once upon a time I set myself a challenge to write 30 hymns in 30 days, 10 for each of the 3. I created prompts and said I was going to do it in a month.
"a month" quickly turned into years and even as I write this, they're still not done. but they will be, someday. in the meantime I'm putting them on this site, to have a secondary place for them to live online.
soil
Praise be upon thee,
lady of the darkened earth
dirt-caked hands
blood-smeared face
life and death
held in your arms
teach me what it is to be
a child of the earth
soil in my blood
rocks in my bones
let me dig in loamy flesh
let me find sparks of new life
let me grow anew in the land
let me bury my dead
let the soil expand, soaking up life-giving rain
let it dry
and starve us out
let us learn the story
of earth betrayed
let us know
the truth of the soil
let us be one
with the cycle
Praise be upon you,
Earthen Queen
dirt-caked face
blood-smeared hands
all the world within your arms
show us what it is to be
of the earth.
apples
Hail to the Lord of the Land of Apples
High Priest of Avalon
Father to the Lost
let me honor you
in quiet simplicity
let me taste the fruit of knowledge
let me dive into the Mystery
let me know what I’m ready for
let the truth be a balm,
calming my stormy skies
let me find comfort in the hardy flesh
of your sacred fruit
teach me how to calm the dead, o Lord
teach me how to grow apples
out of discord and strife
teach me to bring peace to the afterlife
let the ancestors gather around my apple tree
let me share with them
the food that straddles the realms
teach me to cook a meal for the lost
the hungry
the downtrodden
let them know a parent’s love
in a slice of apple pie
teach me the secrets of comfort food, o Lord
that I may be a better priestess to you
Hail, High Priest of Avalon
Father to the Lost
Praises be upon you,
Lord of Apples.
birth
Hail Brighid
Exalted One
Fiery Arrow
foster-mother of Gaeldom
teach to me your secrets
the secrets of birthing
let me know and revel in the pain
and the glory
let me hold within myself
your light, words dancing
upon the page
IMBAS deep within
let me hold your light
until it is ready to burst forth
let me cultivate
creativity
in my deepest soul; let it be compost
for what the world needs most
let me set alight
what is within
sending sparks out
at breakneck speed
through my flesh, burning me
but surrounding me in light:
a galaxy of my children
orbiting my being
let me know the truth of birthing
whether it be
of my body
or my mind
let me know the magic
of bringing
a new thing
into a desperate, wanting world
foster-mother of Gaeldom,
Fiery Arrow
Exalted One
Hail to you, Brighid
Keeper of the secrets of birth.