The sacrifice: White pita (piacular), two pieces whole wheat pita (main), small whole wheat (preliminary; on top of cloth). A basket is placed between where the xā́sā and the hṇ́gwnis will be, a little to the south. A bowl of dirt is placed next to it.
There is also a dish with three small cakes, made from spelt, barley, corn meal, and milk.
Nemos Ognios Fall Equinox Ritual, 2011
Ceisiwr Serith, Liturgist
When it is time for the ritual, the Priest blows the horn. All gather at the processional site.
The Priest says:
Tusyéte! Tesyéte! Tusyéte! May we all maintain a holy silence.
The Fire Tender says:
In that holy silence, may truth be spoken. May Bṛghṇtyā inspire our words, inspire our actions, inspire us all. Tód hestu.All:
Tód hestu.
The Priest says:
We are here to celebrate the harvest by honoring the Earth Mother, she from whom all springs, in whom all grows, who gives birth to all.
The Fire Tender says:
May be we pure that we might cross through the sacred. May we cross through the sacred that we might attain the holy. May we attain the holy that we might be blessed in all things.
and asperses herself and the others. She then puts the bowl down.
She pours a small amount of lighter fluid over the briquettes in the xā́sā, and lights them saying:
Shining Lady, unite us all, for by worshipping at a common hearth we are made one family, one people. Queen of the hearth, your household is here. May we pray with a good fire.
She starts to sing, with the others joining in on the chorus:
This flame is small that’s how it seems yet even so it bears our dreams For flame’s a goddess to whom we pray to be one family, here today. The flame now grows from coal to coal and every one is each a soul For flame’s a goddess to whom we pray to be one family, here today. The flame has spread from heart to heart. It binds us still when we’re apart. For flame’s a goddess to whom we pray to be one family, here today. She burns within through all our days. Let all as one sing out her praise. For flame’s a goddess to whom we pray to be one family, here today. For flame’s a goddess to whom we pray to be one family, here today.
The Fire Tender sings the last chorus once more by herself, with " family, here today" is sung more slowly.
The Fire Tender pours butter on the fire and says:
Eat with us,All:
Eat with us,Fire Tender:
Share our food,All:
Share our food,Fire Tender:
Share our home.All:
Share our home.Fire Tender:
Tod héstu!All:
Tod héstu!
The Procession
The Chthonic Celebrant says:
We are here at the Harvest to honor Her whose gift if the harvest, the Earth Mother, Mother of All. We will praise Her.All:
We will praise Her.Chthonic Celebrant:
We will worship Her.All:
We will worship Her.Chthonic Celebrant:
We will praise and worship Her, because She is the Mother of all living things, the ground beneath us, Far Extending. We will praise Her.All:
We will praise Her.Chthonic Celebrant:
We will worship Her.All:
We will worship Her.
The Priest adds:
Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr, Wesumā́tr, Twé hṛkwmes, Twé spṇdmes.
The Priest says:
Set forth upon the shining path, the ancestral way laid out before us. Place your feet with measured stride, in ancient rhythm.
All process to the ghórdhos, singing the Earth Mother song:
Earth Mother, we honor your body, Earth Mother, we honor your bones, Earth Mother, we sing to your spirit, Earth Mother, we sing to your stones.
The Chthonic Celebrant leads. As she walks, she scatters mixed grains. She is followed by the Priest (who carries the sacrifices), then the Fire Tender, then the others. The Champion is at the end of the procession, carrying the axe.
The Priest goes to the speltá and puts down the sacrifice. The Chthonic Celebrant goes to where the xā́sā will be put. As the song continues, she prayers:We build our fires on the breast of the Earth; on Her our hearths are formed. To Her this offering, then, preparing this to be our space, our place of worship.
As she does so, she scatters the mixed grain onto the ground. When there is a break in the song (or when the end is signaled by a drummer,) the Chthonic Celebrant says:
Mother of All, receive this gift!All:
Mother of All, receive this gift!
The Chthonic Celebrant goes to her place. The Fire Tender offers butter to the xā́sā, saying:
With the burning of the fire we take possession of the land it lights, of the world it warms. From here to there we take possession.
With the last sentence, the Priest gestures from side to side.
The Fire Tender transfers a briquette from the xā́sā to the hṇ́gwnis, while the Priest says:
In the world's very center we light our fire, here where the sacred and the mundane meet Here we light a living flame.
The Fire Tender blows on the briquette, while the Priest says:
With our prayers we feed you, with the breath of our mouths.
Once the fire is going well, he says:
Receive our offering and bless our rites.
while the Fire Tender offers butter.
The Priest then says:
Listen to my words; see the cosmos about you.
He sings:
The waters support and surround us
He makes a semi-circle with both his hands, extending upwards from a point. He sings:
The land extends about us
He puts his hands in the middle of the top of the semi-circle, palms downward, and brings them out to the ends of the semi-circle. He sings:
The sky stretches out above us.
He makes another semi-circle upwards from the edge of the other one, with his hands meeting at its top. He sings:
At the center burns a living flame.
He puts both of his hands, joined together, in the center of the circle he has drawn (and thus the center of the flat area he has also drawn), and brings them in to touch his heart. He sings:
May all the Kindreds bless us. May our worship be true.All:
May our worship be true.Priest:
May our actions be just.All:
May our actions be just.Priest:
May our love be pure.All:
May our love be pure. Blessings, and honor, and worship to the Holy Ones.
The Priest says:
Come we together on this holy day across the distances that lay between us to this time, to this place, For one strong purpose: To worship the Holy Ones in the proper manner. to honor Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr, mother of the world.
The Chthonic Celebrant sets up the image of Janus to the east of the hńgwnis and the Fire Tender offers incense:
Jan-e Pater, with honor, with worship, with thanks.
She puts the incense down, spreads her arms in prayer, and says:
Lovely Xausós, Lovely Maiden, dancer on the horizon, in red robes ascending: You who open the way for She who shines, Open the way for all the Shining Ones. Open the way, Xausós!All:
Open the Way!
The Fire Tender offers butter to the hṇ́gwnis, and says:
Xausós, maiden who lays out the path along which the Holy Ones make their way, You whose spread out arms are filled with gifts, Open the way for the Givers of Gifts. Open the way, Xausós!All:
Open the Way!
The Fire Tender offers butter to the hṇ́gwnis, and says:
Xausós, whose youth is ever-renewed, each day rising to awaken the world to bring life to those on whom your face shines, Open the way for the Undying Ones, Open the way, Xausós!All:
Open the Way!
Each time she says "Open the way, Xausós," the Fire Tender spreads her arms in a gesture of opening.
The Fire Tender offers butter to the hṇ́gwnis, and says:
The gates have been opened by She Who Rises, that we might speak to the Kindreds more clearly, that they might hear us, and gently draw near.
The Priest then sets up the image of Xáryomen. He goes to the hṇgwnis and pours butter on it. He sings:
Xáryomen Dhétipotei,All:
Xáryomen, Lord of the Law of the People.Priest:
Sumēnésṇs prihons dṓtorAll:
Giver of well-disposed friends.Priest:
Suwéstēr zdhi.All:
Be our good Herdsman.Priest:
Wédhe nōs somAll:
Bring us together.Priest:
Xṛ́neu nōs sḗm.All:
Make us one.Priest:
Tebhyo zṃgénse spendemes.All:
May we worship you as one people!Priest:
Unite us Xáryomen, make us one,All:
May we come before the gods speaking with one voice.
The Ancestors
Someone takes the dish with the silver to the mundus, while the Chthonic Celebrant says:
Today we welcome the honored dead to sit beside the fires they once held so dear, to worship with us as they once so loved to do. Welcome to the Ancestors!All:
Welcome to the Ancestors!
The person with the silver removes the tile and, with their left hand, pours the silver in silently. They go to the board and purify themselves with the water in the bowl on the way back to their place.
The Fire Tender puts incense on the hṇ́gwnis, saying:
May all the Holy Ones come to us as we worship them here. May they come to us on the shining path as we call to them, with proper words. Holy Ones, we worship you with sweet offering.All:
Holy Ones, we worship you with sweet offering.
All sing:
Hail all the gods Hail all the goddesses Hail all the Holy Ones we dwell together Lords of the sky Ladies of the sacred earth Ancient and Undying Ones we dwell together. Hail all the gods Hail all the goddesses Hail all the gods and goddesses Hail all the gods Hail all the goddesses Hail all the Holy Ones we dwell together
The Chthonic Celebrant says:
Broad pastured one, Pḷ́təwī who spreads beneath us, on whom we walk, in whom we plant, from whom grows grass that feeds out herds. Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr, to you we call, to bless our rite with your holy presence. You who give birth and receive the dead, The beginning and the end of all.
The Fire Tender says:
We perform our rites under the sky, but it is upon the broad earth that we lay our fires. We offer today to she who is our very bodies. In her body we lay our offering.
The Fire Tender pours butter into the basket, saying:
When the sun has cracked her face in the drought of the summer, it is the cow who moistens her, with the golden butter, and the Earth calls out her thanks, blessing the cow and those who own her.
The Priest picks up the top piece of pita bread and holds it up, saying:
The fruit of the earth is the gift of the mother, and our gift to her.
He gives the bread to the Chthonic Celebrant, who brings it to between the fires and puts it on the ground. The Fire Tender pours a small amount of butter on it, spreading the butter with the spoon while saying:
Gift of ground, milk of cows, may we be rich in both.
The Chthonic Celebrant picks up the bread and puts it in the basket, saying:
We return a portion of the earth’s blessings. May she continue to grant them, May we continue to deserve them.
The Chthonic Celebrant dips the butter spoon in the butter and puts a small amount of butter in the spoon, and then one of small pieces of bread. She fries this over the hṇ́gwnis, flipping it with the incense spoon when the first side is done. As each piece is done, she places it on top of the bread in the basket.
With the first cake she says:
Hair, and bones, and blood of the Mother
The others sing:
We offer this in thanks and praise, may all our words ring clear, through all the nights and all the days, our lives and every year. Your loving arms to hold us tight, Maternal forehead kiss, a soothing touch for every fright, our thanks for all of this. With all we have we make our song and all the love we know these little things to you belong for all that you bestow.
The Chthonic Celebrant, with the second:
from our work through the gold of the cow and the holy fire
The others sing:
We offer this in thanks and praise, may all our words ring clear, through all the nights and all the days, our lives and every year. Your loving arms to hold us tight, Maternal forehead kiss, a soothing touch for every fright, our thanks for all of this. With all we have we make our song and all the love we know these little things to you belong for all that you bestow.
The Chthonic Celebrant, with the third:
to Her, the Earth Mother, the beloved Earth Mother.
The others sing:
We offer this in thanks and praise, may all our words ring clear, through all the nights and all the days, our lives and every year. Your loving arms to hold us tight, Maternal forehead kiss, a soothing touch for every fright, our thanks for all of this. With all we have we make our song and all the love we know these little things to you belong for all that you bestow.
The Chthonic Celebrant wipes the soot on the butter spoon off and returns the spoon to the Fire Tender. The Chthonic Celebrant then covers the bread with the rest of the dirt, saying:
Children grow hidden in the womb and in their time spring out from the darkness for our strength.
She returns to her place. The Fire Tender pours butter on the dirt, saying:
Fuel for the fires of Mother Earth, for her hearth and her fires of offering. Her children, people and cattle, promise her this.
The Priest uncovers the sacrifice, lifts it up, and says:
These sows have come willingly, eagerly, to the place of sacrifice bedecked with gold in celebration and beauty.
He puts the sacrifice down, removes the decorations from it, and sprinkles water on it three times, saying:
A pure offering is this, without blemish or stain, fit for Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr.
He picks up the bowl of barley flour in his left hand and scatters grain from it three times with his right hand onto the sacrifice, saying:
Be blessed and fed with the fruits of the earth.
He then picks up the sacrifice in his right hand and carries them around the ghórdhos. Each person takes some barley and throws it on the sacrifice with their right hand. When he returns to his place, he puts the sacrifice down. He puts down the bowl, holds up the sacrifice, and says:
A proper offering is this, as it is right to give. These sows to Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr.
He picks up the knife in his left hand and the sacrifice in his right, and goes to the tree, where he puts them down. The Fire Tender motions to the Champion, who comes and faces the Fire Tender. The Fire Tender says:
Perkweti!
The Champion goes clockwise around the space, holding the axe upright and out. As he walks, the Fire Tender strikes the bell, and the others join in. They increase the tempo and volume as he walks. When the Champion returns to the sacrifice, he stands and faces the Fire Tender. She says:
Perkweti!
He brings the axe down hard against the sacrifice, and then lifts his axe to a vertical position in front of him and returns to his place. When he hits the sacrifice, everyone stops making noise. The Priest moves the top piece of bread to the hole, saying:
We give of our increase to you, Mother of animals, your due portion.
He then quickly cuts a slice from the right side of the bottom (white) piece of bread, using his right hand. He cuts this in half in turn. He puts the top half into the hṇ́gwnis, saying:
Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr, here is your share. Sit down at our table, and see the meal we have spread out for you. Eat, and be strong. Hed, heti wḗǵ.
When this is finished, the Priest pours mead with his right hand at the base of the hṇ́gwnis, saying:
All the Kindreds, be honored in our midst. We pour out our offering to you, like living water, like grain from a bag. Drink deeply of the gifts we give. Weusdeiwoíbhos ǵhewomes.
He returns to his place and says:
Have the folk brought praise?
The Fire Tender says:
They have!
Praise offerings are then made by those who wish. After the last offering has been made, the Priest takes the remaining piece of bread, holds it up, and says:
Gods and Goddesses, Holy Ancestors, Spirits of this place: If anything that we have done here has offended you, If anything we have done here has been incomplete, If anything we have done here has not been done in the proper manner, accept this final offering in recompense.
He breaks the bread into pieces, and puts one piece on the xā́sā, one on top of the hole, one on the hṇ́gwnis, one in front of each of the images, and one in the mundus. He breaks the rest up and scatters it about the space.
The Fire Tender then says:
Diviner, take the omens.
After the divination has been announced, the Fire Tender says:
We hear what the Kindreds have to say, and are made wise by it.
The Priest pours the Waters into the large bowl and takes it to the hṇ́gwnis. He holds the bowl over the fire for a moment and then raises it. The Fire Tender says:
Spéḱyete Nekterm! Behold the Waters of Life!All:
Behold the waters of life!
The Priest holds it over the fire again, raises it again, and the Fire Tender says:
Spéḱyete Nekterm! Behold the Waters of Life!All:
Behold the waters of life!
The Priest holds it over the fire a third time, raises it, and the Fire Tender says:
Spéḱyete Nekterm! Behold the Waters of Life!All:
Behold the waters of life!
The Priest stands, holds the bowl up as high as possible, and shouts:
Fire!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid into the hngwnis, while all yell:
Fire!
The Priest shouts:
Water!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid into the hngwnis, while all yell:
Water!
This is repeated two more times. Then the Priest shouts:
Fire! Water!
The Fire Tender throws lighter fluid into the hngwnis, while all yell:
Fire! Water!
This is repeated two more times. Then the Priest again shouts:
Fire! Water!
but this time he repeats this instead of waiting for the response. Everyone joins in, and the chant becomes continuous. When the time seems right, while everyone else continues the “fire, water” chant, the Priest sings:
Bring us inspiration! Bring us power! Bring us unending life! Fire in Water! Water in Fire!
After the first time through, the Priest lowers the Waters over the fire (as close as possible). After the third time through, he stands quickly and says:
Behold the Waters of Life!
All repeat, amid general merriment and noise-making.
The Priest says:
With the gates opened and the offerings made, we have established the bonds of hospitality with the Kindreds. And, in return, they have given us this blazing water to drink.
He gives the Waters to the Fire Tender, saying:
What the gods have given us, we distribute freely.
She says:
May the Kindreds always receive their due.
as she ladles some out on top of the hole, and then into a cup, which the Priest puts by the images of Janus and Xáryomen.
The Waters are then distributed. While this is done, people sing:
Power of the waters
with the alternating responses:
Flowing through me… Burning in me… Growing with me…
After all have drunk, the Priest says:
Filled with the Mystery of Fire in Water, we rest in the presence of the Kindreds.
There is a pause for meditation. Then the Fire Tender offers incense into the hṇ́gwnis, saying:
With wondering souls we have welcomed this mystery, with grateful hearts may we accept its manifestation in our midst.
The Priest says:
We have offered to Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr, we have prayed to all the Great Ones, and they have given us only a token of what they will bestow. We have asked, we have given, we shall receive. Tód hestu!All:
Tód hestu!
Then the Fire Tender says:
Never would we take without returning, never receive without appreciation. We must end our rites, but we will do it with gratitude
She offers butter, while the Priest says:
Blessed ones, may you always be with us. We thank all the Kindreds for their many gifts. Uzméi gwrtins dedəmes!All:
Uzméi gwrtins dedəmes!
The Fire Tender offers incense, while the Priest says:
Beautiful gods, whose continued presence is our constant joy, we thank you for your attendance at today’s rituals. Know this: we are always your friends. May we always have reason to feel gratitude towards you. Uzméi gwrtins dedəmes!All:
Uzméi gwrtins dedəmes!
The Fire Tender says:
Our elder family, you who have celebrated with us in honor of the ones whom you in your own time looked to in worship, we bid you return to your proper place, leaving the land of the leaving to those who live. We send you on your way with our thanks. Uzméi gwrtins dedəmes!All:
Uzméi gwrtins dedəmes!
The person who opened the mundus now closes it, purifying themselves afterwards.
The Priest offers butter on the hṇ́gwnis, saying:
Xáryomen, who guards society’s peace, you have joined us together in our worship today: though the rites may end, and the people scatter, may our fellowship remain strong. Xáryomen, we give you thanks for your presence and blessings. May we grow and flourish under your benevolent gaze. Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes.All:
Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes.
The Fire Tender offers butter on the hṇ́gwnis, saying:
Xausós, we thank you for opening the way, and ask that you now close it again, as our rites come to their end. Red-robe Maiden, we thank you for your aid in our connection with the Kindreds. Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes.All:
Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes.Fire Tender:
Xausós, let the gates be closed.All:
Xausós, let the gates be closed.Fire Tender:
Xausós, let the gates be closed.All:
Xausós, let the gates be closed.Fire Tender:
Xausós, let the gates be closed.All:
Xausós, let the gates be closed.
The Fire Tender says:
May we be blessed in their closing even as we were blessed in their opening. Although the door may be closed May the holy ones be never far away to answer us in our need.
The Fire Tender takes a coal from the hṇ́gwnis and puts it on the xā́sā, saying:
The true altar of the people is the hearth.
She then extinguishes the hṇ́gwnis with the water from the pitcher. The Priest then says:
Extinguished without but burning within.All:
The living fire flames within us.
The Fire Tender offers butter to the xā́sā, saying:
Lady of Fire, Queen of the hearth, who by rights receives the last, bless and guard all those who worship you whether in their home or without whether alone or with others whether thinking of you or engaged in business. Shining One, receive this offering. Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes!All:
Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes!
When the butter is burned, she extinguishes the fire by pouring water from the pitcher on it and then putting the top of the cauldron on hard. When it has finished smoking, the Priest says:
With the hearthfire extinguished, the center of our sacred world is gone. With the flow of fiery water ceased, the sacred site dissolves about us. We will carry it in our hearts, though, nestled deep with the love of the gods.
The Fire Tender says:
We have offered to the Holy Ones and they have accepted our sacrifices.
The Priest says:
We have worshipped the Old Ones as it is right to do.
The Fire Tender says:
We have done what the people before us have done.
The Priest says:
May we always be mindful of those we have worshiped. May we always be mindful of them, worthy of worship. May this grove grow strong, under their watchful eyes.
The Fire Tender:
We have celebrated the Harvest by honoring Dhéǵhōm Mā́tr, the Mother of All. We have praised Her!All:
We have praised Her!Fire Tender:
We have worshiped Her!All:
We have worshiped Her!
The Fire Tender says:
In our praise, in our worship, we have shown our devotion to Her, and have received Her blessings, and will continue to receive them. Tód hestu!All:
Tód hestu!
All drum on the ground with their hands, while the Chthonic Celebrant offers mixed grain on top of the Earth basket, saying:
Having given you your due we bid you farewell, Mother Earth. But how can we do that, with you all around us? How can we do that with you always in our hearts? Not a farewell, then, but a giving of thanks and a promise to remember you throughout our days. Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes!
All stop drumming and respond:
Tebhyo gwrtins dedǝmes!
The Priest raises his hands in blessing, and says:
On all who have worshiped here:All:
Inspiration, power, peace.Priest:
On all who revere the Kindreds:All:
Inspiration, power, peace.Priest:
On all who walk the ancient path:All:
Inspiration, power, peace.
The Priest says:
With our sacred space dissolved With the gates closed With the gods worshiped We will walk in wisdom.
All leave, to the Earth Mother song.