tree. The first three items on the list are for constructing the sacred Fire. The cauldron, in which I pour water from the water bottle when setting up the altar, represents the Well. The silver is the offering to the well. Divination is used in most Druid rituals. The drinking cup is for the “return blessing” portion of the ritual (for this I use more of the water from the water bottle- I bring a full bottle, for I also use some of this water for pre-ritual purification.). And offerings are an essential part of Druid ritual as well. It’s nice to have a variety of offerings; something different to offer each power. Dry offerings like oats and cornmeal are lightweight and portable. You might want to make the offerings an item that you put in the kit at the last minute, rather than storing with the kit, to avoid items going rancid in storage. Another alternative is using incense. In fact, I plan on adding juniper incense to my kit for pre-ritual purification and for offering to the Tree.

To learn how to make an even smaller kit see fiacharrey’s pocket ritual kit  youtube video.

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A BEALTAINE RITE

April 22, 2011 at 6:08 am (Holidays, spirituality)
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(A part of my “little ritual” series.  Materials from, and adapted from ADF, the Carmia Gadelica, and other sources.)   In addition to usual “little ritual” supplies, bring ribbons, flowers and blown eggs to decorate your May tree.

*(Edited to note: I wrote this ritual when I was a Celtic Reconstructionist and scheduled it for this later date. For info on how to convert this ritual to an ADF format, see the “little rituals” article highlighted above.)

Circumambulation (circle ritual area three times.)

Purpose
“I am here to keep the old ways and honor the Kindred at the time of Bealtaine.”

Three Realms Blessing
“As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be –
I stand at the Center of Earth, Sky and Sea.”

Fire Lighting
“I kindle the sacred fire of Bealtaine in the names of Belenos and to Belisama.”  (light fire and offer oil)

Hail to the Spirits
“Hail, Earth Mother, whole and holy, honor unto thee!” 
(touch the earth, give offering)
“I offer now as the ancients did to the Kindreds Three!”
“To the Fair Folk, I give offering and welcome.”  (Make offerings and libations.)
“To the Ancestors, I give offering and welcome.”  (Make offerings and libations.)
“To my Deities, I give offering and welcome.”  (Make offerings and libations.)
“Danu- Sacred Mother, Bíle- Tree of Life, I honor you this day.”
(Make offerings and libations.)

Blessing with Fire
Set aflame two brands from the fire and circle around the land, your home, or ritual area and say:
“Hail Summer, season of light and life. 
May the Bealtaine fires bring health, prosperity, and happiness to all! 
May all maladies be banished in the names of the Shining Ones!”
Return brands to the fire.
(Optional: toss knobs of banock over your shoulder as offering to various nature Spirits.)

May Tree
Decorate a tree with flowers, ribbons, and blown eggs.
Say the “Tree of Life” prayer:
“Bíle, King of the Tree of Life, the blossoms on the branches are your people,
the singing birds are your angels, the whispering breeze is your Spirit. 
O King of the Tree of Life, my the blossoms bring forth the sweetest fruit,
may the birds sing out the highest praise,
may your Spirit cover all with it’s gentle breath.” 
Sing Bealtaine songs and dance around the tree.

Blessing Cup
“Ancient Ones, a Child of the Earth calls out for your blessing.
Hallow these waters, O holy powers.  Grant me the blessing I seek.
May the Wisdom, Love and Power of the Deities,
Ancestors and Sidhe flow into this Cup of Blessing.”
(Hold cup out with both hands and feel the energy flow into the cup.)
“This cup now holds the waters of life!
I drink this in the name of the Kindred.”  (drink deeply)
“May these waters I have received
flow through my body and through my spirit,
and may they pour out into the rest of my life.” 

Parting Blessing
“I offer my thanks to the Mother of All. 
I offer my thanks to the Deities, Ancestors and Fair-Folk.
May the Three Sacred Kins bring joy to all beings,
and renew the ancient wisdom.
As it was, as it is, as it evermore shall be.”

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