Prairie Sky ADF

ADF Grove Champaign - Urbana

Imbolc Omens

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Hail The Grove and Friends!

Here are the Omens as taken by Ashley Price at our annual Imbolc Ritual. The Omens were taken with Ogham.

How were our offerings received?

Dair, the oak. This is the highest praise indeed, as dair is associated with all the good things, cosmological order (read; The Gods), etc. They were very happy with us last night.

What blessings do the kindred offer in return?

Beith, the birch. Beith is fid of new beginnings, of purification, of the first trees to return after a fire. As our grove is at a turning point, this is a good blessing to receive at this time.

What further work do the kindred request?

Ngetal, the broom, the work of the healer. On Friday I spoke of the work of healing and the charge we have to offer healing for wrongs committed, or whatever we see and makes sense to us. My original goal for this grove was (and remains) being a source of healing modern alienation, of building positive connection in a troubled time. My interpretation Friday night focused on that.

And then someone reminded me that our next rite is dedicated to the three Irish Gods of healing, Dian Cecht, Miach, and Airmid.

So, that might very well be the most literal omen ever. I love it when they make it easy on us. — Ashley

Catching Up On Omens

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Hail The Grove!

Omens. Good or Bad. They come and they go. It’s the lessons we must listen to, allow to sink in, give deep thought, and decide how we will move forward.

The Omens from Samhain and Yule have yet to be posted. Here is the remedy.

Samhain

The Omens were read by Dawn Borries.

From Dawn: Omens to Samhain. Blessings is Strength. Through gentleness with self, the situation or with others do we show our true strength and are we able to tame the situation. Work to do, find your passion, so that you may add your fire to the fire of others and shed light in dark.places. How our blessing and work.reward us and the community, we can help others see that what stands in front of them or behind should not be feared. Help them cuts ties with that which does reward them or serve their higher good.

Yule

The Yule Omens were taken by Ashley Price

From Ashley:
Ogham is an interesting system, in that there are aspects of the meanings that are quite standardized, but I find almost no true consensus among modern authors and seers. My interpretations are heavily influenced by the work of Erynn Rowan Laurie, and are based largely on the word ogham with a bit of my own ecological intuition. 

I have a set of standard questions I ask with all of my personal rites, which I used on Friday. Each fid listed will include the traditional kennings (all 3 sources) as well as my own interpretation.

-How have our offerings been received? Queirt

“Shelter of a hind”
“Force of the man” 
“shelter of a wild hind”

Queirt is associated with the apple tree, which appears frequently in Irish tales as a token for passage to the Otherworld. Queirt is accordingly this communication with the Otherworld, the ability to speak to the folk of the sid and the Gods. 

The Kindreds have received our offerings and heard our praise. 

-What blessings do the Kindreds offer in return? Muin

“Strongest of effort”
“Condition of slaughter, to wit, a man’s back”
“path of the voice” 

Muin is associated with the vine, the plant that grows on the scaffolding of others, as well as which gives us wine. While there’s a Dionysian element in muin, I see it more as the fid of proliferation, of growth and abundance, and focus largely on the kenning “path of the voice.” The Kindreds offer us great blessings, and the tools to find our voice as a grove, that we may grow and prosper together. 

-What further work do the Kindreds request? Straif

“Strongest reddening”
“Increasing of secrets”
“Seeking of clouds”

I personally feel no connection with the tree ogham for straif. Many modern authors take straif as a homonym for the English word “strife” and interpret accordingly. I disagree, and prefer Laurie’s interpretation of straif as the fid of alchemical transformation. 

This is the fid of magic, of change. With straif you can get deeper into the webs of wyrd and learn how to harness those powers. Magic wrought through skill, and not just as a gift from the Gods. 

I mentioned on Friday that this is a more esoteric reading than I would have expected for a public High Day rite, but good omens indeed. 

For those of you who read ogham, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And for those of you who don’t, I’d appreciate your reactions to what you heard on Friday, or what I’ve written here.

That’s A Wrap

Thank you all for being a part of the Grove whether you’re a member or a guest. You’re all welcome by our fire!

Tough Love – Lughnasadh Omens 2018

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The Omens from our Lughnasadh 2018 Rite.

Prairie Sky DP students add this to your essay for the High Day. I’m going to include much more than usual here since there were so many questions after the ritual.

First up, the Ancestors and Mighty Dead. Hagalaz. A crisis with a blessing inside. Every hail stone melts as a seed for growth. First comes the storm. The blessing is that seed, the promise of growth, and the strength to get through anything just as our ancestors did in their own days.

The Old English Rune Poem says:

Hail is the whitest of grains,
It comes from high in heaven,
Showers of wind hurl it,
Then it turns to water.

It’s a grain. A seed. It just comes with the storm that hurls it where it must grow, and that place is our group. Why? It’s time to read what we’ve sown through our work. It isn’t easy, and this is much more mystical in it’s shape. We’ve grown. We are changing in little ways that will find some tough times. Hagalaz from the Ancestors says stand on our principles, move through the storm with our eyes on what really matters as a group, and we shall find a new seed of transformation.

Now for the Nature Spirits. Landveattir and Lightalfar all. Tiwaz. A rune of Justice and self sacrifice. Again, this is for the group. We must act wisely as this is a message in the form of a blessing. A reminder that the Noble spirits will not be forgotten. In fact, as I drove back to Mattoon I wondered if any of us made offerings to the land spirits of the ritual site upon arrival. A little hello and thank you? I wonder because this is a North star as well. A not so gentle reminder that it isn’t all about the Gods at Harvest. It is about the Harvest on a deeper level. Self sacrifice. Push your own selfish needs to the side, and serve the group. Nothing severe or demanding. No need to lose a hand. Think of ways we can work in the world for the benefit of this Kindred. Always.

Old English Rune Poem:

Tir is a star,
It keeps faith well
With athlings,
Always on its course
Over the mists of night
It never fails.

Nobility called for with the Noble spirits. Fitting. Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this during reading the Omens. Faery nudges?

Finally, the Shining Ones. The moment I just knew we were about to get more hard hugs. And that we did. Kinda. Thurisaz. As I so eloquently stole from Game of Thrones, harvest means Winter is Coming. The Gods and Goddesses are offering protection. They’re urging us to take stock of what we are holding on to that needs to be dealt with. Harvest those difficult crops. Look out for each other. Come closer together, especially in the growing darkness.

The Old English Rune Poem:

Thurs is very sharp;
For every thane
who grasps it; it is harmful,
And exceedingly cruel
To every man
Who likes upon them.

It’s a much more brutal form of protection which lines up with the other omens.

Why?

The group is growing. What started with three of us has become something quite amazing. Growing comes with challenges, and at some point lessons must be harvested. We have left the bright half of the year, and now we come closer to the darkness. This is a time to pull together as a group – self sacrifice. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds with our values. It’s a time to look out for each other, and see our way through whatever crisis is to come. On the other side of all this are good tidings and strong union.

Would you yet know more?