SAMHAIN RITUAL FOR SMALL CIRCLE  
           
          [older woman to older man]: 
                          One-eye, Wanderer, God of wisdom, 
                          Hunt-lord, hail, who leads the hosting! 
                          Nine nights hanging, knowledge gaining, 
                          Cloaked at crossroads, council hidden. 
                          Now the night, your time, is near us -- 
                          Right roads send us on, Rune-winner. 
           
          [older man to older woman]: 
                          Every age your eye has witnessed; 
                          Cauldron-Keeper, hail wise Crone! 
                          Rede in riddles is your ration -- 
                          Wyrd-weaving at the World-tree's root. 
                          Eldest ancient, all-knowing one, 
                          Speak secrets to us, send us vision. 
           
          [younger woman to younger man]: 
                          Lord of Life, hail Land-Master! 
                          God of grain that grows and dies 
                          And rises reborn, full of richness; 
                          Fallow fields shall yet be fertile -- 
                          Spring sap runs as stirs your phallus 
                          Bless barren earth, let it bear again! 
           
          [younger man to younger woman]: 
                          Snow-shoes striding, hail swift Huntress! 
                          Wild one, free and willful Goddess 
                          Bow and blade you bear beside you, 
                          Finding food to fend off hunger -- 
                          Winter will not leave us wanting; 
                          Give good hunting, grant us skill. 
           
                  USHERING IN THE NEW YEAR: 
           
                          Welcome winter, waning season, 
                          Now with night the new year comes; 
                          Hail the horse's head with blessings -- 
                          Blessings be on those who bide here 
                          And indeed on all the world! 
           
                  SCRYING: 
           
                          Wide are the worldgates, 
                          Sights to be sent us; 
                          Ready for rede-gifts, 
                          We wait for your wisdom. 
           












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                  OFFERINGS/THANKSGIVING: 
           
                  Grateful, we give now, gifts of our own 
                  Heart-work and hand-work the hearth shall grace; 
                  Happiness, harmony,  health in the new year, 
                  Send to the world and we in it, we wish you. 
           
                  DISMISSAL/OPENING: 
           
                  To watching winds we wish fair travelling; 
                  To sleepless dead sweet rest we send; 
                  Gods and Goddesses, go with praises -- 
                  See: the circle is severed thus. [cut with sword at east] 
           
           
          I wrote that ritual for  David, myself, and two friends who  are older
          than we.  It  was the first  ritual that I wrote  not based on  NROOGD
          material  in any way, but on entirely original structure and material.
          The  horse's  skull  is  a  primitive form  of  the  Mari  Lwyd  (Grey
          Mare/Mary),  a Welsh folk traditional hobby horse that goes from house
          to  house at  the calendar  New  Year, but  she's such  a bizarre  and
          macabre  beast  that  she  was almost  certainly  a  Samhain leftover.
          There's interesting material about her in 
          Trefor Owen's WELSH FOLK CUSTOMS (which  is probably out of print, but
          I could provide photocopies for interested parties who provide copying
          costs...) 
          Happy Samhain! 
          Leigh Ann 
                     ThelemaNet of Berkeley * (415)548-0163 (161/93) 
                            (L.a. Hussey   20 Nov 86  12:05:56)































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