Passed December 19, 2014 Reviewed by Rev. Kathleen
Laura
Fuller (Snow)
Cosmology
1
1)
Describe
the generation of the cosmos, and what is done in ADF ritual to ensure that the
cosmos remains in order. (300 words min.)
The
cosmos is the universe as we know it (Newberg, Step 5). While the cosmos does not meet all the
scientific processes for being alive, neither, technically, does the earth and
we often personify the earth as a living being.
The cosmos falls into the same category.
The cosmos is generated in an epic balancing act with chaos. It is the constant expanding of the universe
at the same time that individual beings from an atom to a galaxy are destroyed,
and then their parts reused to fuel the expansion. It is the circle of life where life ends in
death, which in turn gives itself to restructuring and bring forth new life.
While
each of the hearth cultures of ADF have their own creation myth, there are
certain themes common among them. My own
hearth culture is Norse. The Norse
creation story tells of the beginnings as a void, the emptiness, which they
called Ginnungagap. Into the void shot
sparks from the south which met with the frosty rime from the north. When the two met, they coalesced together and
Ymir, the first of the giants, was formed.
The drips of rime formed into Audumla, a cow, and her milk fed
Ymir. She licked the salty blocks of
ice, and in the process freed Buri who was Odin’s grandfather. Odin and his brothers killed Ymir and used
the various parts of his body to create the world (Sturluson). Thus, in the Norse lore, what creates the
universe is an act of sacrifice, in this case of an ancestor, and the body
literally becomes the land of Midgard, the land of men. His blood became the waters, including the
boundary waters. His flesh became the
land. His skull the heavens. Our ritual structure recreates this original
sacrifice, so that when we make our sacrifices at the sacred center, we are
connected to this original sacrifice that created the universe as we know it
(Newberg, Step 5).
For
Indo-European cultures, the cosmos usually takes on a triadic structure. These can vary by hearth culture, but usually
fall into a pattern of the Three Worlds of Earth, Sky, and Sea or the Three
Realms of Upper Realm (Heavens), Middle Realm, or Lower Realm (Underworld)
(Newberg, Step 5).
Ancient
Indo-Europeans were very concerned with supporting the Cosmos and mitigating
Chaos in their beliefs and in their rituals.
Like them, our rituals in ADF are an attempt to recreate the cosmos
(Newberg, Step 5), while at the same time making sure that it has a chance to
fuel its creative act. Without a proper
balance between Structure (Cosmos) and Entropy (Chaos), Structure becomes
brittle. It needs the balance in order to
rebuild the structure and stay healthy.
Serith talks about this as the *ghosti principle in his article
‘Sacrifice, the Indo-Europeans, and ADF’.
He uses the cyclical example of the tree and the well where the well
waters the tree, who in return drops its fruits back into the well. They feed each other, with the tree being the
cosmos or the axis mundi and the well being chaos. By performing rituals and giving offerings
and sacrifices, we invite chaos in via controlled ways. This breathes necessary life into the cosmos
with a carefully controlled amount of risk to the universe.
2)
Describe
the physical items that exemplify the sacred center in ADF ritual, and how each
constituent part reflects the vision of an ordered cosmos. (300 words min.)
The
sacred center is the mystical point where all other points in the universe are
accessible. It is the axis of the universe
(Newberg, Step 5). While Indo-European
cultures had some differences in how they viewed the Cosmos, like the Cosmos
the concept of the Sacred Center survived in many. The Norse saw this in Yggdrassil, the Greeks
as the Omphalos which became the seat of the Oracle at Delphi (Newberg, Step
5). The center is a point of reference
as well. It’s a way to orient ourselves
in ritual so that we can align with the sacred (Dangler, 9 Tenents)
In
his discussion of the Core Order of Rituals Tutorial, Newberg addresses the
relationship between the sacred center and the parts of the cosmos, and how we
represent them in ADF ritual by use of the Fire, Well, and Tree. Each of these symbols then becomes a gateway
to one of the sections of the ADF Cosmos (Heavens, Underworld, and Earthly
respectively). By having all three
present at the Sacred Center, we thus are able to be connected through the gates
to each of the realms/worlds of the cosmos.
The
Fire is the only one that is required for ADF ritual. The fire is the gateway to the upper realms,
including those of the gods. The reason
that it is required is because the fire is transformative. It takes our offerings and turns them into
smoke, which then floats upwards towards the heavens, the same way the flames
accept the offering and then seem to leap upwards. (Newberg 5).
The
Well is the entrance to the underworlds.
It is where we access the realms of the dead (ancestors) and the deities
that watch over them as well as some of the deities related to water in the
form of oceans/lakes/ponds/bogs. It is
the well at the root of the tree, or the boundary between the human world and
the unknown. It also nourishes the tree,
providing the energy of Chaos to keep the Cosmos from growing dry and brittle
(Serith, Sacrifice). Many cultures
‘bogged’ gifts. Things that weren’t
flammable (and sometimes things that were, depending on the nature of the deity),
were drown in water to take them out of the human realm. One example of this is written about by
Tacitus describing the practices of the Germanic tribes in his Germania, written during the early first
century CE. His most detailed account is
of the Goddess Nerthus, and describes her procession and the way that those who
handled her statue were then drowned.
The
Tree is the bridge between the well and the lands of the gods, the connection
between all the worlds (Newberg 5). It’s
the axis of the universe. The Norse
preserve it the clearest in Yggdrasil.
It is that which provides structure of the cosmos.
3)
Explain
the divisions of the cosmos in ADF ritual, and why the cosmos is divided in
this way. (300 words min.)
ADF
divides the cosmos into three sections (a triadic structure). The specifics vary slightly by hearth
culture, but they can generally be described in one of two ways: Three Worlds
of Land, Sky and Sea or Three Realms of Underworld, Middleworld, and Upperworld
(Newberg 5).
The
first, with the three worlds of Land, Sea, and Sky is seen in the Irish
culture. The Sea was seen similarly to
the Underworld since they believed that the dead journeyed across the sea to
reach distant lands where the sky and land touched. The Land is the dwelling of mortals, both
people and animals. The Sky was the home
of the Gods. Birds, which often travel
in the sky, were then seen as messengers of the Gods (Our Own Druidry pg. 22).
We
see the second separations is cultures that use a vertical axis, such as the
Greek. They separated their worlds into
Underworld where the dead went, the Middleworld where there were men and nature
spirits, and the Heavens where the gods lived atop their mountain (Our Own
Druidry, pg. 23).
Some
cultures, such as the Norse, took their tripartite world and tripled it again,
so that there are three sets of three realms, each the abode of specific sorts
of beings (Newberg 5). It does not map
perfectly, since some of the realms seem to exist in both the realm of men and
one of the other realms (Our Own Druidry, pg. 22-23). This makes sense to me, as many of these
beings interact with our world intimately, but then still have their own place
in the Cosmos such as the light elves who we often think of as nature spirits,
but who still have their elf-home (Alfheim).
Interestingly,
this isn’t always the case among the various branches of the Germanic hearth
culture. The Anglo-Saxons saw the cosmos
as having seven worlds. They did not
consider the realms of Fire (in the South of Middle Earth) and Ice (in the
North of Middle Earth) as true realms.
Instead, these were the places from which the elemental Ice and Fire
that formed the Universe came pouring forth (Albertson 2009).
4)
Explain
why the fire is an essential element of ADF ritual, and what relation it has to
the sacrifice. (150 words min.)
Fire
is one of the three Gates, allowing us to connect to the other realms of the
cosmos. The reason why Fire is essential
is because most often we are making our offerings to the Gods, and the Fire is
seen as the gateway to the upper worlds because of the way it reaches towards
the sky (Newberg 5). It is also the
easiest way to transform offerings and take them out of the human realm,
changing the offering from something we give to smoke which rises towards the
heavens.
Further,
Fire is part of home and hearth. While
in the modern age we may not heat our homes with a roaring hearth fire, in all
pre-modern cultures (and even in many parts of the world today) a fire on the
hearth is how we drive back the cold of winter and make a place habitable. Offering warmth is part of being a good host,
and building the relationships between ourselves and the various beings and
Kindreds, we want to be good hosts (Dangler: Nine Tenets).
5)
Describe
the purpose and function of the Gatekeeper in ADF ritual. Explain also who or
what makes a good Gatekeeper, along with why they do, with at least two
examples of mythological figures that could fill the role of a Gatekeeper and
give an explanation of why they can. (300 words min.)
The
Gatekeeper is a being that helps us work with the gates. “The Gatekeeper is a power that opens and
closes the Gates with us. The work is a joint act of worshipper and Gatekeeper,
where powers are mingled and merged,” (Newberg 6). This makes it clear that the act of opening
the gates is a partnership, a relationship between the worshipper and the
divine spirits we work with. Opening the
gates allows us to both communicate and share energy with the Kindreds. Communication
is a two way street. By opening the
gates with a gatekeeper, we make it easier to communicate our needs and also
our offerings to the gods and other spirits.
While the gates are open, we are able to transfer our energy to the
Kindreds. During the Return Flow stage
of the ritual, energy from the Kindreds returns through the gates to those
gathered for the ritual. When it is time to close the gates, the Gatekeeper
assists with this task, as well, and often the closing is done simply by
thanking the Gatekeeper for their help (Newberg 16).
A
good gatekeeper is one who eases communication, often because of their ability
to travel through the realms of the cosmos.
We term these beings ‘liminal’ in ADF (Newberg 6). Liminal comes from the Latin limen, meaning threshold and the
appropriate definition for liminal in an ADF context is of, relating to, or
being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : in-between, transitional (Merriam-Webster
Online).
There
are many beings under the ADF umbrella who could fill the role of
Gatekeeper. The one chosen for any
occasion should be not only suited to the role, but also from the culture
chosen for the ritual and also appropriate to the purpose of the occasion. Ones that I have worked with in the past is
Huginn and Muninn, Odin’s ravens. Huginn
(Thought) and Muninn (Memory) range through the worlds gathering information
for the Allfather. This ability to
travel and carry information is key to making them good candidates as a
Gatekeeper. A second being that would be
a good Gatekeeper is the Greek Goddess Iris.
She is a messenger goddess who traverses via the rainbow and links the
gods to humanity. In the Iliad she is
described as “fleet as the wind, was sent by Jove to tell the bad news among
the Trojans,” (Homer). Who better to act
as gatekeeper than one who has in the past brought the words of the gods to
humans?
Gods and spirits not usually considered liminal or
messengers can serve as gatekeepers as well.
I have seen Heimdall asked to fill that role, who is normally seen as a
guardian rather than a messenger. I’ve
also seen hearth-god/desses placed in this role, such as Hestia. Since so often the fire of ADF ritual was a
hearth fire in the original cultures, asking a hearth-deity to tend the main
gate for ADF purposes also makes them a good choice (Newberg 6).
6)
Describe
the relationship between earth and sky in ADF ritual. (125 words min.)
As
a neo-pagan religion that is nature-centered, ADF rituals honor the Earth
Mother as either the planet itself or as a female deity tied to fertility and
the Earth. Earth energies are seen as
nurturing and nourishing life. Such
deities exist/survived in many Indo-European cultures such as the Norse Hertha,
the Greek Gaea, and the Slavic Moist Earth Mother. Additionally, many of the Sky Father gods
also survived and are traced back to the PIE Dyeus Pater including the Greek
Zeus, and the Vedic Dyaus, to name a few (Newberg 3). The Sky energies are seen as warm and
electric (Wyndham).
One
of the ways we bring ourselves into relationship with the Earth and Sky is
through the Two Powers meditation. The
Two Powers meditation is intended to bring the druid into communion with the
Earth and Sky through the use of grounding and centering (Wyndham: Two
Powers). This meditation focuses on
connecting with the earth beneath us and drawing up the energy from below, then
also connecting with the sky above us and drawing down the power from
above. It is a way of mingling the
energy of chaos with that of cosmos within us, and thus recreating the cosmos. When we recreate the cosmos in ritual, the
earth energies provide the sustenance to nurture new life, where the sky
energies provides the warmth that brings the needed energy for the seed (human
or plant) to grow.
7)
Summarize
each of the five contexts of sacrifice in Rev. Thomas' "The Nature of
Sacrifice"
paper in your own words. Explain the effect of sacrifice on the cosmos and on
the participants. (100 words min. for each context, 150 words min. for effect.)
I.
Maintaining
the Cosmic Order
This
type of sacrifice is made in an attempt to keep balance in the cosmos. Various Indo-European creation myths show us
that the universe was created through an ordering of chaos. A sacrifice in this context is made to be
shared through the cosmos in order to maintain the balance that was
created. The sacrifice goes from a
microcosm (such as the Twin) to the macrocosm (creation) in order to keep the
cosmos from being depleted. In this
context, we also acknowledge that sacrifice goes both ways. So while the sacrifice nourishes the cosmos,
it also transfer the power of the universe into our own bodies at the same time
(Thomas).
II.
Delivering
Services Through Gifts
This
idea is well summed up in the Latin phrase ‘do
ut des’ meaning ‘I give so that you may give.’ Gifts were the foundation of relationships both
between humans and between the human and the divine (Thomas). Another way we talk about this in ADF is with
the term *-ghosti. *-ghosti is a
reconstructed Proto-Indo-European word that gives rise to the modern words
guest and host, both and describes the roles and responsibilities of those
engaging in Hospitality (Watkins). The
rules of hospitality were clear: the host gave the guest what they needed to be
comfortable in their home to the best of their ability, and the guest would
protect the home as a resident while they stayed knowing that the time might
come in the future when the roles would be reversed, or when one who had hosted
would find themselves in need of a host at some point in the future. It was important to the fabric of society in
a time before hotels and restaurants (Fickett-Wilbar).
In
ADF ritual, we give gifts to the Kindreds to form bonds and relationships with
them. We are inviting them to our
ritual, offering them our hospitality, and so we want to make sure they have
what they need and even what they want to be comfortable, just as we would a
guest in our home. While they don’t
usually tell us in words what they want, we give them gifts we hope they would
like, just as a parent hopefully likes the gifts their children get them,
seeing the intention as much as the actual gift itself (Bonewits).
III.
Providing
Protection
Apotropaic
offerings are offerings to safeguard against evil influences (Thomas). In ADF ritual we often perform this type of
sacrifice to the Outdwellers, giving them something so that they leave our
working in peace, asking them to take this token and leave the working alone
and not interfere with us (Newberg: Outdwellers). In non-religious, though
highly ritualized context, many societies today perform this sort of offering
when executing criminals. In ancient
times, this sort of execution was done to safeguard society, much like it is
today, with prescriptions for how and when executions take place as well as
what happens before, during and after the execution and who is present for it
(Thomas).
IV.
Commensality
(Community)
A
common part of sacrifice in the ancient world was animal sacrifice where the
animal was then cooked and eaten among the entire community with a portion
going to the gods. What was considered
the appropriate portion to the gods varied, but we constantly see the sharing
of a meal to build bonds of kinship and also provide for the needs to the gods
so that they would provide for us.
Sharing food symbolized the unity of the community (Thomas). Like executions, this is something that has
remained in many cultures even when and where it loses its religious
significance. We have only to look to
block parties, cook-outs, and pot-lucks to see that we as a people recognize
that bonding over food builds communities and opens up communication between
and within groups.
V.
Mitigating
Order with Chaos (the modern idea)
A
modern interpretation of sacrifice is the idea that Chaos and Cosmos must be
balanced. Too much Chaos, and there is
no order. Too much order and the Cosmos
becomes brittle. Sacrifice, then, moves
us closer to a balance between chaos and cosmos. If we think of the Chaos and Cosmos at
opposite ends of a spectrum, then there is a liminal place where the two
overlap. Where there is order, but also
flexibility (Serith). One of the ways we
bring some chaos into order is in ritual, where we have an Order, and yet we
have room for improvisation. We never
know what praise offerings someone will make or who will be moved to what in a
Sumble. This is seen as positive, and as
occurring from a healthy melding of Chaos and Cosmos.
Effect:
Sacrifice
has a profound effect on both an individual and a community as well as on the
cosmos. It keeps the Cosmos healthy by
nurturing it with primal forces as well as taming those forces for the good of
all. Common throughout Indo-European
cultures, sacrifice has many contexts but at its core, it’s about building
relationships. Sacrifice gives of what
we have to those with whom we wish to form relationships and strengthen
bonds. Those relationships can be
between two individuals, within a family, a larger community, or between
human(s) and Kindred(s). As sacrifice
was the core of public rituals in the ancient world, without sacrifice there
would have been no public religion. As
we bring this idea into the modern age, we have to also take into account
modern sensibilities. While we still
practice sacrifice, we no longer sacrifice animals, but instead use stand-ins,
a practice that our ancestors also used (Thomas). By giving to the Kindreds and to each other,
we allow ourselves to receive in turn.
8)
What
does it mean to be "purified" in ADF ritual? Why is purification
important? What must be purified, and who may do the purification? (150 words
min.)
“Purification
readies the participants, space, and/or tools for ritual,” (Newberg 2). One way it does this is to remove from
ourselves, our space, and our tools various things that are undesirable or not
conducive to the work at hand. The
second way is to add things that are desirable, such as using incense to bless
a place and create an atmosphere. Third,
it can mark a thing as special, as sacred and thus separate from the
mundane/profane of the rest of life.
Purification is important because it separates the ritual space from the
rest of the world and sets it apart as special.
Also, it’s placement before the ritual helps create the mental space for
ritual. It prepares both the
participants and the place for the ritual.
While
ADF does require a purification step in the Core Order, there is not one set
way to do the purification or one person who carries it out. Some of the ways that work well and have at
least some relationship to ancient rites are aspersing with water (holy, or
from a local spring) or through the use of incense (Newberg 2).
9)
In
many rituals we call for the blessings of the Kindreds. Where do these
blessings come from, how are they provided to the folk, and why are we entitled
to them? (200 words min.)
ADF
groups friendly spirits/deities into three groups, or Kindreds. In no particular order, the first is of the
Ancestors. ADF recognizes ancestors of
both blood and spirit. The second are
the Shining Ones, or the various Indo-European deities. Third are the land spirits. In both ADF ritual and everyday practice, we
build relationships with these entities through prayers and offerings (Newberg
7).
When
we ask for blessings from the Kindreds, it is out of the expectation that our
offerings were accepted, and thus because we have been good hosts, they will be
good guests and provide for us what we need or are asking for
(Fickett-Wilbar). Indeed, part of the
principle of *ghosti is the idea that those with more to give need to give
more. Since the gods have infinitely
more than a human, we are entitled to receive more in return than we gave them
(Newberg 11).
In
ADF ritual, we usually receive the blessings through the waters of life,
although it doesn’t have to be water.
Whoever calls for the blessings (clergy or whoever is leading the
ritual), imbues the blessings into a physical object. This can be a drink or shared food, water
that is sprinkled on people, or tokens that are sent home with attendees. Sometimes the blessings are in the form of
good weather or inspiration, but for the purposes of the rites, we usually
imbue the blessings into something physical (Newberg 11).
However,
Jean Pagano makes the opposite argument.
He states in his article *Ghosti
and the Return Flow that giving gifts with the expectation of a greater
return is presumptive. Instead we need
to recognize that sometimes the gifts have already been received by us, and
instead of demanding more, we should be giving thanks for what we already have
(Pagano). I tend to agree with this
sentiment. Or rather, it seems as if it
shouldn’t matter who gave the first gift.
That between friends, there’s an understanding that what isn’t needed is
a tit-for-tat back and forth of gifting, but rather a commitment to giving or
sharing what we have in the understanding that when you need it, a friend will
be there to share back. Not only that,
but it assumes that we know what it is we really need at any given time to do
successfully what we’re called on to do in this life. While I do think we are entitled to the
good-will of the Kindreds, assuming we have been working to build that
good-will, I don’t think that we should make demands for a blessing. That makes the gifting disingenuous. Better to build good-will and hope that when
the time comes, our Friends will support us.
Works
Cited:
Albertsson,
Alaric. Travels Through Middle Earth: The Path of a Saxon Pagan. Llewellyn, 2009. Kindle.
Bonewits,
Isaac. Neopagan Rites A Guide to Creating
Public Rituals that Work. Minneapolis: Llewellyn Publications, 2007. Kindle.
Dangler,
Michael. Nine Central Tenets of Druidic Ritual. Retrieved 10/14 from
Fickett-Wilbar, David. Sacrifice,
the Indo-Europeans, and ADF.
Accessed 10/14 from https://www.adf.org/articles/cosmology/sacrifice-ie-adf.html
Homer. The
Iliad. Trans.
Alexander Pope. Barnes & Burr. New York: 1865. Accessed 10/14. Web.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
Liminal. Accessed 10/14.
Newberg,
B. Step Two: Purification. Retrieved October 2014 from ADF.org
Newberg,
B. Step Three: Honoring the Earth Mother. Retrieved October 2014 from ADF.org
Newberg,
B. Step Five: (Re)Creating the Cosmos.
Retrieved October 2014, from ADF.org
Newberg,
B. Step Six: Opening the Gate(s).
Retrieved October 2014, from ADF.org
Newberg,
B. Step Seven: Inviting the Three
Kindreds. Retrieved October 2014, from ADF.org
Newberg,
B. Step Eleven: Calling (asking) for the
Blessings. Retrieved October 2014, from ADF.org
Newberg,
B. Supplementary Step: The Outsiders.
Retrieved October 2014, from ADF.org
Pagano,
Jean. Ghosti and the Return Flow.
Accessed 10/14 from ADF.org.
Serith,
Ceisiwr. Sacrifice, the Indo-Europeans, and ADF. Retrieved October 2014, from ADF.org
Sturluson,
Snorri. Trans. Anthony Faulks. Edda.
Everyman Publishers, 1987.
Kindle.
Tacitus. Germania.
Trans. Unknown. Medieval Sourcebook Collection.
Accessed 10/14. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/tacitus1.html>
Thomas,
Kirk. The Nature of Sacrifice.
Retrieved October 2014 from ADF.org
Watkins,
Calvert. The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. Houghton
Mifflin Co, 2000. Kindle.
Wyndham,
Rev. Jeffrey. The Two Powers
Meditation. Accessed 10/14 from ADF.org.
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