High Holy Day Essay
#1
Samhain 2019
I attended Northern
Roots Grove’s Samhain ritual, titled The Swan and the Crow, held Nov 3rd
at Gwyfyn Coedwig (Grovemate’s personal Grove). This ritual was a blend of OBOD
and our own COOR. We called upon An Morrigan as well as Caer Ibormeith. The
whole ritual was facilitated by fellow Grove members, Mallaidh and Diane, who
wrote all the music and prayers, as well as created the ritual.
The ritual focused
on sacred drama and music, bringing us to the holiness of this time of year when
the mists that separate us from the Otherworld. We brought offerings to An
Morrigan and to Caer Ibormeith, and read the omens via rose stems ogham, as
well as a system created by Diane using various bird feathers. The offerings at
first were accepted, with the caveat that An Morrigan wanted more, and so
additional offerings were given and accepted. We entered the Cave of Cats, and
left offerings of black paper feathers for the departed there. We also heard
stories about the Cave of Cats, as well as the legend of Caer Ibormieth, who
was wooed by Aengus Og.
It was a very formal
ritual, but ultimately very fulfilling. It was interesting to learn about the
Goddesses, and the magic of the evening was certainly uplifting. I could feel
An Morrigan very strongly in the Cave, and it made me remember that She has
asked me to honor Her more often. While I am personally a Brighid devotee, I
could feel the calls to others that evening: An Dagda andOghma. So, ultimately,
I will be creating a larger sacred space after we get settled in our new home.
No comments:
Post a Comment