Grove Opening
- Altar Setup
Each group member should have their altar set up in front of them or somewhere nearby, decorated however they wish, with four items representing the four elements.- Earth in the north (sand, salt, or soil)
- Air in the east (incense, or if that’s not possible, a bowl with a feather)
- Fire in the south (a candle)
- Water in the west (a bowl of water).
Phrases in Blue are said by group members, in RED are actions by group members.
To Begin the Ceremony: Group leader announces that it is time to open the grove.
Members light their incense and candle, quietly contemplate their intentions, and take a few moments to clear away unrelated thoughts and feelings.
Leader: May the Powers support, guide and connect us as we open our Nemeton. Let us all declare peace in the four quarters and in our own personal spaces. Leader goes first, then calls on each member to declare peace in their part of the world:
I declare peace in the four quarters and in my sacred space here in ________.
Pause, feeling peace radiating within and without, with the intent to spread peace to the entire group.
Leader: Peace surrounds and connects us in all four quarters
and beyond. Our work in this Nemeton can now proceed.
Let us each purify our spaces and the group with the powers of the elements.
May the space within, around and between us be purified with Air.
Pick up your Air element and, facing east, hold it up in offering, then turn and hold it toward the group. While you do this, imagine a current of yellow light streaming in from the east and forming a sphere of yellow light around the group. Sense the element of Air within and around you.
Leader: May the space within, around and between us be purified with Fire.
Pick up your Fire element and, facing south, hold it up in offering, then turn and hold it toward the group. While you do this, imagine a current of red light streaming in from the south and forming a sphere of red light around the group. Sense the element of Fire within and around you.
Leader: May the space within, around, and between us be purifed with Water.
Pick up your Water element and, facing west, hold it up in offering, then turn and hold it toward the group. While you do this, imagine a current of blue light streaming in from the west and forming a sphere of blue light around the group. Sense the element of Water within and around you.
Leader: May the space within, around, and between us be purifed with Earth.
Pick up your Earth element and, facing north, hold it up in offering, then turn and hold it toward the group. While you do this, imagine a current of green light streaming in from the north and forming a sphere of green light around the group. Sense the element of Earth within and around you.
Leader: We now invoke the powers with the words that have been a bond among all druids:
Leader: begins reciting the blessing; group joins in reciting the words in boldface at the end of the sentences.
Leader: Grant, O holy ones, thy protection;
And in protection, strength;
And in strength, understanding;
And in understanding, knowledge;
And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;
And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it;
And in that love, the love of all existences;
And in the love of all existences, the love of Earth our mother and all goodness.
All: AWEN, AWEN, AWEN
(intoned in long syllables, Ah-Oh-En)
Grove Sphere Of Protection
To begin, face East. Visualize Drus and its intense light coming from its source. With arms out at one’s side and palms facing up, say.
Leader: Nemetona the sacred, Lady of the borders
Brings both arms up from the sides in an arc, palms join above the head, visualizing a light from the source of Drus as a golden sphere above you
Leader: Esus the first Druits, tender of Drus
Bring joined palms down to touch the point of the solar plexus. Visualizing the sphere descending to create a second sphere of golden light reaching your solar plexus
Leader: Belinos the shinning, tender of fire and water
Leaving the left hand in the same position, move the right hand outwards at the elbow turn head to the right. Visualizing a stream of light coming from your solar plex into the right of you
Leader: Carnonnos the shepherd, watcher of all
Repeat above but with the left hand
Leader: May the Dêuoi protect me in this realm
Cross arms at the chest, Right over the left arm. Turn your head now into a downward position. Visualize two streams of golden light coming from the sphere at the Solar plex shoot from in front of you and behind you
All: Auenâ srourâ
Leader: At the yellow gate of Drus, the flowing winds of change bring with it the Raven of insight into the new day, I call upon the Air
Face East Draw the symbol of the element of Air in front of you in yellow
All: May I be granted the blessings of Air this day, I thank the Air for its gifts.
Draw the symbol of the element of Air counterclockwise in front of you
Leader: I banish from within and around me all harmful and disturbing influences and every imbalance of the nature of Air. I banish these things far from this place
Leader: By the red gate of Drus, the creative flames of the divine spark, the great bull of the cosmos runs here I call upon the Fire.
Face South Draw the symbol of the element of Fire in front of you in red
All: May I be granted the blessings of Fire this day, I thank the Fire for its gifts
Draw the symbol of the element of Fire counterclockwise in front of you
Leader: I banish from within and around me all harmful and disturbing influences and every imbalance of the nature of Fire. I banish these things far from this place
Leader: By the blue gate of Drus, the streaming waters of life and death, the great well that feeds, salmon brings its wisdom from the great well, I call upon the Water.
Face west Draw the symbol of the element of Water in front of you in blue
All: May I be granted the blessings of Water this day, I thank the Water for its gifts
Draw the symbol of the element of Water counterclockwise in front of you
Leader: I banish from within and around me all harmful and disturbing influences and every imbalance of the nature of Water. I banish these things far from this place
Leader: By the green gate of Drus, the deep soil that connects, the roots to the the canopy for all life to be , great boar that runs upon the the ground,I call upon the Earth
Face North Draw the symbol of the element of Earth in front of you in green
All: May I be granted the blessings of Earth this day, I thank the Earth for its gifts
Draw the symbol of the element of Earth counterclockwise in front of you
Leader: I banish from within and around me all harmful and disturbing influences and every imbalance of the nature of Earth. I banish these things far from this place
Leader: By the orange gate of Drus, the cosmos beneath this grove, in the depths of Dubnos that you grow, I call upon Dêuoi Below
Face East and go to the north side of the altar facing South. Draw the symbol of Spirit Below down and in front of you in orange
All: May your telluric current rise and bless me/this Grove with the blessing and power of the Dêuoi below. I thank the Dêuoi Below for their gifts
Leader: By the purple gate of Drus, the cosmos above this Grove, at the zenith that you grow in Albios, I call upon Dêuoi Above
Draw the symbol of Spirit Above above you, a circle clockwise from the uppermost point in purple
All: May the solar current descend and bless me/this Grove with the blessing and power of the Dêuoi above for their gifts, I thank the Dêuoi Above for their gifts
Leader: By the Dêuoi here in Bitus invoked and by the grand word by which Drus is
All: Auenâ srourâ
Leader:I invoke Dêuoi Within . May a stream of the lunar current bless and protect this Me/Nemeton, and further its work. May it establish a sphere of protection around this Nemeton and all within it.”
Visualize a white sphere within you grow from your core and encase your whole being
Leader: I thank the Dêuoi for their blessings
Cross arms at your chest, Visualize the Solar and Telluric streams forming a sphere of great white light. See the lights from each of the directions forming into the great white sphere. See the sphere grow all around you and circle horizontally, vertically, and this is creating a great sphere of protection just like Orbion
All: We thank the Dêuoi for their blessings
Grove Closing
Leader: May the Powers support and connect us as we close our Nemeton. With thanks and hopes for peace we release the powers of Air.
Group members hold Air up toward the East.
Imagine the yellow light of Air flowing back to its sources in the East.
Leader: With thanks and hopes for peace we release the powers of Fire.
Group members hold Fire up toward the South.
Imagine the red light of Fire flowing back to its sources in the South.
Leader: With thanks and hopes for peace we release the powers of Water.
Group members hold Water up toward the West.
Imagine the blue light of Water flowing back to its sources in the West.
Leader: With thanks and hopes for peace we release the powers of Earth.
Group members hold Earth up toward the North.
Imagine the green light of Earth flowing back to its sources in the North.
Leader: Peace reigns within and among us. Let any power remaining from our working be returned to the Earth for her blessing.
Members hold hands out, palms down.
(Any grove working leaves some energy behind it, which can usually be sensed as a mood, a feeling, or a subtle sense of presence in the space. Imagine this energy flowing from your hands, down into the earth, and then down to the earth’s center. Keep concentrating on this until your space feels clear of any leftover energy). In the following, the leader begins and the group joins in with the words in bold.
Leader: We now invoke the Sword of Swords.
From the rising Sun, three rays of light;
From the living Earth, three stones of witness;
From the eye and mind and hand of wisdom, three rowan staves of all knowledge.
From the fire of the Sun, the forge;
From the bones of the Earth, the steel;
From the hand of the wise, the shaping;
From these, Excalibur.
Visualize a great medieval sword with the hilt up and the point down, hovering in the air before you, and raise your hand in salute, toward the other group members.
Leader: By the Sword of Swords, we pledge our faithful service to the living Earth, our home and mother.
All: AWEN. (Ah-Oh-En)
As you chant the word, imagine the sword dissolving into pure light, which draws
together into the image of the Sun. Turn your hand upward as if catching the dissolving light and bring your hand to your heart.
Leader: Group has ended but our bond remains. Until we next meet, may we hold the peace of the grove in our hearts so we can share it with the living world.
Gaulish Hearth & Earth 