The Druids of Hollow Hills Grove met for our first monthly Blessing Rite. We have just started doing these and will do one each month in addition to our High Day rituals and Arts and Lore meetings.
Our Blessing Rites are a bit different than the High Day rituals. They are more casual and will give people a chance to meet us without all the stress of the normal preparations for the High Days. It will also be a a time when attendees can honour a Nature Spirit, Ancestor or Deity of their choice by drinking a toast to them and then inviting them into the sacred space.
I toasted fox, my grandmother and the Goddess Hecate. I toasted fox because he has been a totem animal for the last 5 years. I toasted my grandmother because she lived a full and exciting life and taught me to treat people well for who they are and not the colour of their skin, their sexuality or their religion. I toasted the Greek goddesss Hekate because she is the keeper of the keys and lady of the crossroads. She is helping me open doors and explore a path that is important to me. We drank our toasts from a horn – and the toasts and drinking was with cherry cider. Other people toasted and honoured an Ancestor, a Nature Spirit and a Deity as well.
We also have a chance to put a candle or talisman on the altar and bless it – I used a candle shaped like a butterfly to represent me and some changes I am going through. Other people brought candles and talismans. We raised and directed energy into the items with a Tibetan Bell.
Our omens for this ritual were as follows (Kevin read from the Wildwood Tarot):
Nature Spirits
Six of Wands – Harvest
A gift of fruitfulness from the Nature Spirits, together with a reminder that we can only continue to take from Nature if we also give to Nature.
Ancestors
Seven of Stones – Healing
The spiritual influence of the Ancestors will help to heal any physical or emotional sickness.
Deities
Ace of Cups – Waters of Life
The ancient wisdom is available to us, and will sustain us spiritually, as water sustains life.
It was a low key evening and we were able to honour those that mean a lot to us as well as ask from return blessings from the Three Kindreds. We will be doing this monthly and hope you will join us!