Calendar of the Sun for May 31st

31 Thrimilchimonath

Day of Stella Maris

Color: Blue
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a blue cloth set a single blue candle, a silver star, and the figure of a ship.
Offerings: Guide another through a treacherous time.
Daily Meal: Seafood.

Invocation to Stella Maris

Lady of the Ocean
Star of the Sea
You who guide the lost ships
To their safe harbors,
You who guide all of us
When we think to look heavenward,
Show us the way home.
(All reply, “Show us the way home.”)
Though storms seize us
And throw us off course,
Though lightning strikes us
And salt wind bites our faces
Like the brine of tears,
Show us the way home.
(All reply, “Show us the way home.”)
Though we fear for our lives,
Though we seem forever lost,
Shine your light above us
That we may always look up
And be comforted
In the midst of all disaster.
Lady of the Ocean
Star of the Sea,
Show us the way home.
(All reply, “Show us the way home.”)

Chant:
Stella Maris
Star of the Sea
Star of the light
That beckons to me.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for May 30th

30 Thrimilchimonath

Meinherjar: Feast of Valhalla

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon a red cloth lay many weapons, a horn of mead, and four red candles.
Offering: Tend the graves of the honored dead.
Daily Meal: Beef.

Meinherjar Invocation

Hail to the fallen dead!
Hail to the brave ones
Who fought to the end,
Whether the enemy was disease
Or failure of the body
Or weariness of soul
Or the hate of another.
Hail to those who fell
Guarding the helpless and weak!
Hail to those who fell
Defending the land of their ancestors!
Hail to those who fell
Righting great wrongs!
Hail to those who fell
Succumbing to the powers
Of the creeping deaths
And their dark cousins.
Show us the truth, legions of Valhalla!
The only straw death,
The only dishonorable death,
Is one where Death is met
Not as an honorable opponent
Or a welcome bridegroom
But as a fearsome master
To be groveled before.
Give us your courage, legions of Valhalla!

(The horn of mead is passed around, and each names a member of the fallen dead that they particularly respect. The rest is poured out as a libation to the dead. Each steps forward, takes a weapon from the altar, and bears it from the room in honor.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for May 29th

29 Thrimilchimonath

Ambarvalia – Sprouting Corn Day

Color: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a green cloth set a pot in which shoots of some kind of grain have surfaced, ready for transplanting.
Offering: Carefully nurture some fragile dream.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian

Ambarvalia Invocation

Great Demeter of the fields,
Mistress of all the crops
That are grown to the benefit of Man,
Kore, daughter of the springtime earth,
And the Lares of the home
Who watch over us all,
We honor you today in our work.
For some things are too tender
To be thrown to the cold earth
Exposed to frost and chill
In a place they were not born to walk.
Teach us that it is right and proper
To nurture these tender things,
To give them strength and protection,
To water them with what they need
To manifest themselves,
And never to chide them for their weakness.
And even if they live but for one season,
To cherish their short lives
And be glad that they once appeared on Earth.
Help us to nurture our most delicate dreams
That they may rise whole and sturdy
When the sun and the season allow it.

Chant:
We plant you with our love
We plant you with our hope

(The pots of green shoots are taken outside and carefully transplanted into the soil. Each touches them, waters them, and says, “So I nurture my dreams.”)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for May 27th

Calendar of the Moon

Hawthorn Tree Month

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a cloth of purple place a vase of the budded hawthorn twigs, a knife, incense of gardenia and marjoram, and a figure of the Goddess.
Offerings: Contemplate something that is both beautiful and painful.
Daily Meal: Serve fruit juice with the food.

Huath Invocation
Call: Now is the time of the flower’s blossoming.
Response: Now is the time when the hand reaches forth to pluck.
Call: Now is the time when we struggle with our instincts…
Response: To take beauty for ourselves, or to leave it in its place.
Call: Now is the time when we must remember that all plants are not ours.
Response: We did not plant the forest, and it does not belong to us.
Call: We were not the first beings on this earth.
Response: We have come young and late, and the trees look down upon us.
Call: They groan from the centuries of our meddling.
Response: They grow thorns to protect themselves.
Call: Now is the time when the hawthorn goddess steps forward.
Response: Now is the time when the heartless lady lifts her hand.
Call: Now is the time of great beauty in the world.
Response: Now is the time when Nature protects her beauty.
Call: The hawthorn goddess stabs us to the heart with beauty.
Response: She reminds us of our place in the world.
Call: She reminds us that we do not own this green planet.
Response: She reminds us that our grasping fingers can still bleed.
Call: She makes the hedges that our animals cannot cross.
Response: She sets the boundaries that no man may cross.
Call: She makes our hearts beat faster or slower.
Response: Her berries are sweet, but she protects them.
Call: We must respect her as we respect the Earth….
Response: The Green Man falls before her, heedless and headless.
Call: She is the blade of all trees, and we shed our blood for her.
Response: She is the teeth of Nature, and we give way before her might.

Chant:
Cauldron of Changes
Blossom of Bone
Arc of Eternity
Hole in the Stone

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for May 26th

Hawthorn Tree Month

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a cloth of purple place a vase of the budded hawthorn twigs, a knife, incense of gardenia and marjoram, and a figure of the Goddess.
Offerings: Contemplate something that is both beautiful and painful.
Daily Meal: Serve fruit juice with the food.

Huath Invocation
Call: Now is the time of the flower’s blossoming.
Response: Now is the time when the hand reaches forth to pluck.
Call: Now is the time when we struggle with our instincts…
Response: To take beauty for ourselves, or to leave it in its place.
Call: Now is the time when we must remember that all plants are not ours.
Response: We did not plant the forest, and it does not belong to us.
Call: We were not the first beings on this earth.
Response: We have come young and late, and the trees look down upon us.
Call: They groan from the centuries of our meddling.
Response: They grow thorns to protect themselves.
Call: Now is the time when the hawthorn goddess steps forward.
Response: Now is the time when the heartless lady lifts her hand.
Call: Now is the time of great beauty in the world.
Response: Now is the time when Nature protects her beauty.
Call: The hawthorn goddess stabs us to the heart with beauty.
Response: She reminds us of our place in the world.
Call: She reminds us that we do not own this green planet.
Response: She reminds us that our grasping fingers can still bleed.
Call: She makes the hedges that our animals cannot cross.
Response: She sets the boundaries that no man may cross.
Call: She makes our hearts beat faster or slower.
Response: Her berries are sweet, but she protects them.
Call: We must respect her as we respect the Earth….
Response: The Green Man falls before her, heedless and headless.
Call: She is the blade of all trees, and we shed our blood for her.
Response: She is the teeth of Nature, and we give way before her might.

Chant:
Cauldron of Changes
Blossom of Bone
Arc of Eternity
Hole in the Stone

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for May 26th

26 Thrimilchimonath

Lemminkainen’s Day

Color: Light blue
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of light blue set two spears, two arrows, a black cup of water, and a pot of honey with the figure of a bee.
Offerings: Examine the area where you feel most clever, and humble yourself.
Daily Meal: Venison.

Invocation to Lemminkainen

Great Lemminkainen,
Trickster of the cold north country,
Yours is the story of the fall from pride.
You took your wife by force
Because she was the only one
Who would not have you,
When all others were impressed.
You fought the Saami mages and won,
You slew the great moose of the snows,
You caught the fiery horse of the mountains,
But when you faced the River of Death
Dark Tuonela caught you, Lemminkainen,
And cut you into a hundred pieces
Floating in the dark water.
Only the love of your mother,
Who fished out all your lost parts,
Who sent bees for the sacred honey
To restore your life with sweetness,
Could save your humbled heart.
Remind us, trickster of the north country,
That when we fall from grace
By our own fire and pride,
That only the love of those we scorned
And thought so little of
Can save our souls from the river’s rushing dark.

(The water is passed around, and all sip from it, saying, “I will face the River of Death.” Then the honey is passed around by the eldest or most frail member of the House, who says, “Only this humble sweetness can save you from the River.” All taste of it, kneel, and bow their heads to the floor, saying, “I will never forget what it is to fall and be restored.”)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for Thursday, May 24th

24 Thrimilchimonath

Day of the Horae

Colors: Black, dark blue, and white
Element: Air
Altar: Divide the altar into three parts. The first part is covered with cloth of black, upon which is set a white candle and a scroll or book of the Principles. The second part is covered with a dark blue cloth, upon which is set a silver candle, a scale, and a blade. The third part is covered with a white cloth, upon which is set a green candle and a leafy wreath.
Offerings: Read the Principles and meditate on them.
Daily Meal: Vegan and simple.

Invocation to the Horae

Call: Hail Eunomia, Keeper of Rules!
Response: Hail Eunomia, She Who Draws Boundaries!
Call: For without boundaries, we trespass on each other.
Response: For without rules, we cannot find a path in the wilderness.
Call: Hail, Maiden who keeps the Laws of the Universe!
Response: Hail, Hora of the Upraised Hand!
Call: May your chains bring discipline to our lives!
Response: May your chains set our spirits free!
Call: Hail Dike, Giver of Justice!
Response: Hail Dike, She Who Returns All That Is Given!
Call: For without justice, all things fall into tyranny.
Response: For without return and recourse, the cycle is broken.
Call: Hail, Maiden of who balances all things in her scale!
Response: Hail, Hora of the Even Hand!
Call: May your keen blade cut fine and true through all wrongs!
Response: May your keen blade slice away our prejudices!
Call: Hail Irene, Keeper of the Peace!
Response: Hail Irene, She Who Brings Harmony!
Call: For without harmony, there is no progress.
Response: For without peace, we burn to nothingness.
Call: Hail, Maiden who walks unafraid toward the enemy!
Response: Hail, Hora of the Open Hand!
Call: May your flowering branch blossom into the fruits of serenity!
Response: May your holy name bring unity to the world!

Chant:
Narrow the Rule and just our hand,
We keep the peace and together we stand.

(Read the Principles aloud, and leave in silence.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for May 23rd

Hawthorn Tree Month

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a cloth of purple place a vase of the budded hawthorn twigs, a knife, incense of gardenia and marjoram, and a figure of the Goddess.
Offerings: Contemplate something that is both beautiful and painful.
Daily Meal: Serve fruit juice with the food.

Huath Invocation
Call: Now is the time of the flower’s blossoming.
Response: Now is the time when the hand reaches forth to pluck.
Call: Now is the time when we struggle with our instincts…
Response: To take beauty for ourselves, or to leave it in its place.
Call: Now is the time when we must remember that all plants are not ours.
Response: We did not plant the forest, and it does not belong to us.
Call: We were not the first beings on this earth.
Response: We have come young and late, and the trees look down upon us.
Call: They groan from the centuries of our meddling.
Response: They grow thorns to protect themselves.
Call: Now is the time when the hawthorn goddess steps forward.
Response: Now is the time when the heartless lady lifts her hand.
Call: Now is the time of great beauty in the world.
Response: Now is the time when Nature protects her beauty.
Call: The hawthorn goddess stabs us to the heart with beauty.
Response: She reminds us of our place in the world.
Call: She reminds us that we do not own this green planet.
Response: She reminds us that our grasping fingers can still bleed.
Call: She makes the hedges that our animals cannot cross.
Response: She sets the boundaries that no man may cross.
Call: She makes our hearts beat faster or slower.
Response: Her berries are sweet, but she protects them.
Call: We must respect her as we respect the Earth….
Response: The Green Man falls before her, heedless and headless.
Call: She is the blade of all trees, and we shed our blood for her.
Response: She is the teeth of Nature, and we give way before her might.

Chant:
Cauldron of Changes
Blossom of Bone
Arc of Eternity
Hole in the Stone

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for Tuesday, May 22nd

Hawthorn Tree Month

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a cloth of purple place a vase of the budded hawthorn twigs, a knife, incense of gardenia and marjoram, and a figure of the Goddess.
Offerings: Contemplate something that is both beautiful and painful.
Daily Meal: Serve fruit juice with the food.

Huath Invocation
Call: Now is the time of the flower’s blossoming.
Response: Now is the time when the hand reaches forth to pluck.
Call: Now is the time when we struggle with our instincts…
Response: To take beauty for ourselves, or to leave it in its place.
Call: Now is the time when we must remember that all plants are not ours.
Response: We did not plant the forest, and it does not belong to us.
Call: We were not the first beings on this earth.
Response: We have come young and late, and the trees look down upon us.
Call: They groan from the centuries of our meddling.
Response: They grow thorns to protect themselves.
Call: Now is the time when the hawthorn goddess steps forward.
Response: Now is the time when the heartless lady lifts her hand.
Call: Now is the time of great beauty in the world.
Response: Now is the time when Nature protects her beauty.
Call: The hawthorn goddess stabs us to the heart with beauty.
Response: She reminds us of our place in the world.
Call: She reminds us that we do not own this green planet.
Response: She reminds us that our grasping fingers can still bleed.
Call: She makes the hedges that our animals cannot cross.
Response: She sets the boundaries that no man may cross.
Call: She makes our hearts beat faster or slower.
Response: Her berries are sweet, but she protects them.
Call: We must respect her as we respect the Earth….
Response: The Green Man falls before her, heedless and headless.
Call: She is the blade of all trees, and we shed our blood for her.
Response: She is the teeth of Nature, and we give way before her might.

Chant:
Cauldron of Changes
Blossom of Bone
Arc of Eternity
Hole in the Stone

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for Tuesday, May 22nd

Calendar of the Sun

Feralia: Day of Purification

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.

Feralia Invocation

Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.

(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for Monday, May 21

Calendar of the Moon

Hawthorn Tree Month

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a cloth of purple place a vase of the budded hawthorn twigs, a knife, incense of gardenia and marjoram, and a figure of the Goddess.
Offerings: Contemplate something that is both beautiful and painful.
Daily Meal: Serve fruit juice with the food.

Huath Invocation
Call: Now is the time of the flower’s blossoming.
Response: Now is the time when the hand reaches forth to pluck.
Call: Now is the time when we struggle with our instincts…
Response: To take beauty for ourselves, or to leave it in its place.
Call: Now is the time when we must remember that all plants are not ours.
Response: We did not plant the forest, and it does not belong to us.
Call: We were not the first beings on this earth.
Response: We have come young and late, and the trees look down upon us.
Call: They groan from the centuries of our meddling.
Response: They grow thorns to protect themselves.
Call: Now is the time when the hawthorn goddess steps forward.
Response: Now is the time when the heartless lady lifts her hand.
Call: Now is the time of great beauty in the world.
Response: Now is the time when Nature protects her beauty.
Call: The hawthorn goddess stabs us to the heart with beauty.
Response: She reminds us of our place in the world.
Call: She reminds us that we do not own this green planet.
Response: She reminds us that our grasping fingers can still bleed.
Call: She makes the hedges that our animals cannot cross.
Response: She sets the boundaries that no man may cross.
Call: She makes our hearts beat faster or slower.
Response: Her berries are sweet, but she protects them.
Call: We must respect her as we respect the Earth….
Response: The Green Man falls before her, heedless and headless.
Call: She is the blade of all trees, and we shed our blood for her.
Response: She is the teeth of Nature, and we give way before her might.

Chant:
Cauldron of Changes
Blossom of Bone
Arc of Eternity
Hole in the Stone
[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for May 8

Calendar of the Moon
8 Saille

Agni’s Day

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon a red cloth place a single torch, and light incense of cedar, and a bowl of melted butter mixed with warm milk, which is poured out as a libation during the chant.
Offerings: Speak the truth.
Daily Meal: Hot and spicy.

Invocation to Agni

Lord of the fire that brought us
From savages hunting in the cold
To humans who cluster around the light,
Fire that warms us, cooks our food,
Lord of golden teeth and swift tongue,
You who live in no god’s palace
For you are at home in every home,
Teach us your lesson of truth.
When the storm god, best friend
Of you, the god of lightning’s fire,
Stole a woman and confided only in you,
Fire god, you went and told her seeking lover,
And she was rescued, and you were cursed
By your own friend to be known always
As the One Who Eats All Things.
Yet you held your ground, telling him
That truth is higher in your estimation
Than any bond of the heart,
And to turn your eyes away from wrongdoing
Is a wrongdoing in itself.
Teach us to hold close to your truth,
Truth that burns and scalds and blisters,
Truth that is so painful that it can be mistaken
For some kind of small death.
This is the gift of the Fire God,
Agni the friend to all, who will play no favorites,
Scorch us with your purifying fire.

Chant:
Fire flow, fire flow through me,
Bonfire, brush fire, lightning strike.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for Friday, May 4

Calendar of the Sun
4 Thrimilchimonath

Ilmarinen’s Day

Colors: Red and black
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon cloth of red and black set an iron anvil, a hammer, a box of intricate making within which are many golden stars, and eight red candles.
Offerings: Make something.
Daily Meal: Food that is cunningly wrought to look like something it is not.

Invocation to Ilmarinen

O great smith of the northern snows,
Swift of sleigh and skilled of hand,
You who wrought the sampo,
That which given forth inexhaustible wealth,
Guide our hands in that which we create!
Let us be flowing wells
Of the creative force,
And let us make manifest that which we need.
Teach us also, O great smith of the northern snows,
Those lessons that you learned
To your pain and chagrin:
That love cannot be truly bought with gold,
Or with the most wondrous of possessions.
That affections so bribed will not last.
That slavery brought on unwilling
For the need for affluence and wealth
Will someday be a knife in the back
Of the most comfortable bed.
That you cannot build love
Out of silver and gold.
That you cannot recreate the power
Of the sun and the moon
No matter what your skill.
That in the end, power lies not in the hand
But in the heart, and the heartfelt word.
Teach us, Ilmarinen,
Smith of the northern snows,
That we may share the lessons
That have bent your neck these many years.

(All approach the altar, and each strikes the anvil with the hammer nine times.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for May 3

Calendar of the Moon
3 Saille/Mounukhion

Day of Olwen

Color: White
Element: Earth
Altar: On a cloth of white place a glass bowl of water and flowers, a white stone, and a single white candle.
Offering: Plant clover seeds.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian.

Invocation to Olwen

Maiden of the white clover
That scatters like the multitude of stars
In the dark night sky
Mirrored in the green fields,
Let us see beauty in the small things,
The ordinary things,
That which we pass by, unknowing.
Let us realize that this is true beauty,
The balm for our aching hearts,
The salve for our aching souls.
Maiden of the pink clover
That blooms like spring passion
In fields of cattle and sheep,
You balance the woman’s body,
You feed those who feed us,
You bring the milk thick and white with cream.
Maiden of the yellow clover,
The river of blossoms that swarm with bees,
Beloved of the golden queen and her
Thousand flying daughters,
You bring the sweetness of honey,
The pale gold of future mead,
To every tongue that knows your scent.
Bless us, maiden of the clover,
That we may know you beneath our feet.

(Each comes forth and takes a flower, and wears it throughout the day in honor of Olwen. The water is poured out onto the gardens as a libation, and gardening should be done on this day.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for Sunday, April 29

Calendar of the Sun
29 Eostremonath

Walpurgisnacht Day VII

Color: Dark Blue
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a cloth of dark blue place a great vessel of water like a well, with stones and other sacred things at the bottom, two figures of ravens, the runes Nyth and Laguz, and seven candles.
Offerings: Each member present should have a coin to throw into the well, which will be added to a charity fund.
Daily Meal: Cold raw food. Only spring or well water to drink all day until Hesperis.

Walpurgisnacht Invocation VII

Behold the Well of Mimir!
Here lies the severed head of the god of wisdom
Who would not speak what he knew,
And here great Odhinn, much lessened by his travels,
Came to seek out Mimir’s wisdom.
He saw the severed head floating deep into the well,
And he asked Mimir to tell him all he knew,
The secrets of the underground,
The things unseen beneath the earth,
Beneath the surface thoughts of men,
Beneath his own surface.
And Mimir laughed, and asked what price
Great Odhinn would pay for this knowledge.
And Odhinn said that he would pay any price.
So Mimir asked for the price of one of his eyes,
That he who was trapped in the well
Might have vision in the upper world.
And Odhinn agreed, and gave one of his eyes
To Mimir in exchange for wisdom,
Although the bargain was hard, and painful.
Half-blind, he continued on his way,
But two ravens settled on his shoulders,
The gift of Mimir and the Norns,
Named Huginn and Muninn, Thought and Memory,
That he might have more eyes in the world
Who would tell him all that they saw.
And we honor Odhinn for his fourth sacrifice,
The giving up of worldly vision for greater sight.
(All shall approach the well, and throw in their coin, and look, and say nothing about what they have seen. Divination can be done on this day, if there are any with the skill.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for Wednesday, April 25

Calendar of the Sun
25 Eostremonath

Walpurgisnacht Day III

Color: Grey
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a grey cloth set three candles, a bowl of dust, the runes Thorn and Haegl, and a battered knapsack.
Offerings: Help those who are homeless.
Daily Meal: Fasting today, from the night before until today’s Hesperis.

Walpurgisnacht Invocation III

Odhinn the wanderer, once Lord of Asgard,
Once Keeper of Valhalla, once All-Father of gods,
Traveled the dusty roads of Midgard,
Dust for his meals and dust in his eyes,
And the folk of Midgard looked upon him
And saw only an old beggar,
And when he asked them for a meal,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few threw a crust of bread,
And counted themselves generous.
When he asked them for a drink,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few gave him a dipperful from a horse-trough,
And counted themselves generous.
When he asked them for a place to sleep,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few showed him to a pile of moldy hay,
And counted themselves generous.
When he asked them for work,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few set him to cleaning pigsties,
And counted themselves generous.
So was the Lord of Asgard served
By the folk of Midgard who saw him,
Not knowing that it was the Lord of the Aesir
At whom their stones were aimed.
And so Odhinn suffered, and made the first sacrifice:
Understanding what it is to have no home,
And count Midgard’s folk against you.

(Today, those who have no home should be invited in for a meal while the House fasts, or else the meal should be taken to another place for them to eat. Silence for the day while alone.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for April 23rd

Calendar of the Sun
24 Eostremonath

Walpurgisnacht Day II

Color: Black
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a black cloth set the candle from the previous day plus a second one (each day of Walpurgisnacht adds another candle), a broom, a sheaf of grain, and the figure of a dog.
Offerings: The exercise for Gymnastika shall be running.
Daily Meal: Grain and greens.

Walpurgisnacht Invocation II

On this night the White Lady runs.
On this day she flees the Wild Hunt
In the guise of a white deer,
Her hoofprints flee along the track,
For she is Spring’s creature, and the Winter
Is far behind, chasing her, trying to bring her down.
But we will not let her fall,
We will not let her be caught,
We will not let ourselves be trapped
In the winter’s sadness,
For all things must come to an end,
And the green season is upon us.
Sheaf of grain in her hand,
She rides her broom like a steed,
Sweeping the winter away before her,
While the Wild Hunt bays at her heels,
Until the very dogs of the Hunt turn aside
And run instead at her side,
Whining for her attention,
Putting their noses into her hand,
And she has conquered them
As she will conquer the year.
Hail, Lady of the unknown name,
Waelbyrga, Waluburg, Holda’s child,
We who have run from our foes
And yet found that the best defense
Is to turn them into friends,
We salute you!

(The broom should be passed from person to person, and every room of the house should be swept with it, as a purification. Each chants wordlessly, or with any simple chant, during this.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for Friday, April 13th

Calendar of the Sun
13 Eostremonath

Alfarblot: Alfheim Day

Colors: Multicolored light colors.
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of many colors place a chalice of mead, three candles of pale blue, many flowers, and many figures of elves and faeries.
Offerings: Singing.
Daily Meal: Milk. Salad with flowers upon it, if possible.

Alfheim Day Invocation

Hail to the Powers of the Alfar,
And all their fey cousins and kin!
Laughing sylphs that ride the winds,
Faery dancers laughing on the breeze,
Pixies in the morning’s meadow,
Sprites that fly on gossamer wings,
Faery horses striking sparks from your hooves,
Dryads who safeguard the great trees,
Gnomes who mine the depths underground,
Elves of the forests walking silent trails,
Deep faeries of the hidden caves,
Water-fey of the secluded springs,
Dwellers from Under the Hill,
Bless us and our home this day!
Do us no mischief, see us no harm,
And we will listen to the rustling of the leaves,
The sound of breezes in the eaves,
The flowers nodding in the Sun,
And we shall hear your wisdom come!
Hail to the Powers of all that is Fey,
Bless us and our home this day!

Chant:
Over the clouds
Under the hill
Light as the wind
Old as the stones
We will see your dancing
In the circle of time.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for Monday, April 9th

Calendar of the Sun
9 Eostremonath

Hocktide: Day of the Amazon

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon cloth of red put six red candles, a chalice of clear water, crossed swords, a bow and arrows, crossed spears, and a crescent moon.
Offering: On this day all women in the community must wear red and carry upon them some blade, large or small. Upon meeting them, each man must bow to them.
Daily Meal: Red food.

Hocktide Invocation

On this day we honor
The Saxon women who turned away
The attacking Norsemen from the sea
When their menfolk had failed
Or been slaughtered, their bones lying
In graves still fresh and bare.
For when the need arises,
Anyone can find the courage
To face what must be faced
To dare what must be dared
To fly in the eye of the storm
Heedless of life or death.
We honor the spirit in women,
For millennia put down and buried,
But that rises when in need,
And shows its brave spirit.
On this day we do penance
For a thousand years of repression,
For a thousand years beating down
The spirit of the Amazon.
May she burn within you all!

(The women of the community approach the altar and place their blades upon it, and vow to always be strong. Then they take the blades to wear for the rest of the day, and each anoints the next with the clear water.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for April 3rd

Calendar of the Moon
3 Fearn/Elaphebolion

Day of Bran

Colors: Black and crimson
Element: Fire
Altar: On a cloth of crimson and green set a vase with alder twigs, and the figures of many crows and ravens, or at least black feathers, one black candle, incense of rue, and a black stone.
Offerings: On this day, divination shall be done by those with the skill for any who ask.
Daily Meal: Poultry.

Invocation to Bran

God of the Alder-Tree
Whose roots go deep underground,
Whose path goes deep underground,
We call upon you today.
Lord of the Western Ocean,
Lord of healing and curer of wounds,
Lord of the setting sun,
We call upon you today.
Crimson-stained hero,
Beheaded god who lived on
As the skull of oracles,
Lord of crows and ravens
That eat all that dies and rots,
Lord of the black-feathered wings
Of destiny and nemesis,
Show us our fate,
Or what fate you deem it wise to show us.
And if it is our fate
Not to know what that fate shall be,
Give us at least a signpost,
A light along the path,
That we may not stumble foolishly
And lose the last few crumbs
Of the wisdom you have gained
From the dark places where your roots entwine.
Chant:
As the crow flies, So the truth lies
As the flame burns, So our fate turns

(Let all sit in a circle, and let divination be done by one who has the skill, for any who ask. And let no one speak on the message given to anyone else. Put out the candle and leave the room.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]