Lughnasadh The First Harvest Lughnasadh, or Lammas, is the last of the fire festivals for the year. Ancient cultures would gather together to assist one another in bringing in the first harvest of the year. Crafts would be bartered and sold at festivals held in all the towns. Lughnasadh signifies the death of Lugh, the Corn King.
Many of us are no longer directly involved in agricultural pursuits, but that shouldn’t limit our participation. Lammas, or loaf mass, is a time of baking using grains and fruits newly harvested. If you’re not into baking, it also is a time to begin brewing ale. And, of course, more than any other Sabbat, it is a time of feasting.
The Goddess is great with child, and the God is beginning to weaken in his effort to provide for the Goddess and her child. Goddesses worshipped at this time include Ceres, Demeter, Diana, and Athene. Gods worshipped include Lugh, Odin, and Liber. Any of the fertility God/dess/es are recognized during this period as well.
While many celebrate the first harvest, individually it is a time to give of one’s gifts for the benefit of others. While some covens and groups organize food drives, it is also a time to begin teaching circles. This is a time for giving thanks for what we have received in the past year, and to share with those in need. Though this Sabbat celebrates abundance and wealth, it is also a time for giving.
Other ways to celebrate this Sabbat include gathering and planting of seeds from fruits eaten at the feast. Many people make corn dolls to represent the Goddess and God, consecrating the new dolls at the same time they burn the dolls from the previous year.
To make your own doll, you’ll need 8-10 corn husks and thread. Soak the husks in cold water for about 10 minutes to clean and soften them. Tie 6-8 husks together at the narrow end; when done, flip half the husks over the knot, and then tie a knot below this point to form the head. Next, take the remaining 2 husks and lay them with one short end over the wider end. Roll the husks together to make the arms, and tie them off at the wrists. Trim the hands, and then place the arms between the husks of the body, and tie the waist. If the doll is male, divide the husks into two, and tie the ankles. (For a more defined head / body, stuff the cavities with tissue or herbs.)
Magick associated with Lughnasadh: abundance, divorce, fertility, generosity, learning, letting go, marriage, priesthood, richness, sacrifice, separation, silence, sorrow, spirituality, and wealth.
Altar decorations: bread, corn, corn dolls, grapes, oranges, pears, poppy, sickle, sunflowers, wheat sheaves.
Colors: blue gray, brown, citrine, gold, green, light brown, orange, red, and yellow.
Foods: ale, apples, barley cakes, berries, bread, corn bread, elderberry wine, herbal tea, lamb, new potatoes, nuts, pancakes, rice.
Herbs / Incense / Oils : acacia, agrimony, alder, aloe, angelica, ash, bay, blackberry, calendula, cedar, chamomile, corn, cyclamen, fennel, fenugreek, frankincense, ginseng, grain, grape, hazel, heather, hollyhock, honeysuckle, hyssop, jasmine, larkspur, lemon balm, myrtle, oak, orange, orris, poppy, rice, rose, rue, rye, safflower, sandalwood, sloe, St. john’s wort, sunflower, water lily, and wheat.
Stones: aventurine, carnelian, cat’s eye, citrine, fire agate, jasper, moonstone, pearl, peridot, sardonyx, white agate, and yellow diamond.
© 2000 Mother
