Justice Charms

These are charms from the Carmina Gadelica that have been modernized and made pagan. They can be used to help gain justice or to win in court, or to otherwise overcome legal difficulties. The person wishing to perform these charms should go before dawn to a place where three streams meet. Just as the sun is rising the person should make a cup of his hands and dip them into the water where the stream meet then wash his face with it, saying the prayer below. Afterwards he should proceed to court and when entering the building should look all around the room then say silently or quietly “Gods bless this place, from floor to roof, my word above every other and the words of all others beneath my feet.” (Carmichael, 1900).

Invocation for Justice 20

I will wash my face
In the nine rays of the sun,
As a Goddess washes her Son
     In the rich fermented milk.

Love be in my countenance,
Benevolence in my mind,
Dew of honey in my tongue,
     My breath as the incense.

Black is yonder town,
Black are those therein,
I am the white swan,
     Queen above them.

I will travel in the name of my Gods,
In the likeness of a deer, in the likeness of a horse,
In the likeness of a serpent, in the likeness of a king:
     Stronger will it be with me than with all others.

***

Invocation for Justice 21

Gods, I am bathing my face
In the nine rays of the sun,
As a goddess might bathe her Son
     In generous milk fermented.

Sweetness be in my face,
Riches be in my countenance,
Comb-honey be in my tongue,
     My breath as the incense.

Black is yonder house,
Blacker men therein;
I am the white swan,
     Queen over them.

I will go in the name of my Gods,
In the likeness of a deer, in the likeness of a horse,
In the likeness of a serpent, in the likeness of a king,
     I am more victorious than all others.

  - excerpted from By Land, Sea, and Sky

Spirit of place in the home

my monthly blog for Moon books is up http://moon-books.net/blogs/moonbooks/spirits-of-place-in-the-home/ looking at how we connect to spirits of place and why I think we should start at home

Perspective - Hartford FAV's Blog

my new blog for Hartford FAVs is out - it discusses the way our perspective shapes our lives.  http://hartfordfavs.com/faith/doctrine-and-practice/perspective

Where the Hawthorn Grows

  I'm excited to announce the official release of my new book, "Where the Hawthorn Grows". It is based on this blog and includes an array of essays on my views and experiences as an Irish reconstructionist Druid. Right now it is available in paperback and will soon be out as an ebook as well.

Baby's First Bealtaine

  Bealtaine this year has been a wild and hectic affair, mostly done with my 3 month old son in my arms. Some people find children and babies a distraction in ritual but I love the energy and unexpectedness they bring. Children bring an unbridled enthusiasm, openness, and joy to ritual, along with a certain inherant chaos. Certainly carrying my son made it harder to get the May Bush set up and decorated on May Eve, but the girls enjoyed doing more of it themselves and the result was just as beautiful and definitely more unique. After decorating the May Bush we made a caudle for the Fairies and brought it out to leave at the base of our Hawthorn tree. As I was getting ready to say a small prayer to the Good Neighbors before offering it the baby started fussing so I sat down a little way off and told the girls stories about the fairies while nursing him. That seemed a wiser choice than holding a screaming hungry infant and rushing through the offering* and indeed after that was done and the caudle was poured out and the words said, as we walked away, a Robin - omen of peace, hope, and a happy home - landed in the tree's branches and began singing.
  The family ritual on Beltane itself was a low-key affair, dedicated to Macha and Nuada. I told the children the story of the Tuatha de Danann coming to Ireland and ended up talking about each of the four treasures they brought with them. We burnt juniper, rosemary, and vervain for cleansing and made offerings of cheese biscuits that we had cooked together. The weather was sunny and fair, although the spring has been so cold and dry our little Hawthorn has barely begun to leaf never mind have flowers yet; still I took the weather as a good omen for the coming summer. After the ritual I gave each of the children a small gift as a token for the holiday: a t-shirt for my oldest, a tin whistle for my 5 year old, and a placard with my son's name and its history and meaning printed on it for the baby. Later last night I did my own solitary ritual which included meditation and reflection on the winter that has passed and the summer that we are welcoming in.
  This morning, the third and final day of our Bealtaine celebrations, we walked around the yard and house burning an incense blend I make myself to bless the property. We gathered flowers and brought them in to decorate the breakfast table and planted some herb and flower seeds in our small garden, after mixing the ash from the earlier rituals into the soil.
  This Bealtaine has been hectic and in many cases things have been less about planning and more about enjoying the moment. It was amazing and beautiful, something shared with my children and full of joy. I felt that all the offerings were well received and all the omens were positive - more so than they have been in a long time. I am ready for summer and am already starting to plan the next holy day with an infant in mind...

 *The older I've gotten the more I've come to believe that it is the intent behind the action that matters the most, rather than the action alone. Actions devoid of heart are hollow no matter how well executed; actions done with heart have value. A sincere heart and genuine devotion are more powerful, I think, than the smoothest rehearsed ritual. There are many people who approach modern pagan ritual as theater, something to be preformed in awe and reverence; for them the precision and perfection of it is part of their honoring of the Gods. My rituals, while done with reverence and often inspiring awe, could never be described as perfect or precise. No, my approach to ritual is better described with words like "organic", "fluid", and "engaged" - and I suppose some people would add "casual" and probably "relaxed". For those who prefer the highly structured style I'm sure less kind adjectives would be used as well. Such is life. Maybe it's because I don't feel the Gods, don't connect to them, in highly structured rituals; I never have. It's in the spontaneous moments and the daily devotions that I feel that connection is strengthened. Give me a wild wood and a moonlit sky, or the edge of flood-swollen waters; give me a tea-light or milk poured out in sincere prayer and I am open to the Gods and they are speaking to me. Of course what works for me is probably useless to some others just as I know some other approaches do nothing for me. The ultimate point of ritual I think, is to create connection and open lines of reciprocity between us and the Powers and so for it to be effective it must create engagement both ways; we must be full participants and the Gods or other spirits must be responsive and present. Creating this in ritual is so difficult in groups precisely because what creates engagement in one person may do nothing for another. I use what works for me and what has nurtured a relationship with the Powers over the years; to each their own.

Prayers to Macha

 A prayer I wrote to Macha, for strength in difficult times, when I was struggling to stay strong as a parent caring for a chronically ill child:

"Macha, warrior, queen, goddess, 
you were a mother too,
help me now to be strong
you ran against horses 
while laboring and won;
let me find the strenth to 
endure my own race
Macha, help me be strong
Give me the courage
to keep running"


An invocation of Macha:

"I call to you, Red-haired Queen,
Lady of sovereignty
I call to you, Woman of the Sidhe,
Who runs swifter than any horse
I call to you, Battle Goddess,
Who gathers heads as trophies,
Fertile plain, racing mare, battle crow,
Macha, be with me now."


A prayer to Macha:

"Macha, Druidess of the Tuatha de Danann,
Skilled in magic, great in power, full in knowledge,
Guide my feet on my path, as I honor the old wisdom
Guide my hands in offering, as I honor the old Gods
Guide my heart in strength, as I honor the old ways."

Full Moon Blessings