Trinity Grove Alban Arthan 2011 Solo Ritual

May there be peace in the North.

May there be peace in the South.
May there be peace in the West.
May there be peace in the East.

May there be peace throughout the whole world. ...

Deep within the still centre of my being may I find peace.
Quietly within the silence of the grove may we share peace.
Powerfully within the heart of humankind may we radiate peace.

Turn to each direction and face out, walking sunwise around the circle
North: With the blessing of Uriel of the dark and fertile earth, and Columba of Scotland we call upon the
powers of the north.

South: With the blessing of Michael of the red flame, and David of Wales we call upon the powers of the
south.

West: With the blessing of Gabriel of the blue water, and Patrick of Ireland we call upon the powers of the
west.

East: With the blessing of Raphael in his golden cloak, and George of England, we call upon the powers of
the east.

Cast circle and cense/smudge it

Now is the longest night of the year as I come to celebrate the birth of new light, the Mabon, the Sun Child,
the Christ of our Hearts. I honour a great mystery which flows through many cultures and has many names,
all of which celebrate the light of truth reborn.The sun which has warmed and lighted us through the Wheel
of the Year stands still. Our ancestors feared this time of living darkness and called upon their Sun God to
return to give them light, for comfort and to grow their crops. We may feel this darkness permeating many
areas of our lives, through fear, doubt, or loneliness. And yet in the still darkness, we become aware that the
inner sun rises again in our hearts through the symbolic birth of the Young One, the Mabon, the Christ of
many names, those born at the time of greatest darkness.

I contemplate the Light of Lights, the sun of Suns, the eternal flame unquenched within each one and
meditate in the light of that inner fire, in this circle and in the great circle of all worlds. Inwardly I seek the
spark of the Divine as I rest in Winter, this time of renewal. .......

cascading Awens followed by a few moments silence

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the LIGHT of men. .....

In Praise of Fire by John ODonoghue, is read:

Let us praise the grace and risk of fire.

In the beginning,
The Word was red,
And the sound was thunder,
And the wound in the unseen
Spilled forth the red weather of being.

In the name of the Fire,

The Flame
And the Light:
Praise the pure presence of fire
That burns from within
Without thought of time.

The hunger of fire has no need

For the reliquary of the future.
It adores the eros of now,
Where the memory of the earth
In flames that lick and drink the air
Is made to release
Its long-enduring forms
In a powder of ashes
Left for the wind to decipher.

As air intensifies the hunger of fire,

May the thought of death
Breathe new urgency
Into our love of life.
As fire cleanses dross
May the flame of passion
Burn away what is false.

As short as the time

From spark to flame,
So brief may the distance be
Between heart and being.

May we discover
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Beneath our fear
Embers of anger
To kindle justice.

May courage
Cause our lives to flame,
In the name of the Fire,
And the flame
And the Light.

Chant (during which the candelabra is lit)

Fire of the sun
Fire of the stars
Fire of the earth, burning.
Fire of the rocks,
Fire of the clay
Fire of the hearth, burning.
Fire of the heart
Fire in the head,
Fire in our veins, burning.

Brightener of Darkness, Hail!

Keeper of Clearness, Opener of the Depths.
Gifts of plenty are arising.
Winter wonders, white snows fall.
Joyful be the heart with us,
Open wide the guesting door,
Wisdom waken in abundance,
Warm our beings to the core.

Let the words of gold be heard:

In right submission and in humility there is the seed of peace;
In peace and simplicity there is the flower of Love;
In joy and intelligence there is the light of Hope;
In hope and nobility there is the heart of Good.

I dedicate my work by saying that prayer which unites all Druids:

Grant O God Thy protection;
And in protection, strength;
And in strength, Understanding;
And in understanding, Knowledge;
And in knowledge, the Knowledge of Justice;
And in the knowledge of justice, the Love of it;
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And in the love of it, the Love of all Existences;
And in the love of all existences, the Love of God and all Goodness. Amen.

What does the Oak symbolise?The parenthood of God, the Eternal Wisdom.

Why is the Mistle bough thought by us, a holy plant? It reminds us of the Son, the only begotten of the
Father; its white purity, the seeds of our Divinity.

I receive it with thankfulness, a sign of Divine Presence and of the Christ who is to come. (the mistletoe is
blessed /|\ )

Now would be a good time to listen to some music, meditate, read or pray

Readings:
The Moment of Magic (by Rev Victoria Safford)
Now is the moment of magic,
When the whole, round earth turns again toward the sun,
And heres a blessing:
the days will be longer and brighter now,
even before the winter settles in to chill us.
Now is the moment of magic,
when people beaten down and broken,
with nothing left but misery and candles and their own clear voices,
kindle tiny lights and whisper secret music,
And heres a blessing:
the dark universe is suddenly illuminated by the lights of the menorah,
suddenly ablaze with the lights of the kinara,
and the whole world is glad and loud with winter singing.
Now is the moment of magic,
when an eastern star beckons the ignorant toward an unknown goal,
And heres a blessing:
they find nothing in the end but an ordinary baby,
born at midnight, born in poverty, and the babys cry, like bells ringing,
makes people wonder as they wander through their lives,
what human love might really look like,
sound like,
feel like.
Now is the moment of magic,
And heres a blessing:
we already possess all the gifts we need;
weve already received our presents:
ears to hear music,
eyes to behold lights,
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hands to build true peace on earth
and to hold each other tight in love. .

In the Days of Caesar by Waldo Williams

In the days of Caesar, and the time of counting the subjects
A song that was obscure was sung to his nave strength.
In Bethlehem Ephrata a group of shepherds discovered
The great music that is beyond its reason and number.
Those who left the ninety nine
For the sake of the one that was lost distinctly heard
The day singing before dawn broke
About the birth of the shepherd of men, about the birth of the Lamb of God.
Little ones, and my little nation, can you not guess
The secret within you, that no Caesar can press into his order?
And will not the Hunter come to us in the desert,
Will not the Gatherer who brings us to new birth come,
And unite us within ourselves as a song above Bethlehem?
The Chief Bard of Heaven seeks us to be words for his song. .........

Song
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Reading (Caitlin Matthews):

And God says,
I am the power of resurrection.
I am the colour of hope.
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I am the glimmer of freedom.
I am the magnificence of light.
I am the splendour of the heavens.
I am the allure of artists.
I am the flash of inspiration.
I am the threshold of newness.
I am the longing of all hearts.
I am the golden thread of wonder.
I am the promise of creativity.
I am the opening step of the dance.
I am the sparkle of eternity.
I am the dawn.
I am who I am in the first rays of morning.

Prayer: Bright Mystery, at this Solstice time, where we leave a space to look back and look forward, your
mercy covers more than the white frosty sparkle on leafless trees. You love burnishes more than the scarlet
sheen of hips and berries. Your Spirit of life rejoices more than the confidence of green needles and leaves.
Be with all who wish to leave behind their years with the dying things. Cover with your mercy, burnish with
your love and rejoice with new life, as we lay down the year we cannot change, and offer our fears and our
hopes for the next. Amen.

C: I give thanks to those who have watched over the circle this evening:

East: I thank Raphael in his golden cloak, overshadowing George of England, and the powers of the east.
West: I thank Gabriel of the blue water, overshadowing Patrick of Ireland and the powers of the west.
South: I thank Michael of the red flame, overshadowing David of Wales, and the powers of the south.
North: I thank Uriel of the dark and fertile earth, overshadowing Columba of Scotland, and the powers of the
north.

Blessing
And so, may the healing rays of sun touch our earth.
May the hope of dawn resonate through our earth, bringing renewal and restoration.
May the beauty of the solstice dawn bring energy and inspiration to the whole community of life.
And may the blessing of the Uncreated One, of the Creative Word and of the Spirit that is the Inspirer bless
us all this holy season and always. Awen.
(Sources:
OBOD Alternative and Ancient rituals
A Celtic Primer (Revd Brendan OMalley)
Heartbeat of the Seasons (Sr Kathleen Glennon)
Hymns for Living
The Four Elements (John ODonoghue))
Celtic Devotional (Caitlin Matthews)