Daily devotions-- prayers or rituals often performed in the morning and in the evening-- strengthen the bonds
between man and the déithe agus andéithe (gods and un-gods), and foster a greater awareness of the
interdependent relationship between the secular and spiritual. While it's unknown how these daily rituals were
performed or whether they were at all by the pre-Christian Gaels, such rituals can still be a meaningful and fulfilling
aspect of our daily lives.
In the later rural traditions of Ireland and Scotland, much of the day was littered with prayers, incantations,
blessings, and poetry or songs while people laboured, travelled, ate, cleaned, and went about their daily business
which only demonstrates the powerful integration of the spiritual and mundane within the Gaelic mind-set. Many acts
and affairs that are considered mundane by today's standards would have been imbued or shared with the sacred.
One daily ritual, well recorded by Alexander Carmichael in his Carmina Gadelica, is the kindling and smooring of the
hearth fire. Carmichael describes such a ritual as being the responsibility of the woman of the household who would
relight or subdue the hearth fire while praying that the fire be blessed as well as the household. This practice was
shared in Ireland, as well.
A very similar ritual is performed by many Gaelic polytheists today as part of their daily devotions. In the morning
their hearth fire or the fire present on the household shrine (could be in the form of a candle, oil lamp, or electric
lamp) is lit whilst prayers, poetry, or song are recited for the déithe agus andéithe usually requesting that the
household be healthy and well for the day and then an offering is usually given (incense, water or milk, or perhaps
some food from breakfast). At night, the fire is smoored and again prayers are given expressing gratitude for
another day of life and that the family be protected while it sleeps. Gaelic polytheists may also include greetings to
the rising sun or the new moon, small offerings to the land spirits, meal blessings, or prayers to their patron deity or
ancestral spirits as part of their daily devotions.
Devotions can be planned and scripted or random and improvised; they can be a simple prayer to a formal
offertory ritual. Below is an example of a Gaelic polytheist daily devotional ritual which is based on some of the
recorded rituals in the Carmina Gadelica. It can be used as is or adapted to personal tastes and meaning.
Morning Devotions
I. Light a candle, lamp, or kindle the hearth fire.
II. Give your personal prayers. You may say something like:
III. Give a libation.
Night Devotions
I. Again, light the hearth fire.
II. Say something like:
III. Extinguish the candle, lamp, or smoore the hearth fire.
You may wish to give another offering before sleep.
IV. As you lay down in bed:
* From Annie Gormlie's An Deiseal ritual, available here and here.
between man and the déithe agus andéithe (gods and un-gods), and foster a greater awareness of the
interdependent relationship between the secular and spiritual. While it's unknown how these daily rituals were
performed or whether they were at all by the pre-Christian Gaels, such rituals can still be a meaningful and fulfilling
aspect of our daily lives.
In the later rural traditions of Ireland and Scotland, much of the day was littered with prayers, incantations,
blessings, and poetry or songs while people laboured, travelled, ate, cleaned, and went about their daily business
which only demonstrates the powerful integration of the spiritual and mundane within the Gaelic mind-set. Many acts
and affairs that are considered mundane by today's standards would have been imbued or shared with the sacred.
One daily ritual, well recorded by Alexander Carmichael in his Carmina Gadelica, is the kindling and smooring of the
hearth fire. Carmichael describes such a ritual as being the responsibility of the woman of the household who would
relight or subdue the hearth fire while praying that the fire be blessed as well as the household. This practice was
shared in Ireland, as well.
A very similar ritual is performed by many Gaelic polytheists today as part of their daily devotions. In the morning
their hearth fire or the fire present on the household shrine (could be in the form of a candle, oil lamp, or electric
lamp) is lit whilst prayers, poetry, or song are recited for the déithe agus andéithe usually requesting that the
household be healthy and well for the day and then an offering is usually given (incense, water or milk, or perhaps
some food from breakfast). At night, the fire is smoored and again prayers are given expressing gratitude for
another day of life and that the family be protected while it sleeps. Gaelic polytheists may also include greetings to
the rising sun or the new moon, small offerings to the land spirits, meal blessings, or prayers to their patron deity or
ancestral spirits as part of their daily devotions.
Devotions can be planned and scripted or random and improvised; they can be a simple prayer to a formal
offertory ritual. Below is an example of a Gaelic polytheist daily devotional ritual which is based on some of the
recorded rituals in the Carmina Gadelica. It can be used as is or adapted to personal tastes and meaning.
Morning Devotions
I. Light a candle, lamp, or kindle the hearth fire.
- I will kindle this fire today,
In the presence of the excellent Déithe,
In the presence of our beloved Sinsir,
In the presence of the kindly Aos Sí,
And in the presence of our fair Bríde.
With love, with honor, with reverence,
O! With love, with honor, with reverence,
This fire is kindled today.
The encirclement of radiant Bríde around,
Our hearth, our house, and our household,
This day and everyday,
O! Each and every single day.
II. Give your personal prayers. You may say something like:
- Thanks be for all that is good in my life,
That has been given to me by the Déithe agus Andéithe.
I pray that there will be good health in all my efforts today.
May I go forth into the light of day,
With strength in my arms,
Truth in my heart,
And wisdom on my tongue.
Let the Sacred Three give to me and my family,
All that is goodly and auspicious,
Wholesome and fruitful.
I make my circuit under Their shield,
Where beneath it I shall fear no evil,
No peril, no harm, nor dull words.
Each day and night,
Each shade and light,
Each moment in kindness,
Lend to me your spirit, O Sacred Three!
III. Give a libation.
- I honor the déithe agus andéithe with this (water/milk/ etc) I pour to them, upholding our ancient and
ancestral contract.
- As it was,
As it is,
As it shall be.
A blessing of blessings
On all Three*.
Night Devotions
I. Again, light the hearth fire.
II. Say something like:
- Blessed be this house,
from site to stay,
beam to beam, ceiling to floor,
wall to wall,
and room to room.
May the déithe agus andéithe give blessing to the house that is here.
III. Extinguish the candle, lamp, or smoore the hearth fire.
- Tonight, I’m smooring the fire as gentle Bríde would smoor.
May Bríde the fair guard us until the fair day wake us,
and by her grace may we awake refreshed and well
to greet the new day.
You may wish to give another offering before sleep.
IV. As you lay down in bed:
- I will lay down this night with Na Trí Naomh,
I will lay down this night with my Gods,
I will law down this night with my ancestors,
I will lay down this night with the kindly spirits.
And I will lay down this night with peace and good health.
* From Annie Gormlie's An Deiseal ritual, available here and here.
| Daily Devotions |
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