Biderap

I have structured each of these rituals around my interpretation of the essence of each season. Others may have different interpretations, which are equally valid or quite possibly even superior to mine. The key to this is the information I found at the Museum of Victoria page Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People. There is a lot more information there than I have included below – what is given below is meant to be just a teaser, to get you to go look at their website (the illustrations in particular, are very interesting – as is the information in the plants section).

More generally, wherever you live, there is an opportunity to look at the world around you, learn from its cycles, and then use those cycles to explore and enhance your life. This is just a cycle of rituals based on the seasons near here I live – in one small part of the wonderful world. There are many other cycles of seasons in this world, and many other cycles more broadly (e.g. tidal and astrological), wherein learning may be found, and celebrated and enhance through ritual.

As with all such work proper preparation is essential. Read the ritual, and make your preparations accordingly – particularly in relation to a harmonious combination of scents and colours, and make sure you have a safe place to work with candles, away from anything flammable (even if blown by wind or otherwise displaced, so no curtains!) and with suitable protection (I have used up to three plates on top of each other to make sure candles or cauldrons with flame will be safe – and remember the ash from incense will be hot, and sparks may occur so include protecting them in your plans) and obey all fire restrictions (no outdoor candles on total fire days!!!) Don’t become so caught up in enthusiasm for any ritual that you overlook simple, basic common sense and caution! Provide comfortable sitting to match the mobility of participants, make sure there are no risks of slips, trips and falls, or risks of bumping heads, etc, etc, etc.

The more thought and preparatory effort you make, the more likely you are to get good results – and don’t forget to ask for preparation during your sleep state. Read these posts to help you think about the issue of preparation: here, here, here, here and here, and the prayers in this post.

Poorneet - Opening/invocation

General Comments: Poorneet marks the time when tubers are hidden in the ground, but are ready to eat. This is the time when the riches of the Earth are ready, and just have to be found – it is warming, and flax lilies and yam daisies are flowering (from the Museum of Victoria page Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People, where the Poorneet page will tell you what the word means, what lyrebirds and other birds are doing, and the lengths of day and night at this time of year).

In terms of a ritual, what powers and energies of body, mind and spirit are ready to be drawn upon, and just need to be found – perhaps by … an opening invocation?

Face the appropriate direction as you say:

“In the east, we acknowledge the spirit of Poorneet, the tadpole season when hidden tubers are ready to find and eat, and acknowledge the coming into being of inner potential;

in the north-east, we acknowledge the spirit of Buath Gurru, the season of flowering grass when butterflies come to the flowers, and the spirit of fertility;

in the north, we acknowledge the spirit of kangaroo-apple, the season of storms, the benefits and the testing that can come with plentifulness, and the existence of the risk of conflict;

in the north-west, we acknowledge the spirit of Biderap, the dry season, and the unavoidable need for tests of endurance and strength;

in the west, we acknowledge the spirit of Iuk, the eel season, and the easing of troubles by the spirit of water;

in the south-west and south, we acknowledge Waring, the wombat season, the value of inner reflection and rest, and the times when we have to draw on our inner reserves;

in the south-east, we acknowledge the spirit of Guling, the orchid season, and the value of healing.”

Return your focus to the centre of the ritual area, and then, for Biderap, light a candle, to symbolise the heat of this season, and say ”may we have the strength and endurance that we need, in all areas of our life”.

If you wish, chant Algiz to invoke the rune of protection, and light a candle of whatever colour (or combination of colours) you associate with protection (I use purple and orange). You could also light incense that has associations of protection for you, or rub the candle with oil of that scent (be careful not to overdo it – there are seven stages to this ritual, and you could wind up with an overpowering or disharmonious combination of scents (or colours) if you are not careful!

Buath Gurru – fertility

General Comments (refer to the Museum of Victoria pages Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People): When kangaroo grass flowers, it is advertising its fertility (here will tell you about the weather, stars, insects and bats at this time). In other situations, this same energy could be described as fertility, so the connotation is not limited to the literal. What are the energies to be brought to a peak for this ritual? That is the task for this phase of the ritual.

Consider having offerings of red colours (candles, for instance) or seasonal fruit (to be left out on the earth for the forces of Nature to deal with, as agents of the Goddesses and Gods) as gifts of fertility to enhance the fertility (richness or fruitfulness) of that which is to be worked with. You could also perhaps display and invoke (by chanting) the runes Ingwaz and Berkana – and you should specifically call that which you wish to enhance or strengthen in to the ritual by chanting, even if only mentally), or perhaps writing what you want on paper, burning it and allowing the smoke and ashes to carry your invitation or desire to “the Universe”/the Goddesses and Gods.

At the time of Biderap, you are celebrating strength and endurance – which is not limited to conceptions of physical or mental strength or toughness, but also perhaps the capacity to love despite challenges (whether a person, a child – perhaps one with a disability, an ill family member, or an elderly parent), moral or ethical courage and tenacity – YOU have to decide what constitutes strength to you (it may help to review my notes on non-physical strength, particularly the range of possible actions and exercises, during your planning for this ritual). The question is, how are you going to enhance those strengths? Once you have decided what you are going to do, how are you going to symbolise that in this ritual? Or perhaps you’re going to simply make a declamation, a commitment in the view of your Patron Deities?

As you do this, chant

May I be fertile of body,

mind, emotions and soul,

in the widest possible sense.

May my life give forth

more and more of life.

Kangaroo-apple - storms and managing abundance

General Comments: This is the season of changeable, stormy weather, when goannas and bats are active, and days are long and nights short (see here, from the Museum of Victoria page Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People, for more on the weather, birds – particularly in response to the weather, fruits and goannas at this time).

This is a season of hunting, of managing storms, and of protecting nests –in other words, about being assertive, but also managing the dynamic aspects of this situation. So, just as a storm marks the build up and release of tension, with watering of life as a result, what are the dynamic aspects relevant to this ritual? All things pass, so think of it as coming up with as many yin-yang types of polarity as apply to the matter which is the core of this ritual, and which will lead to cycles of change. This may lend itself to movement such as dance to represent or clarify the dynamic forces at play here. Now work out how to manage those: what are the balancing forces, and what are the points of resolution? Are there, for instance, roles and limits of responsibility/accountability/duty to make clear – on all levels, not just physical? Having a gift comes with obligations – much as the wealthy person is tested, by having wealth, to see what they do with that wealth: what are the obligations and tests that need to be managed as a result of the fertility identified under Buath Gurru?

This is where you show your maturity by acknowledging that you can have too much of a good thing, and set boundaries about what you are going to do, much as indigenous people work at avoiding over-hunting or over-exploiting an area, so that there will be more for the future, and ensuring that all you do is done harmoniously. You may also need to consider the issue of sharing …

You could write two lists of the opposing attributes to be managed, or arrange symbols representing each of these, and then, with care and thought, rearrange or simply contemplate these aspects, and how to manage them. If it helps, stand up (or sit) and use the bow exercise I posted about (towards the end of that post). Contemplate these risks, how to know when one is going way or the other too far, and what one can do to balance that. Could you have even overdone the fertility exercises in the Buath Gurru section of this ritual, perhaps? If so, how do you correct that? You have to decide!

An issue for this phase of the Biderap ritual is resolving any doubts you may have about the issue of strength. Remember, it is not just about physical strength (again, refer to my notes on non-physical strength). Another issue is how to avoid excessive focus on strength – or, more probably, one particular strength at the expense of others. Strength is not something that is inherently and, or undesirable: spiritually, good application of good strength is an unavoidable necessity of growth. It tends to get a bad press because so many have abused physical or military strength, but if you’ve got concerns about this, perhaps watch the Richard Attenborough film “Gandhi”, starring Ben Kingsley, as part of your ritual (as I am doing as I write part of this cycle of rituals :) – and note that I consider this film my favourite [spiritual] action movie).

As you do this, chant

May all that comes

through, from and of me

be of Positive Balance,

and may it only call

to that which also is

of Positive Balance.

May all be

positively,

properly

balanced, sound and whole

As I recall that

just because

it can be so

does not mean it should be so;

may I have the will

to keep things sane,

and balanced and whole.

If you wish, chant Yr to invoke the energies of balance, and consider the candles and incense you have lit: does something need to be added, or taken away, or the positions rearranged (e.g. symbolically move something away from the centre of the ritual area to signify diminishing it’s influence in your life) in order to create balance?

Biderap – strengthening exercises

General Comments: This the season when tussock grass is dry, female Common Brown butterflies are flying, and the Southern Cross is high in the sky at sunset (from the Museum of Victoria page Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People).

This can be a testing time of the year. So, now that the ways to manage abundance have been worked out under the kangaroo-apple phase of this ritual, what strengths are needed to accomplish that? What strengths of body, mind and spirit are capable of being developed as a result of the ritual, or the situation the ritual is about? How do you best develop those strengths? Sometimes tests, such as tests of endurance, are unavoidable: what tests come with this situation?

This season has some similarities with the rune Ur, which signifies strength, but only after a test or initiation. In the sense used for this ritual, how can you refine and strengthen your advantages and skills? For instance, do you need to meditate to develop calmness so you can react more quickly and effectively when stressed, or perhaps learn Tai Chi so you can better tune in to ‘the flow’ of a given situation?

For this phase of the ritual for entry into Biderap, the issue is, how do you strengthen the strength you wish to have? For this, I suggest you review to my notes on non-physical strength.

As you do this, chant

Strength to strength,

as by my will,

so mote it be,

may I have

all that it takes,

to be all

that I can.

If you wish, chant Ur to invoke the energies of strength, and to acknowledge the energies of initiation and testing. If you can do so without disrupting the balance, you may wish to light candles and incense that have associations of strength or endurance to you (in my case, green candles and Nag Champa incense). If you need to, adjust the positions of the objects you are building in your ritual area to maintain a proper balance.

Iuk – easing of troubles

General Comments: Iuk is the word for eel, and this is the season when hot winds cease and temperatures cool, Manna gum is flowering, and eels are fat (from the Museum of Victoria page Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People, where this page will also tell of things such as the stars at this time).

So, much as the arrival of the wet season eases the build up at the end of the dry season, or the cooling rains mark the passage of the long, hot, dry time, water marks the arrival of relief. What could lead to relief, could lead to a celebration in the situation the ritual is being built around? How could you obtain relief or celebrate?

What would the signs be of you ‘over-doing’ whatever it is you seek to work on? You should know them as a result of the previous phase of this ritual. OK, so what other signs of stress do you have now? What impacts are you receiving from other parts of your life that need to be managed so you can work on this ritual properly? Are you stressed from work, tired from family duties, worried about money through having been too generous? What would heal that – both in your life generally, and –of the symptoms and impacts, at least – as you go about this ritual? What must you do, both in order to be able to do this ritual to the fullest extent possible, and to manage your life so that you can live to the fullest extent possible in the manner you desire?

When one is suffering, particularly at the hands of another, it is easy to imagine that gaining strength will solve everything. It won’t. Much as the fictional character Harry Dresden often comments, in Jim Butcher’s books of the Dresden series, that “magic doesn’t solve anything – that’s what people are for”, this phase of the Biderap ritual is where one considers the limits of strength, and what it is that would genuinely and lastingly provide surcease of stress or problems for you.

As you do this, chant

As the rain washes away dust

may the Universe

ease away

all blocks to creativity, and

ease away

what troubles it may.

As you do this, chant Dagaz to invoke the energies of transformation, and consider lighting incense or a candle of a colour that symbolises transformation, or overcoming problems to you (in my case, I would use either green, gold or orange candles, depending on the particular intent of the ritual, and sandalwood or frankincense).

Waring – meditation

General Comments: Waring is when wombats come out to sun themselves, male lyrebirds are displaying, and the hearts of soft tree-ferns can be used if no fruit is available (from the Museum of Victoria page Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People, where this page will also tell you of the stars, the mists and the lengths of days and nights at this time).

This time of the year marks the time of going within, of accessing and drawing on inner strengths – of sunning oneself, in a sense. Meditate on all you have learned, and of how to implement your knowledge – sun yourself with that knowledge, and take it all in to generate what it is you need, just as sunlight – in the right amount, not too much nor too little – can give us the Vitamin D we need.

This is the heart of the ritual. This is where you tie together all that you have done so far, and integrate it into your being and your life. Although the word ‘meditation’ has been used, you may choose another form of ritual work for this section of the ritual.

For the Biderap season, how do you relate to, increase beneficial and observe the limits of, ‘strength’.

When you finish meditating, spend some time contemplating all that you have done and learned, and particularly think on how you are going to implement that, and make these lessons a part of your very being, and of your life. When you have decided that, do what you must as part of the ritual (probably more writing!), and declaim “So mote it be.”

Guling –Healing and Closing

General Comments: This season is when the cold is coming to an end, orchids and certain other plants are flowering and males koalas are bellowing at night (from the Museum of Victoria page Forest Secrets: Seven Seasons of the Kulin People, which will explain why the koalas are bellowing :) ).

Allow yourself to be healed, and then it is time to close this ritual.

How can you get yourself ready to move from this ritual to the rest of your life? In part this involves some fundamental psychic disciplines, but it is also an opportunity to look at the issue of healing, both in terms of the ritual, which may have been confronting, challenging or difficult, and have left you in need of some healing so you can return to living effectively, and in terms of your life more generally.

You must also remember that you have been working with some very real nonphysical energies and entities: how do you give back to them for what they have given to you? This is simple manners, let alone proper gratitude in lieu of greed and grasping. This is VITAL if the ritual is going to have effect beyond the moment, so what can you do that is credible, and realistic? Don’t be the spiritual equivalent of a selfish, or self-centred or immature person. How do you give proper, dur payment? A thank you is an expected starting point, and something as simple as lighting a candle to offer energy for the use of those who have helped as they wish also goes a long way, but what else can you do?

For Biderap, this phase of the ritual is simply about strengthening healing. Review my post on improving healing during your preparation for this ritual, and then decide how you are going to enhance the healing you receive during this phase of this ritual (which may be a case of ensuring you are open to receiving such healing).

As you do this, chant

As the rains heals a parched land,

may the Universe heal

my body, mind and soul

Never devoke any of the directions/seasons! (see here and here for more on this point)

“May this circle be cleansed, cleared and closed, and may we be assisted to centre and ground ourselves, to close our auras and chakras and to close down, but may the protection, guidance and healing continue for the Highest Spiritual Good. So mote it be.”

Flame, ground and shield yourself.