Ah, that crazy time leading up to a ritual. As Senior Druid of Northern Rivers Grove, organizing the celebrations is often my responsibility. I embrace it, though it is quite an offering of time and energy. There was recently a conversation on one of the ADF groups about how ritual leaders feel following ceremonies. Many describe feeling drained, and that is usually how I feel. Even when things go well, I need to spend a lot of time in my pjs the next day.
Preparation is hard work, especially because our rituals aren’t held on grove property. We have to carry our tools, food, cutlery, workshop materials, and membership information to a building that often serves another purpose. They do not have room to house our materials, nor should they. Many tools need cleaning, physically or spiritually, after our gatherings, after all. Liturgies need to be written, and chant sheets prepared. Group offerings and magical materials packed. I need to check on all the celebrants prior to our ritual.
I’m trying to delegate more, but I’ve always been a bit of a control freak. I like things done a certain way, and I’m learning to let go a bit. It’s important to do that as I won’t be the Senior Druid forever, and the grove belongs to all its members. Still, I forget about little jobs that I could hand out. Things like greeting guests and explaining things often fall to me by default. Sometimes it seems people need permission to handle some tasks because they’re used to me handling them. I’ve read other groves assign the role of host/hostess to someone not in charge of ritual, and I think that’s brilliant! This time, another member is taking charge of the workshop, while another is handling the kid activity. Wooo! I can breathe a bit.
Anyway, in the spirit of making sure everything is ready, here’s a prayer I wrote today. I’m participating in the #prayeraday challenge that many ADFers are contributing to. I hope you enjoy my Pre-Ritual Prayer!
Pre-Ritual Prayer
I pray our liturgy complete,
The tools lovingly packed.
I pray the meal is cooked to eat,
The plates carefully stacked.
I pray the chants we chose today
Inspire and uplift.
I pray my offerings in tow.
Kindreds, accept my gift!
I pray our guests are kind of heart-
Find solace in our light.
I pray we all arrive on time,
Then reach home safe at night.
By Grey Catsidhe
Author M. A. Phillips 