Grove of the Other Gods, Ár nDraíocht Féin
Druid Ritual MetaPrompter Outline -- Trance Journey to Manannan Mac Lir (2009)
by Monika (& gate-opening couplets by Hillary)


Start- 3 Chimes (Apple Branch w/ Bells) :___________________________________________
       "We Are Here to honor the Gods,
       Old ones who give life to all that is, give to us Your presence."

Earth Mother Invocation : ________Norma______________

Statement of Purpose
“This year we are honoring our Grove Patron, Manannan Mac Lir, in His form as Magician,
Illusionist, and Revealer of Secrets. Last year, we witnessed his Tempest of Emotions, and now we
are together in the peaceful calm after the storm. The Spring Equinox is also the time of year
when all of us as a Grove combine the waters of our many Wells into the Community Well.”

Meditation
“Ok everyone, I would like for you to make yourself comfortable. Stretch out all the kinks in your body, shake them all out, and take a nice, deep breath. If you feel comfortable, close your eyes. Take another deep breath, relaxing your muscles, starting with your toes, then your legs, then your thighs. Take another deep breath, slower, relax your torso, then your chest, and now your back. Slowly, take another deep breath, letting out all your tension and relaxing your shoulders, then your arms, and now your hands. Take another deep breath, slowly, release the tension in your neck, your face, and one last deep breath, and release all tension everywhere. You feel relaxed, at ease, and comfortable.

You begin to notice a warm, inviting light just above your head. It slowly become brighter and brighter, and you take a deep breath, and you are on a wooden dock, standing before a great, gleaming white ship. You look to your left and your right, and notice that your grovemates are standing on the dock with you. You feel the warm sun on your skin, and smell the slightly briny sea air. You take a deep breath, and look towards the end of the dock. A gangway is there. You start to walk towards it, and your grovemates fall in line with you. You take a deep breath, and hear a seagull cry out. As you look past the ship to spot it, you notice that the ocean is very calm, very peaceful. You feel very confident that this journey will be a relaxed one. You take another deep breath, and begin to make your way up the gangway, towards the deck of the ship. You look towards the bow, and notice that this ship is named the Ocean Sweeper. As you pass the Captain at the gated entrance, he gives you a small salute, and you smile to yourself. You pass him, and shuffle into the cue. You take a deep breath, and walk up a slight incline, and turn to the left. You look up to the sky, and can feel a slight chill in the air from the wind. It is blowing from the North, and you extend your senses outwards. You follow the coastline, up through New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. You continue into Canada, taking a deep breath, and feeling the crisp air on your skin as you begin to smell the sharpness of glaciers and frozen ice. You continue North until you pass by Greenland & Iceland and see the dark oceans. Your senses return to you on the gangway, and as you take another deep breath, you make your way further up the incline, and turn to the right. The vastness of the Atlantic Ocean stretches on for miles to the East, and you see calm, gently flowing waves all the way to Europe. You take a deep breath, and hear the Captain pull the long horn, a boarding call. You continue up the inclined gangway, following the roped cue, and make another left. You look around at your fellow grovemates, and feel a little bit of humidity at your back. You turn and look South, to where the Atlantic Ocean turns green and the sand turns white and smooth. You take another deep breath, and smell the tropical scents of mango, coconut, and pineapple. You extend your senses outwards, and can hear a steady bass beat. You return to the gangway, and continue to make your way up the cue. You follow the person in front of you, and make another turn to the right. You’re not really sure where you are, until you hear a taxi honking. You tilt your head, and hear the sounds of the city to the West. You extend your senses outwards and smell the sickly sweet smell of rotting garbage, along with pizza and elephant ears, the typical shore food. You take a deep breath, and see past the shore, further West to New Brunswick, through Pennsylvania and the Midwest, past the Rocky Mountains and the Deserts, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. You return to the gangway and notice that you have finally reached the end of the cue. You take a deep breath, find a seat on the deck in the shade, and prepare for departure.

The Captain pulls a final blow on the horn, signaling that anchors are hoisted up. You look out over the sides, and notice that there is not a cloud in the sky, the sun is bright and warm, and the ocean is calm. You barely feel the ship pull away from the dock, sail past the harbor, and make its way into the open ocean.

You notice that the other grovemates are walking about the ship, and you decided to get up and look out over the calm ocean. You take a deep breath, and as you look out over the side, you see how large it is, the steely blue-grey waves slowly lap against the hull of the ship. You look further down into the ocean, and begin to feel gently surrounded by the comfortable darkness of the deep. You realize that the Ocean Sweeper is floating on the surface of a Great Well, and you honor its presence in your journey (Well, accept our offering).
As you bring your awareness back to the deck of the ship, you take a deep breath, and feel the warm sunlight against your body. You extend your awareness up, up through the mast of the ship, up past the Crow’s Nest, and up into the sky. You feel warmed all over, and a certain lightness of the spirit passes over you. You realize that the Sunlight is touching everything with its pure rays, all the way down to the ocean. You realize that you are being watched over by a Great Fire, and you honor its presence in your journey (Fire, accept our offering).
The Captain pulls the horn in two short bursts, and you look around at the ship. You take a deep breath, and move closer to a section of the deck. It is built from strong and flexible Yew wood, and feels smooth as you glide your hand along it. You extend your senses further, and can see intricately carved whorls and spirals in the wood, and as you look around the ship, you realize that every piece of deck, chair, mast, and hull is carved with these beautiful designs. You realize that you are riding on a Great Forest of Yew Trees, and you honor its presence in your journey (Tree, accept our offering).

The Captain pulls the horn in one long honk, and you look to the skies. Small wispy clouds have formed on the horizon, but as you are still riding on a sturdy ship across the calm ocean, you do not feel afraid. You take a deep breath, and notice that the clouds have slowly begun to gather more substance, and are descending towards the ship. You and your other grovemates find your way back to your seats, and calmly sit down. The wispy clouds have now surrounded the ship in a fine warm mist; you cannot see more than a few feet in front of you, but as the Sun’s rays penetrate parts of the mist in funny angles, and the ship is still sailing smoothly, you do not feel afraid. The Captain pulls the horn in three short bursts, and the mist begins to dissipate. As you look out over the bow of the ship, you see that you’ve arrived at an Island. The ship pulls up to a wooden dock, and you can see lush green grasses, fragrant flowers, and groves of Apple Trees everywhere. The gangway descends, and you follow your grovemates down onto the dock. The Captain is there to greet you, and as you approach closer, you realize that it is Manannan Mac Lir, the Ferryman who has taken you safely across the ocean to his home on Emain Ablach, the Isle of Apples.

Invocation of a Gatekeeper : _______Hillary_____(Manny #1)____
Open the Gates : _______Hillary____________

Sometimes I can't help but feeling that I am living a life of illusion
and oh, why can't we let it be and see through the holes in the wall of confusion
(Joe Walsh).

Illusions are confusions are bemusements are removements are amusements are
illusions are confusions.

Open gnarly gates to venture into hidden minds and find your unwashed fates.

Rhyme and reason are kidnapped to the castle in the sky
we'll climb the beanstalk upward and their conversations spy

In my mimsy borogroves hides the cyan jub-jub bird
It feeds upon the scrapple of my patently absurd

Aboard the ship you've felt the toss of my most mighty well
and now my loves it is a gate that tips and turns and swells

The sun is such a mighty force it needs no introduction
Now it is a mirror gate to show our soul's reflection

The ship I steered you here is wood and through its mighty lee
it is a gate, it is our staff a mighty apple tree

now my island is a hearth which learn to cope in
now i swear on the ocean's soul Let the Gates Be Open!
(couplets by Hillary)

Honor and acknowledge the Outsiders: ___________________________ (prep this person, perhaps the Outsiders would prefer to stay on the ship?)

Invocation of a Muse    (& Song) : ____________Jenniforensic____ (Manny #2)___________

Ancestors Invocation    (& Song) : _________________________ (Jenni begins “Grandmother/Grandfather”)

Nature Spirits & Spirits of Place Invocation  (& Song) : _____________________________ (Jenni begins “Fur & Feather”)

Goddesses and Gods Invocation   (& Song) : ______________________________ (Jenni begins “Hail all the Gods”)

Invocation of Main Deity   (& Song): ______Monika______(Manny #3)______
(random notes about what to say… yadda yadda yadda J )

Praise Offerings (as the grove members bring Praise to Manannan, also have them pout their waters into the Community Well)

Main Sacrifice (if there is one) (eh, could be spontaneous…)

Omen Reading (and, for this ritual, also Well Blessing and Magical working)
I will stand and make my way to the Magical Well w/ the beveled mirror, Crane Bag underneath the table. Jenniforensic as Manny #1/Muse will start the group in “Shuili na Wanannan…”.
Hillary as Manny #2/Gatekeeper will begin to pace the group, giving each person enough time to make his/her way to the Magical Well, look for his/her Omen in the water, hear any spontaneous speech that Manannan wishes to make, and take his/her tangible Omen from the Crane Bag. As each person leaves, the next one will be guided to me by Hillary. After all the grovemates go, then Jenniforensic and Hillary will each have a turn, look for their Omens, get their tangible Omens from the Crane Bag, and make their way back to the group, carrying the Magical Well. I will grab the Crane Bag and pull 3 Omens (or whatever’s left) for the Group Omen.

This where we hold up the Well (both) and have everyone focus their energy.

Catechism of the Waters:
Druid:  Of what does the Earth Mother give
                       that we may know of the eternal renewal
                       of Her blessings?
Response:               THE WATERS OF LIFE
Druid:  And from whence do these Waters flow?
Response:       FROM THE BOSOM OF THE EARTH MOTHER,
                               THE EVER-CHANGING ALL-MOTHER
Druid:  And has She given forth of Her bounty?
Response:               YOU BETCHA!!!!
Druid:  Then gimme those Waters!
               (the next bit is optional)
               (main deity), (kindreds),
               Hear us and hallow these waters.
hit water jugs with sickel
Bless and Pass Waters :
3 pourers __________________________________________________________
3 passers-out: ______________________________________________________

As the waters are going around, Monika/Manny #3 will play a few Sea Shanties and Pirate Songs to help keep the energy up. Jenniforensic & Hillary might get the grove going with clapping, stomping, etc.
Behold! The Waters of Life!
               (EVERYBODY DRINKS, well, if they choose to accept their Omens J )

       Thank You Main Deity(ies)
       ''                  Goddesses and Gods,
       ''                  Nature Spirits
       ''                  Ancestors
       ''                  Muse
       ''                  Earth Mother
       
       Thank You Gatekeeper
Ask GATEKEEPER to close Gates : ___Hillary____ (possible imagery of Closing the Gates on the Gangway of the Dock, Manny’s coming back with us to Party, though!)
       "This Rite is ended."