Samhain Ritual: 31 October

The White Bard

Materials: one cauldron, filled with water

CRONE This should be an older female.

OLD KING This should be a person chosen by lottery, or by whoever is acting as Crone. It can be enacted by the HP if needed.

BARD/GREEN MAN If the coven has no Bard available, then a Green Man should be chosen by lottery, or by whoever is acting as Maiden. It can be enacted by the HP, if needed.

The place of ritual should be set up, away from the gathered participants. This is not something that people should miss, so make sure that potty break is taken care of before the circle is cast.

HPS

Go we now to the sacred place
And stand within the sacred space
Turn your minds to sacred things
And dance with me unto the ring!

HP and HPS lead the coven to the place of ritual by a spiral dance, ending in a circle around the altar. The cauldron should be at the south. The Old King dances at the end of the line.

HPS

Come we forth, with the Spiral Dance
Within the Lady's radiance
To mark the turning of the year
The door to Winter now is here.

Earth and Water, Fire and Air
I invoke the Goddess there!
This night we are Between the Worlds
To celebrate the year unfurled!

HP

Earth and Water, Fire and Sky
I invoke the God on high
This night we are Between the Worlds
To celebrate the year unfurled!

The corners shall be called thusly, that all may hear, but shall not be called until the HPS reaches that corner on her circumnabulation.

EAST

O Guardians of the Eastern Tower,
Airy ones of healing power
I do summon, stir and call you
See these rites and guard this circle!

Come to us and heed our call!
By the Power that made us all;
By the Power that blesses Thee
Come to us; and Blessed Be!

SOUTH

Oh fiery ones of Southern Power
Thus I invite you to this tower
I do summon, stir and call you
See these rites and guard this circle!

Come to us and heed our call!
By the Power that made us all;
By the Power that blesses Thee:
Come to us; and Blessed Be!

WEST

Western ones of water's flow
Help to guard us here below
I do summon, stir and call you
See these rites and guard this circle!

Come to us and heed our call!
By the Power that made us all;
By the Power that blesses Thee:
Come to us; and Blessed Be!

NORTH

Earthen ones of Northern fame
Bless and guard our Power's fane
I do summon, stir and call you

See these rites and guard this circle!
Come to us and heed our call!
By the Power that made us all;
By the Power that blesses Thee:
Come to us; and Blessed Be!

The HPS shall move to each corner, and say, following each corner's crying as she moves to the next:

HPS

So I cast and consecrate
This Circle of the small and great:
By Fin and Feather, Leaf and Tree,
By Rock and Earth, by Land and Sea,
By Fire and Water, Earth and Air,
By the Lord, and Lady Fair!
By Love and Joy and Work and Play,
All things harmful cast away!
By lightning's flash, and rain's soft fall,
By the Power that made us all;
By the Power that blesses Thee:
(Cast the Circle: Blessed be!)

On her return to the first corner she shall change the last line above, and say:

The Circle's cast; and Blessed Be!

The callers of the corners shall return their tools to the altar, and then shall join the circle at their corners.

Here begins the Samhain Mystery:

OLD KING

Thus I invoke the Lady White
To come to us this sacred night.
By Fin and Feather, Leaf and Tree,
I shall show you a Mystery!

Bard/Green Man and Maiden join hands, facing each other. The Maiden speaks to the Bard/Green Man:

MAIDEN

Lord of Life, hail Land-Master!
God of grain that grows and dies
Rising reborn, full of richness;
Fallow fields shall yet be fertile -
Spring sap runs as stirs your manhood
Bless barren earth, bear fruit again!

The Bard/Green Man speaks to Maiden:

BARD/GREEN MAN

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.

The Old King moves to the West. The Crone moves to the North.

HP

Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back!

OLD KING

Yet I shall go into a trout.
With sorrow and sighing and mickle doubt
And show thee many a merry game
Ere that I be fetch-ed hame!

CRONE

Trout, take heed of an otter lank
Will harry thee close from bank to bank
For here come I in the Lady's Name
All but for to fetch thee hame!

The Old King moves to the South. The Crone moves to the West.

HP

Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back!

OLD KING

Yet I shall go into a bee
With mickle fear and dread of thee
And flit to hive in the Lady's Name
Ere that I be fetch-ed hame!

CRONE

Bee, take heed of a red, red cock
Will harry thee close through door and lock
For here come I in the Lady's Name
All but for to fetch thee hame!

The Old King moves to the East. The Crone moves to the South.

HP

Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back!

OLD KING

Oh, I shall go into a hare
with sorrow, sighing and mickle care
And I shall go in the Lady's Name
Aye, until I be fetch-ed hame!

CRONE

Hare, take heed of a swift greyhound
Will harry thee all these fields around
For here come I in the Lady's Name
All but for to fetch thee hame!

The Old King moves to the North. The Crone moves to the East.

HP

Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye her whistle would fetch him back!

OLD KING

Yet I shall go into a mouse
And haste me unto the Miller's House
There in his corn to have good game
Ere that I be fetch-ed hame!

CRONE

Mouse, take heed of a white she-cat
That never was balked of mouse nor rat
For here come I in the Lady's Name
And -thus- it is I fetch thee hame!

Crone walks to Old King and takes his hand. He falls as if dead.

HPS

Cunning and art he did not lack
But aye Her Song has fetched Him back!

Summer's gone, the Lady reigns
And Winter has returned again!

Maiden wets her hands with water from the Cauldron, and sprinkles it on the Old King, who comes to life again.

OLD KING

Cunning and art I do not lack
But aye Her Cauldron will bring me back!

The Crone and Old King shall join hands, facing each other, and say:

Note: These Norse style verses were taken from a file I got (I think) from Paul Seymour. Don't know who author is.

CRONE

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.

OLD KING

Every age your eyes have witnessed;
Cauldron-Keeper, hail wise Crone!
Rede in riddles is your ration -
Wyrd-weaver at the World-tree's root.
Eldest ancient, all-knowing one,
Speak unto us, send us vision!

Here the HPS should say:

HPS

We remember our dead; our loved ones gone to the Summerland before us. Give them peace and joy.

ALL

Blessed be!

READER

Never again the Burning Times! Let us remember our dead, good and bad, innocent and guilty:

HPS

Let them have peace.

ALL

Blessed be!

Here ends the Samhain Mystery.

A normal cone-of-power may be raised, for growth and healing:

HPS

In a ring we all shall stand
Pass the Power, hand to hand.

HP

As the season turns again
Power flows from friend to friend

HPS

Pass the Power, hand to hand
Bless the Lady, bless the Land

HP

Bless the Lord, and bless the Skies
Bless the Power that never dies!

The above four verses should be repeated three times, or as many times as needed, and the HPS shall then say:

HPS

By Fin and Feather, Leaf and Tree:
Let the Power flow out and free!

All should release, at this point.

Any needed coven business may be transacted here.

The Circle is opened:

HPS

Thus I release the East and West
Thanks to them from Host to Guest
Thus I release the South and North
With "Blessed Be' I send them forth!
The Circle's open, dance we so
Out and homeward we shall go.
Earth and Water, Air and Fire
Celebrated our desire.
We think of those in Summerland
Who dance together, hand in hand.
By Fin and Feather, Leaf and Tree,
Our circle's done; and Blessed Be!

COVEN

Blessed Be!

All spiral dance out from the Circle, led by HP and HPS.