Roles in our Rituals

Our rituals typically involve some or all of the following roles in various degrees, which may be shared between those present as needed:

The Priest—

The Priest oversees the ritual and is ultimately accountable for the proceedings. He or she represents the social authority by which the people approach the Kindreds.

The Fire Tender—

The Fire Tender nurtures the foundations of the sacred space so that the Kindreds may be invited and approach, most especially the hearth and ritual fires. He or she often pours libations or burns offerings on behalf of the ritual group.

The Champion—

The Champion carries the authority of the ritual group and the Kindreds to defend the ritual from disturbance by the Outsiders, and carries out sacrifices when the rituals require them. (If you are not familiar with ADF ritual practices, any sacrifices are typically loaves of bread or cake when regarded from outside the ritual context. No injury is done to any human or animal as a part of any ADF ritual.) We also often refer to this task as the victimarius.

The Chthonic Celebrant—

The Chthonic Celebrant performs the offerings to the Earth, and is in charge of the dealings with the Ancestors, offering the prayers for their offerings. If a guest is not available, the Chthonic Celebrant may also open and close the mundus or Well of the Ancestors.

The Diviner—

Soliciting the Kindreds' messages regarding the ritual and the times to come has typically been done by someone fulfilling another role at our rituals, most frequently the Priest.

Additionally, there can be tasks that may be best associated with one role, but are commonly delegated to another member of the ritual, for personal or aesthetic reasons, ritual flow or circumstances of the moment.

The Petitioner of the Gate—

The priestly task of appealing to the chosen Gatekeeper Kindred to join, and dissolve, the sacred space with the Realms of the Kindreds is most frequently carried out by the Fire Tender at our rituals.