Autumn can be contacted to help write, conduct or help perform rituals of all kinds. She regularly performs seasonal rituals, and can also be contacted for handfastings, handpartings, naming ceremonies, first blood rites and other Rites of Passage. Below is an example of a ritual format.
The altar is set up, food is laid and the fire prepared. Incense may be lit, music played and introductions made. The sunwheel is created by the altar. Poppies are given out to the ritual participants.
Permission
Jo: Hail Guardian Spirits of this place! We come here in peace and with clear intent. We come here to celebrate Lammas . We ask, with respect, that you accept our presence. Hail Guardian Spirits of this place!
Call for Peace
Call for peace is made from the four quarters
We who are gathered here, we call for peace in this land. We call for peace in our hearts and minds and towards all our fellow beings. We assert that there is peace, both within and without.
Circle is cast
Be it known that the temple is about to be erected, the circle cast.
Let those who desire attendance, gather now to prepare our sacred space.
Let none be here but of their own free will.'
'I conjure thee o circle of power that thou become our sacred space.
A meeting place of joy, love, and truth
A boundary between the world of humanity and the realms of the shining ones.
A guardian and protection that shall preserve and contain
The power that we shall raise within thee.
Sacred Ones, spirit of the oak that stands before us, spirits of the heath that surround us, dryads and devas, all you who have heard our intention, we ask with respect that you encircle us know, branch reaching branch, leaf touching leaf, roots beneath our feet entangling, that our Circle may be strong, a nemeton of inspiration, reverence and learning, in the name of the Gods whose power we both breathe, we ask that this be so.
Let all here draw their minds into the presence of their bodies, that thoughts may be melded with flesh, blood and bones, that the spirits of those gathered may be blended in one purpose, one voice and one sacred space. Soul to soul, we weave our circle, spirit to spirit, that none may enter this sacred space but those who come in tune with our intention and in peace. Soul to soul, spirit to spirit, we ask that this may be so.
The circle is cast
We are between the worlds,
Beyond the bounds of time
Where night and day
Birth and death
Joy and sorrow
Meet as one.
The fire is lit
The ritual is begun.'
CONSECRATION
By the Goddesses of Waters
By the Gods of Waters
By the Powers Under the Earth
I give thanks for the Waters of the Well.
Let this vessel be as the Triple Well of Blessing in this Sacred Grove.
I kindle this Fire
To be a symbol of Magic
To be a symbol of Claiming
To be a symbol of Inspiration
To welcome the Gods and Spirits to this Sacred Grove.
Consecrate the circle with water and incense.
The call to the four quarters is made.
The call to the ancestors is made.
We call to the ancestors of body, mind and spirit to be with us in our sacred rite. To our ancestors whose tears and blood, joy and happiness have been felt upon this land, whose songs course through our blood, and whose spirit lives on through our celebrations, we call to you to be with us in our sacred rite.
Invocation
I call upon my lady of the stars and moon
To the Bringer of dreams and twilight
I call upon my lady of the loom
The Weaver of fates in the night
I call upon the Lady of the Lady
The Singer of the Evensong
I call upon the maiden mother and Crone
The Goddess alive and strong
I call upon the Lord of the Sun
The Rider in the sky
I call upon the Lord of the Winds
To the Eagle as he flies
I call upon the King Stag
To the son, lover and sacrifice
I call upon the Lord of the Wildwood
The God laughing, free and wise
Awen Chant
Ritual Act
We celebrate this day, the Loafmass, the bounty of the land and the strength of the summer days. We gather in friendship and community and honour the deities and nature that sustains our hearts and bodies. Together, let us share our bounty with each other and the land as our ancestors did. The Corn King has walked these fields during the height of summer, blessed by the sun and rain. He stands tall, ripe, at his peak, and it is now that he will be cut down. Yet even as he is cut down we know that within the grain lies the seeds of life, and that he will come again. The poppies lie in the wheat fields like blood, and we honour that which sustains us. (Each person takes a sheaf of wheat, to remind them of the cycle of the year from the sunwheel by the altar , made of wheat.) We give back, as we receive, with honour and due reverence for the land upon which we live. (Each person places their poppy, a symbol of sacrifice on the altar). We celebrate the first harvest!
The ale/mead/wine/juice is blessed.
Goddess, bountiful Earth Mother, bless this and suffuse it with your love.
The bread is blessed.
God, powerful Sky Father, bless this and may it lend strength to us.
The drink is held high above the head. Thanks be to the land! The cup is then passed to the next person, who the toasts and passes the cup to the next person. When all have drunk the first person takes the cup and pours a measure onto the ground or lake. Thanks be to the Goddess!
The bread is held out before. Thanks be to the land! The bread is then broken and passed in similar fashion. A measure of bread is then laid out. Thanks be to the God!
Everyone raises their hands to the sky - Free the spirit, free the land!
The Feast/Celebration
The fire is lit, the food comes out and everyone is invited to celebrate! The Haudonesanee (Iroquois) Thanksgiving Address is particularly appropriate at this time, giving thanks to all who share this lifetime with us during the first harvest.
Poetry, artwork and music should then be shared round the circle by those who have been inspired by this moon and this festival.
When the feasting is done, honour and respect are paid to the Goddess and God, the four quarters and the ancestors and to each other, along with the spirits of place. The circle is closed.
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