Liturgical Writing 1
Passed 12/29/15
Reviewed by Rev. Kirk Thomas
Laura Fuller (Snow)
- Describe how ADF's order of ritual
expresses the following concepts: "Serving the people";
"Reaffirming shared beliefs"; "Reestablishing the cosmic
order"; "Building enthusiasm". (Min. 500 words)
Serving the People:
There are many ways ADF’s rituals serve the
people. The first, to me, being that it
gives people a place to worship and have ritual together. While different people may have different
reasons for coming to an ADF ritual and may be seeking different things from
it, providing people with an open, accessible, public pagan ritual space is a
service in and of itself, and one that ADF has considered important enough to
write into our Constitution. Article 1,
Paragraph 2 quite clearly states that providing this sort of worship is one of
the very purposes of ADF (ADF Constitution) .
In these public ritual spaces, ADF has created avenues
for participants to make offerings to the Kindreds and also to receive the
blessings of the Kindreds in return (ADF COOR) . One of the common themes across the various
hearth cultures of ADF is the idea of reciprocity. Indeed, Rev. Kirk Thomas refers to
Reciprocity as the guiding ideal of our church in his call for funds to support
compassionate memberships on the Archdruid’s Blog (Thomas, Compassionate Memberships) . In his book, Sacred Gifts, he tells us in the
introduction that the basis of our relationships with each other and the
Kindreds is this idea that ‘I give so that you may give’ (Thomas, Sacred Gifts: Reciprocity and the Gods) . In an ADF Ritual, we experience this act of
reciprocity by making offerings during various parts of the ritual to the
Kindreds and the Deity of the Occasion, and then we receive the Blessings in
the Return Flow sections when we Call for, Hallow, and Affirm the Blessings (ADF COOR) .
Reaffirming Shared
Beliefs:
ADF
is an orthopraxic religion, meaning that we have a shared set of practices
rather than a hard and fast set of beliefs.
That said, our shared practice does give rise to a core set of beliefs
that make a group liturgy possible.
These ideas cross over hearth cultures and therefore play a role for all
members of ADF. The first of these is
Reciprocity, or the idea of a gift for a gift.
These gifts can be between members, or between a member and one of the
Kindreds, or even between communities.
The idea is that giving gifts creates a social obligation to give a
similarly valued gift, and as gifts are exchanged, bonds are formed (Newberg, Step Eight: Key Offerings Step 8) . Another idea that binds us together is our
reverence for the Earth whether we see her as a divine being or as our only
home. This reverence is then given form
in the Order of Ritual by honoring the Earth Mother first by Honoring Her (Newberg, Step Three: Honoring the Earth Mother) and then last by
Thanking Her (Newberg, Step Seventeen: Thanking the Earth Mother) .
Reestablishing the Cosmic Order:
One
of the most important steps in an ADF Liturgy is recreating the cosmos. This stage provides participants with a
chance to be established at the Sacred Center; that place where all times and
places touch each other and possibilities occur. This portion of the ritual is devoted also to
keeping the universe in balance between Order and Chaos. This ritual step is done by acknowledging the
Realms of the Dead, the Realms of the Shining Ones, and the land we live
in. The symbolism we use is that of Well
for the lands of the dead, Tree for the structure of the universe, and Fire for
the realms of the Shining Ones (Newberg, Step Five: (Re)Creating the Cosmos) .
Building Enthusiasm:
In
ADF ritual, we begin building enthusiasm from the very beginning of the ritual,
when we initiate the ritual with a musical signal or when we process into our
sacred space while singing. Some groups
choose to establish a group mind through a meditation piece, such as the Two
Powers Ritual (Newberg, Step One: Initiating the Rite) . Regardless of the opening the group chooses,
in entering the sacred space while singing or through meditation, we are
beginning to build energy together that we will channel into the rite. This energy (along with the help of a
Gatekeeper) is what allows us to open the gates so that we truly are working in
the Sacred Center where all the realms touch (Newberg, Step Six: Opening the Gate(s)) .
- Create a prayer of praise, offering,
or thanksgiving to a deity modeled on a mythic, folkloric, or other
literary source of at least 75 words. Include a summary of what your
sources were and how you utilized them (summary at least 150 words).
Hail Skadi! Snowy
Queen!
Fearless Forest
Lady!
Huntress swift,
lead us
Where others Dare
not go!
Clear Vision and
Quick Hand
Grant us who Greet
You
Unerring Aim
to Seek
our Targets Near
or Far.
Howling Mountain Your
Hall
Ice-Capped Ending
Wild Wind always
Wailing
Death Without Warmth
Within.
Wolf song wailing
in the night
Singing songs of starlight
and snow
Ephemeral cries echoing
back
Resounding Beacon in
the Dark.
Calling us closer
Seekers of your
strength
We offer Sacrifice to
You
An ally in times
of need.
Discussion:
The most common
variety of meter in the Codex Regius (better known as the Poetic Edda) is
described as fornyrdislag, called ‘Old Poetry Metre’ by Snorri. It is apparently a common metre of Germanic
poetry as we see it not only in the Icelandic Eddas, but also see it preserved
in the Old English Beowulf (circa 1000, but probably composed approximately
200-250 years earlier) and in the Old Saxon Heliand (composed circa 825CE) (Orchard : xxx) .
In Old Poetry
Metre each line consists of four stressed syllables divided into two half-lines
separated by a caesura (written as a blank space) and linked by structural
alliteration. The first stressed
syllable of the second half-line is called the ‘head-stave’ and alliterates with
one or both of the stressed syllables in the first half-line; the fourth
stressed syllable does not partake of the structural alliterative scheme. Note that in addition to the structural
alliteration, a good poet will also often have ornamental alliteration and
other artful effects of rhyme and assonance both within and between lines (Orchard : xxxi) .
Although the
description of Old Poetry Metre is very precise, in practice the poems do not
strictly follow the pattern. Prose
passages are interspersed and even within a stanza variation occurs. Take, for example, the first stanza from
Hymiskvida (Orchard 76) ,
the story in which Thor hauls up the Midgard-serpent while on a fishing trip. While the metre of the poem fits with Old
Poetry Metre, and while there are certainly alliterative passages, they do not
always perfectly follow the stress-alliteration patterns.
Long
ago the slaughter-gods were eating
their hunting-prey
In
the mood for a drink Before
they were full;
They
shook the sticks and
looked at the lots:
They
learned that at Aegir’s was a fine
crop of cauldrons.
For the verse I
wrote, I drew mainly from Skaldskaparmal, one of the sections of Snorri’s Prose
Edda where he writes a conversation between Braggi and Aegir to tell the tale
of how the Gods Odin, Loki, and Hoenir begin a conflict with the giant Thjazi,
the theft of Idunn and her apples of youth, the death of Thjazi, and his
daughter Skadi’s demand for weregild for his life (Sturluson) . The other source that really inspired my work
was a retelling of the tale by Sue Eaves in her book From Saga’s Hall (Eaves 47) . Eaves reworked many of the Norse myths to be
told from the woman’s point of view. In
her retelling of this myth, she focuses on how Skadi felt as she watched her
uncles argue over how they would divide her father’s assets instead of
defending the family honor until she girds her loins and goes to demand the
weregild herself. Her bravery, taking on
the might of Asgard alone and demanding justice, is a shining example of
courage in dealing with life’s circumstances.
- Discuss
a poem of at least eight lines as to its use of poetic elements (as
defined by Watkins): formulaics, metrics, and stylistics. Pay particular
attention to use of meter and phonetic devices, such as rhyme and
alliteration. (Minimum 100 words beyond the poem itself.)
And Did Those Feet by William Blake
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England's pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green and pleasant Land
Formulaics: Formulaic is a comparison
of “lexically and semantically cognate or closely similar phrases in cognate
languages” (Watkins 12-17) . This study looks for phrases and
formulas in poetry that occur in multiple languages and cultures. Though short, And Did Those Feet includes
several such phrases. The first is in
the idea of the homeland as a green and pleasant place. This construct of the perfect location is
found even in such distant works as Virgil’s Aeneid (Virgil) :
In no fix'd place the happy souls
reside. In groves we live, and lie on mossy beds, By crystal streams, that
murmur thro' the meads: But pass yon easy hill, and thence descend; The path
conducts you to your journey's end.” This said, he led them up the mountain's
brow, And shews them all the shining fields below. They wind the hill, and
thro' the blissful meadows go.
Another such
phrase is Bow of Burning Gold. In Greek
mythology, Apollo had a magical golden bow that he used to bring retribution in
the form of disease to those who had wronged the gods in some way. If we accept the reading of the phrase “dark
Satanic mills” as the horror of the early industrial revolution on the land and
people, then calling for the bow could be a call for either healing or
retribution on those who had destroyed paradise.
Metrics: Metrics looks at how stressed
and unstressed syllables combine to form lines, and phrases and give rhythm to
a poem (Watkins 19) . And Did Those Feet uses what is called Common
Meter or Ballad Meter. Ballad meter is
defined as stanzas of four lines, where the first and third lines and the second
and fourth line rhyme.
Stylistics: Stylistics are all the
other elements used to analyze text (Watkins 21-25) .
This can include, though is not limited to, alliteration, parallel structure,
rhyme, repetition, simile, and metaphor.
And Did Those Feet is broken
into four stanzas. The first stanza
speaks to the past, to a time when England was the epitome of locational
perfection, a place worthy of to be the home of God much like the Elysian
Fields were the home of the chosen and the righteous. Whether the Satanic Mills are taken as a
reference to the horrors of the industrial revolution or a reference to the
Church of the time (Wright) ,
the second stanza adds the coming influence of something bad. The third stanza breaks the rhythm of the
rest of the poem. It calls for
retribution on this new evil, a cleansing, and it does it with emphatic
repetition and a call to arms. The
fourth and final stanza is an pledge to stay in the fight, reminding the reader
of both the instruments that will be used to destroy evil as well as what is at
stake in the fight.
- Create
a prayer suitable for the main offering of a High Day rite which includes
invocation of at least one deity suitable to the occasion, description of
the offering and its suitability to the occasion, and the purpose of the
offering, totaling at least 100 words. Any stage directions necessary for
performance of the offering should be included.
The following is
a prayer of sacrifice to Nerthus for Charming of the Plow, which our Grove is
celebrating instead of Imbolc at the beginning of February. Charming of the Plow was a celebration where
agricultural implements were blessed before they were used at the beginning of
the planting season in the hopes of a good harvest.
The person should have at hand a horn of mead,
the gardening tools to be blessed, and a loaf from the previous year’s
harvest. The offering of mead and bread
gives of the final products of the previous year’s season to the land in the
hopes for a similar abundance this year.
It shows that the gods provided enough the previous year to see the
people through the long winter, and shows trust in giving what they still have
to the earth before the new crops are in.
In a modern context, it shows that we understand the agricultural cycle
and the understanding that no matter how far we have come as a culture away
from our agricultural roots, we are still dependent on rain and six inches of
top soil.
Standing
in front of the altar, the person should stretch their arms above their head,
palms up.
Nerthus!
Queen of the bog and swampy land!
Upon your bosom now we stand!
Bless now these tools that help us grow
The seeds upon you we shall sow!
Lift horn of mead and
sprinkle some of the mead on the tools laid out on the altar. Then take the blessed tool and dig a small
whole in the ground before the altar (or alternatively in the corner of the
garden you will be planting).
Nerthus!
Lady of Moist Earth ‘neath our feet!
Mother Earth, tis you we greet!
You gift us life and warmth in spring
And so to you this loaf we bring!
Take the loaf of bread
and break it in half. Place half of it
in the hole dug with the blessed tools.
Water with more of the mead, then cover the hole with the dirt.
Nerthus!
Goddess of Growth your bounty spread
And give us now our Daily Bread!
Grant us now long life and wealth,
A garden green and ripe with health!
Pass the other half of
the bread around so each person present may break off a piece and share in the
fellowship.
Works Cited
ADF. "ADF Constitution." n.d. ADF.
website. 2 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/members/org/docs/constitution.html>.
—. The ADF Core Order of Ritual for High Days.
n.d. website. 2 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/rituals/explanations/core-order.html>.
Eaves, Sue. From Saga's Hall: Norse Myths From a
Different Point of View. Lulu, 2013. ePub.
Newberg, Brandon. Step Eight: Key Offerings.
n.d. Website. 3 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/step-eight.html>.
—. Step Five: (Re)Creating the Cosmos. n.d.
website. 3 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/step-five.html>.
—. Step One: Initiating the Rite. n.d.
webpage. 3 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/step_one.html>.
—. Step Seventeen: Thanking the Earth Mother.
n.d. website. 3 December 2015. <https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/step-seventeen.html>.
—. Step Six: Opening the Gate(s). n.d.
website. 3 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/step-six.html>.
—. Step Three: Honoring the Earth Mother. n.d.
website. 3 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/step-three.html>.
Orchard, Andy. The Elder Edda: A Book of Viking
Lore. Penguin Classics, 2011. Print.
Sturluson, Snorri. Prose Edda. n.d. website.
28 December 2015.
<http://www.germanicmythology.com/ProseEdda/BRODEURSkaldskaparmal.html>.
Thomas, Kirk. Compassionate Memberships. 28
May 2015. website. 2 December 2015.
<https://www.adf.org/taxonomy/term/2/20150528>.
—. Sacred Gifts: Reciprocity and the Gods.
Tuscon: ADF Publishing, 2015. Kindle.
Virgil. Aeneid. n.d. Website. 28 December
2015.
<http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.perseus-eng1:6.637-6.678>.
Watkins, Calvert. How to Kill a Dragon. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.
Wright, N.T. Where Shall Wisdom be Found? 23
June 2007. Website. 28 December 2015.
<http://ntwrightpage.com/sermons/Durham_Wisdom.htm>.
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