#4    8  20 Nov 86  12:05:56 (RECV'D)
From: L.a. Hussey  To: Brad Hicks
Subj: Samhain

Woops!  I was wrong, I do have a Samhain ritual.  It's only a small one
(for 4 close friends), so I didn't remember it, but it's quite nice
nonetheless.  I'm going to upload it here, and you can get it how you like.


[older woman to older man]:
                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.

[older man to older woman]:
                Every age your eye has witnessed;
                Cauldron-Keeper, hail wise Crone!
                Rede in riddles is your ration --
                Wyrd-weaving at the World-tree's root.
                Eldest ancient, all-knowing one,
                Speak secrets to us, send us vision.

[younger woman to younger man]:
                Lord of Life, hail Land-Master!
                God of grain that grows and dies
                And rises reborn, full of richness;
                Fallow fields shall yet be fertile --
                Spring sap runs as stirs your phallus
                Bless barren earth, let it bear again!

[younger man to younger woman]:
                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.

        USHERING IN THE NEW YEAR:

                Welcome winter, waning season,
                Now with night the new year comes;
                Hail the horse's head with blessings --
                Blessings be on those who bide here
                And indeed on all the world!

        SCRYING:

                Wide are the worldgates,
                Sights to be sent us;
                Ready for rede-gifts,
                We wait for your wisdom.

        OFFERINGS/THANKSGIVING:

        Grateful, we give now, gifts of our own
        Heart-work and hand-work the hearth shall grace;
        Happiness, harmony,  health in the new year,
        Send to the world and we in it, we wish you.

        DISMISSAL/OPENING:

        To watching winds we wish fair travelling;
        To sleepless dead sweet rest we send;
        Gods and Godesses, go with praises --
        See: the circle is severed thus. [cut with sword at east]


I wrote that ritual for David, myself, and two friends who are older than
we.  It was the first ritual that I wrote not based on NROOGD material in
any way, but on entirely original structure and material.  The horse's
skull is a primitive form of the Mari Lwyd (Grey Mare/Mary), a Welsh folk
traditional hobby horse that goes from house to house at the calendar New
Year, but she's such a bizzare and macabre beast that she was almost
certainly a Samhain leftover.  There's interesting material about her in
Trefor Owen's WELSH FOLK CUSTOMS (which is probably out of print, but I
could provide photocopies for interested parties who provide copying
costs...)

Happy Samhain!
Leigh Ann
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