by Ian Corrigan
Ian Corrigan is one of the principal liturgical architects of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), the American Neo-Druid organization founded by Isaac Bonewits in 1983. This ritual, written for solitary practice, reflects the mature form of the ADF Core Order of Ritual as it developed through the 1990s and early 2000s. The liturgy is organized around the Three Hallows — Fire, Well, and Sacred Tree (Bile) — which represent the three axes of Celtic cosmology: the Upper World of the sky, the Lower World of the waters, and the Middle World of the living land. The rite calls to the Three Kindreds — the Ancestors, the Nature Spirits, and the Gods — and culminates in a hallowing of the Waters of Blessing that the practitioner drinks to receive the gods' gifts.
Corrigan shared this ritual through the online Druid communities of the early 2000s, where it circulated as a working liturgy for solitary practitioners approaching the winter solstice. It represents the tradition's effort to reconstruct Indo-European ritual structure for modern practice, drawing on Celtic sources while remaining deliberately non-exclusive — the rite can be adapted to any patron deities. Lady Cerridwyn, a High Priestess associated with the Summerlands pagan community, posted this to soc.religion.paganism in December 2004, where it was shared with the wider pagan community.
The ritual demonstrates the full arc of ADF liturgical practice: opening and grounding, hallowing of the sacred space, opening of the gates between worlds, invitation and offering to the Kindreds, receipt of the divine blessing, and formal closing. It is reproduced here in full as an example of living Druidic liturgy from the early digital era.
All is arranged with the sacred implements at hand, with any additional items as called for the seasonal or special work of the rite.
0: Preliminary Charms
When the Water is poured into the Well:
By the Goddesses of Waters
By the Gods of Waters
By the Powers Under the Earth
I give thanks for the Waters of the Well. Let this vessel be
as the Triple Well of Blessing in this Sacred Grove of Druidry.
When the Fire is lit:
I kindle this Fire
To be a Flame of Magic
To be a Flame of Claiming
To be a Flame of Inspiration
To welcome the Gods and Spirits to this Sacred Grove of Druidry.
When all has been prepared, the ritualist stands before the Fire.
1: Circling
The ritualist circles the Hallows three times sunwise. If she wishes she may sing a song of arriving. He returns to the Fire, facing the Bile.
2: Opening Prayers
I come before the Fire to worship the Gods and Spirits, The Powers of the Sacred World. O Powers, hear me and look kindly upon my work.
A. Kneel and kiss the earth, or kiss the Earthstone and place it in the Offering Bowl. Make a small offering of meal and say:
O beloved Mother of All
From whose Starry Womb the green Earth springs
You who are the Mother of Peoples,
You who are the Life of the Land
You who are the Source of Waters
O Bearer of All Life, I pray you bless and uphold my rite,
As you uphold all the world.
B. Invoke the Power of Inspiration, saying:
Power of Inspiration, attend me.
Voice of the Well of Wisdom
Voice of the Fire of Poetry
I pray you come into my heart's shrine
And guide my words in eloquence.
Guide my rite in wisdom, quicken my tongue, clarify my heart,
O Power of inspiration in the Holy Place,
O Power of Inspiration in this Holy Hour.
C. A small cup of ale or wine or cider is poured to the south of the Nemeton, saying:
Ancient Dark Ones, I make this offering to you.
You who stood against the Gods, you who dwell in the Outer Places —
Take this offering, and trouble not my working.
Likewise I acknowledge in myself weakness and perversity,
hatred and spite, cowardice and ignorance. I recall these
ills and enemies, and for this sacred time I set them aside.
3: Two Powers Attunement
As usual — centering meditation grounding in earth below and sky above.
4: Fire, Well, and Tree
Silver is placed in the waters of the Well, saying:
O Sacred Waters, that flow and swirl beneath all being,
Accept my offering.
Let me know the Elder Depths within myself,
The Inner Well of Wisdom.
Sacred Well, flow within me.
Oil or incense is offered to the Fire, saying:
O Sacred Fire that consumes and transforms,
Holy Light of the Shining Ones —
O Sacrificed and Sacrificer, accept my offering,
And let Holy Flame warm my spirit.
Sacred Fire, burn within me.
The Bile is censed and sprinkled, saying:
O Sacred Pillar, be for me the Boundary of All Worlds.
Let me be deepened in your depths,
Raised to your heights,
Let me be strengthened in your strength.
Sacred Tree, grow within me.
The ritualist renews her awareness of her center, and of the connection with earth and Sky. With that in mind she extends her awareness to the Horizontal Axis of the Three Worlds.
5: Three Worlds Hallowing
The ritualist takes up the Well, or dips water from it, and sprinkles all, saying:
By the cleansing might of Water
Let the Primal Sea be the Boundary of the Grove.
Let the Sea not rise, and all ill turn away.
All is censed with incense lit from the Fire, saying:
By the Empowering light of Fire
Let the Shining Sky be the Roof of the Grove.
Let the Sky not fall, and all ill turn away.
Circle the Hallows once sunwise, saying:
By Fire and Water
Let the Blessed Land be the Founding of the Grove.
Let the Land hold firm, and all ill turn away.
The ritualist now contemplates the Three Worlds as they turn around the Three Realms of the Fire, Well, and Tree. She stands before the Fire, facing the Tree, and says:
The Fire, the Well, the Sacred Tree
Flow and flame and grow in me
In Land, Sea and Sky,
Below and on high,
Thus is my Sacred Grove claimed and hallowed!
So be it!
6: Statement of Purpose
When the Fire is lit and the Well is blessed, the Spirits begin to take notice of a rite. At this point, with the Sacred Cosmos rebuilt, the ritualist makes a statement aloud about the intention and nature of the rite. It might begin:
I have come to do as the wise ancients did.
To stand at the Center
To honor the Gods, Dead and Spirits
And to (state purpose).
7: Opening the Gates
The ritualist renews his center, and recalls the full vision of the vertical and Horizontal Triplicities. She begins to contemplate the Center, the place where all those Worlds converge.
She builds a vision of the Gatekeeper Deity of the culture in which she works. In Celtic lore we offer to the Lord Manannan Mac Lir — envisioned as a tall, slender man with snow-white hair and mustaches but youthful skin and eyes. He is robed in shimmering gray and white and blue. In his right hand he holds a tree-branch made of silver. Upon that branch are fruits of many trees, all made of gold or crystal. As the branch sways gently, the fruit chime like bells.
Holding such an image in mind, the ritualist makes an offering of oil or incense to the Fire, saying:
O Manannan Mac Lir, Son of the Sea, Lord of the Gates,
Lord of Wisdom, Open the Ways for me.
Let me walk in your holy ways, let me walk the Sacred Road.
Share your Magic with me, I pray,
Ward me well that I may work in safety.
Manannan Mac Lir, accept my sacrifice.
The ritualist then envisions the Center of the Grove beginning to open. She makes a sunwise triskel in the air toward the Center, saying:
By the Gatekeeper's power and by my magic,
I open the Way between the Worlds.
Let the Fire open as a Gate,
Let the Well open as a Gate
Let the Tree be the Border Post of all the Worlds.
Let the Gate of the Grove open as an eye,
Open as a mouth, open as an oaken door
Between the common world and the Realms of the Powers.
Let the Gate be open!
The ritualist envisions the opening of the Gate in whatever way is meaningful to him.
8: Offering to the Three Kindreds
The ritualist is prepared with offerings for the Three Kindreds. He begins:
I make offering to the Kindreds of the Worlds.
To those who dwell below,
To those who dwell above
To the Tribes of Spirits in Land, Sea and Sky —
Hear your true worshipper (your name)
As I make due offering.
Ancestors: The Ritualist prepares an offering of ale (or cider) and bread, and says:
A Child of the Earth calls out to the Mighty Dead.
Hear me, my ancestors, my kindred.
To all those whose bones lie in this land,
To the ancient peoples of this place I offer welcome.
To my own ancestors, Mothers and Fathers,
Blood-kin and Heart-kin, I offer welcome.
To all the Elder Wise Ones of the Pagan world,
Wise women and wise men, I offer you welcome.
O Mighty ones, I call to you as my kin.
Come to my Fire, I pray, guide and ward me as I work the Elder Ways.
Ancestors, accept my sacrifice!
The drink and bread are given to the offering shaft or bowl.
Nature Spirits: The ritualist prepares an offering of herbs and crystals, and says:
A Child of the Earth calls out to the Spirits of this Land.
Hear me, companions and teachers.
To all my allies, kindreds of stone and stream,
Soil and every water, I offer you welcome.
To all my allies, kindreds of the Growing Green —
Root and stem and fruit, I offer you welcome.
To all my allies, kindreds of fur and feather and scale,
All who walk or crawl or fly, I offer you welcome.
O Noble Ones, I call to you as my friends.
Come to my Fire, I pray, guide and ward me as I work the Elder Ways.
Land-Spirits, accept my sacrifice!
The offering is sprinkled or poured at the base of the Tree.
Deities: The ritualist prepares an offering of oil or incense, and says:
A Child of the Earth calls out to the Gods and Goddesses.
Hear me, Wisest and Greatest.
To all the Shining Ones, First Children of the Mother,
The Tribe of the Gods, I offer you welcome.
To the Mother and Father, to the Three Kings and Three Queens
And to all their children, I offer you welcome.
To those Deities who are my special allies and teachers,
Known or unknown, my Patrons, I offer you welcome.
O Shining Ones, I call to you as my elders.
Come to my Fire, I pray, guide and ward me as I walk the Elder Ways.
Deities, accept my sacrifice.
The oil or incense is offered to the Fire.
The ritualist now pauses to renew his center. He recalls the full Order of the Grove — Fire, Well and Tree, Land, Sea and Sky, and the magical Gate in the Holy Center. She opens herself to the presence of the Three Kindreds, and envisions the Gods, Dead, and Spirits drawing close to the Bile, peering out of the Well, shining in the Fire. She might pause for a moment to commune with the Host of Spirits before going on.
9: Key Offerings
The ritualist speaks, saying:
Welcome to the Gods, the Dead and all the Spirits!
To all of you who have gathered at my Fire,
I pray you join me now in worshipping the Patrons of this Holy rite.
The ritualist now performs the central invocations and offerings to the Patron Powers of the rite, along with any customs proper to the season and rite.
10: Prayer of Sacrifice and the Omen
After all the Key Offerings have been made, the ritualist prepares a generous offering proper to the nature of the rite. She says:
I have given honor and worship to (patrons' names).
Now let my voice arise on the Fire
Let my voice resound in the Well
Let my voice pass the boundary to the Otherworld.
O (Patron Powers), I give you my love, my devotion, my respect,
Along with this offering.
(Patron Powers), accept my sacrifice!
The ritualist focuses on offering her own energy and feeling through the Gate. She holds this vision, and after a time, moves on. She takes up the divination tool and says:
I have prayed to the Powers, and now I open my heart to them in turn.
I take up my oracle, and ask all the Powers
To reveal what blessing they offer me,
In return for my offering.
The ritualist takes a simple omen and spends some time meditating on the blessing offered by the Powers.
11: The Blessing
A. Calling for the Waters
The ritualist renews her Center. She clearly envisions the Grove, the Gate, and the Patrons of the Rite, holding the whole momentum of the rite in her mind. With an earnest desire she invokes:
Ancient and Mighty Ones, I have honored you.
Now I pray you to honor me in turn, as a gift calls for a gift.
Shining Ones, give me the Waters!
I thirst for the Waters of Blessing, from the Well of Wisdom,
From the Spring of Renewal, from the Bosom of the Earth Mother.
Shining Ones, give me the Waters!
I open my heart to the Blessing of the Powers.
I stand in pride, honor and friendship with the Gods and Spirits.
Shining Ones, give me the Waters!
B. Hallowing the Waters
Ritualist pours the Blessing Drink into the Horn and elevates it, saying:
With this horn I draw blessing from the Cauldron of Blessing;
I pour the Ale of Inspiration.
Let this cup be the Holy Cup of Magic,
The outpouring of the Power of the Shining Ones.
As I drink the Draft of the Gods
I drink in Wisdom, Love and Strength
To do as I will in the Worlds, in service to the Shining Ones.
So hear me, I pray you, O (Patron Powers);
Hallow these Waters.
I, your true worshipper, rejoice in your gift.
Bless my spirit, my mind and my body
With love, bounty and magic as I drink in these Sacred Waters.
Behold, the Waters of Life!
The ritualist drinks deeply of the Blessing. As she feels it flowing into her belly she reaches out to the Gods and Spirits. She feels their Power and Love and Wisdom flowing into her with the Blessing. She feels it mingling with the Earth and Sky Powers, filling her mind with Light and Shadow. If she is planning further blessing or works she goes on to the next stage. Or she may simply, in that moment, ask the Powers for what she needs.
12: Works
As needed and appropriate.
13: Closing
When all is done the ritualist pauses to renew his center, and to contemplate the whole work. He rebuilds the whole pattern of the Grove, the presence of the Patrons, and the Blessing shining in her flesh. She speaks:
The Mighty Ones have blessed me.
Now with joy in my heart I prepare to carry the magic from the Sacred Grove into my common life.
I know that every time I offer to the Powers,
They grow closer, and more aware of my need and worship.
I pray that they will overlook error or weakness in my rite,
And continue to honor my Fire with their presence.
Now, as I prepare to depart, I give thanks to those who aided me.
O (Patron Powers), I thank you for your special blessing on this holy day.
O Shining Gods and Goddesses of Elder Days,
O Mighty Ancestors, Ancient Wise Ones,
O Noble tribes of Spirits of the Land,
I thank you all for joining me in this simple rite,
For sharing in my worship and giving me your blessing.
May there be peace between me and all the Kindreds.
The ritualist focuses on the vision of the Gate. She envisions the Gate slowly but surely closing, as she says:
O Keeper of Ways, Lord of the Gates,
For your presence and power, your guiding and guarding,
I give you my thanks.
Now by the Gatekeeper's aid and by my magic I end what I began.
So let the Fire be flame, let the Well be water,
Let only the Blessing remain.
Let the Gates be closed!
Any remaining blessing or offerings are poured out onto the Earth or into the Bowl, saying:
Mother of All, I thank you for your bounty and blessing.
To you I return all that has been unused,
Just as we all will return to you in time.
Earth Mother, I thank you.
By Land, Sea and Sky, by Fire, Well and Tree — I end this rite. I go forth with blessing, to bless the world in turn.
So be it!
Colophon
Written by Ian Corrigan, liturgist of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), as a working solitary rite for the winter solstice. Ian Corrigan is the author of numerous ADF rituals and theological writings, including The ADF Druid's Handbook, and has been a central figure in the development of ADF liturgical practice since the organization's early years.
Posted to soc.religion.paganism by Lady Cerridwyn (HPs, paganart.net), December 2004. Original Message-ID: <[email protected]>.
This ritual uses the ADF Core Order framework: Three Hallows (Fire, Well, Sacred Tree), Three Worlds (Land, Sea, Sky), Three Kindreds (Ancestors, Nature Spirits, Gods), and the Gatekeeper deity Manannan Mac Lir. The use of (Patron Powers) throughout reflects the tradition's intentional non-prescription — the rite adapts to whatever deities the practitioner works with.
Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Original Message-ID: <[email protected]>.
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