A High Seat Ritual with Dr. Ceallaigh MacCath-Moran and Andreas Kornevall

The High Seat Ritual

2nd November, 7pm start

@Clophill Centre

With Dr. Ceallaigh MacCath-Moran and Andreas Kornevall

“Hooded and veiled with their night-like tresses,
The Fates shall bring what no prophet guesses”

Lord Dunsany

In the High Seat ritual we intentionally work together to bring out the voices of women and celebrate their wisdom and inherent oracular voices, for men to be of service of a High Seat is a great privilege and trust. In Viking society, women were the ones who carried the knowledge of the mysteries and it is expressed in this ceremony.

Through induced trance and chanting, our Völva (Norse Witch), the folklorist Ceallaigh MacCath-Moran will take the High Seat and travel the ancient roads of the Tree of Life (Yggdrasil) on our behalf whilst we sing her through the worlds. In this journey she serves the good heart and returns to illuminate parts of our lives that we need to pay attention to. Our intent and goal for this high seat ritual is to leave you feeling creative, capable, and blessed.

I know of no other ritual like it and few are more ancestral to those living in the Northern spheres. It is documented in detail in Erik the Red’s saga, where a seeress, arrives and is "given a high seat" with a cushion, indicating her honoured and important position.

All conflicts amongst attendees must cleared first and reconciliations made before the Völva enters the round house. Considering the times we are living in, resolving conflict is essential, at least for the duration of the ceremony.

Pledges and oaths on iron will also be traditionally offered for those who need to be witnessed making changes in their lifecycles, or to break certain patterns.

As with all ceremony, we enter a larger community and serve something bigger than ourselves. Its a time for fellowship.

If you hear this wild call you are warmly welcome.

As this is an “only” ceremony event (no teachings), the exchange is purely donation based (suggested donation £10), or bring what you can, gifts are welcomed. But please note that we have to cover the costs of renting the round-house. The Völva will be travelling so please do not bring her anything that she can’t carry with her.

There will be a shrine for offerings on the night (consider bringing something that is easily compostable.)

All instruments are welcome. Especially drums and your voice.

Bio's:

Dr. Ceallaigh S. MacCath-Moran holds hold B.A. in Celtic Studies from the University of Toronto, an M.A. in English and Creative Writing from the University of Maine, and a PhD in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is also an author, poet, and musician under the name C.S. MacCath. Her long-running Folklore & Fiction Project integrates these passions with a focus on folklore scholarship aimed at storytellers, and she brings a deep appreciation of animism, ecology, and folkloristics to her own storytelling. You can find her online at csmaccath.com, folkloreandfiction.com, and linktr.ee/csmaccath.

Andreas Kornevall is an author, storyteller and ecological activist. He grew up in South America, Sweden and Switzerland, and now directs the Earth Restoration Service charity. In response to the sixth mass extinction, he was the catalyst behind the Life Cairn movement: memorials for species rendered extinct at human hands. As a storyteller, he works with old myths and fairytales which shine a torchlight on life’s journey; his stories tend to gravitate around the Norse material which have led him to lecture and perform in universities and other educational centres. He is also a prize-winning author, whose work has been published in magazines such as Resurgence, The Ecologist, Permaculture magazine and in the Dark Mountain series. He is a member of the 'Forn Sed' (Old Customs Association) in Sweden which works closely with ancient Norse culture, traditions and spirituality, unearthing old legends, forgotten folklore and endangered Norse languages.

Through his charity he has planted over 200 woodlands in the United Kingdom and he has recently been voted by the University of Southern California as one of their 100 spiritual exemplars.