Firstly, it is important to note that no records survive to indicate what rituals or celebrations took place at Winterfylleð. What we have is a recognition of the month itself and how winter was identified via a brief explanation by Bede:

“The old English people split the year into two seasons: summer and winter, placing six months – during which the days are longer than the nights – in summer, and the other six in winter. They called the month when the winter season began “Ƿintirfylliþ, a word composed of “winter” and “full moon”, because winter began on the first full moon of that month.”

Let us not forget that the passing of the seasons during the period in question was extremely important to the functioning of society and the survival of its people. Each month had its own purpose in ensuring that seeds were sown, plants grown, harvested, and then stored to aid with people surviving through the winter until the Summer began anew. We know from Bede that the coming of what we now call Spring would have fallen at the same time of Eostemonað or Easter-month which equates to roughly April in modern terminology with a variation on timings and dates due to the way that months were calculated according to the moon cycles. Consequently, Winterfylleð falls 6 months, or 6 lunar cycles, later and is the founding of Winter and the end of Summer.

This is clearly a significant point in time to recognise and acknowledge and it therefore stands to reason that such acknowledgement would have taken the form of some kind of feasting, celebration and ritual as we mourn the end of Summer and brace ourselves for the coming Winter. I, myself, do not acknowledge Spring and Autumn. The equinoxes were not, to the best of our knowledge, specifically celebrated by the Anglo-Saxons but we have the full moon at Eostre and the full moon at Winterfylleð that indicate the beginnings and endings of Summer and Winter much as other cultures would have celebrated the equinoxes.

The ritual I am to share with you is deeply personal. It is personal because it belongs to me, was written for me and I conduct my rituals alone, therefore you may take from it what you will and use it and adapt it for your own purposes. One of the reasons I love Fyrnsidu so much is that it is a largely blank canvas to work upon and to make your own. There are standard formats we can glean from historical evidence and there are many who draw from those examples to flesh out their own praxis or fulfil the needs of a community ritual, but then there are others who choose their own path with loose or even no historicity to base it upon because it just feels right to do it that way.

And who am I to argue with that? You do you and if it suits you, I’m all for it.

And so below is my ritual for Winterfylleð which I like to refer to as Winterfinding. It will take place this year on Saturday 28th into 29th October which is the first full moon of October following the Equinox in September and the beginning of the month of Winterfylleð which this year begins on 16th October on my calendar.

So now on to the ritual proper and my proposed format this year.

Firstly, my altar has now moved and is in a private cupboard within an outbuilding adjacent to my home. This helps me to separate it from the profane and keep it as a sacred space. Again, you do you. Because of where it is situated, I tend to now kneel with my arms outstretched before me and palms upwards, showing that I come before the Gods unarmed, open to the ritual and vulnerable before them. That vulnerability is important in my hearth praxis as it shows a willingness to engage one’s whole self.

Prior to this, I will have washed and cleansed myself, normally by way of a full shower, but in a pinch this can often be hands and face only. I don’t want to rush this ritual and therefore I would prefer to be fully showered. Water plays a key part in the liminality of the occasion, so whilst it cleanses, it also provides the gateway to the numinous.

I then hallow my altar having lit a votive candle. I move this sunwise around my altar three times and invoke Þunor-Hālgunghealdend (Hallowing Protector) to make this place sacred and protect it from malicious intentions and wights (wīhta).

I will then address the deities I wish to invite to witness the sacrifice. In this case, I intend to petition Nerþum-Þerscoldweard (Threshold Guardian) with a pinch of soil from the grounds of my home and offer incense and repeat the following:

Nerþum, Nerþum, Nerþum
Mother of Earth
Bringer of life
Keeper of the dead
You are both womb and tomb
Guardian of the threshold between life and death
I ask you to open the way between the worlds so that the Gods and the honoured dead may hear my entreaty
You are of us, as we are of you
So we begin as dust, so too do we end as such
I beseech thee to accept this offering of incense and fruits grown from this land, placed upon this altar in gratitude
Hail Nerþum, none look upon your countenance and live, such is your divine beauty

I call now to Frīg-Heorþmodor (Hearth-mother), Frīg-Heorþweard (Hearth Guardian)
She who protects my children and my family
Weaver of the web of Wyrd
I call to thee and ask you to convey these offerings from my hearth to their intended recipients
I pray you will accept this offering of an apple from my orchard and water that has fallen upon our property by way of thanks
Hail Frīg, mother of my hearth

I call now to Ēostre-Efnīwung (Renewal)
Oh she of the divine light of dawn, bringer of Summer!
You bring with thee the hope of new life and the warmth of love
But now you must sleep within the embrace of blessed Nerþum
You rest so that the cycle of life will continue and winter will return
I ask thee to accept this offering of honey to sweeten your journey towards thy earthy bedchamber
Hail Ēostre, may you bring the death of winter again on your anticipated return

Hail Sunne-Feorhgiefu (Giver of Life)
She who brings light, life and warmth to all our lives
Now you will go in search of blessed Ēostre as she disappears from the land
You will seek her further and further afield and the cold will return to these grounds
I beseech you to not forget us, to not leave us and to allow your light to guide us through the winter
I ask thee to accept this offering of mead such that it may warm your heart as you journey from us

Hail Mōna Nīht-hopa (Night-hope)
He who shines radiance upon us in the darkest of times
The darkness begins now to encroach on our days, keeping us to our homes and hearths
I ask that you help us to see that light when our hearts feel numb from the cold or indifferent to our environment
May you expose those who move in the night to act against us, protect us from their intentions
As the dark hours threaten to overwhelm us, I ask you to be that beacon of hope we need
I ask thee to accept this offering of camomile tea to help maintain calm and peace through the long nights

I give thanks this night also to fair Ingui-Æhteman (Husbandman), Ingui-Eowend (Virility) and I bid you hail
Hail to he who gives life to the land and brings virility to men
During these long winter nights, I ask for you to inspire me to be a better husband and father
Help me to draw close those I care about most and protect them from the harshness of winter
May new life abound once more at Wintersdeað
Please accept this offering of acorns that will impregnate the ground with new life as you do with fair Nerþum

I call finally to the honoured dead – to my ancestors and those who have shown me love and care throughout my life and without whom my life and those of my children would not have been possible. I welcome that love, that care and that positivity into my life and I know that you continue to surround me and my family with it. I speak to you now, humbly, in sincere gratitude and unending love for everything you ever did that had led us to this point. The web of wyrd is tangled, sometimes it is frustrating, worrying or even frightening, so to have your support behind us every step of the way means more to us than you can ever know. As we head now into the winter months, the temperature will drop, the days will become shorter and we will need each other that much more to support and provide warmth and hope for the future. I ask you to continue to show us your love and care throughout these long months and beseech you to accept this gift of mead in return. May it provide you with some warmth against the cold, some sweetness against the sour, and some gold to radiate the hope we all have for the future.

Hail to all the gods and the honoured dead here mentioned. I am grateful for your listening ears and your time this night.

From the gods and the honoured dead, to the earth, to us
From us, to the earth, to the gods and the honoured dead
Gifts have been given, may they be well received.

Hail fair Nerþum, that gives to all men. I call to you finally, Nerþum-Þerscoldweard (Threshold Guardian) and ask that you now close the way between the worlds and accept my gratitude for doing so.

And with that, I extinguish the votive candle and sit in peace for a few moments.

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As with all rituals, these are deeply personal things that may resonate with some, and not with others. Please do take from this what you will, I sincerely hope you find some of it useful and are able to hold your own ritual, or blōt, this coming Winterfylleð.