Order of Sc á thach

1. Order of Scáthach Seeker Introduction to Scáthach

2. Come and be welcome… Welcome Seeker to the Order Of Scáthach. We are a warrior Pagan Tradition that builds on a Wiccan foundation and incorporates the teachings of many historical warriors and the Training offered by Scáthach nUanaind.

3. … come sit by the fire Whether you are here to begin your training or simply wish to have enough knowledge to celebrate with us we will begin here, with the basics. A certain amount of knowledge is assumed upon entering a circle with us. This section is designed to ensure you have all the tools you will need to comfortably enter sacred space with the Order Of Scáthach.

4. What is Wicca? Let us begin with what is Wicca? Wicca is a polytheistic (a belief in multiple deities), nature-based faith that honors the turning of the seasons and celebrates the natural cycles of life. If you plan to continue on to the training lessons we will delve deeper into this topic as you learn the various traditions and techniques used by the Order.

5. The Wheel of the Year The wheel of the year is broken into 8 celebrations that represent the active and dormant states of nature. 4 quarters (seasons) and 4 cross quarters. Each sabbat (holiday) on the wheel is celebrated equally. Typically, the Wheel begins with either Samhain or Yule and continues to Imbolc, Ostara , Beltane, Litha Lammas and Mabon

6. Sabbats Samhain: Oct 31 The last of the harvest: This is the time of reflection, the time to honor the those who have gone on before us and the time of seeing (divination). It is a time we come to recognize our own part in the eternal cycle of Life Yule: Dec 21 Yule is the time of greatest darkness and the longest night of the year, it is celebrated as the return of the Sun God. And a time to “reflect the light” on others Imbolc: Feb 1 A time of the year associated with beginning growth, we plant the "seeds" of our hopes and dreams for the coming summer months. Forge our intentions in the universe.

7. Sabbats Ostara: Mar 21 Spring Equinox, The days, and nights are now equal in length. We begin to see shoots of new growth and swelling buds on the trees. Energy is building as the days become warmer with promise. Beltane: May 1 The Land, represented by the Goddess, is now ripe and fertile and it is time to sow the seeds of intention. Litha: Jun 21 This is the Midsummer Solstice. It honors the longest day of the year. The crops are growing strong. It marks the last day of the light half of the year and the first day of the dark half.

8. Sabbats Lammas: Aug 1 First in the trilogy of harvest festivals, Falling midway between Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox. Mabon: Sept 21 The Continuing Harvest, the days, and nights are equal once again. Gardens are in full bloom and heavy with nature's bounty, and preparations are begin made for the long cold months of winter. Esbats, are circles which take place to honour the cycles of the moon can take place both on the Full or Dark Moon.

9. Witch’s Wheel Samhain brings pumpkins and candles aglow Yule comes with pine trees and blankets of snow Imbolc will show us if winter’s end nears Ostara will brings us coloured eggs and good cheer Beltaine brings planting and maypoles for dancing Litha the solstice, the sunlight is waning Lammas, we harvest the first of our grain Mabon we finish the harvest again. One last turn of the wheel and winter’s begun back to Samhainand pumpkins and ancestors to come. ~Sara Lasure, 2001

10. The Wiccan Rede The Wiccan Rede as it is commonly used is the final 8 words of a larger document. “An it harm none, do what ye will.” 8 small words with big meaning. This phase is a guide to life, a moral compass. It can be interpreted differently by each of us. Therefore We will not attempt to tell you how you should or should not fallow the Rede .

11. What does Harm mean? The Rede tells us that as long as we harm none we can do as we like. But that statement is deeper than that. Let’s look at “An it harm none.” Consider what this means to you. Did you include yourself in “none”? What constitutes “harm”? Physical? Mental? Spiritual? How about legal or moral? These are all point to consider before “do what ye will.”

12. Divinity Thou art Goddess/ thou art God: The divinity lives within you and around you. You are part of the divine not separate form it. It is an important distinction from the monotheistic faiths (belief in only one god). As a part of the divine you have the ability and the responsibility to effect change around you.

13. The warrior A Warrior is a someone who makes a fearless and objective inventory of their personal characteristics and then uses this information to take control of their life.” - Kerr Cuhulain, 2007 A warrior is a public servant who leaves a community safer and better for having been there... All the while the warrior acknowledges that the most formidable opponent is ultimately herself.” - Skatha Stone, 2013

14. Circle Expectations Circle: Pagan rituals/celebrations are not necessarily held on any specific building or space. Any place we gather can be made sacred by our intent and our actions. Scáthach is a dry tradition. We do not use drugs or alcohol in our circles we ask that participants refrain from any mind / energy altering substances prior to and during any Scáthach ritual.

15. Etiquette When in circle we ask: 1. Please participate by being present and listening 2. Be open to sharing energy and space, 3. Actively offer your experience. It is important that you ground excess energy after circle. Most of all we ask your assistance maintaining safety by respecting privacy of members. The Order of Scáthach is as family friendly tradition; as such we may experience delays and / or disruptions during rituals. Circling with young children means being not so serious sometimes, and adapting on the fly. We support parents with children of all ages and offer this flexibility in all our lessons and rituals.

16. What you’ll see… During our circles you may encounter some unique magical techniques. We focus energy for individuals with toning, and for objects with Kiai, hand to hand circle casting, I am statements, Agape and various forms of ritual dress. Toning: Toning is a vocal technique used to send energy to a person. Energy can be requested by any one and can be requested for any positive purpose. Keep in mind that energy can only be sent to people with their permissions. Kiai: A Japanese word for “battle cry” is used to infuse energy into objects that can then be worn or carried with you . Enabling you to access use the contained energy placed there.

17. In a Scáthach circle Circle casting: Typically, a hand to hand method of casting is used. This acknowledges the divinity within each individual and involves passing the energy from one person to the next until we have a complete circle. I am Statement: Following the example of the Song of Almergin, we have created personal statements that reflect our warrior spirit. This statement can change and / or evolve over time, just we change and evolve over time.

18. Ritual dress: as a warrior tradition our official ritual dress is a black gi with a martial arts belt that indicates your level of training. Although, we do on occasion forgo the formal dress code in favor of other ritual specific clothes. That being said we firmly believe that ritual dress is not a requirement to participate in any circle, it is just one more tool to help you focus on the sacred space. Agape: a meal shared as a sign of love and fellowship. For ritual proposes it is shared food and drink that has been blessed and passed around as a gesture of proposed bounty. A common blessing you will hear is “may you never hunger/ may you never thirst”

19. Grounding Grounding: Grounding is a technique that can serve you outside the circle as well. It is a way of drawing out the excess energy form you body to allow you to focus and maintain control in stressful or emotional situations. To release any excess energy that no longer serves. Technique: • Becoming aware your hands, raise them palms up with the in breath, and with the out breath bring them palms down. Picture energy (wave) flowing down your back. • With the next breath, raise your hands up again, and bring them down with a wave coming down the front. • With the third deep breath bring the palms up, and bring them down again, picturing the wave coming down the middle. Lock off the energy by bringing your arms in palms up and hands closed.

20. Scáthach Until next time, Boidh se!