This summer solstice, the bulk of our ritual was sung. It was a very fun experience, and I think the Gods enjoyed it. I know I did. More than that, I think that music has a way of touching us in ways that simple words cannot; it’s the same way with poetry, and I think this is the reason that the ancient Celts and Norse put so much of their lore into poems. In many instances, poetry was also used to curse or bless, and this, too, showed its power. Lyrics are a type of poetry, adding in music to an already powerful arrangement; we have some evidence that a number of the poems we have now were originally intended to be sung; other cultures definitely did this, such as the Greeks and the Jews.
Writing a ritual to music, however, has shown me one detriment to a Very Musical Midsummer. Music and poetry are not very descriptive; they do not often tell you why you are doing something, and it is hard to write poetry and music that tells you how to do something. Interspersed with the music, our Grove Organizer described our next course of action in prose to the gathered assembly. It certainly helped them follow the ritual, but took away somewhat from the power of the music. This is alright, of course, but it was certainly a learning experience for me. Something to keep in mind when writing poems for future rites.
The reason we put these rites on is for community and fellowship, in the presence of the Gods. Power is part of that, and so is understanding. One should not be without the other; we as Americans have a harder time, though, because we lack the cultural experience that the ancient Indo-Europeans had with their Gods and Goddesses. So prose becomes a bigger part of our rites, because that speaks more to our current culture. Not a bad thing, but it can be frustrating.
This rite was to Njord, the keeper of bounty, the God of the Seas and Rivers and what fruits come from them, from travel to fish to trade. We have already had an amazing summer so far, and our lot was increased greatly at Bealtainne. Now, our blessing comes in the form of the Seed, the Sun, and the Tree, a grand omen for the hot days ahead. The solstice marks the longest day of the year, which is a bounty in and of itself, with long days and happy evenings. When I was a child, I looked forward to June, because my bed-time was at sunset, so in May and June I was looking forward to the latest bed-times of my young life. In some ways, it’s still the case, being a school bus driver.
Music was a bounty given at Midsummer, though. Without Njord’s help, and Bragi’s, too, I think it would not have come off so well. Having a good community of attendees was also awesome, a gift given for the work we have put in to have these rites. I hope this is a blessing we see for years to come.
Our next rite is Lughnasadh, on July 31st. It should be a lot of fun; we’re planning some games and sparring matches, and we’re also going to be celebrating the Grove Organizer’s patron, which is always a plus. It will be in the Celtic style, so I think this will be a lot of fun, and very fulfilling.
I should probably write about the rite and how it went so well this time around, or even how proud I am of our group that we have made it one year as of that day. Instead, however, my mind comes to what makes a truly great rite, what truly brings the people of ADF and Neopagans in general together.
Neopagans seem to generally have a love of all things artistic. Whether it be poetry or prose, literature holds a special place in our hearts, especially the Neopagans in ADF. Music pulls us deep within the sense of community that we seek together, much in the same way an old hymn sung on the hill where it was written can bring together disparate tourists. There is something deeper than Christianity, deeper than Paganism, or indeed any expression of faith in our use of the arts.
Rituals employing poetry, drama, or music, or a combination of these, seem to me to have a stronger pull to them; they seem more real and seem to have more energy to them. Are the Gods more pleased with artistic expression than simple rote? Perhaps, but it might also be likely that these elements, this artistry that we place within our rituals are a conduit to the higher and the unseen powers of the world, something that makes it easier to connect to and speak with the Gods and the spirits. For the world of spirit is a world of the unseen, the emotional and the logical both, and moreover the mysterious and irrational. Some things can be better explained through song than through paragraphs.
No ritual, in my mind, is complete without the connection to and acknowledgment of the Gods and spirits. I have attended many rituals, some with Gods invoked, some with Gods invited, some without Gods at all, but the ones that included the spirit world as a true and real entity, Gods or not, were the ones that truly had the most weight with me. Sometimes, a rite is great not because of its poetry or its artistry, but because of its inclusion of the spirits and its power to connect to that world. In fact, one might think of it as a prerequisite to being a good ritual.
People may or may not include the time after a worship service as part of it, but I think our ADF groves’ traditions of having a pot luck after ritual is as important as the ritual itself. At the ancient days of feasting in the Indo-European traditions, the holidays would last literally days, including several rites, feasting, and fellowship with the community. As Neopagans become more numerous, I think we yearn for a sense of that in the modern day, as well; community feasting, therefore, brings the attendees of a rite even closer together, as they chat about things that are important to them. At this most recent ritual, for example, I heard a number of wonderful conversations happening, from discussing sleep-overs at well-known pagan authors’ places, to telling stories about how one came to Neopaganism, to bursting into song from almost out of nowhere, which I know myself and several others of the protogrove enjoyed listening to. We talked about language and poetry and modern politics; it doesn’t matter what we talked about, but that we spoke to one another and formed the bonds of friendship and fellowship that I feel are essential in any religious community.
And now, perhaps, I shall end with what I am “supposed” to, but it comes from this musing and the considerations above: I am extremely glad to have come to Denver, met with the people of ADF here, and had a wonderful year of rituals so far. I hope that we continue to have these great rituals for years to come; rituals that honor the Gods and spirits and our symbiotic relationships with them; rituals that continue to have great poetry, song, and insight within them. Oh, and the WONDERFUL food and discussions afterwards!!!
-G