I've updated some info on the website relating to our planned pilgrimage to Crom on the Summer Solstice of 2014 Read more here
Grá
Niamh
Grá
Niamh
|
I've been meeting a number of people from different traditions lately and talking about open ceremonies and I realized although we hold an open full moon ceremony every month both here in Roscommon and on Tara for the past 10 years we don't often write down exactly what we do. I guess this is just because the ceremony is very fluid and interactive and really depends on who is present. There is a format that we use, so I thought I'd share an outline here.
The ceremony has a facilitator, at the moment this is either myself- Niamh, Con, or Red John. The facilitator is not in charge, their role is to hold the space. We start at 8pm(ish) on the full moon, this is the 2nd day of the three days that the moon is full. During the dark half of the year a fire is lit in a container off the ground. The fire is made with wild wood, no petrochemicals and no processed wood. We wait until the fire has it's heart and then we begin with a dedication. A simple statement of why we do this ceremony. Sometimes it is passed around the circle and people introduce themselves and make a declaration why they attend ceremony. We let everyone know the format for the ceremony, that it is participatory and inclusive, and that often there is humor involved, it is encouraged to smile, laugh and have fun at the ceremony. Our Samhain Ceremony went really well.
We started at the Druid's Well with a water ceremony. Then the face paints and fun started. As the sun was starting to set we made our way on to the hill of Tlachtga and lit the first fire from a new spark. I made this spark with a simple striker, it landed on a piece of charred cloth and this was transferred to some dry wood shavings. The wind was strong and the fire took easily. We conducted our ceremony as the wind whipped around us. After the first fire ceremony of the night we had some soups and sandwiches and then carrying the new fire spirit in a secure lantern we made our way to Tara. The wind was still strong with a threat of more rain so I lit the fire from the candle quickly. It took first time, I was concentrating so hard I was only slightly aware of the group gathering behind me. I stood up and looked around to see lots of new and familiar faces. A circle of introductions and the second ceremony of the night got underway. Unusually for us we were sticking to our planned timetable so we had lots of time to chat around the fire afterwards. We had fun lighting others candles in the wind, many little new sparks made their way all over the country that night. Then on to the final fire of the night. Midnight on Sliabh na Caillaigh. Wow it was beautiful, we stood around our third fire of the night looking up at shooting stars and an amazing sky scape. A group hug and we split up to travel our own ways home. 3 hours later we were back in Roscommon sitting at the kitchen table supping a hot whiskey. We lit our hearth fire from the candle that traveled with us from Tlachtga and brought the lantern, candle and the new fire down to The Temple. Simple, magical and amazing. Grá Niamh |
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