A Standard Liturgical Design for Neopagan Druidic Worship 3.0

This is a standard outline that can be
used for public or semi-public Druid ceremonies. I’ve spent thirty
years making this pattern esthetically pleasing, historically
plausible, magically powerful, and spiritually satisfying. Please
don’t casually throw pieces of it away (without determining how
you’re going to get the same effects), or inject portions of
non-Druidic rituals (such as “casting a circle,” “drawing
down the moon,” “invoking the Watchtowers,” etc.)
that make no sense in terms of this liturgy’s structure, esthetics,
polytheology or goals. Also remember that the “positions”
of the ritual leaders can be combined in several ways, depending
upon the individuals and talents available. Detailed instructions
on how to prepare and perform this liturgy will eventually be
found elsewhere in this website, by attending workshops on it,
or by reading my liturgical book to be finished someday.

Preliminary Ritual Activity

(A) Briefing

(B) Individual Meditations & Prayers

(D) Pouring the Sacred Waters

(E) Optional: Consecrating the Sacred
Pole / Tree

(F) Optional: Consecrating the Altar &
Tools

1st Phase: Starting the Rite & Establishing the Groupmind

Clearcut Beginning: Consecration of Time

(1) Musical Signal
(2) Opening Prayer

Consecration of Space & of Participants

(3) The Processional / Sigil Marking
(4) Purification(s) of Participants
(5) Optional: Purification(s) of Site
(6) Honoring the Earth-Mother

Centering, Grounding, Linking & Merging

(7) The Grove Meditation
(8) Unity Chant/Song

(9) Specification of Ritual Purpose &
Historical Precedent

(10) Naming Deity(ies) of the Occasion &
Reasons for Choice

2nd Phase: Recreating the Cosmos & Preliminary Power
Raising

Creating the Vertical Axis

(11) Planting the Cosmic Tree / Honoring
the Sacred Pole
(12) Evoking the Gate Keeper / Defining the
Ritual Center
(13) Evoking the Fire & Water Deities
& Linking to Center

Gaining Assistance & Preventing Interference

(14) Invoking the Bardic Deity(ies) or Spirit
(15) Acknowledgement of the Outsiders

Filling Out the Cosmic Picture by Invoking..

(16a) Nature Spirits, Ancestors, Deities
in Three Worlds or..
(16b) Helpful Beings of each World/Realm
or..
(16c) Helpful Beings by Province/Function
or..
(Type & number will vary according to
ethnic cosmologies.)

(17) Settling and Focussing

3rd Phase: Major Sending of Power to Deity/ies of the Occasion

(18) Descriptive Invocation of Deity(ies)
of the Occasion

Primary Power Raising

(19) Praise Offerings, Dance, Libations,
etc.

(20) The Sacrifice Prayer

(21) Seeking the Omen of Return

4th Phase: Receiving and Using the Returned Power

Preparation for the Return

(22) Meditation upon Personal and Group Needs
(23) Induction of Receptivity
(24) Consecration Agreement

Reception of Power from Deity(ies) of the
Occasion

(25) Consecration and Sharing
(26) Acceptance of Individual Blessings
(27) Reinforcement of Group Bonding

(28) Optional: Spell Casting or Rite of
Passage

5th Phase: Unwinding and Ending the Ceremony

(29) Thanking of Entities Invited, in Reverse
Order

(30) Thanking the Gatekeeper & Closing
the Gates

(31) Affirmation of Past/Future Continuity
and Success

(32) Unmerging, Unlinking, Regrounding &
Recentering — Meditation

(33) Draining off Excess Power — The Restoration

Clearcut Ending: Deconsecration of Time &
Space

(34) Final Benediction
(35) Announcement of End
(36) Dissolving the Sigil
(37) Musical Signal

Copyright 1983, 1999 c.e., Isaac Bonewits.
This text file may be freely distributed on the Net, provided
that no editing is done and this notice is included. If you would
like to be on the author’s personal mailing list for upcoming
publications, lectures, song albums, and appearances, send your
snailmail and/or your email address to him at PO Box 372, Warwick,
NY, USA 10990-0372 or via email to ibonewits@neopagan.net.

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