The Rite of Alimentum Or, nourishment thankfully received of the Unseen & The union expressed by the Hallowed meal between Men and Women of mould & Them of the Fayerie country * * * The Fayerie Feast- here called the Rite of Alimentum or nourishment, is a continuation of the ancient human practice of sharing food with the giving powers of the Unseen, from whom men and women receive all of the things they need to sustain themselves, live, and thrive. It is a ritual of simple organic grace, a simple act of blessing, eating, drinking, and "leaving some over" for the Fayerie powers. Beneath and within its simplicity hides a revelation of the deepest and most crucial of bonds: the bonds that exist by virtue of our lives appearing in this world at all, and bonds that become consciously known and celebrated, as is right. Gratitude is the mother of all virtues. The Alimentum Rite allows for gratitude to be shown with the language of sharing nurturing food and drink which carry literal "spirit" or essential goodness. The basic form of the rite achieves the most important goal: to render the food and drink hallowed, and to consume it and share it. This is a simple rehearsal of the entire chain of receiving the force we need to live, and showing our gratitude. It is in this spirit that the rite should be performed (if people are wise) fairly regularly. But the Alimentum Rite can be done on behalf of the needs of others, too. It can be offered as a gift in the hopes that the Good Neighbors will act on behalf of a legitimate need that you or a breathing ally may have. To make the Alimentum for such a need, you perform the rite as given below, but after you have said the line that reads "I leave some over for Them familiar to me, and them the Good Neighbors inside this land," you add this line: "I leave some over that the good powers might help me (or X person) In my (their) hour of need, in X manner." And naturally, you clearly and succinctly describe what manner you mean. Then you continue with the rite as written. To perform the rite, you will need a cup and bowl or plate, and the meal itself, which is usually bread and red wine. Acceptable exchanges for the wine include ales, beers, and mead- but whatever it is, it should have spirit, which is to say an alcoholic beverage of traditional standing. Those who simply cannot have alcohol can substitute whole milk or apple cider. The bread used in the rite would be best home-made especially for the Alimentum, but can be obtained in whatever way if that is not possible. Sliced bread in a bag should be considered the last resort; if one must buy bread, one can usually find loaves and rolls and suchlike available. Acceptable exchanges for bread include boiled eggs, roasted or boiled meats, nuts, boiled or roasted root vegetables, or fruits like apples. If one is making this exchange, the wording of the ritual must change to reflect it- any mention of "bread" in the rite is changed to "food." You will need a separate bowl or vessel to receive the portion of your ritual feast that will be given to the Others. You will also need three straight(ish) lengths of wood or branches, generally 14-24 inches long each, to create a triangle that the plate of your food and cup of your drink will be put inside to hallow their contents. If you prefer, you can make a triangle out of sand or stones or flour. You will be performing a Breaching Charm before the meal, so whatever materials you may need for that will be required, too. As with any sorcerous work or rite of this kind, liminal places are best if you are out-of-doors; if done in your home, working before a hearth is best, or in a place reserved for these kinds of workings. Always do this rite by natural light only, which includes candle and firelight. 1. Create the triangle and place the plate or bowl of bread and cup of wine in it. 2. Perform your Breaching Charm. The triangle can be off to your left or right from where you sit or stand before your Crossways sign or Portal Knot. I tend to put it to the left. 3. Hold your hands over the bread and wine in the same "triangle" fashion that was described in the Birch Water Charm, and say: AKRAMACHAMAREI This word breaks the dark spell On the food and drink of this country So let it nourish my body and soul. I sain this bread and drink in the names of Gwyn, the King of Spirits and Gwynnevar, the Queen of Annwn. 4. Now relax your hands and hold them both palms-down over the bread and wine. Say: Here is bread and drink, full of life. Hallowed be Her Name For what quickens in this bread and drink. Hallowed be the Name of her fierce and fell Lord For what quickens in this bread and drink. Hallowed be Their Names for the sake of this meal. 5. Now take a sip from the cup, and eat a small portion of the food. Other participants, if any, should do the same. 6. Then put all the remaining food into the offering bowl, and pour any remaining drink into that bowl, too. Hold your hands out towards the bowl, palms upward this time, and say: palms upward this time, and say: I eat and I drink and I leave some over: I leave some over for the braw King of Fayerie; I leave some over for the good King's feasting table. I leave some over for the good Queen below; I leave some over for the good Queen's table below. I leave some over for Them familiar to me And Them the Good Neighbors inside this Land. I give thanks for what I have taken. I give thanks for the favors of Them Unseen. I give thanks for the kindness of Them Who have long been forgotten. May their blessings be upon my house. May there be peace between me above and Them below. 7. Then, take the offering bowl and move it over the center of your Breaching sign, placing it to the "north" side, the side reserved for the Others. If you didn't (for some reason) use a Breaching sign, just leave the bowl where it is. Before too long has passed, take the offering bowl to some place where the offerings can be given- placed directly upon the earth and left there, or given to a body of water, the roots of a tree, or some such thing. If it is impossible to accomplish this kind of final giving, the food can be left in the bowl for a few hours, then disposed of in any manner. The essence of the food is taken by the Unseen powers as soon as it is given, so unfortunate circumstances that may force you to dispose of the food in some terribly un-aesthetic way (such as a garbage can) don't rob the Unseen of any of its benefit from this rite. * * * The word "AKRAMACHAMAREI" is pronounced "uh-krom-uh-kah-mer-ay." It means "break the spell"- it is a powerful and ancient word of protective power, invoking the King of Spirits to banish and protect. The word "Annwn" is pronounced "Ann-oon" or "Uh-noon", depending on what you prefer. It is the ancient Welsh/Brythonic name for the Underworld. If multiple persons are performing this rite together, all of the singular pronouns in the ritual script should be changed to plurals "We give thanks for what we have taken…" and so forth.
