Blessings Upon a Mendicant

Quiet, my soul,
Beneath the pale Autumn moon.
Still the night,
The breeze alone stirs in the wild.
Darkness and cold descend.
Quiet, my soul, in a quiet world.

As my mind’s eye is turned skyward,
Toward the myriad stars shining,
Shimmering like moonlight
On the inky pool of the sky
Beyond which lies the heavens,
Below which lies my love in his slumber,
My heart stirs and swells,
Riding the waves of the night
In cascades of devotion.

Shining Stars above,
Hear how my heart beats for him,
See the love blaze in my eyes as I gaze up, up, up
And onward to beseech you.
See my desire for his health and joy,
See how I long for his triumph and glory,
See my dedication to the desires of his heart
That they be manifest in his waking life.
See them, take them up as a mantle of strength and healing
And encompass him, enshroud him, blanket him
With my unending desire for his happiness and success.

And thusly cloaked in love and luck,
May he rise to greet the sun with pride and virility
To carry his works into the world,
To serve the folk,
To love the land,
To honor the Gods, the Ancestors, and the Spirits of the Earth
In perfect love and graceful humility.
So be it.

Nine Offerings for Those who Exemplify the Nine Noble Virtues

1. We begin by calling to Lady Idunna of the Golden Apples, she who tends the tree of immortality with loving care, maintaining its health and well-being that she may give those blessings to the Aesir and Vanir of Asgard. Idunna, who embodies generosity through her careful tending, and hospitality through her willingness to share.  Idunna, we honor you.
   
2. Next, we call once more to Heimdalr, lays order to the world and keeps watch over the realms, he who takes not more than his fill nor more than his hosts are able to give without complaint, He of Stilled Mind that hears the wool and grass grow, he who sees all. Disciplined, sharp, ruler of his own destiny that he may serve others. Heimdalr, we honor you.
   
3. We call to Lady Freyja, Mistress of the Honored, Chosen dead; Brising-Magic Maiden of Seidhr and Foresight, She who loves without fear, She who makes no apologies for following her heart, Valkyrie, Mardoll, Strongest of Women, Lady of the Vanir, She who had the courage to fill Hrungnir’s Horn when no one would approach him. For courage and boldness, Freyja, we honor you.
   
4. We call also to Fertile Freyr of the fields of Alfheim, God of Bountiful Harvest, Rain and Sun, Bestower of Peace and Prosperity, Defeater of Beli with Antler for Sword. Teaches us to remember not to battle, to lay down our weapons, and to put our energy instead into cultivating the land and our relationships with one another through determination and hard-work, for the best rewards we receive are those we reap from what we have sown.  Freyr, we honor you.
   
5. We hail Skadhi, who lives alone in her mountain home, the Woman who Runs with the Wolves; She who marched upon Asgard to demand recompense for her Father’s death, to demand respect be paid to her--and received it in Odin’s Hall. For teaching us responsibility and the art of respect, Skadhi, we honor you.
   
6. We give hail toAsa-Thor, Son of Odin, Ruler of Mjollnir, Jotun’s Bane, Slayer of Hrungnir, Geirrod, and Thrivaldi, enemy of the Midgard Serpent, Drinker of the Sea who runs against thought and challenges Fire to a feast. For your strength, endurance, and steadfastness, Asa-Thor, we honor you.
   
7. We pay homage to Frigga, Goddess of the Spindle Hearth, She who sees all and yet does not wag her tongue with idle gossip, Goddess of Hearth and Home, Keeper of the Fallen Children, Queen of Asgard. For fidelity and Frith, for loyalty and honor, Frigga, we honor you.
   
8. We give great tribute to Odin, Alfather. Lord of Wisdom, Keeper of Thought and Memory, He who outwits and outthinks even Loki, Lord of Wit and Trickery. Sacrificer who gives way to knowledge and vision, taking them up screaming! That he may be bathed in truth and wisdom. Odin, we honor you.
   
9. And we call to Lord Tyr, Leavings of the Wolf, He who sacrifices of himself for the good of the tribe at great cost to maintain order. Fenris-Binder, Gloved-Spear, North Star, Granter of Direction, and Keeper of Oaths. As the eye is sacrificed for vision, so, too, must the right hand be sacrificed for justice. Tyr, we honor you.

Surrender it All

Surrender It All
By: Rev. Melissa S Burchfield, ADF Master Bard

Tune: E A B E B E
(Tune: D A D G A D)

E5  Bsus4   A9   A9
(D   A/E       G₁   G₁)
I call to you softly in my hour of need

And I make my offerings to the flame

In times in life like these when I am driven to my knees

I bring my fears to you through the flame

A9/C#         E5    A9            A9
(Gsus2/F#   D    Gsus2/B  Gsus2/B)
In a world that leaves me cold and alone

I hear you through the flames as you call me your own

E5  Bsus4   A9   A9
(D   A/E       G₁   G₁)
As the darkness falls and the shadows descend

And the silence greets me like an old friend

The light upon my shrine is my beacon of hope

And the silence fills with the voices of my Gods

A9/C#         E5    A9            A9
(Gsus2/F#   D    Gsus2/B  Gsus2/B)
“Through your good deeds and your offerings

You have given of yourself completely

Let us come to you in your hour of need

Give us all that you are suffering”

C#m7   Bsus4    A9   A9
(Bm7   A/E    G₁   G₁)
So I surrender myself

I relinquish control

I surrender it all and

Let the Kindreds make me whole

A9/C#         E5     A9             A9
(Gsus2/F#   D    Gsus2/B  Gsus2/B)
Make me whole, make me whole, make me whole (2X)

E5  Bsus4   A9   A9
(D   A/E       G₁   G₁)
When our voices resound in the Well

When our roots run deep with our branches overhead

When our fires of piety

Light up the sky and we

Pour out our offerings

Unto the Kindreds Three

We give our gifts and in *ghosti they receive

A9/C#         E5    A9           A9
(Gsus2/F#   D    Gsus2/B  Gsus2/B)
When we call forth the Blessing

The Kindreds have for you and for me

We must open up our hearts to receive

What they wish to give so freely

C#m7   Bsus4    A9   A9
(Bm7    A/E         G₁   G₁)
So we surrender ourselves

We relinquish control

We surrender it all and

Let the Kindreds Bless us all

A9/C#         E5    A9             A9
(Gsus2/F#   D    Gsus2/B  Gsus2/B)
Bless us all, bless us all, bless us all (twice)

C#m7   Bsus4    A9   A9 (Four times/Vamp)
(Bm7     A/E       G₁   G₁)

E5  Bsus4   A9   A9
(D   A/E       G₁   G₁)
I call to you softly in my hour of need

And I make my offerings to the flame

Invitation to Saga

By the stream of memory, she dwells,
Saga of the Sinking Beach,
Of the Land of Flowing Waterfalls,
Seeress of Frigga’s Court,
She who drinks from the Golden Chalice
Holding audience with Alfather,
Lady of Memory and History.
Saga, we call to you.
Saga, we give you this gift
And beseech you to allow us a draught
From the Cup of Inspiration.Grant us a sip from your Chalice
That our words may be inspired,Guided by truth and wisdom,
And be pleasing to the folk and the Gods.
Saga! Accept our offering!

My Heart is Racing

My heart is racing
beating as to the cadence of a far-off drum
to the rhythm of a distant tribe
a distant time
a distant place
a distance—where you and I become we

Yet time passes slowly
each beat of my heart
seemingly stretches on for an hour
for an eternity
for eons
when I am without you

I hear your voice in my thoughts
softening the countenance of my days
I see your smile in the trees
Hear your laughter on the wind
Feel your arms in every imagined embrace
Your breath upon my cheek
and I long for you in the silence of my room
Mine own thoughts are plotting
to steal moments of our time-touched love
and hide them away
keeping them safe and sacred
until I cannot stand the distance
that separates us across the miles
Only then do I bring them forth as conduits
as I call out to you with all that I am
and open the way between us
to allow the flood of you to wash over me
The way is not shut
The way is full of light and promise
The way is full of hope
The way is full of you

And in this moment between heart beats
When the silence is louder because of your absence
I hold onto the hope of holding onto you

Remembering a Starry Night

I stand in Fairy, staring at the stars.
Ebony softness blankets the fields
Where the dew has already fallen,
Sparkling in the moonlight--
Or perhaps it is the light of his eyes,
Gleaming with honor and truth
As he shares his wisdom of the sky?

Steamy breath in the cold spring air
drifts around us as mist in the night,
Belying cool demeanors as skin touches skin.
Hearts outside of time’s embrace flirt
With the lingering possibilities
at the edges of our minds,
Lingering, lurking, and waiting for a chance
To be seen, to be heard, to be spoken.

As he stands before me and our eyes meet,
I see visions of stolen moments of music and prayer,
Moments of omens and magic and braided hair,
Moments when I carefully watched him from across the fire
With the cadence of the drums and the chanting of Ancient ways
Driving words further and further into oblivion
Until there is nothing, nothing, nothing
But his eyes and the firelight between us,
Stirring desires once dormant,
Awakening and beckoning as the siren to the sea.

Does he know that I watch him?
Does he see how my gaze marks his path as he walks?
Does he feel my eyes upon his lips when he speaks?
Upon the downy hair on his chin where my fingers long to tarry?
Upon the bend of his neck where his shoulders unfold,
Strong and handsome
and oh, so inviting?

Does he know that I listen to him?
To his words of jest and joy?
To his words of passion and piety?
Does he know I hear him?
The voice behind his words,
Echoing with the tales yet untold of a life,
Of love, of loss, of courage, of overcoming?
Does he know? Dare I tell him?

The crisp air drives us closer.
I wrap the cloak of my heart round his shoulders
in the hope that he may find warmth and shelter there.
The scent of me reaches him once more on the breeze,
His sharp inhale sending shivers down my spine and into my soul,
Shivers banished by the embers at my center.
Were I, but for a moment, the wind,
Dancing round his face,
So softly and tenderly caressing his skin,
Leaving tiny kisses, echoes of my touch, behind me as I go.

But we haven’t eaten here in Fairy,
And all too soon our time-touched moment leads us back to the world
where the sun rises once more like a phoenix
Rising from the ashes to be born anew,
bearing forever the mark of this place,
Of this time,
And of the hope of new beginnings.

Now, so far away from him,
As I sit with my pen and paper
Collecting my thoughts
Before I drift off to sleep
With his name on my breath
And his voice resounding in my soul,
I can’t help but wonder
If he thinks of me in the shadow of the night
As my heart calls out to him across the miles?
William...

My Vocational Statement

When did you hear the call to the path of ADF Priesthood? What did it sound like?

Looking back, I think I can pinpoint the Ordination rite at Summerland of Revs. Carrion and Raven Mann when the folk were introduced to the Ancient Wise. I felt the rush of power as they entered the space, and ever since then, I have felt compelled to follow them. The call to serve wasn’t so much heard as felt, in all the things I did at my shrine, in my meditations and trance journeys, in the desire to write, in everything. I have long been a leader, whether deserving or no, and as such, I have always believed it is my duty to earn such respect and honor it when it is given through study and right action whenever possible. I am not perfect, but working with the Ancient Wise has taught me to be confident and to learn from my shortcomings. The call of the Ancient Wise sings through my blood, and I can think of no better way to honor that call than to serve in the Priesthood of Ár nDraíocht Féin.

What form do you expect your vocation to take?

I am not entirely sure what shape my vocation will take, and honestly, I think this is a good thing. The road ahead of me is brush-covered and full of mist and wonder, and I am excited to walk this path. I know that the skillset I bring to the Clergy Council is not entirely unique, but I do feel that I have gifts to offer and aid us in better serving the folk, particularly in terms of counsel and bardic arts. From here, I plan to listen and watch those who have gone before me, and when I see clearly where my input will sing the harmony to their work, I will join in…eventually being able to add melody lines and complete the song of Our Druidry. I am interested in the traveling clergy program, bringing Our Druidry to those who do not have access to the services provided by a grove or other Clergy folk.

Do you feel prepared to become an ADF Priest now? Do you see further work that you will need to do to prepare yourself for the work ahead?

I feel prepared to begin the work of the Clergy in ADF, absolutely. Is there further work for me to do? Always. The path of Clergy is not one that ever gets “completed.” I do believe there is much ahead of me that I have yet to engage, and I am excited about where the path will lead. Ordination will draw me into the inner workings of our Clergy Order where I am sure my path will change and evolve. I am confident that I can handle the work, especially knowing the peers I will be joining along the way. With the support of these Priests, the Folk, and the Kindreds, I am confident the path leads to a successful journey.