On the Sunday before the Equinox, my kindred (Heathen) met up and heald a blot and had dinner.
There was a lot of pressure on me actually, because only one of us has ever lead ritual (name's Jo) and I asked to lead this one. Not only am I the newest member (joined about six months ago), apparently I was the first person throughout the year or so of the Kindred's existence to ask if I could lead the rite AND this was the first ritual of any kind that I would lead for a group of people. I've done rituals before, but never have a stood in as priest (we don't have a gothi or gythja because a) we're so small, only five oathed members with some pagans who come and go, and b) we want to encourage all of the oathed members to pitch in what they can equally, usually the knowledge to lead a discussion about one of our weekly topics).
Also, nobody came forward to bring in the main meat dish. I had brought it a couple of times, but I said something like "If nobody else comes forward then I can bring something. There's a meatloaf recipe I've been wanting to try anyway" and then they said "Okay, you're bringing mealoaf, got it!" LOL I didn't know that I was signing a contract by saying that! haha I was happy to do it though. The only problem with that was the fact that I didn't know how much one would feed, and there could be as few as four or as many as 15, with the oathed members, six kids and three guests who come regularly but aren't oathed members. I made enough for 15 and about half to have seconds just in case. Then I get there and there are only the oathed members and one of their kids, so I had a LOT of leftover meatloaf haha!
Before the ritual Jo had set up the altar, with the offering bowl and drinking horn, and she said "I feel like something's missing" and I said, really ******* like too just for kicks "Uh, hammer?" she replied with "don't talk to me." It was really funny!
The blot itself was dedicated to the Vanir, as they're associated with the harvest. Being that Autumn has connotations of gratitude and thankfulness via Thanksgiving and other related holidays, that was the main theme of the blot, thanks for the harvest.
After the invocation of the Vanir I talked about how the ancestors celebrated the harvest, and how important it was "for without it, they would die". I talked about how they would give offerings to their gods and their ancestors to express their gratitude.
I said that we can give thanks for a harvest even if we aren't farmers. "Just as we reap the crops from the fields so too we reap friends from our travels and encounters; so too we reap health from our luck and lifestyle; so too we reap our families from our ancestors; so too we reap wealth from the work ethic instilled in us by our mothers, fathers and mentors; so too we reap our own lives from the gods and ancestors".
I had everyone take an apple and infuse it with gratitude through visualization while I read "Think about the food you had today, for there are those who go hungry. Think about your friends, for there are those who are lonely. Think about your health, for there are those lucid about their near mortality. Think about your families, for there are those abandoned by their clan, or they are the last of their name. Think about your wealth, for there are those who will never eat from your silver spoon. Think about your own life, for there are those who have left Midgard." After they had finished, we put the apples on the altar as an offering, so we were directly giving an offering infused with thanks and gratitude.
After the apples we gave the usual cider libation from the horn, made toasts to the Vans, the harvest and the season. We then closed and ate the food we brought. After our meal we had sumble and everyone went home. I stayed behind to talk to Jo about growth and recruitment, because we both are the recruiters for our group.
An overall great time!
There was a lot of pressure on me actually, because only one of us has ever lead ritual (name's Jo) and I asked to lead this one. Not only am I the newest member (joined about six months ago), apparently I was the first person throughout the year or so of the Kindred's existence to ask if I could lead the rite AND this was the first ritual of any kind that I would lead for a group of people. I've done rituals before, but never have a stood in as priest (we don't have a gothi or gythja because a) we're so small, only five oathed members with some pagans who come and go, and b) we want to encourage all of the oathed members to pitch in what they can equally, usually the knowledge to lead a discussion about one of our weekly topics).
Also, nobody came forward to bring in the main meat dish. I had brought it a couple of times, but I said something like "If nobody else comes forward then I can bring something. There's a meatloaf recipe I've been wanting to try anyway" and then they said "Okay, you're bringing mealoaf, got it!" LOL I didn't know that I was signing a contract by saying that! haha I was happy to do it though. The only problem with that was the fact that I didn't know how much one would feed, and there could be as few as four or as many as 15, with the oathed members, six kids and three guests who come regularly but aren't oathed members. I made enough for 15 and about half to have seconds just in case. Then I get there and there are only the oathed members and one of their kids, so I had a LOT of leftover meatloaf haha!
Before the ritual Jo had set up the altar, with the offering bowl and drinking horn, and she said "I feel like something's missing" and I said, really ******* like too just for kicks "Uh, hammer?" she replied with "don't talk to me." It was really funny!
The blot itself was dedicated to the Vanir, as they're associated with the harvest. Being that Autumn has connotations of gratitude and thankfulness via Thanksgiving and other related holidays, that was the main theme of the blot, thanks for the harvest.
After the invocation of the Vanir I talked about how the ancestors celebrated the harvest, and how important it was "for without it, they would die". I talked about how they would give offerings to their gods and their ancestors to express their gratitude.
I said that we can give thanks for a harvest even if we aren't farmers. "Just as we reap the crops from the fields so too we reap friends from our travels and encounters; so too we reap health from our luck and lifestyle; so too we reap our families from our ancestors; so too we reap wealth from the work ethic instilled in us by our mothers, fathers and mentors; so too we reap our own lives from the gods and ancestors".
I had everyone take an apple and infuse it with gratitude through visualization while I read "Think about the food you had today, for there are those who go hungry. Think about your friends, for there are those who are lonely. Think about your health, for there are those lucid about their near mortality. Think about your families, for there are those abandoned by their clan, or they are the last of their name. Think about your wealth, for there are those who will never eat from your silver spoon. Think about your own life, for there are those who have left Midgard." After they had finished, we put the apples on the altar as an offering, so we were directly giving an offering infused with thanks and gratitude.
After the apples we gave the usual cider libation from the horn, made toasts to the Vans, the harvest and the season. We then closed and ate the food we brought. After our meal we had sumble and everyone went home. I stayed behind to talk to Jo about growth and recruitment, because we both are the recruiters for our group.
An overall great time!
