Nemos Ognios Lughnasad Ritual, 2011
Ceisiwr Serith, Liturgist
When it is time for the ritual, the Priest blows the horn and all gather at the processional site, the Champion holding the spear and the Chthonic Celebrant carrying the bowl of first fruits. The Priest says:
Bígí i do thost! May we all maintain a holy silence.
The Fire Tender says:
And in that holy silence, may truth be spoken. May lovely Brighid inspire our words, inspire our actions, inspire us all. May her flame, a living flame, burn in us.
The Priest says:
We are here at the feast of Lug to honor, praise, and worship the hero of the gods. Lug Lámhfhada Lug Samhioldanach He whose arms extend greatly He of many arts May he be pleased with this rite. May he be our champion May all our fields and crafts be blessed by him.
The Fire Tender purifies everyone:
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.
She then puts the bowl down.
She pours lighter fluid on 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" sung more slowly.
The Fire Tender pours butter on the fire and says gently:
Eat with us, Share our food, Share our home.All:
Bíodh sé amhlaidh.
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 then process to the site. The Fire Tender carries the xā́sā, the Priest the sacrifice. Others carry other offerings: a pitcher of beer, a bowl of whiskey, the bowl of first fruits, the bowl of silver. The Champion leads the procession with the spear, followed by the Priest, then the Fire Tender, and then the others. If there is a drummer, they are last, with the beat of ”Earth Mother.”
As he arrives at the gate, the Priest says:
Ta muid anseo leis na dheithe a adradh! We are here to worship the gods!All:
We are here to worship the gods!
As the Champion enters the space, he begins to sing:
Earth Mother, we honor your body, Earth Mother, we honor your bones. Earth Mother, we sing to your spirit, Earth Mother, we sing to you stones.
As each person enters, they pick up the song where it is.
The Priest goes to the speltá and puts the sacrifice down. The Chthonic Celebrant picks up the bowl of mixed grain and goes to where the Fire Tender is. As the song continues, the Chthonic Celebrant sprinkles the grain onto the ground where the xā́sa will be, saying: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.
When there is a break in the song (or when an end a verse is signaled by the drummer), the Chthonic Celebrant says:
Mother of All, receive this gift!All:
Mother of All, receive this gift!
The Fire Tender puts the xā́sā down and the Chthonic Celebrant goes to her place.
The Fire Tender offers butter, while the Priest says:
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 he gestures from side to side.
The Fire Tender moves a briquette from the xā́sā to the hṇ́gwnis with the butter spoon, 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 to enflame the tinder (using matches to spread it if necessary). As she does this, the Priest says:
With our prayers we feed you, with the breath of our mouths.
Once the fire is going well, the Fire Tender offers butter into it, while the Priest says:
Receive our offerings and bless our rites.
The Priest says:
Listen to my words; see the cosmos about you.
He sings the Cosmology song.
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 establish a treaty peace with those who dwell in the wild, To do special honor to Lug, on this his feast day.
The Chthonic Celebrant sets up the image of Janus to the east of the hṇ́gwnis and pours a libation of red wine, saying:
Jan-e Pater, with honor, with worship, with thanks.
She puts the pitcher down and says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay, Come homeward, Sailor, on silver keel. Cross beacon-guided the shattering shoal, O gently comeAll:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
A Mhanannán, open the way!All:
Open the way!
The Chthonic Celebrant throws whiskey on the fire with the butter spoon.
The Fire Tender continues:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay, past guardian jetty guide your boat, and tie its rope to pillared pier, O gently comeAll:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
A Mhanannán, open the way!All:
Open the way!
The Chthonic Celebrant throws whiskey on the fire with the butter spoon.
The Fire Tender says:
From tearing ocean into welcoming bay, set foot on land with blessing touch, and enter home, and sit at hearth. Come homeward, Sailor; come Son of Sea: O gently comeAll:
and joyful stay.
The Fire Tender pushes her hands outwards in an opening gesture, saying:
A Mhanannán, open the way!All:
Open the way!
The Chthonic Celebrant throws whiskey on the fire with the butter spoon.
The Fire Tender says:
From the land of the gods, To the land of men,All:
May sacred power flow. May Manannán be our guide to the gods.
The Priest then sets up the image of Xáryomen to the east of the hṇ́gwnis and offers butter, singing:
Xáryomen Dhetipótei,All:
Xáryomen, Lord of the Law of the People. The Priest: Sumenezmz prihons dṓtorAll:
Giver of well-disposed friends. The Priest: Suwéstēr zdhi.All:
Be our good Herdsman. The Priest: Wédhe nōs somAll:
Bring us together. The Priest: Xṛ́neu nōs sḗm.All:
Make us one. The Priest: Tebhyo zṃgénse spendemés.All:
May we worship you as one people! The Priest: Unite us, Xáryomen, make us oneAll:
May we come before the gods, speaking with one voice.
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.
The guest with the silver takes it to the mundus. They remove the tile and pour the silver in silently with their left hand, while looking away.
The Fire Tender says:
Welcome to the Ancestors!All:
Welcome to the Ancestors!
The guest puts the empty dish down, and goes to the speltá, where they purify themselves with the water in the bowl, and then return to their place.
The Fire Tender puts more incense on the hṇ́gwnis and says:
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.”
The Fire Tender offers whiskey, while the Champion says:
Mighty Lug, we call you with this offering: Come to our rite, where you will be honored. Champion Lug, come to us!All:
Come to us!
The Priest says:
Since Beltane we have worked, we have cleared and we have planted, taking our fields from the unmarked lands, measuring our world out in their midst and in the midst as well of those who dwell there, those who dwell beyond the borders, those who dwell in the surrounding lands.
The Fire Tender says:
At Beltane we made offering to assuage the Outsiders to appease them and please them to win from them their grudging consent for us to form our island world, our homes, our culture, our people, our fields, within the great surrounding sea. All this was done on the untilled land. All this was done with the consent of that land's ruler. All this was done under the gaze of Crom Dub!
The Priest removes the cloth and lifts the sacrifice up, saying:
This bull has come willingly, eagerly, to the place of sacrifice bedecked with gold in celebration and beauty.
He sprinkles water onto the sacrifice, saying:
The fertilizing rain that falls from above honors the Old Bull, marks him out, reestablishes his place as head of the herd.
He picks up a bowl of barley 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 picks up the barley in his left hand and the sacrifice in his right, and begins to walk clockwise about the space, singing:
Black bull, crooked one, ruler of the dark land, Black bull, crooked one, ruler of the depths.
All join in. As he comes to each of them, the others scatter some barley on the sacrifice. When the Priest returns to the speltá and puts the sacrifice back down, the singing stops after the end of the current verse.
The Priest puts the bowl down and says:
If the High King is Crom Dub, Who is the king of our people? Who is champion of our people? Whose strong arm has enabled our crops to grow?
The Champion holds up the spear and says:
Lug is our champion!
All repeat this. Then the Priest sings:
Strong hand, bright one, Spear tip, Lug is our champion; Long hand, skilled one, Young bull, Lug is our champion!
The others repeat this. While this is being sung, the Priest brings the sacrifice to the Tree and puts it down. The Champion goes to stand in front of the Fire Tender, holding the spear point down. The Fire Tender says:
He strikes true.
The Fire Tender starts to ring her bell and the others join in. The Champion goes clockwise around the circle with the spear held high. When he reaches the speltá, he stands just in front of it, facing the fire. The Fire Tender says:
Your golden spear tips in the radiant fields proclaim the work of your skillful hand.
He takes a step forward. The Fire Tender says:
Through your skill and courage you have brought us to harvest.
He takes a step forward. The Fire Tender says:
Through the power that shines from your head you have defeated all that opposed you.
He takes a step forward. The Fire Tender says:
By the might that is found in your unloosed spear you have earned the high kingship for yourself.
He stabs the bull with the spear, and all stop their noise-making.
The Priest cuts off the bull’s head, while the Champion holds the spear out to the Fire Tender. She touches it with the butter spoon and says:
Strong in Lug, we have proven our right to exist, before the ones who dwell in the land about us. By bringing our plantings to the point of harvest we have reached a point of equality with them.
As the Champion goes to stand by the right of the gates, the Fire Tender says:
Priest of the people, offer to them.
The guest with the bowl of first fruits brings it to the Priest. The Fire Tender says:
Under the eyes of fire, go together to the land outside, go in strength, as equals to equals. go with gifts, to establish the bonds.
The Priest puts the body of the bull on top of the bowl with the first fruits and goes to the dug hole. The Champion precedes him with the spear held high. When they reach the hole, the Champion lifts the spear even higher and the Priest lifts the bowl and says:
Those beyond the border whether gods or goddesses whether spirits or dead; those who were before us and dwell in the darkness of our world's shadow We come to you with offering. Lug has come to you, the new high king. He has vanquished Crom Dub, whose lordship you acknowledged. The Old Bull is dead; recognize as your new high king the Young Bull, who comes to you with shining head high. We come to you with our well-earned harvest seeking in exchange a treaty peace.
The Champion lowers the spear until its butt is on the ground.
The Priest puts the body of the bull in the hole, saying:
Return, return, return to the unplowed land of which you are rightly lord.
He puts the first fruits on top of the bull, saying:
Receive your rightful share.
He then fills in the dirt over the offerings, saying:
Honored be the mounds of those who dwell beneath.
The Champion then says:
Outsiders and Spirits of the Land, We have offered to you as the law requires.
The Priest picks up the bowl of wild food (placed before the ritual) in his left hand and says:
The Outsiders and Nature Spirits know the law as well: A gift for a gift, and a bond of hospitality with them. A treaty peace is established.
He faces the nemeton and holds up the wild food. The Champion holds up his spear with the point down and says:
A gift has been offered, a gift accepted. A gift has been offered, a gift accepted. The peace is established between us indeed.
He puts the bowl of wild food into the offering bowl, picks them up in his left hand, and, preceded by the Champion, returns to the nemeton. They stop at the gateway and the Chthonic Celebrant says:
Have the Children of Danu made peace with the Land Dwellers?
The Champion says:
With gift and with gift, a hospitable peace is established.
The enter the nemeton and the Champion pushes the spear into the ground between the speltá and the xā́sā before returning to his place. The wild food is passed around. All must be eaten.
The Priest pours beer by the hṇ́gwnis, saying:
May all the Kindreds, be honored in our midst: We pour out our offerings to you, like living water, like grain from a bag. Drink deeply of the gifts we bring.
He returns to his place and says:
Have the folk brought praise?
The Fire Tender says:
They have!
The praise offerings are made.
After all the praise offerings are made, the Priest takes the spear and transfixes the bull's head with it. He holds the head high for a moment, and then puts it into the fire and says:
Beheaded, buried, and burnt. Crom Dub, you have well undergone the necessary sacrifices. Go, now, to the celestial realms, where dwell the shining ones. Take your seat among them, as ruler beside Lug.
He gives the spear back to the Champion.
The Priest then removes the top plate of the sacrifices, takes the piece of bread on the lower plate, 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, puts by the spear, one in front of each image, one in the hṇ́gwnis, one in the xā́sā, and one in the mundus, and then scatters the rest around 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 brings the large bowl to the fire and holds it out to the Fire Tender, who pours the Waters into it. He holds the bowl over the fire for a moment and then raises it. The Fire Tender says:
Féachaígí ar na h-Uisci Beatha! Behold the Waters of Life!All:
Behold the Waters of Life!
The Priest holds it over the fire again, raises it again. The Fire Tender says:
Féachaígí ar na h-Uisci Beatha! Behold the Waters of Life!All:
Behold the Waters of Life!
The Priest holds it over the fire a third time, and raises it. The Fire Tender says:
Féachaígí ar na h-Uisci Beatha! 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. When it dies down, the Fire Tender says:
What the gods have given to us, we distribute freely.
The Priest gives the Waters to the Fire Tender, who ladles some into a cup which she puts on the ground in front of the images of Janus and Xáryomen, saying:
May the Kindreds always receive their due.
The Waters are distributed.
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, 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 Lug, 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. Biodh se amladh.All:
Biodh se amladh.
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
Then the Fire Tender offers butter into the hngwnis, while the Priest says:
Blessed ones, may you always be with us. We thank all the Kindreds for their many gifts. Go raibh maith agaibh.All:
Go raibh maith agaibh.
The Champion pulls the spear out of the ground and stands by the hngwnis. The Fire Tender makes an offering of butter, and the Priest says:
Lug of the shining spear, whose feast we have celebrated today, you who won the secrets of growth, you who rule by means of craft, you who protect us, you who guide us, you who are our Champion to you this offering. Go raibh maith agait.All:
Go raibh maith agait.
The Champion returns to his place, carrying the spear.
The Fire Tender makes an offering of butter on the fire, while the Priest says:
Xáryomen who guards society’s peace, you have joined us together in our ritual 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 dedəmes!All:
Tebhyo gwrtins dedəmes!
The guest who offered the silver goes to the mundus and, with her left hand, offers beans into it. They then put the tile back on, while the Chthonic Celebrant 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. Ancestors, we thank you!All:
Ancestors, we thank you!
On the way back to their place, they purify themselves from the bowl of water on the board.
The Fire Tender offers whiskey to the fire, saying:A Mhanannán mac Lir, Oirbsen of the Sea, Lord of the mists between this world and the next: we thank you for opening the door of the mysteries, and ask that you close it again, until the next time we call to you. Go raibh maith agait!All:
Go raibh maith agait!
The Fire Tender makes a sign of closing and says:
Let the gates be closed!All:
Let the gates be closed!
The Fire Tender pours butter on the ground, while the Chthonic Celebrant says:
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. Mother of All, we thank you!All:
Mother of All, we thank you!
The Fire Tender takes a briquette from the hṇ́gwnis and puts it into the xā́sā, saying:
The true altar of the people is the hearth.
She 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 makes an offering of butter into 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.
When the butter is burned, the Fire Tender extinguishes the fire by pouring water on it and then putting the top of the cauldron on. 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.
He pauses and then says:
We have offered to the Holy Ones and they have accepted our sacrifices.
The Fire Tender says:
We have worshipped the Old Ones as it is right to do.
The Priest says:
We have done what the people before us have done.
The Fire Tender 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 Priest:
On all who have worshiped here:All:
Inspiration, power, peace.The Priest:
On all who revere the Kindreds:All:
Inspiration, power, peace.The 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 recess, led by the Champion with the spear held high.