SPRING EQUINOX

Rite Recap: Solitary Spring Equinox Rite, 3/22/08
Location: Home Shrine

From my journal:

"After square dancing tonight, Ron went off to visit our friend John at the bar while I headed home to take care of my religious duties for the equinox festival. I had planned to write up a rite earlier today but I ended up being lazy all day, so I had to sit down and sketch out the rite before I got started. It all came together pretty well, though. I did a pretty bog-standard ADF rite with Hellenic modifications; I've been being pulled in a very Greek direction for months now. I focused on Demeter, as it looks like she's starting to soften up again and things are warming up as spring gets in gear.

The rite went as expected (except for some reason I forgot to light my fire until way later than usual) until I got to the omen. I decided to give Ian Corrigan's 9x9 cards a try since the runes just didn't feel right. I usually read an omen for the Gods, Ancestors and Spirits seperately, asking what they are offering in exchange for what I've given them in the rite. I got three nines... however, the Gods' card was positive but the other two were rather not, and I felt a little unsettled about accepting the return flow with this omen. I meditated on this a bit and realized that while I'd libated and offered to the deities quite extravagantly, I'd paid much less attention to the other two kindreds. I begged their pardon and poured out a large libation for the ancestors and made a large incense offering to the spirits, pledged to pay more attention to them in the coming festival-interval, and took their omens again -- this time with much happier results. Note to self: don't short-change the dead and spirits!"

The first omen was as follows:

The Cauldron of Rebirth is a reminder of the ultimate destiny of most of humankind, and the power of transformation that the Gods manifest in our lives. So far, so good. The Spirit Croft, though -- a reminder to honor and keep the Ancestral Spirits sacred; and Storm, an omen of trouble and Titanic powers that threaten our stability.

I meditated on these omens a bit and realized I felt very uneasy about them. I didn't feel that the Spirits were offering safe harbor in the storm but were warning of anger and misfortune, and the Dead were reminding me that they were not to be taken lightly. I ended up libating most of a bottle of good wine to the ancestors and burning nine sticks of incense in addition to some copal resin and sage for the spirits.

The omens I pulled after the second round of offerings were:

The Need Fire is the power of cosmic Fire in service to humankind and, as Ian notes in his guide to the oracle, is "kindled by the effort of a whole community." The Ancestors seemed to be mollified by my realization of the disservice I had done to them and were offering their renewed assistance. The Feast is another good omen, offering bounty and inspiration from the Spirits.

This omen showing much improvement, I called for the Waters and accepted the return flow from the Kindreds.

In the interval since the Equinox I have done much more work in the realm of my Ancestors, tracing back some branches of my family to before the Norman Conquest and compiling a large list of names to honor at a shrine I am working on. The spirits I have been making an effort to honor every day, by remembering them and by doing my best to tread more lightly on the earth.

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