Druidry:
This prayer is translated from the Gaelic and was traditionally use as a nighttime house blessing. The remaining embers of the fire would be given enough fuel to allow it to last the night and then covered over with ash and so the fire would keep through the night ready to be blown back to life the next day. This was called smooring the fire and the woman of the house who was the one usually doing this, would say a prayer such as the one here translated. While most of us do not have hearths to perform this evening ritual over we can still use this prayer before bed at our altars, over a candle flame or simply sitting on the edge of our beds.

The sacred three, to save,  to shield, to surround, the hearth, the house, the household, this eve, this night, oh this eve, this night, and every night each single night.

Ethics:
These words are part of a traditional body of ethical teaching attributed to the great High King of Ireland Cormac, spoken as he taught how one should behave toward others.
“Do not deride the old though you are young.
Nor the poor though you are wealthy.
Nor the lame though you are swift.
Nor the blind though you are given sight.
Nor the dull though you are clever.
Nor the foolish though you are wise.”

Myth:
In the myths we see many types of attacks or threats during Samhain time. What these show us is that at this time the world of the people enters a cosmic crisis and order is threatened or collapses altogether. The world loses cohesion and becomes disordered and has to be remade or reordered at this time and so the world and the way of the people is ceremonially renewed and order is restored. Fionn fighting Aileen to save Tara from being burned or the journeys of Nera to the otherworld on this night demonstrate the threats to order. 

Cosmology/Theology:
When we say that the world is renewed at Samhain we are not talking about a universal or planetary crisis what we are talking about is the world of the people the order of the culture. When the Morrigan sings her prophecy of the end of the world what she describes is a loss of order not a physical destruction. When we hear the traditional saying of “we fear three things: that the seas may rise and cover us, the land may open and swallow us or that the skies may fall upon us” we see a description of the loss of order in the worlds collapsing and in that these three things are things that would destroy the people and their way of life and not just things which would destroy the person.

Spirituality/ritual:
Fire is the changer which cooks the raw and makes it into something new. Fire wrings from stone a molten flowing stream which becomes metal.  Flame takes the wild and brings to it order and the hearth on which fire has its seat it both the center of the home and of the ritual. Fire in the head is the source of inspiration among our people and it gives rise to our arts and crafts. Commonly during Samhain ceremonies we will see the old fire extinguished and darkness will flood in and all order is lost. Then a spark, a new fire and a light comes and pushes back the darkness, the wildness, the disorder and the world is restored. All of the eyes of Tara turned to the distance to await the kindling of the new fire on the hill of Tlachtga and when the Druids had kindled that new flame, the fires of Ireland were rekindled and light swept across the land.
At this time we renew our relationships with one another, with our Gods, ancestors and the world around us.

Self awareness:
At this time of renewal in our world, perhaps each of us should take a moment to reflect on our own renewal looking at who we have been and who we wish to become over this next year. The lives of people can also enter a crisis similar to Samhain where we feel that our life is losing cohesion and is collapsing around us and we just do not seem sure of what is happening with no clue what is ahead and we feel that we have no control over things. It can be a scary time for any of us and it is a thing which we all seem to face at some time. So we must each build a fire in our life and start to bring new light into matters. To face the feeling of not know what is going on, decide what should be going on and then set about it. To deal with a feeling of not being able to predict what is going to happen, decide what should happen and set about making it into reality. To counter the feeling of powerlessness take control of at least one thing in life and direct it as it should go. Just as is done when the order of the world of the people collapses, the world of the individual has to be remade and reordered. And with the guidance and help of the Gods it can be done, a new fire burns in the head and with that inspiration a renewed life can be sung into being.
Think of a time when you have faced the type of life crisis that we have at Samhain. Did you deal with it well or poorly? How might you handle it now?

World awareness:
What changes are coming about in the immediate world? Are leaves changing? Have they fallen already? Animals are laying in provisions, or changing color, or moving great distances or even going to sleep for winter. How does our effect on the world change at this time? For some of us we will be using lots more fuel for heating etc.  For those of us who live in areas where we get snow, our towns are preparing to handle this. What activities have we planned for this coming season?

Expressions:
The power of the poet is word, word is breath, breath is life, so it is the power of life that flows through the words that we speak. It is through word that an idea is shared from the simplest thought to the most world changing concept there was the moment when it were first given word, given breath, given life. The word through poetry, song oration or even the written page has power to change reality to speak a new world into being. And so words are chosen with care and their power respected, they can move the world itself. They are heard by the gods and take shape in the world around us, words can inspire peace or incite war. Words can lift up through praise or they can cut the soul and heart from another. The minds of other will follow the words that we choose so we must be careful where our words lead.