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Standard Liturgical Outline

(Items in italics represent optional steps)

Preliminary Ritual Activity

Briefing
Individual Meditations & Prayers
Lighting the Sacred Fire(s)
Pouring the Sacred Waters
Optional: Consecrating the Sacred Pole
Optional: Consecrating the Altar & Tools

1st Phase
Starting the Rite and Establishing the Groupmind

Clearcut Beginning: Consecration of Time

Musical Signal
Opening Prayer

Consecration of Space & of Participants

The Processional/Sigil Marking
Purification(s) of Participants
Optional: Purification(s) of Site
Honoring the Earth-Mother

Centering, Grounding, & Merging

The Grove Meditation
Unity Chant/Song
Specification of Ritual Purpose & Historical Precedent
Naming Deity(ies) of the Occasion & Reasons for Choice

2nd Phase
Recreating the Cosmos and Preliminary Power Raising

Creating the Vertical Axis

Planting the Cosmic Tree/Honoring the Sacred Pole
Evoking the Gate Keeper/Defining the Ritual Center
Evoking the Fire & Water Deities & Linking to Center

Gaining Assistance & Preventing Interferences

Invoking the Bardic Deity(ies) or Spirit
Acknowledgement of the Outsiders

Filling Out the Cosmic Picture by Invoking..

Nature Spirits, Ancestors, Deities in Three Worlds or..
Helpful Beings of each World/Realm or..
Helpful Beings by Province/Function or..
(Type and number will vary according to ethnic cosmologies.)
(Possibly different invocations at each of five fires.)
Settling and Focusing

3rd Phase
Major Sending of Power to Deity/ies of the Occasion

Descriptive Invocation of Diety(ies) of the Occasion

Primary Power Raising

Praise Offerings, Dance, Libations, etc.
The Sacrifice
Seeking the Omen of Return

4th Phase
Receiving and Using the Returned Power

Preparation for the Return

Meditation upon Personal and Group Needs
Induction of Receptivity
Consecration Agreement

Reception of Power from Dieity(ies) of the Occasion

Consecration and Sharing
Acceptance of Individual Blessings
Reinforcement of Group Bonding
Optional: Spell Casting or Rite of Passage

5th Phase
Unwinding and Ending the Ceremony

Thanking of Entities Invited, in Reverse Order
Thanking the Gatekeeper & Closing the Gates
Affirmation of Past/Future Continuity and Success
Unmerging, Regrounding & Recentering - Meditation
Draining off Excess Power - The Restoration

Clearcut Ending: Deconsecration of Time and Space

Final Benediction
Announcement of End
Dissolving the Sigil
Musical Signal

This is the standard outline that we would like everyone to use for public or semi-public ADF ceremonies, at least for the eight High Days, for reasons outlined in DP. If its too "High Church" for weekly or biweekly celebration, then shorter versions may be created, but you should send copies of your scripts to DP for sharing with the rest of the membership, along with the reasoning behind your changes.

Remember, an enormous amount of thought and effort has been spent to make this pattern esthetically pleasing, historically plausible, magically powerful, and spiritually satisfying. Please don't casually throw pieces of it away without determining how you're going to get the same effects, or inject portions of non-Druidic rituals (such as "casting a circle," "drawing down the moon," "invoking the Watchtowers," etc.) that make no sense in terms of this liturgy's structure, esthetics, polytheology, or goals. Also remember that the "positions" of the ritual leaders can be combined in several ways, depending upon the individuals and talents available.

Detailed instructions on how to prepare and perform this liturgy will be found in the ADF Liturgical Handbook.

A more filled-in version of the liturgy is also available.

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