
	Home Page - Mail Archive - June 20th, Summer Solstice ritual with the Swansea Paganfolk!

June 20th, Summer Solstice ritual with the Swansea Paganfolk!

Sent: 2008-06-17 17:00:07

Hi folks,

We don't usually hold a Summer Solstice celebration because it is out of term-time, but this year we've decided to break with tradition. This is especially due to the fact that we will be receiving a visit from our neighbours, the Swansea University Paganfolk!

The ritual will be held on Barry Island beach, and you can find the entire ritual at the end of this email if you want to read it. If you want to take part, please have a look and pay particular attention to "Participants to bring..."! We will get to Barry Island by train, so we'll meet at Cathays station at 18:30pm, to catch the 18:45 train. There is also one at 19:15pm if meeting at 18:30 is a little too early for you - the beach is really easy to get to from the station, as you just walk down the huge hill.

This ritual will be quite informal, quite loud, very fun, and a great way to meet Pagans from another Welsh university. We also hope to have a BBQ on the beach, so please bring a disposable BBQ if you can, plus soe food to contribute to the feast. Hopefully, we will also be able to find enough pebbles on the beach to construct a walkable labyrinth in the sand as a team effort! Finally, if you can bring some wood to burn on our bonfire we'd be very very grateful!

As usual, if you have any questions/suggestions, please feel free to email me at kimhuggens@yahoo.co.uk

Hope to see you there! Scroll down for the ritual!

Blessings,

Kim Huggens

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ritual Theme: The zenith of our inner strength and power; the Fourfold Divine Masculine.

Participants to bring:
- Stuff to add to altar
- Stuff to burn for our bonfire
- “Power Symbols” – something that you can keep which represents your inner strength, power, your driving force and essence.
- Food and drink for feast/BBQ on beach
- Something to offer to the Gods/Spirit/Earth (something biodegradable – preferably food/drink)
- Drums/noise makers of any kind. If you don’t have any, your hands will do!

Ritual:

1. Assemble. Quick discussion to check everybody’s okay.
2. Cast circle – however the circle caster wants to!
3. Call the Quarters/Elements – however the elemental callers want to!
4. Invoke Spirit in the form of the Divine Feminine/Goddess and Divine Masculine/God
5. Statement of Intent leading into…
6. Power Symbols at the Altar. Each person takes a moment to place their power symbol on the altar, to say anything they wish to say, etc. These symbols will be empowered and blessed later.
7. Procession down to the sea, probably with a singer or two leading in a nice chant!
8. Offerings of thanksgiving and petition to whatever deities you may believe in/serve. These offerings are to ask for the aid of whatever deity you want to call upon to further empower your inner strength (the power symbol). Say what you like, make your offering however you wish. One at a time. Offerings will be given to the ocean to be taken away into the world.
9. People return one-by-one as offerings are made, to the circle, and pick up drums and start a slow, steady beat. The beat picks up as people return, and finally, the ritual co-ordinator will lead everybody in the chant:

“Cernunnos, Horned One,
Cernunnos, King of the Sun!
Herne the Hunted,
And Hunter,
Stag Lord of the Earth!”

10. Raising energy. Cahnt and drumming gets louder, quicker, etc, people are free to dance, jump, stamp, whatever gets your energy flowing.
11. As this continues, people jump the central fire one at a time, as the energy reaches its peak, shouting out the name/word of their inner power, represented by their power symbol. As they reach the peak of their jump over the fire, the growing energy of their inner power aligns with it and is also given its peak.
12. People can jump as often as they like, have fun, etc. Make noise! Ritual co-ordinator will carefully monitor the energy/volume/speed levels and after making sure everybody has jumped at least once, will bring the noise to an end with an abrupt shout.
13. All direct the energy they have raised towards the items on the altar. People are free to pick up their items and hold them while they do this.
14. When everybody has done this, the four Elemental Quarters will give “communion” from the aspects of the Fourfold Divine Masculine – Warrior (East and Air), Lover (South and Fire), King (West and Water), and Sorceror (North and Earth). They will present each participant with, in turn, the ritual knife, the lantern, the cup of wine/water, and the bread of yummy goodness. People partake, and are blessed by the energies of the Fourfold God.
15. Thanksgiving and toast – everybody raises the communal mead chalice in a toast to something/someone they care about/are thankful for
16. Take down circle, give thanks to Goddess/God, dismiss Quarters, etc.
17. FEAST! BBQ, chatting, pebble-art on the beach… Our goal is to make a walkable pebble-labyrinth!

Le singe a disparu en 0.026638s
Specification and development © 2003 - 2005 Andy Holland ahweb.co.uk. Design thanks to (© 2004) Toby Jackson warmfusion.
All content © 2003 - 2005 Cardiff University Pagan Society or the original author. All rights reserved. [Admin: Configure this page]