Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh usually takes place on July 31st or August 1st (depending upon a person’s choice). My family usually celebrates Lughnasadh by visiting FaerieWorlds, and then, if the Sabbat does not take place during the festival, we will often have a small celebration of our own. Below I have included information about Lughnasadh.

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Lughnasadh
Usually takes place around August 1st
Fire Festival

Lunasa (meaning August), Lughnasaad, Lughnasadh (Celtic), First Harvest, August Eve, Feast of Cardenas, Feast of Bread, Tailltean Games (Irish), Teltain Cornucopia (Strega), Ceresalia (Ancient Roman), Harvest Home, Thingtide (Teutonic), Lammas (Christian), Laa Luanys, Elembious, Festival of Green Corn (Native American), Freyfaxi, Loaf-Fest (Norse)

Lughnasadh is the first in the trilogy of harvest festivals. It marks the beginning of the harvest season and the decline of summer into winter. The plants of spring wither and drop seeds to ensure future crops. Grains are ready to be harvested and the fruits are ripe for picking.  We can give thanks for the food on our tables. It is the turning point of the earth’s life cycle. Festivals and rituals typically center around the assurance of a bountiful harvest season and the celebration of the harvest cycle. A bountiful harvest insured the safe passage of the tribe through the upcoming winter months. The gathering of bilberries is an ancient ritual symbolizing the success of the of the Lughnasadh rituals. If the bilberries were bountiful, the crops would be, also.

Lughnasadh is the festival in honor of Lugh, the Irish god. Lugh, God of all skills, is known as the “Bright or Shining One”, He is associated with both the Sun and agricultural fertility. Lleu, Lugh’s equivilant in Britian and Wales, is the son of Arianrhod, Goddess of the Stars and Reincarnation.

Games of athletic prowess are played in honor of Lugh. The games are said to be funeral games for Lugh, and, in some traditions, his foster mother, who is honored at this festival because she died while preparing the fields for planting. More about the games below, under ‘customs’.

Many grains, seeds, herbs, and fruits can be harvested and dried, at this time for later use through the remaining year. Corn is one of the vital crops harvested now, and in some areas, the sacrifice of the corn king is preformed. Death and rebirth are a part of the life cycle Lugh journeys through his mating with the Goddess during the remaining waning year. The Goddess oversees the festival in her triple guise as Macha. She presides in her warrior aspect, the crow who sits afield awaiting the dead. She is the Crone, Maiden, and Mother, Anu, Banba, and Macha, who convoys the dead into the realm of the deceased. Macha is forced, while heavy with child, to race against the King of Ulster’s horses. She wins the race and gives birth to twins, and cursed the men of Ulster with the pain of labor when they most need their strength. She becomes the Queen of Ulster through battle for seven years. Her fortress in Ulster is known as the Emain Macha and it’s otherworldly form known as Emania, the Moon Goddess’ realm of death.

Lughnasadh is a time of bounty, celebration, and hopes for and abundant harvest. We celebrate the bounty of our life’s own harvest, the work we have done in and within our own lives, as well as in our community. We understand and acknowledge the need for successes in both the physical and spiritual realms. For without success and a fruitful harvest we will not have the staples we need to continue to work on all levels. Our religion is one of service, not sacrifice. For there is no service in sacrifice, and no sacrifice in service. We need to fill our own cups and when our cups runneth over, we can’t help but splash those around us with the life giving waters.

For as we are members of the Universe and children of the Mother expect to share in the benevolence of Her love. For ours is the mother who nurtures and loves Her children, sharing Her bounty. Prosperity is not amassing and hoarding a great profusion of assets. Prosperity is having more than what is essential, and never having less than we desire. We understand the abundance and magnanimity of the Universe and celebrate, recognize, and honor this.

It is appropriate to plant the seeds from the fruit consumed in ritual. If they sprout, grow the plant with love and as a symbol of your connection with the Goddess and God.

Wheat weaving (the making of corn dollies, etc.) is an appropriate activity for  Lughnasadh.  Visits to fields, orchards, lakes and wells are also traditional. The foods of Lughnasadh include bread, blackberries and all berries, acorns (leached of their poisons first), crab apples, all grains and locally ripe produce. A cake is sometimes baked, and cider is used in place of wine. If you do make a figure of the God from bread, it can be used for the Simple Feast.

RECIPES

Lughnasadh Incense Recipe
1 Part Bay Leaves
1 Part Coriander
1 Part Cinnamon
1 Part Rosemary
1 Part Rose Petals
1 Part Rose Hips
1 Part Oak Moss
1 Part Juniper Berries
1 Part Barley berries (ground up)
1 Part Wheat berries (ground up)
1 Part Basil
1 Part Blackberry Leaves
1 Part Chamomile
1 Part Cardamom
1 Part Clove
1 Part Cannabis
2 Parts Balm of Gilead

Lughnasadh Oil
To be added in the future.

Lughnasadh Oregano Salt Sticks

CORRESPONDENCES

Symbols                          Fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, reverence, purification, transformation, change, The Bread of Life, The Chalice of Plenty, The Ever-flowing Cup , the Groaning Board (Table of Plenty), Cornucopia, Corn Dollies, Baskets of Bread, Spear, Cauldron, Sickle/Scythe, Threshing Tools, Harvested Herbs, Bonfires, Bilberries, God figures, Phallic symbols

Colors                              Red, Orange, Golden Yellow, Green, Light brown, Gold, Bronze, Gray

Gods                               Johnny Barleycorn, Lugh, Arianrhods golden haired son Lleu ( Welsh God of the Sun & Corn where corn includes all grains, not just maize), Dagon (Phoenician Grain God), Tammuz/ Dummuzi (Sumerian), Dionysus, plus all sacrificial Gods who willingly shed blood/give their life that their people/lands may prosper, all vegetation Gods & Tanus (Gaulish Thunder God), Taranis, (Romano-Celtic Thunder God), Tina, (Etruscan-Thunder God), the waning God

Goddesses                     The Mother, Dana (Lugh’s wife and queen), Tailltiu (Welsh/Scottish), Demeter (Greek), Ceres (Roman grain goddess, honored at Ceresalia), the Barley Mother, Seelu (Cherokee), Corn Mother, Isis (Her birthday is celebrated around this time), Luna (Roman Moon goddess), other Agricultural Goddesses, the waxing Goddess

Animals                           Roosters, Calves

Mythical Creatures           Centaurs, Phoenix, Griffins

Foods                             Corn, First Fruits/Vegetables of Garden Labor, Bread, barley cakes, nuts, apples, rice, lamb, Grains, Berry Foods and any locally ripe produce, potatoes, summer squash, pears

Beverages                       Elderberry Wine, Ale, Cider, Beer, Meadowsweet Tea

Plants                             Red, Orange and Yellow Flowers; Sheaves of Grain; Grapes, Heather, Blackberries, Sloe, Crab Apples, Pears, Goldernrod, Peony, Nasturtium, Cloverblossom, Yarrow, Heliotrope, Boneset, Vervain, Queen Anne’s Lace, Myrtle, Sunflower, Rose, Poppy, Milkweed, Irish Moss, mushroom, wheat, corn, rye, oat, barley, rice, garlic, onion, basil, mint, aloe, acacia, meadowsweet, apple leaf, raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, bilberry leaf, blueberry leaf, mugwort, hops, holly, comfrey, marigold, grape vine, ivy, hazelnut, blackthorn, elder, bee pollen

Oils/Incense                    Wood Aloes, Rose, Rosehips, Rosemary, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Safflower, Corn, Passionflower, Frankincense, Sandalwood

Gemstones                     Aventurine, Citrine, Peridot, Sardonyx, Yellow Diamonds, Citrine, Cats-Eye, Golden Topaz, Obsidian, Moss Agate, Rhodochrosite, Clear Quartz, Marble, Slate, Granite, Lodestone, Carnelian

Essence                         Fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, reverence, purification, transformation, change, the Bread of Life, the Chalice of Plenty, the Ever-Flowing Cup, the Groaning Board (Table of Plenty)

Customs                         Games, the traditional riding of poles/staves, country fairs, breaking bread with friends, making corn dollies, harvesting herbs for charms/rituals, Lughnasadh fire with sacred wood & dried herbs, feasting, competitions, lammas towers (fire-building team competitions), spear tossing, gathering flowers for crowns, fencing/swordplay, games of skill, martial sports, chariot races, hand-fastings, trial marriages, dancing round a corn mother (doll)

Lughnasadh Recipe–Oregano Salt Sticks

Found this recipe on Ms. Graveyard Dirt’s blog.

Oregano Salt Sticks
This recipe's been adapted from The Herb & Spice Book by Sarah Garland, any alterations made are noted below in "MS. GD NOTES".

YIELD:
Approximately 20 sticks

INGREDIENTS:
* 450g (1lb) flour
* a handful of chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
* salt
* 15g (1/2oz) fresh yeast
* 1/2 tsp brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 3 tbspns cooking oil
* 150ml (1/4 pint) warm milk
* 3 tbspns grated Parmesan cheese
* 40g (1 1/2oz) coarse sea salt

METHOD:
Put the flour and a pinch of salt to warm for a few minutes in a low oven. Crumble the yeast into a bowl, add the sugar and a few spoonfuls of warm water and mix well. Leave in a warm place until frothy. Make a well in the flour and tip into it the yeast mixture, egg, oil, and sufficient milk to make a pliable dough. Knead for a few minutes, then leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Knead in the oregano or marjoram and Parmesan. Divide the dough into about 20 pieces and roll into long sticks the thickness of a pencil. Lay them on a greased baking sheet, brush with milk, sprinkle thickly with the sea salt and leave to rise again in a warm place for 10 minutes. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C/350F/Mark 4, for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned and crisp.

MS. GD NOTES:
Instead of using fresh yeast I used dry yeast (one yeast packet, roughly 7.5g), and my cooking oil of choice was a lemon-infused rapeseed oil (locally produced!). I incorporated BOTH marjoram and oregano and threw in a small handful of fresh parsley too. What I DIDN'T do was use all of the sea salt; I sprinkled liberally down every stick until partially covered, and that turned out to be the right amount of seasoning. (I don't EVEN want to contemplate how inedible they would've been if I stuck with the instructed 40g!)

The Litha 2012 Altar

I had a lovely time putting together my altar for Litha, as well as putting a few permanent pieces on the altar. Here are some photos!

The Altar from the front and the top. I particularly like the view from the top because you can see nearly all of the different elements.

The four corners:

North/Earth – Earth holds a deer skull that was found in the forest. A deer rib which was found in the different area of the same forest. A cat skull from my cat who was killed by a cougar, in my backyard as wel as some of her teeth. These are the permanent pieces for this corner. I also have a blue flower dish which holds Litha Incense.

East/Air – Holds a small frosted glass votive candle in the shape of a bird, which holds all of my feathers. A small blue and white dish which we use to burn loose or cone incense, both of which are permanent. There would have been a stick incense holder as well, with a faerie on the end, but, that one is out of commission and I was unable to glue it back together. It will be up there soon enough.

South/Fire – Is permanent home to a red cinnamon apple candle, a red inspiration candle, as well as a red fire element candle which is not pictured.  The Candle holder in the back glows a lovely yellow when used, which I thought would be a fantastic way to signify the sun.

West/Water – Has three shells, one large white one (in the back), one small one (in the front), and one much smaller snail shell in the front, as well as a small wooden bead. I’m not sure where it came from, but it still evokes water in my mind. I also keep a large glass and metal tankard which holds an offering of water. For Litha, I wanted another type of libation, so I poured a glass of lemonade and mixed it with mint mead.

Center/Spirit – This is where I keep most of the seasonal goodies. In the center I have roses, and lavender, surrounded by rose petals, which is in turn surrounded by stones such as Agate, Fire Opal (my daughter’s ring), Citrine (my ring), Amber, Tiger’s Eye and others. I also have two cars from The Heart of Faerie Oracle deck. On the left is The Green Lady and on the right, The Green Man. In front of the flowers I have a small hand sculpted and painted Green and Blue Goddess statuette, which has a small silver sun propped up against her pregnant belly. None of these are permanent additions.

Litha 2012

It is still early, or late, or something… I dunno. It is Litha today, and I here is my plan for the day

• Harvest Roses, Lavender, and Rosemary for the Altar. __Done__
• Make Litha Incense __Done__
  2 Parts Rose Petals
  2 Parts Lavender
  2 Parts Rosemary
  2 Parts Cedar
  1 Part Cannabis Leaf
• Wake up the little at 5:25 AM for a Litha Sunrise Ritual. __Done__
• Start sun tea for tonight’s gathering. __Done__
• Organize the altar __Done__
• Do a Litha Oracle reading, focused on my business.
• Clean up. __Done__
• Shop for some yummy Litha type foods: __Done__
  (Lemon Cake, Yellow Zucchini, Strawberries, Oranges, Ginger candies, Carrots, Ice cream, Apple Cider, Lemonade, Orange Juice, Corn)
• Snuggle with wifey __Done__
• Nap. __Done__
• Move necessary items into the living room and kitchen respectively. __Done__
• Party! __Done__

There will be photos of a good bit of the above with their own individual posts linked, eventually.

Litha Information

Litha, (also known as Midsummer or the Summer Solstice) is next week on June 20th and I must say, I’m excited. It’s one of my honey’s favorite holidays and I’m sure she’s excited, as am I! Here is some Litha information we got from a website awhile ago, which has since been taken down.

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Midsummer
Can take place between June 19th and the 22nd
Longest Day of the Year

Ablan Heflin, Alben Heruin, All-Couples Day, Feast of Epona, Feill-Sheathain, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Litha, Oak Festival, Sonnewad, St. John's Day, Summer Solstice, Sun Blessing, Thing-Tide, Vestalia, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide

A new holiday adapted by neo-pagans to celebrate the middle of summer. The origins of the holiday originated in Wales where the celebration of Midsummer was practiced and is called Gwyl Canol Haf. It is my conclusion that ancient pagans probably celebrated a form of a midsummer holiday anyway because 1. The seasons and especially a solstice were important to them and 2. They had very hard lives and enjoyed celebrating like now by neo-pagans. The name given to this time of year would have been St. John’s Eve or St. Hans Aften or Jonines, or any other variations of “John”. Emphasis would have been placed on the twilight time of balance of dark and light, short and long and the gray area in between when the faerie’s or Spirits would be out and seen and communicated with easily. The times of dusk and dawn, eves of holidays, hence we get the wonderful Shakespeare store of a Midsummer Eve. Why St. John? At the time of early Christianity and conversions, St. John was seen as a rustic nature based figure and often called the Oak Man. There are many statues of him that still exist with portray him as half human and half animal, perhaps hints of him as being a Jack in the Green or The Wild Man in the Woods. The plant, St. John’s Wort was seen as defense against harmful faeries. Bonfires are still lit today on the midsummer’s, lighting up hillsides and casting a glow of protection from harmful faeries.

If you have children, a great way to spend the holiday together as a family is to take them to a sacred site and picnic with vegetables and fruits from your garden and have them search for specific plants of the holiday too and explain the folklore. Midsummer and summer time are also the time for many pagans and non-pagans too to think about weddings and handfastings. Many herbs collected at this time are used for a traditional handfasting. Picnics afterward with mead and ale and the traditional vegetables and fruits of the summer are served as well as wild flowers everywhere in hair and on table spreads.
Magickal Weddings: Pagan Handfasting Traditions for Your Sacred Union – Joy Ferguson

Summer Solstice Incense Recipe
Oils and incense recipes from The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews by Scott Cunningham
3 parts Frankincense
2 parts Benzoin
1 part Dragon’s Blood
1 Part Thyme
1 part Rosemary
pinch Vervain
a few drops of Red Wine

Midsummer Oil Recipe
4 drops Lavender Oil
3 drops Rosemary Oil
1 drop Pine Oil
Sunflower Oil for a base

Midsummer Ritual Mead
Gereina Dunwich’s The Wicca Spell Book: A Witch’s Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and Recipes
2 1/2 Gallons Water
1 cup Meadowsweet Herb
1 cup Woodruff Sprigs
1 cup Heather Flowers
3 Cloves
1 Cup Honey
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Barley Malt
1 oz. Brewer’s Yeast

Pour the water into a large cauldron or kettle. Bring to a boil and add the Meadowsweet Herb, Woodruff Sprigs, Heather Flowers, and cloves. Boil for one hour and add the honey, brown sugar, and barley Malt. Stir 13 times in a clockwise direction and then remove from heat.

Strain through a cheesecloth and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the brewer’s yeast. Cover with a clean towel and let it stand for one day and one night. Strain again, bottle and then store in a cool place until ready to serve.

Midsummer Ritual Mead is an ideal drink to serve at Summer Solstice Sabbaths, as well as during all Cakes and Ale Ceremonies and Esbats.

Summer Solstice Ritual Potpourri
Gereina Dunwich’s The Wicca Spell Book: A Witch’s Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and Recipes
45 drops Lemon or Lavender Oil
1 cup Oak Moss
2 cups Dried Lavender
2 cups Dried Wisteria
2 cups Dried Verbena

Mix the Lemon or Lavender Oil with the Oak Moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.

Correspondences
Some correspondences are from The Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways by Edain McCoy

Symbols                              Sun, Fire, Balefire, Faeries, Mistletoe, Oak trees
Colors                                  Green, Gold, Blue, Tan
Gods                                    Father and Sun Gods, Puck, Pan
Goddesses                           Mother, Pregnant, and Sun Goddesses
Animals                               Birds, such as Robin, Wren, Horses, Cattle
Mythical Creatures              Faeries, Satyrs, Nymphs, Sprites, Dragon, Firebird, Thunderbird, Manticore
Foods                                  Summer greens, Summer fruit, Summer Vegetables, Squash
Beverages                           Apple cider, Mead, Ale, Wines, Teas such as Angelica, Catnip, Indian Hippo, Sage, and Valerian
Plants                                  Oak, Mistletoe, St. John’s Wort, Vervain, Lavender, Frankincense, Rose, Fern, Sunflower, Summer flowers
Oils                                      Basil, Clove, Camphor, Frankincense, Yarrow, Ylang-Ylang
Stones and Gems                Emerald, Lapis Lazuli, Tiger’s Eye, Diamond, Jade
Songs                                  Dalen Gwyr (Green Leave), an ancient fertility song, over time it has become known as Green Sleeves.
Time/Hour                           Dusk, Eve

My Beautiful Beltane 2012

Have I been slacking or what? Oopsie!  I have been spending a ton of time reading lately, as well as stressing, but, I’m pushing past that, in the mean time, here is some info on how we spend our Beltane in my house.

The day started out with me adding some mead and water to the altar as offerings and then doing my Beltane Oracle reading, which I wrote about right afterwards.  It was an interesting reading and has been on my mind ever since I had the reading.  Not long after I finished that post, a couple of friends stopped by to offer us a bit of company. We talked a bit about the day, plans, entheogens, and life in general. As our visit came to a close, they offered me some mushrooms which have been waiting under my altar for the right time of use, which originally was going to be Beltane Eve, but didn’t happen as by the end of the evening, I was just exhausted and felt that the Super Moon/Full Moon/Lunar Beltane would be a better time, as it would be somewhat of a powerful and significant day, but, that also, did not take place, as it just didn’t feel like the right time. So now, they sit, and they wait for me to come to them and ask for their wisdom.

After our visit, I went out and collected some flowers to add to the center of the altar which turned out beautifully and added just the right feel and energy to the altar for me. After the flowers had been gathered, I went to pick up some friends to come over and celebrate Beltane by drinking copious amounts of mead and then, by making some mead. There was music, drinking, snacks, and lots of general enjoyment all around. One of the batches of mead made was a lavender batch, the other, was a mint, juniper berry, and strawberry mix (unfortunately, the latter was put into a glass bottle, sealed up, and subsequently exploded the next morning).

After taking the company to their various homes, I came back home and my honey and I had a couples ritual with the Beltane incense burning next to the bed.

Beltane Eve 2012

Wow! What a holiday! I decided to celebrate from the day before Beltane starting at sunset until Saturday Night, the night of the full moon.  

Beltane Eve was spent creating a special Beltane incense which mean grinding grinding grinding. I pulled out my wooden mortar and pestle and my small food processor and a multitude of shot glasses and measuring spoons. I carefully ground out each ingredient, making sure it was just the right texture texture, then, each ground herb was placed into a shot glass to be measured out and then mixed up. It came out smelling delightful and really set the mood for the rest of the evening. There is one more ingredient I want to add, but, it seems to have been stolen away by the pixies (read: I was careless and lost it), hopefully I’ll find it soon and be able to powder and then add it. Once the incense was done, I put a coal on the stove and took a short break, letting the coal heat while I started working on my Beltane playlist. (Speaking of which, if you have any awesome songs to add to such a play list, please do let me know.) Once my coal was done I grabbed my cast iron pan and began burning my incense, which I found works better with an incense stove than putting the incense directly on the coal.  As I burned incense, I prepared the altar. I used a shimmery, gauzy, multicolored cloth as an altar cloth. I filled my green man cup and added a wine glass for an offering of mead. I also added a red apple cinnamon scented candle, a bowl for lose incense and a holder for stick incense, and the skull of a dear, to symbolize earth. In the center, I added dried flowers in different forms and a bowl, to fill with water and fresh flowers that I would put in the next day. Here is the final product. (Unfortunately you can’t see the bowl of incense on the front left corner.)

Tomorrow, I will add in some details of the day of, today, I’m off to the stone circle to enjoy the Maypole!