Lammas

Lammas Ritual

Sabbats & Esbats
(celebrated August 1)

Lammas marks the middle of summer and beginning of the harvest season. Lammas is considered a time of thanksgiving and is the first of the three Pagan harvest festivals. The Sun's strength begins to wane and the plants of spring begin to wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops. At this time, we become conscious of the sacrifice the Sun God is preparing to make. We experience a sense of abundance at the same time we begin to feel an urgency to prepare for the death of winter. First grains and fruits of the Earth are cut and stored for the dark winter months.

Lammas also represents the culmination of the marriage between the Goddess and the God that took place on Beltane. The God now becomes the product of that blessed union - the bountiful fruits and grains - and must be sacrificed. He is the personification of the crops that must be harvested for the survival of the people.

Underneath the symbolism of sacrifice is the theme of rebirth. The Corn God must die, and He has to do so in order to return. Without the sacrifice, the cycle stops. Although His strength is waning, His essence is still palpable as His energies begin to merge with the harvested crops. It is at this time that the Sun King has reached the autumn of His years, and His rival (or dark self) has just reached puberty. The Sun God has reigned supreme over the ripening grain during the hot summer months. His dedication, perseverance, and action in tending the seeds sown in spring brings a ripe and fruitful bounty.

Although Lammas is the first of the harvest festivals, fertility imagery may still be found, as there are still crops in the field continuing to grow and livestock and game that have yet to be killed. As the God is honored for His harvest, so the Goddess is honored for bringing forth the first fruits, much as a new mother is honored.

Lammas is also known as Lughnasadh, Lammastide, and First Harvest Festival.

Correspondences

Symbolism: First harvest festival; aging of the Deities, honoring of Sun Gods

Symbols: Corn dollies, cornucopia, grains, the Sun

Foods: Breads, grains, potatoes, summer squash, cider, blackberry pies and jellies, berries, apples, roasted lamb, elderberry wine, meadowsweet tea

Plants & herbs: Ash, camphor, caraway, fern, geranium, juniper, mandrake, marjoram, thyme, sunflowers, wheat

Incense and oils: Allspice, carnation, rosemary, vanilla, sandalwood, aloe, rose

Colors: Red, gold, yellow, orange

Stones: Aventurine, citrine, peridot, sardonyx

Animals and mythical beasts: Roosters, calves, the Phoenix, griffins, basilisk, centaurs

Some appropriate Goddesses: all grain, agriculture, and mother Goddesses; Alphito (Greek), Ashnan (Sumerian), Bast (Egyptian), Bau (Assyro-Babylonian), Ceres (Roman), Demeter (Greek), Gaia (Greek), Ishtar (Assyro-Babylonian), Isis (Egyptian), Libera (Roman), Persephone (Greek), Rhiannon (Welsh), Robigo (Roman), Tailtiu (Irish)

Some appropriate Gods: all grain, agriculture, Sun, and father Gods; Cernunnos (Celtic), Dagon (Babylonian), Lahar (Sumerian), Liber (Roman), Llew (Welsh), Lugh (Irish), Neper (Egyptian), Ningirsu/Ninurta (Assyro-Babylonian), Odin (Norse), Osiris (Egyptian)

Decorations: Corn, hay, gourds, corn dollies, shafts of grain, sun wheels

Activities: games, country fairs, making corn dollies, baking bread, gathering fruits, visits to fields, orchards, lakes and wells.

Spell/ritual work: Offering thanks, honoring fathers, prosperity, abundance, generosity, continued success, connectedness

Lammas: The First Harvest

by Mike Nichols

It was upon a Lammas Night
When corn rigs are bonny,
Beneath the Moon's unclouded light,
I held awhile to Annie...

Although in the heat of a Mid-western summer it might be difficult to discern, the festival of Lammas (Aug 1st) marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly shorter and by the time we've reached autumn's end (Oct 31st), we will have run the gammut of temperature from the heat of August to the cold and (sometimes) snow of November. And in the midst of it, a perfect Mid-western autumn.

The history of Lammas is as convoluted as all the rest of the old folk holidays. It is of course a cross-quarter day, one of the four High Holidays or Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft, occurring 1/4 of a year after Beltane. It's true astrological point is 15 degrees Leo, but tradition has set August 1st as the day Lammas is typically celebrated. The celebration proper would begin on sundown of the previous evening, our July 31st, since the Celts reckon their days from sundown to sundown.

However, British Witches often refer to the astrological date of Aug 6th as Old Lammas, and folklorists call it Lammas O.S. ('Old Style'). This date has long been considered a 'power point' of the Zodiac, and is symbolized by the Lion, one of the 'tetramorph' figures found on the Tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune (the other three figures being the Bull, the Eagle, and the Spirit). Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols of the four 'fixed' signs of the Zodiac, and these naturally align with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians have adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel-writers.

'Lammas' was the medieval Christian name for the holiday and it means 'loaf-mass', for this was the day on which loaves of bread were baked from the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as offerings. It was a day representative of 'first fruits' and early harvest.

In Irish Gaelic, the feast was referred to as 'Lugnasadh', a feast to commemorate the funeral games of the Irish sun-god Lugh. However, there is some confusion on this point. Although at first glance, it may seem that we are celebrating the death of Lugh, the god of light does not really die (mythically) until the autumnal equinox. And indeed, if we read the Irish myths closer, we discover that it is not Lugh's death that is being celebrated, but the funeral games which Lugh hosted to commemorate the death of his foster-mother, Taillte. That is why the Lugnasadh celebrations in Ireland are often called the 'Tailltean Games'.

The time went by with careless heed
Between the late and early,
With small persuasion she agreed
To see me through the barley...

One common feature of the Games were the 'Tailltean marriages', a rather informal marriage that lasted for only 'a year and a day' or until next Lammas. At that time, the couple could decide to continue the arrangement if it pleased them, or to stand back to back and walk away from one another, thus bringing the Tailltean marriage to a formal close. Such trial marriages (obviously related to the Wiccan 'Handfasting') were quite common even into the 1500's, although it was something one 'didn't bother the parish priest about'. Indeed, such ceremonies were usually solemnized by a poet, bard, or shanachie (or, it may be guessed, by a priest or priestess of the Old Religion).

Lammastide was also the traditional time of year for craft festivals. The medieval guilds would create elaborate displays of their wares, decorating their shops and themselves in bright colors and ribbons, marching in parades, and performing strange, ceremonial plays and dances for the entranced onlookers. The atmosphere must have been quite similar to our modern-day Renaissance Festivals, such as the one celebrated in near-by Bonner Springs, Kansas, each fall.

A ceremonial highlight of such festivals was the 'Catherine wheel'. Although the Roman Church moved St. Catherine's feast day all around the calender with bewildering frequency, it's most popular date was Lammas. (They also kept trying to expel this much-loved saint from the ranks of the blessed because she was mythical rather than historical, and because her worship gave rise to the heretical sect known as the Cathari.) At any rate, a large wagon wheel was taken to the top of a near-by hill, covered with tar, set aflame, and ceremoniously rolled down the hill. Some mythologists see in this ritual the remnants of a Pagan rite symbolizing the end of summer, the flaming disk representing the sun-god in his decline. And just as the sun king has now reached the autumn of his years, his rival or dark self has just reached puberty.

Many commentators have bewailed the fact that traditional Gardnerian and Alexandrian Books of Shadows say very little about the holiday of Lammas, stating only that poles should be ridden and a circle dance performed. This seems strange, for Lammas is a holiday of rich mythic and cultural associations, providing endless resources for liturgical celebration.

Corn rigs and barley rigs,
Corn rigs are bonny!
I'll not forget that happy night
Among the rigs with Annie!

[Verse quotations by Robert Burns, as handed down through several Books of Shadows.]

Undoit!

    You were so special to me once. You made me believe in myself. You made me believe in miracles. You were my world. I lost myself  in you. But it was all a lie. You said you loved me right up to the end. But you don't know what love is. I guess you never loved me. Really you never loved yourself, so how could you love someone else. We have over eighteen years of memories together. I guess they don't mean anything either. You said you were my best friend...another lie. Friends don't treat each other the way you've treated me. You've made all these years a lie. What I thought my life to be never really existed, did it?
         You've threatened, bullied, and tried to take advantage of me. You think that because I loved you, you can  get away with it. Well, you are wrong! Yes, I loved you. But not anymore! How could I love someone that has done all of this to me? On top of it all, you're trying to take my son from me, turn him against me.
           My kids are the only thing that I am thankful for out of all of these years. You have made me a stronger person because of everything you have put me through and for that I thank you. As for the rest of it...

                                  I WANT TO UNDO IT! I want to forget I ever saw your face, heard your voice, or ever loved you!  The person that I knew is dead!


"I call upon the powers that be
to undo this wrong and set me free.
Please let both of my children live with me permanately
and he reap what he's sown 3x3
So mote it be."

Orion's Gift

                                     I knew from the start when I carried you inside of me that you were  special. I could feel you doing flips, cartwheels, and maybe dancing too. You were so energetic! When you were little, your eyes would light up every time you smiled. You had  such a great love for life! You were such a spirited child. You really kept me on my toes. Yes, there were times when I didn't know if I could make it through your toddler years. But we made it through...both of us. I realize that you are a little different. But that makes you who you are and that's o.k.
         A mother's love grows over the years for her children. She cheers their accomplishments, helps them learn from their mistakes. She tries to protect them and do what is best for them always. She never stops loving them no matter what they do. She grieves for them when they are gone from her too long. That is just the way a mother's love works.
       I want you to know that you may not believe it, but you are becoming a talented young man. You have the ability to make people laugh and have fun with life. You have a talent for fixing things and that is a handy talent to have. You are very smart. Don't ever forget that. You have the ability to be anything you want to be someday. Don't ever think you can't.

    We were a family of four not that long ago. Yes, things changed. But   we are still a family.  Each member of a family brings a different piece to that unit. Kind of like pieces of a puzzle fitting together. When you are gone, it feels wrong...You bring an energy, an enthusiasm, and yes a certain  spirit that doesn't exist when you are not here. I miss you very much. Always remember, you are special. You  are wanted and you are loved.

The Ghost of Jack

There once was a man named Jack. A very long long time ago, he was walking through town on a very dark night. He had just enough money in his pocket to buy groceres for his family. The night was darker than usual and the air was very thick and eerie. As he walked, his heart began to beat faster and faster. He was frightened and just knew that someone was lerking in the shadows. He knew that someone was watching him. He knew that he was going to die!

The night happened to be October 31st, Halloween night! The night that strange things happen. The night that the veil between this world and the next are lifted. The night that the dead walk witth the living. That very night jack was beheaded and robbed of his money. His ghost appeared to anyone who walked or rode down the street where he was killed. Many saw his ghost walking peacefully and carrying a pumpkin in his right hand. A face had been carved into the pumpkin and a candle had been placed inside. He was using the pumpkin as a means to see his way to the store to buy groceries for his family. Unaware that he was dead, he made it to the store and took the groceries he intended to get. The merchant of the store watched in horror as the food articles floated into the air and out of sight! Then he looked down and noticed coins on his counter. Jack had paid for his groceries!

It is said that Jack appeared every Halloween night, walked to the same store, and bought his groceries. He always carried the pumpkin with the face carved in it. After years of seeing the ghost of Jack, the local towns people would place a pumpkin with a carved face on their porch, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jack. That is one legend of how the Jack - O - Lantern came to be.

Kaye

                                                By
                                      Wendy   Gates


                                 You are young again.

          No longer confined, your legs can take you where you want to go.
           So....
          Walk along the beach and wiggle your toes in the sand.
           Pick up the prettiest shells. Feel them in your hand.

           Climb to the top of the lighthouse you find.
            As you feel the breeze on your face, you realize that there is no stress. There is no pain.
           They are but far away memories escaping from your mind.

            All the loved ones you've missed...your mom and your dad are there to say hello.
            Molly is running towards you, her tail wagging to and fro.

                               This is what I see.
                                Kaye, you are free!






* You were there when we needed you and I will never forget.
    I hope you are enjoying your new adventure.
                                    Thank you.
                                             Wendy

ANIMALS ARE PEOPLE TOO


By

Wendy D. Gates



Pets have become a very important part of many people's lives. They play many different roles throughout the world. Some are working pets and help us on farms or are service animals and help the disabled. Some are cops or some sniff out drugs and even cancer. It is said that an ordinary household pet or companion animal can reduce stress for its owner. This helps the owner live a long and healthy life. What would we do without them? There are many organizations out there that protect these very animals. The humane society, CHEETA, and even those animal cops you see on television to name a few. Animals don't have a voice and need someone to fight for them.

Why? Animals are people too. Now that may sound like a dumb statement. However, animals have feelings just like us. Many people don't think so and say they have no souls. But think about it. If an animal wakes a family from sleep when the house is on fire or travels for miles to get home to their family when they are lost, aren't they thinking? If they are thinking, don't they have a soul? Yes!There have been many chimpanzees who have been taught to sign. The only difference between a chimp and a dog or horse is that the dog or horse doesn't have hands. If they are taught, they do learn. They get excited, they get depressed, and they even get bored. Most importantly, they love. Some people abuse these very animals. They neglect them or beat them or even make them fight. Many people leave them behind when they move. For those reasons, organizations had to be created to protect them.

Abusing an animal is against the law. But some places don't enforce these laws. If a dog is shot, it may be taken in by a rescue group, but the shooter goes unpunished. Sometimes it is not even rescued , but left to die because it's too much trouble to save it. A dog that has been left to fend for its self can be dangerous. It can run with other strays it finds along the way and attack young children playing in a yard. It can destroy property while looking for food. It can kill small animals on a farm. There are much stricter laws about the treatment of children than there are for mistreated pets. A adult dog has the intelligence of a three year old child. Would a child be left to die? No way! Shouldn't there be organizations and laws in every state that care for these animals? Wouldn't it make the world a better and safer place? So do some research. Find out if there are organizations like these in your area. If there aren't help your community by getting one started. Make a difference. It's up to all of us!

Pets Are People Too

  Did you ever come home from work and find your dog sitting by the door,waiting? Where you ever upset or depressed and found comfort in the furry friend lying beside you? If you answered "yes" to either of these, you may be just like many others out there. Many people have found their pets to be true members of their household. They console us when we are sad. They are a true stress reliever. They worry about us when we are sick, never leaving our side. They grieve us if we go away or die. They play with our children and protect us. What would we do without them.
    Despite the role that pets play in our lives, people often abuse them They think it's o.k to leave them out in the cold without food and water. They think it's o.k to kick and hit them. Some even think it's o.k to fight them. Yes, it's true! Some people think that it is not animal abuse to fight their dogs! They may think it's only a dog or a cat. They don't think or feel as humans do. Maybe not. But have you ever seen your dog lie on your bed with his head on your pillow? He looks like he's trying to copy you, doesn't he? Have you ever heard the stories of dogs, cats too, that save their families by waking them in the middle of the night because their house was on fire? So the next time you see an animal being mistreated, do something! Pets Are People Too!