Lammas/Lughnasadh

As Summer wanes and turns to Autumn, Celtic people celebrated, (and continue to celebrate), Lughnasadh, the Wake of Lugh the Sun King who begins to weaken as the Winter King grows stronger. The body of the King is represented by bread, his blood by ale. The celebration took the form of a tribal gathering around August 1 where games, contests, feasts and fairs took place. It was also a time when many marriages were formalized. Lugh is not only the Sun King but the patron of bards, magicians and of all crafts.

The word Lammas, (another name for the festival), is Old English for ‘loaf mass’. Around August 1, the first sheaves of grain were cut and the first loaves baked from them. The first loaf was traditionally broken into 4 pieces and these put in the 4 corners of the barn. As seeds turn to fields of wheat, which are then cut down and transformed to bread, which in turn sustains the lives of people, we see in this pattern life, death and re-birth as well as sacrifice. This as applies to Lughnasadh/Lammas is illustrated in the song ‘John Barleycorn’. First recorded in the 1300s but believed to be much older in origin. Echoing what was likely once human sacrifice, a Wicker Man came to be burned in representation of him.

LAMMAS MAGIC

Add blue corn kernels to mojos, candles and baths for luck. Sprinkle corn kernels (blue or otherswise) over altars to create boundaries of the sacred space.

Sleep with a sunflower under your pillow to discover the truth about a situation, (meditate on the situation before going to sleep).

Sunflower oil for candles and baths: add sunflower petals to sunflower seed oil and steep in the sun.
To bring sun energy, money, fertility, luck. You can also steep 1 c sunflower petals in 4 c water then strain for a water to add to baths and floor washes or to sprinkle on altars.

Vervain water (clears stagnent energy and directs magical energy): 1 c vervain, 4 c water. Boil, steep 15 min, strain.

Cleanse outdoor spaces with a mixture of honey and milk, (use the same combination in baths)

Lammas Powder for candles and baths: Combine vervain, calendula, rose and sunflower petals. Add sandalwood, frankencense and rose essential oils to bath or candle.

LAMMAS DECORATIONS

Sickles, scythes, baskets, grapes, vines, dried grains, seasonal fruits/vegetables

LAMMAS CRAFT IDEAS FOR YOUR ALTAR

Corn husk mojos/sachets, corn or wheat dolls, St. Brigid’s Cross, corn husk chains, (write a goal on each link and when completed take the link off & burn it), decorate wheat or other sheaves with flowers/ribbons

INCENSE

Aloe, Rose, Rosemary, Chamomile, Frankencense, Sandalwood

FOODS

Bread, corn, potatoes, berries, nuts, apples, rice, acorns, crab apples, summer squash, turnips, grains, oats

DRINK

Elderberry wine, ale, beer