The scene was set
A roaring fire
A thinning veil
There to inspire
A goodly few
Ancestrally
Robed up and masked
And wanting to be
The stones looked resplendent
In the afternoon light
Lichened and purposeful
And just feeling right
Skeletons seated
With birds of prey
With pumpkins and lanterns
A true array
Of Magickal symbols
From this liminal sphere
Besoms and candles
It just was all here
Plenty of thermals,
To combat the frost
A south Westerly wind
My frizzy locks tossed
In the South Chipping Norton’s
Burnt umber hues
Of Autumnized cereals
Paying their dues
To the greatest of mothers
Dying back they
All enriching the earth
At the end of the day
In the West where the veil
Was as thin as could be
Where the thinly clad trees
Hung frantically
The light picked out pigments
Of orange and gold
On this mound of antiquity
Most there seem sold
In the North a dark halo
Of trees clustered there
Protecting the site
From the roadside
They share
Olive and darker shades
And in the East
The Druids and friends
Await the great feast
The ritual of Samhain
The feelings abroad
A great marbled sky
A justly reward
Led by our Arch Druid
Resplendant in green
Cat masks and ghouls
A peaceable scene
Forming a circle
The ancestors too
Are joining the ritual
In spirit anew
We close our eyes
Briefly holding hands
As we dream
Of the loved ones we lost
Inviting a stream
Of consciousness to us
Abundantly we
Find the closeness of friends
Sharing, we be
The quarters are opened
The dancers appear
Beautiful music
To pleasant the ear
Gyrations magickal
Graceful acclaim
And all the while
Watching the colourful flame
Dave is a our fire person
Logs to the fore
We break the circle
To the East to implore
Of the spirits
the Ancestors
The triple goddess
Samhain,
the witches the faeries
The fortune tellers who gain
From the Rollright stones
Each spirit there
In their reply
We are able to share
The manna is blessed
And is passed around
Whilst our Bard from his chair
Entertains
And is bound
In creating some pictures
With words to acclaim
The secrets and passages
Of this Samhain
Then comes the talking stick
A magickal phase
For each soul who holds it
Can ably praise
Whatever they have chosen
To share with us all
A poem a song a reflection
A call
Reminded affirming it be
Healing us all us all
With each sweet symphony
We are all friends together
Admiringly
We can all share the deference
Of the ceremony
Its a quiet time
Enveloped by the darkening light
By the wonderful stones
Moving in ever tight
We are all free spirits
Together as one
With a great sense of purpose
For what we have done
Left the warmth of the fireside
To come to a place
Which is ancient and special
A benevolent space
To breathe in the air
The frost let it try
To break through the thermals
Standing here
High
on the great hill
In open air
Our lungs being filled
As ancients have done
As ancestors willed
It to be, in the open
Free of wifi
Moments of wonderment
Down from the sky
A great transformation
The fervour of light
Of headlamps and lanterns
And torches
All bright
Names to be remembered
Written on the scroll
And burned in the embers
Each and every soul
All the spirits around us
Past present and before
Called into being
And for evermore
The Druids prayer
Recited together
Closing the quarters
Giving thanks that the weather
Had been convivial
Had spared the rain
The wind chill expected
Had begun to drain
The blood from the toes
And the finger tips too
But the fire smiled a lot
And its magick we drew
Then came the sparklers
The joyous refrain
Of relaxing together
With thanks to Samhain
The Cotswold Order
Creates in a way
A chance to be free
And to share and to play
A part in creation
A ritual of sorts
That inspires and desires
And concentrates thoughts
To the wonderful countryside
The open air
Collective affirmations
That all of us share
The elders the youth
Its a meeting of minds
Even “Riler”the canine
Seemingly finds
A place for herself
Sharing with her mama
An understanding
YES Whoever we are.
A special thanks to all the Order
Who worked this ritual beautifully today
Each and everyone of you.
3 Responses to Samhain at Rollrights 4/11