Dedicant’s Path Through the Wheel of the YearWeek 28: The Fifth High Holy Day: An Explanation : Dedicant’s Path Through the Wheel of the YearWeek 28: The Fifth High Holy Day: An Explanation Presented by
Rev. Jessie “Medb” Olson
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Based on Our Own Druidry and The ADF Dedicant Path Through the Wheel of the Year
Review : Review How are you doing with the Two Powers attunement and your meditation or mental discipline?
Did you visit the space where you connect to nature, and continue your nature meditations?
Related to Requirement : Related to Requirement Related to Requirement: #2 – Meaning and Discussion of High Days
Required Reading : Required Reading Our Own Druidry, p. 62 - 74 (Hearth Cultures & High Days)
ADF Constitution, Article 4
The ADF Core Order of Ritual for High Days,
Optional Reading : Optional Reading Our Own Druidry, p. 51 - 75 (The Very Basics of Ritual); Appendix 1: Resources and Rituals for the Wheel of the Year in this book;
Step by Step through a Druid Worship Ceremony,
The "Liturgy and Rituals" section of the ADF page,
The Three Cranes Grove, ADF, outline of ritual (with example prayers),
Introduction : Introduction Normally, next week's lesson will be a recap of the rite you do for this holiday
Since the holiday is not too away we will skip to it and come back to it a few weeks after Spring Equinox.
Introduction : Introduction If your chosen culture does not celebrate a specific feast, remember that most cultures had a festival or feast that would have been similar in intent and form.
It may have been celebrated at a different time of year.
Unfortunately, much of the work of discovering which festival might match up to which High Day must be left to the individual Dedicant.
Your mentor, of course is available for some help, but we urge you to seek out one of the culture-specific email lists to ask questions on.
Quite often, they will be of more help than your mentor can be.
Introduction : Introduction The eight High Days are outlined on pages 62 – 74 of Our Own Druidry.
It gives a short description of the feast.
Use that to find a compatible feast in your hearth culture for that particular High Day.
Introduction : Introduction A lot of the High Holy Days are obviously agrarian-based.
If the High Day feels “irrelevant,” seek our relevance.
Can you find the rhythms of nature in the city?
You can find something fresh and new in your climate that corresponds with this season.
Criteria : Criteria Short essays on each of the eight ADF High Days including a discussion of the meaning of each feast. (125 words min. each)
Criteria : Criteria Inadequate
Word length inadequate
Plagiarism
Doesn't include all high days
Lack of objective, factual analysis of high days
Lacks discussion of common Neopagan traditions for one or more of the eight high days
Criteria : Criteria Adequate
Word length adequate
Includes descriptions all eight high days
Covers common Neopagan (not necessarily a specific culture) traditions and lore associated with each of the eight high days
Criteria : Criteria Excellent
Covers additional cultures
Innovation/creativity
Analysis of evolution of holidays over time
Includes Neopagan traditions along with hearth culture specific practices
Discussion : Discussion Consider how Imbolc is celebrated in your hearth culture, or across hearth cultures.
Are there any myths that are celebrated in connection with this feast?
If so, what are they, and how do they fit in?
Discussion : Discussion What does this holiday or time of year mean to you?
Do you look forward to it?
Are there secular aspects of the holiday that mean a lot to you, or perhaps holdovers or memories of your childhood that you cherish?
How do you know when this day arrives?
Do you look at the calendar, or do you just know it has come?
Discussion : Discussion If you have children (or wish to have children), what key traditions do you wish to pass down to them?
What, if anything, is spiritual or religious to you about this High Day or time of year, and how do you show that?
Are there any traditions that your Grove has for this High Day?
Finally, is there anything else about this holiday that you would like to add?
Discussion : Discussion If you have a local Grove that you attend, then you should already have a rite you can attend.
If you are solitary, though, you will need to write (or borrow) and perform your own ritual for this rite.
Discussion : Discussion Only four High Days are required to be done as ADF rituals,
you don't need to be too concerned with exactly how to do an ADF rite,
you should certainly have something written up,
or else go to the ADF website and find a ritual that will fit your hearth culture and use that.
Discussion : Discussion We do not expect you to be a skilled liturgist this early in the journey.
Make sure that you have a rite ready before you intend to do the ritual, though, because last minute ritual writing is never fun for anyone.
Homework : Homework See Appendix 1 for more information on what the High Day is about,
We have provided a number of links to help you think about the High Days themselves (and included places to find some example rituals for you to work from).
Also, continue visiting the spot that helps keep you connected to Nature.
You might make notes in your Dedicant Notebook about what you see,
or if there are animals that appear often or plants that strike you as intriguing or odd.
Finally, write about your meditation:
experiences, breath pattern, and difficulties . . . all these things are good to write down.