Dream Blessing

An important part for every seasonal feast, dream blessings are an important communal ritual in the Laithalin area of the Council.   Seasonal feast for the people around Laithalin are closely tied to celestial events like solstices and equinoxes. And although Rest's high time is the winter, the seventh hand is not forgotten throughout the year. Dream Blessings are a major gift that Rest hands out to help prepare for what coming in the next part of the season.   The first part of the ritual happens on the eve of the feast. At nightfall, the women of the village gather at the seventh altar. In the weeks leading up to the feast, they have been searching and gathering for special herbs and ingredients for the Dream Blessing, and they have prepared Dream Cakes in advance for this as well as nourishing food to have before the potent cakes.   Even if the times are meagre, the village will collectively save hearty food for these occasions, to honor Rest and her constant commitment to their community as well as protect their women from harm. A lot of the time, men will go fishing in the days leading up to the fast, so the fish will be prepared and smoked in time. Other typical food is dried meats, eggs, oatmeal cakes with a filling of thick berry jam and other cold dishes.   The women will start gathering at the altar when dusk starts to fall, quietly chatting and leaving the remaining household duties of the day to their husbands and sons. When the night falls, the ocal wisewoman will suddenly show up, and the chatter will die down. She approaches the altar and with practiced gestures and a low chant, will prepare a small fire at the center. Once her preparations are done, she plays an eerie melody on the small ritual flute she keeps for these occasions and invokes Rest.   Often the men have already fastened the shutters by the time she arrives, but as soon as she starts her invocation, even the last men rush to close the shutters. To their ears, the invocation sounds like a terrible, otherwordly voice speaking in words unheard of before or after. The sound sends chills down the spines of the most seasoned fighter, and they all are glad that closing the shutters seems to drown things out completely.   To the women, her invocation is a melodious invitation to Rest to join them in their celebration and to feast with them. And join them she will, with a deep feeling of safety and security blanketing their feast and lifting their spirits. The stars twinkle above them, for when Rest joins them, feast eve is always clear weather at the altar, and the women, often for the first time in weeks, fully relax and enjoy their chatter. There's something magical about the whole place, an almost otherwordly feeling as if they have been spirited away to a place that looks the same, but everyone knows deep in their soul that it is okay.   The food gets collected at the fire in the center, and the wisewoman presents it to Rest and offers her a piece of everything in a bowl, then distributes it among the gathering. On her small fire, a kettle with aromatic tea is simmering, and towards the end of the feast, everyone switches from fresh water to the tea. If pressed, none of the women could tell you what kind of tea they are drinking, but it tastes like home and elation and prepares them for the final moments of the first half of the ritual: the Dream Cakes.   Dream Cakes are made with whatever hallucinogenic plants are available in the area. Often, if they are unsure or can't find their usual staples, the women will consult the local wisewoman on what to gather and how to prepare the filling. Some plants and mushrooms need to be boiled, others need to be pickled in order to be safe for consumption and fully develop the desired effect.   While handing them out, the wisewoman again will invoke rest and ask for her guidance on the travels the women are embarking on this night. For each Dream Cake, the wisewoman asks for a Rest's blessing and protection and then hands it to a participant. No matter how many Dream Cakes were made and how many or how little women have gathered, by the time the last woman has received their Dream Cake, they will be gone. No one is surprised or worried at this point, even though a lot of them may have worried about this in the days leading up the the feast.   After the reception of the Dream Cake, each woman will leave the altar and venture out into the night. She will meet people, some dead, some alive, some that shouldn't even exist, and she will see things that normally go unseen. Whatever she encounters, when she turns around and faces the rising sun at some point, she will suddenly find herself lazily stretching at her place by the altar and waking up with everyone else on the soft, mossy ground, refreshed and relaxed like she hasn't felt since the last Dream Blessing.   The second part of the ritual now starts, with the wisewoman once again offering tea to the women - usually a refreshing herbal tea they often have for breakfast. One by one, the women share what they have experienced - each only as much as they want to share. Together, they start puzzling together what the next season may mean for them and the village. Usually, the first women share only a few glimpses of their journey, but the longer they talk, the more they share. Especially the upsetting bits are often shared and digested together, and many women who woke up fearful on that morning found themselves supported and embraced by their sisters.   The bonds that bind the community are always closest right after a feast for this reason, and together they prepare for whatever bounty or trouble lies ahead for the village. A village that worships Rest and gives her the time she deserves never wastes a bounty for lack of storage, and always wisely rations when troubles lie ahead thanks to her gift of foresight.   When the sharing comes to a close, it often feels like the day is half over for the women, but again, once the wisewoman has properly thanked Rest, suddenly the vilage seems to wake up. The animals begin to stir, and the first cock crow wakes the rest of the village, and the women beckon them out of the houses and invite them to the celebration of the feast proper.