HYMNS FOR SUMMER SOLSTICE RITUAL!
Pagan hieratic elements
THE
RELIGIOUS SENSE OF THE RITUAL
In Polytheistic
Pagan religion, the ritual aims to renew, in a collective way, the relation
between the subject and the world in which it lives. The subject that organizes
the ritual considers him/herself an actor in life, merged in a whole of actors,
that s/he calls GODS, who are bearers of interests and aims in which, and for
which, the subject itself has changed.
The ritual
characterizes an aspect, a moment, a passage, a condition of the subject's life
and inside this aspect the subject manifests its own Aim, imposing to the GODS
in the world to walk side by side with its own Aim and strategies that the
subject puts in action in order to reach its Aim.
The individual
ritual is what the individual completes in his/her own daily life.
The collective
ritual must manifest a generic Aim that could be filled up of the Aim of every
subject that takes part to the ritual according to its personal vision of the
life.
In the collective
ritual, since there is a collective Aim, the single person's subjectivity must
be able to express without dominating the others' subjectivity.
Therefore, the
ritual must be organized with a precise and general Aim, with sure and precise
rules and modality of execution of the ritual in the expiration of its various
moments; the inside the ritual's various moments spaces must be reserved for
the expression of the participating people's subjectivity. It's necessary to
absolutely specify the moment in which the ritual ends.
The GODS called to
take part to the ritual, take part to it in relation to the emotions expressed
from the single individual; they take part for that single individual, for the
emotional communication that every single individual succeeds to develop. The
ritual is collective, but the relation with the Gods is personal.
It appears obvious
that in the execution of the ritual a certain discipline in the modalities and
the sequences of execution, but executive obligations cannot be imposed to the
participants because such obligations would prevent the manifestation of the
participants' emotions and their perception of the emotions from the world.
Go to the page of Summer Solstice rite
INTRODUCTION
WHY REWRITING ANCIENT HYMNS WRITING NEW HYMNS FOR
PAGAN
RELIGION?
The problems that
must be resolved in the compilation of religious Hymns can be reassumed in some
fundamental principles.
The hymn must
contain the religious principles through which the individual related itself
with the world.
In the Hymn the
individual recognizes the magical triplicity of life: him/herself as an actor;
the world of actors in which s/he acts; the action as an actor who calls to the
relations.
It must contain, on
one side the individual's aims, specific of the Hymn, and on the other the invocation
to the deity/deities that must place side by side to those Aims.
The Hymn must be
composed conjugating the Ancient Religions with the subjective attempts of the
modern culture.
The ancient
language must be translated in the modern language, considering the different
cultural contexts in which we act.
As an example, the
word "to pray", that today has become a synonym of "to
supplicate" is practically unusable in the modern Pagan language. "Saint",
a word too much used by Christian and monotheist religions, tends to create
confusion, so the word “sacred” is preferred.
The Summer Solstice
rite is the ritual of the Knowledge, the ritual of the outbreak of life
represented from the FIRE!
Wanting to integrate
the ritual with the elements of life that Ancient Greeks considered the
“arché”, it is necessary to single out the intelligence, “the fire”, that it
characterizes that arché in function of the manifestation of Knowledge.
In practical, it is
necessary to single out the FIRE of that arché.
Therefore the fire
of the water; the fire of the ether; the fire of the earth; the fire of the
light!
Always keeping in
mind that the elements are such only FOR OUR EYES. That is, for the eyes of a
Nature's Being that is bound to the shape of the reason and separated from the
world of action and emotions. As Pagans we'll never know if the rewriting of
the Hymn is such as to “always” express what we mean. We could say and invoke
things that some day will have to be reviewed, but is our duty to make it now,
in this moment and this situation.
An example is worth
for the Hymns that we want to introduce in the Summer Solstice rite.
The idea is that to
introduce some Hymns to the four elements, adding them to those to the fire,
but in order to add them from the point of view of the Paganism, is necessary
not to invoke the element, but the intelligence and purpose, the aim, that
comes from that element and flows in life as we Human Beings mean it.
The Hymn to the
Fire is the central Hymn of the Summer Solstice, beacuse it's fire of the
transformation and becoming in the present moment. In the other elements we
single out their intelligence and their action in the formation of life and of
our present, since this present is the basis from which we leave in order to
found our future: anything this can be!
The magic of the
ritual is expressed in the Hymn.
The words of the
Hymn have the task to merge Aim and Emotions of the individual. Through the
words, the individual projects in the world its Aim and Emotions, merging them
with the Aims and Emotions of the world in which it lives.
HYMNS OF SUMMER SOLSTICE RITE
I introduce the Invocations
through Hymns dedicated to the four elements (apart from the Hymn of the Fire
that can be found in other webpages) in a double version. The version of the
Orphean Hymn as published by Mondadori (Lorenzo Valla foundation) and
translated from Gabriella Ricciardelli, and the versions that we use for the
ritual. Only the Light is celebrated with two Hymns, one dedicated to the
Nature and the other to the various worlds of the Nature in which the Beings
construct their life strategies and found the becoming of their Acquaintance:
of their fire!
Some difficulty, in
interpreting the words of the Hymn, can be represented from the references to
which the words allude. Difficulty that can be easily exceeded with one brief
research on Internet.
WATER
the body
Proteus
of the numberless shapes!
Orphean Hymn: Scent of Proteus
I call Proteus, that holds the keys of the sea,
first-born, that has rendered clear the principles of
every nature
changing the sacred matter in multiformed figures,
honoured by all, of many advice, that knows the things
that are
and how many were before and how many will be in
happening;
having in fact all, he transforms, he and no other
of the immortals that have their seat on the snowy
Olympus
and the sea and the earth and fly in the air;
the first nature in fact all has consigned in Proteus.
But, father, come to the celebrants with sacred
purposes,
sending fulfillment of a happy life, good in works.
from Orphean Hymns,
Mondadori publishing (Lorenzo Valla foundation, edited by Gabriella
Ricciardelli)
And so it is modified, changed
in a modern hymn functional to the Federazione Pagana's rites:
Proteus, the water
of life!
I
call Proteus, that holds the keys of waters and seas,
first-born,
from which the principles of every shape were manifested
changing
sacred waters according to the infinite shapes of the Beings of Nature.
Honoured,
of many advice, assist the fire of this work
so
that it would be part of perennial waters and that gush out in the seas
ploughed
by the winds Borea and Noto.
Proteus:
caress
our aims, you who know the things that are;
caress
our aims you who know the things that were;
caress
our aims and see us to the things that will be.
Until
the water, life generatrix, will crack the cliff
in
order to become Nymph under Elios' rays
we
evoke you Proteus, come to the celebrants with sacred purposes
propitiate
the works to which we are preparing
accompanying
our life to fulfillment.
Marghera, 9 june 2006
AIR
the
breath
Zeus,
the atmosphere!
Orphean Hymn: scent of Zeus
Zeus much honored, great indestructible Zeus, to you
we offer
this liberator testimony and this prayer.
O king, through your head these divine things
appeared,
the goddess mother earth and the steep tops of
mountains
and the sea and everything the sky encloses within .
Zeus Chronious, with the sceptre, Kataibates, of
strong mind,
generator of all, principle of all and of all end,
you who shake the earth, you who increase, you who
purify, you who all shake,
Lightening, Thundering, Flashing, Zeus who make to
sprout;
of various shapes, listen, grant a perfect health
and the goddess Peace and irreprensibile of wealth
fame.
from Orphean Hymns,
Mondadori publishing (Lorenzo Valla foundation, edited by Gabriella
Ricciardelli)
And so it is
modified, changed in a modern hymn functional to the Federazione Pagana's rites:
Zeus; the
atmosphere,
the breath of
Nature's living Beings
Zeus
much honoured who at the beginning of time,
on
one young Earth with a fire heart,
with
the lightning primed the life freeing his siblings from the oblivion
in which
the time hid them.
It
was the lightning that transformed the Earth in the mother of the living
that
you nourished with your air body and powerful clouds.
The
Earth became mother and took to life the high tops of mounts
and
the sea, and everything the sky, Yourself, encloses.
Through
Your breath appeared the Divine Things.
Zeus
generator of the life; father and son of every living of the Nature;
Zeus
principle and companion of every travel towards the eternity.
Lightening,
Thundering, Flashing; Zeus who make germinate
the
various shapes of life, listen to us:
"hold
opened the doors of Olympus, we are arriving!"
Marghera, 09 june 2006
EARTH
the body
Rhea,
the Being Earth
Orphean Hymn: Scent of Rhea
Venerable Rhea, daughter of multishapes Protogono,
you who put the chariot of the sacred wheels on the
killers of bulls,
accompanied by the drums, you who love the delirium,
resonant of bronzes lady,
mother of Zeus shield-bearer lord of Mount Olympus,
honoured by all, of shining shapes, glad companion of Chronus,
you who take delight of mounts and of the frightful
shouts of mortals,
Rhea sovereign of all, you who provoke the uproar of
war, you of strong mind,
deceiver, saviour, liberatrix, first origin,
mother of gods and the mortal men;
from you in fact the earth and the wide sky derive
and the sea and the winds; lover of running, aeriform:
come, happy goddess, saviour with benevolent advice
bringing peace with rich assets,
sending ugly thing and death to the borders of the
earth.
from Orphean Hymns,
Mondadori publishing (Lorenzo Valla foundation, edited by Gabriella
Ricciardelli)
And so it is
modified, changed in a modern hymn functional to the Federazione Pagana's rites:
Rhea; the Being
Earth
the earth, the
body!
Venerable
Earth, daughter of Starry Uranus
Rhea
generatrix of life
You
who gave life to the generating Sky;
You
who gave life to the fecund Sea;
You
who gave life to the generating Hades;
You
who run in the cosmos following Elios in its wandering;
You
who founded with Chronus the infinite through the transformation
offering
to the mortals the snowy tops of Olympus;
I
call you:
"Be
benign with these travellers who too much often,
in
their going, they tread on the Earth without rendering honor to you.
Through
your daughters, Hestia and Demeter, feed the fire in their heart
so
that every choice they made could be strong and aware!"
Marghera, 10 june 2006
LIGHT
The
senses
Hera,
the nature as a crucible of physical life!
Hekate
as a crucible of cosmic life!
Orphean Hymn: Scent of Nature
O Nature, goddess mother of all, mother of the many
resources,
industrious, august, demon that much constructs,
mistress,
tamer of all the world, indomitable, helmslady, all
shining,
omnipotent, always honored, demon superior to all,
imperishable, first-born, celebrated, you who give
glory,
nocturnal, of the many constellations, carrier of
light,
difficult to contain,
you who with the heels turn without noise the track of
the feet,
saint, ordinatrix and infinite aim among the gods,
common to all, only you don't participate of anybody,
father of yourself, without a father, virtue, joyful,
greatest,
flourishing, interlace, friendship, complex, worth,
guide, regolatrix, carrier of life, lady who all
nourishes,
self-sufficient person, Justice, among the Graces
Persuasion of many names,
keeper of the ether, of the earth and the sea,
bitter to the worthless but sweet to those who obeys
to you,
sage of all, all giver, you take care, sovereign of
all,
generous opulent nutrix and dissolutrix of what is
matured.
You father of all, mother, nutrix and breeder,
you who accelerates the births, glad, rich of seeds,
impulse of the seasons,
you who helps all the arts, plasmatrix, you who much
construct, marine demon,
eternal, you who produce the movement, expert, much
shrewed one,
you who turn the fast stream with perennial whirl,
totally liquid, circular, you who continuously
transform yourself,
of the beautiful throne, honored, you who alone do
what has been decided,
among those who carry the sceptre up most powerful
dark thundering,
brave, you who all tame, destined fate, breathing
fire,
eternal life and immortal providence;
all the things are yours; only you in fact produce all
these things.
But, goddess I beg you in happy seasons
to bring peace, health, increment of all things.
from Orphean Hymns,
Mondadori publishing (Lorenzo Valla foundation, edited by Gabriella
Ricciardelli)
And so it is
modified, changed in a modern hymn functional to the Federazione Pagana's rites:
Hera, the Nature
Light, the life!
O Nature, goddess mother of all, mother of the many
resources,
industrious, august, awareness, you who much constructs,
mistress,
tamer of all the world, indomitable, helmslady, all
shining,
omnipotent, always honored, awareness higher than all your
children,
imperishable, first-born, celebrated, you who give glory,
nocturnal, of the many constellations, carrier of light,
difficult to contain,
you who with the heels turn without noise the track of the
feet,
sacred, ordinatrix and infinite aim among the gods,
common to all, only you don't participate of anybody,
father of yourself, without a father, virtue, joyful,
greatest,
flourishing, interlace, friendship, complex, worth,
guide, regolatrix, carrier of life, lady who all nourishes,
self-sufficient, Justice, among the Graces Persuasion of
many names,
keeper of the ether, of the earth and the sea,
bitter to everyone who doesn't feed life tensions but sweet
to those who add their intelligence and will to life,
sage of all, all giver, you take care, sovereign of all,
generous opulent nutrix and dissolutrix of what is matured.
You father of all, mother, nutrix and breeder,
you who accelerates the births, glad, rich of seeds,
impulse of the seasons,
you who helps all the arts, plasmatrix, you who much
construct, marine awareness,
eternal, you who produce the movement, expert, much shrewed
one,
you who turn the fast stream with perennial whirl,
totally liquid, circular, you who continuously transform
yourself,
of the beautiful throne, honored, you who alone do what has
been decided,
among those who carry the sceptre up most powerful dark
thundering,
brave, you who all tame, destined fate, breathing fire,
eternal life and immortal providence;
all the things come from you; only you in fact produce all
these things.
But, goddess I beg you in happy seasons
to bring peace, health, increment of all things.
Marghera, 12 june 2006
Orphean Hymn: to Ecate!
I celebrate Ecate protectress of roads, of
cross-roads, amiable,
celestial and terrestrial and marine, crocus coloured
mantled,
burial, playing bacchic, with the spirits of the dead
men,
Daughter of Perse, lover of solitude, wonderful of
deers,
nocturnal, protectress of the dogs, invincible queen,
announced by the roar of the wild animals,
without belt, of imbattibile aspect,
tamer of bulls, mistress who guards all the cosmos,
guide, nymph, nutrix of the young people, frequenter
of mountains,
begging the lady to assist to the devout celebrations
benevolent towards the cowherd always with joyful
mind.
from Orphean Hymns,
Mondadori publishing (Lorenzo Valla foundation, edited by Gabriella
Ricciardelli)
And so it is
modified, changed in a modern hymn functional to the Federazione Pagana's rites:
Ecate; the cosmos
the life as light
in the infinite!
I celebrate Ecate protectress of roads, of cross-roads,
amiable,
celestial and terrestrial and marine, crocus coloured
mantled,
burial, playing bacchic, with the mortals who became
eternal,
daughter of Perse, lover of solitude, wonderful of deers,
nocturnal, protectress of the dogs, invincible condition,
announced by the roar of the wild animals,
without belt, of imbattibile aspect,
tamer of bulls, mistress who guards all the cosmos,
guide, nymph, nutrix of the young people, frequenter of
mountains,
begging the lady to assist to the pious celebrations
benevolent towards the cowherd always with joyful mind.
When in the cross roads of life I must choose,
guide my mind and don't divert me
with the ghosts of the illusions.
And when I'll cross the threshold of light
hold out to me a benign hand
because I am s/he who in his/her own life,
at every crossing, has chosen his/her own way.
Marghera, 12 june 2006
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Claudio Simeoni
Meccanico
Apprendista Stregone
Guardiano dell'Anticristo
Piaz.le Parmesan, 8
30175 Marghera - Venezia
tel.041933185
E-mail claudiosimeoni@libero.it