A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book (28 page)

• Sink without fear,
  

  without fear in the west, O Sun,
  

   
  

  without fear of our fear,
  

   
  

  without fear that your children will fear.
  

   
  

  For you will rise again,
  

   
  

  you will arise stronger.
  

   
  

  For you will grow again,
  

   
  

  you will grow stronger.
  

   
  

  The tide is turning again, we have no fear,
  

   
  

  for it's Yule.
  

   
  

The God:

• There is beauty in emptiness,
  

  and in the skeleton of trees against the darkening blue of dusk's sky.
  

   
  

  When my teeth chatter in winter's wind, remind me of this,
  

   
  

  God who dwells in the dark as well as the light.
  

   
  

Rain Spirits:

• Winter rain, are your drops tears because no one praises you?
  

  Here are my words for your beauty:
  

   
  

  may it be tears of joy you pour down.
  

   
  

Sun:

• All through the growing season it was you whose light allowed the growing:
  

  How can we not praise you, here in the darkness?
  

   
  

  All through the growing season it was you whose heat allowed the growing:
  

   
  

  How can we not praise you, here in the cold?
  

   
  

  All through the growing season it was through your heat and light that there was growing at all:
  

   
  

  How then can we not praise you, standing here in the cold and darkness,
  

   
  

  even as our souls cry for heat and light:
  

   
  

  You are found even when hidden.
  

   
  

Snow Spirits:

• Tomorrow I will no doubt curse you as I drive to work.
  

  I hope you will forgive then, remembering how you charmed.
  

   
  

• First snow, tuck the earth in under your feather quilt,
  

  keep her safe till spring.
  

   
  

• On each flake ride
  

  to the waiting below,
  

   
  

  the whitening world,
  

   
  

  Spirits of Snow.
  

   
  

Conducting a rite of passage at a special time of life makes it just that—special. It says: “Pay attention, this moment
means
something.” But this can be done in mundane ways—birthday candles are blown out, a marriage license is signed, an obituary is written and published. A rite of passage does more. It creates the change it observes. It changes the person who undergoes it. It calls upon the power of the divine to make the person a different one. If a secular tradition whispers, “This is special,” a sacred ritual “hits you up side the head.”

Most of the prayers in this chapter aren't intended to be used by themselves. They belong embedded in a longer ritual, perhaps one constructed of other prayers in this book. They can make a secular wedding sacred or they can make a wake a Pagan one. Most of all, they can make a new person.

• Each moment of my life, born and dying away,
  

  I place in offering on your altar, All-Gods.
  

   
  

• Which of you Gods, which of you Goddesses,
  

  have helped bring this child into our world?
  

   
  

  Whether one, or a few, or many, or all,
  

   
  

  even if I don't know which ones you are, I thank you;
  

   
  

  those who should receive my thanks, please do.
  

   
  

• May your pockets never be empty,
  

  may your hands never be closed.
  

   
  

  May you receive graciously,
  

   
  

  may you give gladly.
  

   
  

  May you be a pleasure to know,
  

   
  

  may you always be among friends.
  

   
  

  Long life, happy life,
  

   
  

  beautiful life, useful life.
  

   
  

  We bless you today:
  

   
  

  may you always be blessed.
  

   
  

The God:

• A father's love seems hard,
  

  Father of All,
  

   
  

  but is freedom to do,
  

   
  

  is challenge to act.
  

   
  

  As you open before my child life's responsibility
  

   
  

  walk beside [her/him] as Guide.
  

   
  

The Goddess:

• Seeing the child to whom I have given birth
  

  I think of you, forever giving birth to all.
  

   
  

  You are the perfect mother, even with so many children.
  

   
  

  May I be as perfect a mother to this one child,
  

   
  

  never achieving that goal,
  

   
  

  but finding in it not despair but dedication.
  

   
  

• You who give birth to all things, living and nonliving,
  

  this child of yours offers this child of yours to you.
  

   
  

Helios:

• Open your eyes, little child,
  

  “Open them,” is the prayer of Helios, who lights the world.
  

   
  

  Open your eyes to the beauty of your life.
  

   
  

• We welcomed you to life.
  

  We welcomed you to birth.
  

   
  

  We welcomed you to your family.
  

   
  

  And now, by giving you this name, we welcome you to society.
  

   
  

  This will be how you will introduce yourself to others:
  

   
  

  “Hi, my name is [name],”
  

   
  

  and they will reply,
  

   
  

  “Hi, [name]; glad to meet you.”
  

   
  

  So this is what we are saying today:
  

   
  

  “Hi, [name]; glad to meet you.”
  

   
  

• We give you the name [name], little one,
  

  such a big gift for such a little person.
  

   
  

  Though you are too young to accept it yourself,
  

   
  

  and to thank its givers,
  

   
  

  your parents accept it in your stead,
  

   
  

  this name given in love,
  

   
  

  by those who look forward to your hearing it joyfully.
  

   
  

• With this word, with your name, [name],
  

  we weave you into the web of words, which together sing the love of the God and Goddess.
  

   
  

The Goddess:

• You give birth, and know the pains and joys of
  

  bringing children into the world.
  

   
  

  You watch us grow, and know the worries parents share for their children.
  

   
  

  You bless all in general with the protection a mother brings.
  

   
  

  Bless this child in particular, whom we bring to you today to be given a name,
  

   
  

  Goddess, lover of children.
  

   
  

• May your name be a bead in the necklace of souls around the neck of the Great Goddess,
  

  decorating Her beauty,
  

   
  

  adding to it its own.
  

   
  

• Brighid, and Ogmios, and Apollo, and Hermes, and Tahuti, and V
  c:
  

  and all the deities
  

   
  

  and all the Ancestors,
  

   
  

  all who guide children in learning.
  

   
  

  Whether I know you and have worshipped you,
  

   
  

  Whether
  anyone
  has known you or ever worshipped you,
  

   
  

  today's offerings are for you,
  

   
  

  to ask you to guide this child in [his/her] education from this day/to thank you for your guidance of this child on [his/her] graduation day.
  

   
  

• Your pencils the spears of Lugh,
  

  your lunch the fire of Brighid,
  

   
  

  your notebooks the tablets of Oghma.
  

   
  

  Go to school with the gods,
  

   
  

  go to school with the blessings of the gods,
  

   
  

  go to school under their protections.