A Psalm of Blessing

Cling ye therefore to the ways of your forefathers, and your grandmothers, and grandmothers' grandmothers, that you might be fortified in the ways of the Holy Powers. For behold, each generation is a link in the chain, that stretches back to the ancient forests, when men first stepped out of the trees, praise be the Gods! And if ye would drink at that well where souls are gathered that have fallen as fruits from the Tree of Life itself, listen to the call of the Old Ones pulsing in the blood, for, yea, within you is the path and the way, if ye would but listen, for, lo, it is said, the Gods speak within the blood, and the bones, and every sinew, and every cell of flesh in the holy body, yea, even the loins if the ear will hear their runes. Hear the call back to ancient beginnings. Feel the circle of ancestors' arms embrace you in their welcome, for they would have ye learn the ways of wisdom. Praise be to the Gods! There is something holy inside you. It shines at night beneath the moonlight. It shimmers on the waves of the sea. It sparkles on the beams of the sun at mid-day. It calms and whispers at the sight of ancient oaks. Be ye edified by the brooks and beeches, the birch and sun-laden meadows, for truly the wise woman hears secrets in the waters' waves and wind.

For all your days shall be held in the arms of the ancestors, whose embrace never leaves thy side, for they are in the woodworks, and the soil beneath, the air above, the crackling of the fire, and the gurgling creek. And though ye may walk alone, the Gods will always be by your side, on the cool river-sand at the bottom of the canyon, in the alpine cliffs before midnight, in the first cracks of dawn and Delling's red-golden fingers shining through the night's passing fog. Stand tall, for the pride of a million years speaks up within and offers the opportunity to make this life a full and true stand, a set of strong deeds to bless the generations to come. Be encouraged, for the significance of thy deeds stretches far beyond your reckoning, and many count, though unseen, on what you do or do not. Deed boldly, then, and follow the counsels of thy heart, for the wild, lively chaos of river rapids and windstorms on cliffs runs through ye, too, carving out the path thy wild soul longs to walk.

May the fire in your hearth never fade. May the bonds of love deepen, and take holy root. May the care of kith and kin shield you from the wolves of the outer yards. May all your luck help your deeds reach your worth, and may you be a blessing unto the earth and all her blessed creatures who have sworn the sacred vows in days of yore. These blessings shall come to pass. These blessings I drop into the well of wyrd to cleanse your path of all unwyrd. Be booned by the Gods.