Bel Ritual, PID Picnic, 6/29/02

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Shining Lakes Grove, ADF

Bel Ritual

PID Picnic, June 29th, 2002

Preparing ourselves for our time with the Gods and Spirits

Processional and purification - Come We Now As a People(by Ian Corrigan)
Come we now as a people
Together, to gather at the sacred well.
Come we now as a people
To gather in the warmth and the light of the flame.
Bardic Invocation for our eloquence and inspiration
Welcoming the Allies, the spirits of the people and their gods who lived in this land before us
Honoring our mother Ana, goddess of the Huron River.
Unity chant - We Are One With the Mother
We are one with the Mother, we are one with the earth,
We are one with each other, by our lives, by our birth.
Statement of purpose: We honor Bel, our primal sun god, at the height of his power.

Declaring Center and opening the Portals

Tree, Fire, and Well - Standing at the Crossroads (by Pandora)
Come together, gather at the Center
Open we these Portals three.
Start the journey, standing at the Crossroads
The Well, the Fire, and the sacred Tree.
Acknowledging the Outsiders - the forces of chaos and change
Invocation of Manannan mac Lir, our Lord of the Dead, to guide and protect us in the Otherworld

Acknowledging and honoring our guests

Ancestors - Our beloved dead, including ancestors of spirit, of blood, and of place.
Nature Spirits - The spirits of the land and its creatures
Deities: Lugh, Aren, Danu,and Bríd. (Feel free to offer a silent welcome to your own gods.)
Archetypes - Acknowledging the three societal functions within us.
Deity of the Occasion: Bel, our primal father.

Giving and Receiving

Individual praise: We pass the sun wheel around the group. Direct your praise and energy to the sun wheel to build a group offering. While you hold it, you may give praise or thanks to the gods silently or in the form of a vocal or physical offering. When you finish, pass the wheel to the person next to you.
Group praise - "Sun Praise" - Shout and cheer whenever Rob says "sun" or "Bel" during this invocation.
Main Sacrifice: Rolling the sun wheel down into the river.
Omen of return: Reading the runes.
Return blessing: Sharing the waters with each other.
Cauldron blessing: The newest mother holds the cauldron so we may receive its healing energy.

Unwinding and closing

Recessional - Now the Rite is At an End (by Paul Kershaw and Marae Price)
And now the rite is at an end, again we're parting ways
May truth and honor be your friend and lucky be your days
I'll hold you dearly in my heart, I'll hold you in my mind
And though our branches grow apart, our roots shall be entwined.