Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Render Due Honor

Render Due Honor

Last updated on: February 3, 2013 at 1:59 pm by John Beckett

Render Due Honor 2013-02-03T13:59:08-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Erin and Michi, two of the priestesses for this year’s Imbolc circle

One of the responsibilities of being a leader in a Pagan group is making sure you have good rituals for every circle on the calendar. That doesn’t mean I lead them all – Denton CUUPS is blessed with a good variety of capable and experienced ritualists. I typically lead one or two of the eight major holidays and assist on one or two others.

Writing Imbolc was not in my plans for this year. But when our circle coordinator for Imbolc developed some serious health issues (she’s doing better now and will be fine), it was my job to step in and put something together.

If you’re going to have to write a ritual on short notice, Imbolc isn’t a bad one to do. There aren’t huge expectations for it like Beltane and Samhain, and there isn’t a fixed local tradition like our Egyptian Summer Solstice. The connection to Brighid provides a general theme and there’s a lot of good poetry available for preludes and interludes. We’ve been using the same basic liturgical outline for almost ten years, so putting the opening and closing together was quite easy.

But what to do for the main event? While I wholeheartedly recommend reusing quarter calls and other ritual elements, I don’t like repeating the core working of a ritual. I know some rituals are intended to be done the same exact way every time, but I don’t want to give people reruns for a public celebration of one of the major Pagan holidays.

So I began sifting through ideas on my morning walks. And it wasn’t very long before I began hearing three words Sam Webster spoke at Between the Worlds: “render due honor.”

Most of our main workings are designed to do something – to create change in conformance with Will. Maybe it’s to bring new growth to the lives of those in the ritual. Maybe it’s for healing. Maybe it’s to let go of something that’s no longer serving our best interests. Maybe it’s to help turn the Wheel of the Year or to bring about a New Aeon.

Those are all good ritual goals. We’ve worked for these things many times in the past and we’ll work for them many times in the future. But for this circle, I kept hearing “render due honor.”

Giving offerings to the gods and ancestors is a part of our regular liturgy. It’s an act of tradition (our ancient ancestors did it, so we do it too), it’s an act of hospitality (the gods and ancestors are our honored guests and we should treat them as such) and it’s an act of reciprocity (the gods and ancestors give to us, so we should give to them). But normally, the lead priest and priestess make the offerings on behalf of the assembled community. What if we gave everyone a chance to make an offering?

While most Pagans at least know of Brighid, some don’t know her well. And in a CUUPS setting, there is usually someone who’s at a Pagan circle for the first time. So we first wanted to introduce everyone to her. The main working began with a three-fold guided meditation, to meet Brighid the Inspirer at the Tree, Brighid the Transformer at the Forge, and Brighid the Healer at the Well.

At the Tree we asked “What is it you’re called to create? What song must you sing, what poem must you write, what thing of beauty must you make? What is your great art?”

At the Forge we asked “Are you the hammer, the instrument of the will of this great goddess? Are you the anvil, supporting the work of others? Or are you the metal, going into the forge to be refined and shaped and tested, transformed into something more?”

At the Well we said “The water does more than quench your thirst. It refreshes your body. It restores your will. It renews your soul.”

Having met Brighid, it was time to make offerings to her. We poured cups of milk for everyone (some whole milk, some almond milk for those who can’t drink the cow stuff), then made this invitation:

We have invoked Brighid and she has blessed us with her presence. We have met her by Tree, by Fire, and by Well. Imbolc is her festival, and it is right and good that we should give due honor to her.

And so I invite you to come forward, take a cup of milk, pour some in the offering bowl, then drink the rest. In making the offering you make sacrifice – you make it sacred – and in consuming the remainder you take the sacred blessings of Brighid into you.

As you pour, and as you drink, remember your visions.

Come – let us make offerings to Brighid.

Then while Damh the Bard’s “Brighid” played softly, forty people got up, made an offering, and shared a cup of milk with Brighid. Included in that were three small children whose parents helped them with the pouring and drinking. I grew up thinking “making an offering” meant dropping money in a collection plate. Here are three people who will grow up understanding it means something else too.

What do all these people believe? What were they thinking as they made their offerings? Were they paying tribute to a goddess? Were honoring the Divine Feminine? Were they praying to a Christian saint? Were they working to promote inspiration, transformation and healing in their lives and in the world? I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that on a cold Friday night in Texas, forty people came together and rendered due honor to Brighid. The rebuilding continues.

I hope your Imbolc was joyous and blessed. Hail Brighid!

Previous Post

January 31, 2013

The Myth of Magic

Next Post

February 5, 2013 Wondering About Offerings

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the primary agricultural tool in Biblical times?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Iron plow Wooden rake Bronze sickle Stone hoe