Summer Solstice: At the Gates with Manannán

This past weekend our Grove gathered together for our Summer Solstice ritual. The decision had been made some time during the inception of this particular ritual to try something a little different; to push the  interaction with the Gods, and particularly our Gatekeeper Manannán, to another level. The ritual was to honour Manannán, and celebrate our relationship with him as our Gatekeeper. We concluded that it would be appropriate that as he joined the Grove in this celebration, so too one of us would join him in his duty at the Gates. This task fell inevitably to me as the only one in our small group capable of fulfilling such a role successfully and safely.

Rain poured down upon us as I took up my position at the Gates alongside Manannán shortly after ritual was started. Often times when it rains during ritual I am as happy as the rest to huddle under a tarp, or even shift things inside, but not on this day. I needed to be in the rain, for it was not only cleansing, but also highly conducive to my task and our ritual in general. It was after all his gift to us.

As I stood in service at the Gates with their ever changing landscape beyond,  I became aware of Manannán sharing his thoughts and feelings on the Grove and it’s ritual. What he expressed was not unexpected, but hearing it direct from source is always different than when it’s your own thoughts, feelings, or drawn conclusions – or even those received but filtered through the trappings of a conventional omen-taking. I was aware of the Grove trudging deiseal during the working, of the Omen, and of those who spent their time watching me to see if I’d moved rather than focusing their energies on the ritual.

I completed my service to Manannán successfully, satisfied with the knowledge that the offering of my own service to him on that occasion was accepted and appreciated.  With the ritual complete we made our ways indoors and after changing into dry clothing I sat quietly for a moment to begin to digest my experience. It had been tiring but satisfying and in the end I had come away from it having experienced a number of visions and my communication with Manannán. I was a happy seer…that was, of course, until someone decided it was OK to corner me for a reading!

As guides, both in spiritual and mundane matters,  we can only show others the path they should walk to reach their goals – revealed to them or not. We can never walk that path for them – the very most we can do is hold their hand as they take those first uncertain few steps. In order to grow, our Grove needs to begin walking down a new path and the very most that myself and a couple others can do is offer that guiding hand at the beginning. Time has taught me that subtle guidance through being open and direct (a seed of inspiration planted here, one of curiosity there, etc.) often has the best results.  A seed of inspiration has been planted in my own mind thanks to my experiences with this ritual and my hope is to have something developed for Samhain that will encourage the members of the Grove to reach deep down into their roots and provide them with an experience to stir their spirits.

Good Intentions

It is my hope that with this blog I can add a  Celtic voice to the growing commentary by and about Pagans involved in the more mystical and spiritual aspects of our faiths. I have always been the kind of person who prefers more direct communication to using a blog, but I figured that if I was desiring to hear more about these sorts of things, particularly from a Celtic point of view, then others were as well.