Lammas (Lughnasadh) is upon us once again. Are you excited? Perhaps you are making ready your festivities for the day?
If you need some tips and ideas for just how to harness this bountiful Sabbat energy you are in the right place!
Another Sabbat, and another time to be joyous and grateful for all that nature and the universe provides for us.
And yes, I know, summer seems to be just flying by! But August is a beautiful, vibrant month and we shall welcome it with open arms, Lammas blessings, and perhaps a ritual or two 😉
What is Lammas?
Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, falls on August 1st. It is the celebration and welcoming of the first grain harvest.
At this time we give thanks and honour mother earth for bringing forth to us what we have asked and worked for since the Summer Solstice.
The first harvest of the year has ripened and is ready. This means of course, time for the first harvest festival of the year. And who doesn’t love a good harvest festival? I know I do! 😀
This day is even more significant as it is also the midpoint of the warm time of year. The midpoint between Beltane and Samhain.
Lammas: A Little History
As mentioned, Lammas is traditionally the celebration of the first Grain Harvest. But also to honour the Celtic Sun God, Lugh. Lugh is the god from which Lughnasadh comes.
Depending on your own spiritual path you may choose to celebrate one or the other, or both!
The word, Lammas, comes from the old English phrase, hlaf-maesse, which translates to, loaf mass.
August 1st was the day that the first sheaves of grain were cut. Grain was of high importance in many a civilization for, well, millennia lol. The grain crops were absolutely crucial to our ancestors survival. By us celebrating Lammas, we are, in turn, also honouring them and their legacies.
The Celtic God, Lugh, was known as the god of many skills. He is also often known as the patron of bards and musicians. He was honoured and celebrated by various societies in the British Isles and Europe throughout history.
This time of year has long been a traditional time for festivals, craft markets and faires. (Some of my favourites things!) Lugh may have something to do with this, him being of many skills, the arts included. 🙂
Symbols of Lammas
As with all Sabbats there are certain celebratory symbols attached to Lammas.
Here are some tips and ideas to help you honour this joyous point in the year. And to make the most of your very own Lammas celebrations!
Gods/Godesses Celebrated:
Goddesses – Dana, Derridwen, Luna, Rhiannon, Demeter
Gods – Lugh, Baal, Odin, Adonis, Dagon
Herbs:
- Frankincense – dispel negative energy, honour pagan dieties, protection, luck
- Heather – promotes peace, luck, protection, encourages the rain
- Wheat – monetary luck, fertility
- Acacia – protection, money, friendship, enhances spiritual and psychic abilities
- Myrtle – friendship, peace, love, money, fertility
- Fenugreek – monetary successes, enhances fertility
Incense:
- Frankincense – dispel negative energy, honour pagan dieties, protection, luck
- Sandalwood – protection, healing, wish magick
- Rosemary – purification, youthfulness, optimism, attraction
- Safflower – sexuality, joy, love, attraction
- Eucalyptus – cleansing, purification, healing, protection
- Chamomile – balance, peace, calmness
Colours:
- Orange
- Yellow
- Gold
- Green
- Brown
Crystals:
- Amber – healing, harmony, love, pleasure, cleansing
- Aventurine – enhances joy, clarity, creativity, success, peace
- Citrine – courage, optimism, success, luck
- Clear Quartz – magickal strength, healing, balance
- Peridot – wealth, friendship, purification, cleansing, fertility
- Tiger’s Eye – protection, balance, confidence
Creatures Honoured at Lammas:
- Roosters
- Calves
- Deer
- Phoenix
- Centaurs
- Griffins
Foods for Lammas Feasts:
- All forms of Bread
- Corn
- Berries
- Yeast Cakes
- Crab Apples
- Blackberry or Blueberry Pie
- Beer
- BBQ Foods
Ways to Celebrate
There are many wonderful ways to ring in the day. In your own special way of course. Here are a few ideas you may like to try. 🙂
Recommit to Mother Earth
The land is at the forefront of this celebration. Remember her, thank her, and treat her well.
Reflect on the footprint you are leaving and think what steps might you can take to make it just a little lighter.
Recycle, compost, drive less, eat less animal products…there is always something we can do to make our path here a little quieter.
Craft a Doll of Corn
Yes a corn doll! Use wheat, barley or cornstalks to create a doll to represent the harvest and add it to your altar.
If you are not so crafty in this way, like me lol, there so many tutorials out there. Check out Pinterest!
And it would definitely be a fun activity to do with the kiddies as well!
Build your Lammas Altar
As always you can transform your altar or set up a dedicated one to this day.
Fill it with some of those symbols I mentioned above and your corn doll of course. Make it beautiful, meaningful, and personal.
Perform some Lammas Magick
August is a magickal time full of possibility, hope and abundance.
Nature is thriving and we are surrounded by living colour. This makes it a wonderful time to perform some home & hearth magick. Consider performing a cleansing or protection spell to freshen up your humble abode.
Take up a New Skill
As Lugh is the god of many skills (and I just have to think of Xena whenever I type that lol), take this moment to develop a new one.
Has there been something you have been wanting to learn but haven’t done it just yet? Well go for it! There is seriously no time like the present.
Bake some bread
Grab an apron Martha! Baking bread is a great way to connect with those grains that are so important.
Perhaps a traditional Lammas bread or bisquit recipe you find on Pinterest would do the trick (and yes I love Pinterest lol).
If you aren’t on there yet, hope to it! And you can follow THE WHOLESOME WITCH for some more witchy wellness and magick ideas!
Eat, Drink & be Merry
What Sabbat would be complete without a feast, really? And this time of year the garden is rife with all kinds of delightful veggies and herbs to be enjoyed.
Take advantage of this! Invite over some of your most special humans, bake that Lammas bread, fire up the BBQ and crack open a beer.
Time to give thanks and party the way Lugh intended!
Final Thoughts.
Remember to be eternally grateful for what you have and all of your many blessings and luxuries our modern day life allows us. It is a lot easier for us to get a loaf of bread than it was our ancestors.
Take nothing for granted, celebrate the arts, thank mother earth for her many gifts, bathe in the warmth of the sun, eat the bread, drink the beer and don’t forget to smile.
Your turn!
What does Lammas mean to you? Do you have any favourite traditions or will this be your first time celebrating?
I always love to know your thoughts, so please leave a comment or drop me a line. There are tons of ways for us to connect 🙂
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Yours in health and magick,
Krystle xo
