Lughnasadh/Lammas

Jul 22, 20173 min read

Updated: Apr 23, 2019

Lughnasadh, or commonly known as Lammas, is celebrated either when the sun is in 15 degrees of Leo or on the 1st of August. I prefer to celebrate it on the 1st or 2nd as it really helps keep some sense of continuity to it. This is the first of the three harvest festivals and deals particularly with the grain (corn) harvest. This sabbat honored the Celtic Sun God Lugh (“The Shining One”) hence the name Lughnasadh. The planetary ruler is the sun due to its being in Leo-- Leo is about the heart and solar plexus.. Take a moment to feel the energy closely and you can feel that while we are still lazily stretched outside in the hot sunshine, we also realize there is a sense that fall indeed is coming. There’s a hint of sorrow with gratitude.

Due to this being the grain harvest, traditional symbols for this sabbat are the sheaf, blade and corn dolly. The sheaf and blade represent the harvesting of the abundant crops while the corn dolly is representative of the spirit of the field which was believed by some to be a feminine spirit of the harvest or the spirit of the slain God whom we’ll discuss in a moment. The themes are self-sacrifice and harvest while the primary focus is the grain harvest, games of sport, and blessings. Originally Lughnasadh commenced the funeral games of Lugh, therefore the tie in of sports.

Colors associated with this sabbat are gold, yellow, orange, red, green, and brown. Herbs sacred to this time are grains, sunflowers, heather, grapes, myrtle, pears, oak leaves, rose hips, and acacia. In addition, some crystals to work with would be citrine, aventurine, peridot, carnelian, ruby, sardonyx, moss agate, tiger’s eye and amber. I would even argue tiger’s eye as

well. Incense would be allspice, frankincense, sandalwood (yummy), and rosemary. Baking bread is a traditional activity during this time and your loaf of bread could be added to the altar in offering or used for the cakes portion of ritual. A tarot card that represents this time is the Strength card—courage of heart and confidence of solar plexus.

The Goddess at this time is the Mother but any Earth or Grain Goddesses are wonderful for this time such as Gaia, Pachamama, or Demeter. As stated before, the God at this time is the God who sacrifices himself so that we may continue on throughout the winter. We know the Sun God’s power is dwindling and has been ever since the day after Litha. The God’s rays touch the growing grain where he becomes part of it. He becomes John Barleycorn (if you don’t know the poem, google it! Remember it isn’t literal but talks about the harvest! J). Since He becomes part of the grain, he is slain (harvested) and while the Mother is pregnant with the rest of the harvest, She is also pregnant with the Sun God who shall be birthed again at Yule. This ties in the theme of life, death, and rebirth. Therefore, Dying and Resurrected Gods are appropriate as are Deities of many skills. Lugh was talented in so many areas, and this day does honor Him, so if you decide not to work with Him then another multi-skilled Deity is just as appropriate. Two Greek examples would be Hermes and Athena.

Things I do to celebrate this holiday are:

Watch the sun rise and set
Restock my magickal cabinet
Bake bread (see my lovely loaf above?)
Do blessings
Bake and cook in general
Make a corn dolly (Made my first ones, pictured right, and for a first go at them, was very pleased!)
Create a Wand
Drink Beer
Be outside—enjoy the last rays of summer!
Focus on own will, divinity, and authenticity
Make Spiced Gingerbreadmen—for cakes portion