Lughnasadh Activities...Some Great Ones to Do!
Source Unknown
Also known as: Lammas, August Eve, The Festival of Bread, Elembiuos, Lunasa, Cornucopia (Strega), Thingtide (Teutonic)
Date: August 1 or 2, or the first Full Moon of Leo
Symbols: All Grains, Breads, Threshing Tools, Berries (especially Blackberries)
Deities: Harvest and Grain Deities, New Mother Goddesses
Colors: Gray, Yellow, Gold, Green
Herbs: cornstalks, heather, frankincense, and wheat may be burned; acacia flowers, corn ears, hollyhock, myrtle, oak leaves, and wheat may be decorations.
Lughnassadh (Loo-NAHS-ah) is named for the Irish sun God, Lugh, and is usually looked upon as the first of the three Pagan harvest festivals.
Lughnasadh is primarily a grain harvest, one in which corn, wheat, barley and grain products such as bread are prominently featured. Fruits and vegetables which ripen in late summer are also a part of the traditional feast. The Goddess, in her guise as the Queen of Abundance, is honored as the new mother who has given birth to the bounty, and the God is honored as the Father of Prosperity.
The threshing of precious grain was once seen as a sacred act, and threshing houses had small wooden panels under the door so that no loose grain could escape. This is the original meaning of our modern word "threshold".
From "Celtic Myth and Magick" by Edain McCoy
The following are a few suggestions for activities that may be incorporated into the Sabbat ritual or engaged in during the day.
Make sand candles to honor the Goddess and the God of the sea.
If you don't live near a beach, you can achieve the same effect by putting sand in a large box, adding water, and working from there. This is definitely a porch or kitchen job, and newspapers are recommended under your work area for easy clean-up.
Melt wax form old candles (save the stubs from altar candles) in a coffee can set in a pot of boiling water. Add any essential oil you want for scent (or scent blocks from a candle supply store). Scoop out a candle mold in wet sand (you can make a cauldron by scooping out the sand and using a finger to poke three "feet" in the sand). Hold the wick (you can get these ready-made in arts and crafts stores) in the center and gently pour in the melted wax. Wait until it hardens, then slip your fingers under the candle and carefully lift it out and brush off the excess sand.
String Indian corn on black thread for a necklace.
If the Sabbat falls on a rainy day, you could collect rainwater in a glass or earthenware container, add dried mugwort, and use to empower objects.
Create and bury a Witch's Bottle. This is a glass jar with sharp pointy things inside to keep away harm. You can use needles, pins, thorns, thistles, nails, and bits of broken glass; it's a good way to dispose of broken crockery, old sewing equipment, and the pins that come in new clothes. Bury it near the entry to the house (like next to the driveway or the front door), or inside a large planter.
Do a Harvest Chant when serving the corn bread at dinner:
The Earth Mother grants the grain,
The Horned God goes to his domain.
By giving life into her grain,
The God dies then is born again.
Make a Corn Dolly to save for next Imbolc.
Double over a bundle of wheat and tie it near the top to form a head. Take a bit of the fiber from either side of the main portion and twist into arms that you tie together in front of the dolly. Add a small bouquet of flowers to the "hands," and then you can decorate the dolly with a dress and bonnet (the dress and bonnet may be made out of corn husks if you wish, or and cotton material is fine too).
Bake corn bread sticks.
You can find a cast-iron mold shaped like little ears of corn in kitchen supply shops. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/4 cup of sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening
Sift dry ingredients together, add eggs, milk, and shortening, and beat until smooth. Pour into molds and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Collect blackberries and make a fresh pie marked with the Solar Cross.
Have a magickal picnic with libations to the earth of bread and wine.
Sprout wheat germ in a terra cotta saucer (these can be found in nurseries for use under terra cotta flower pots).
The sprouts can be added to homemade bread or used as an offering. Children enjoy planting the seeds and watching them grow, too.
God the grain,
Lord of rebirth.
Return in spring,
Renew the Earth.
Make a Solar Wheel or Corn Man Wheel:
Turn a wire hanger into a circle (standard circle material for wreaths too), keeping the hook to hang it by.
Make a small cardboard disk to glue the corn tips onto. You can decorate it with any design, for example, a pentagram or sun.
Place ears of Indian "squaw" corn (it is smaller than regular corn and fits easily on a coat hanger) with the tips in the center of the circle and secure with hot glue to the cardboard disk. Use eight ears for a Solar Wheel, or five ears for a Corn Man. If all the ears of corn meet just right you won't need the disk, but if they are uneven the disk is helpful.
Wrap a bit of the husks of each ear around the wire on either side of the ear of corn, leaving some to stand out free from the corn.
Let dry overnight and hang on the front door.
Activities taken from "Green Witchcraft" by Anne Moura (Aoumiel)
Corn Dolly -
You will need:
Dried corn husks
Twine or string
Colored markers
Glue
Construction paper
Soak your husks in warm water until they become pliable (1 hour). Bunch together several damp husks and tie a piece of twine around them about 1/2 inch from one end. To make the head, hold a bunch by the tied end and, one at a time, fold the husks down over the twine as if you were peeling a banana.
Smooth the husks to create a face, then tie another piece of twine around the doll's neck. For the arms, tightly roll up a single husk, starting at one long edge. Use twine to tie it off at both ends where the doll's wrists should be. Now fit the arms between the husks below the head and then tie off the doll's waist.
To fashion a skirt, arrange several more corn husks so that they are inverted around the doll's waist. It will look as if a skirt has blown up over the doll's head. Tie the husks in place around the waist, then fold the skirt down and smooth the husks. For pants, divide the husks below the waist into two groups and tie each one at the ankle with twine.
Now draw on facial features and other details. Then glue on a braided twine hairdo and clothes made from construction paper or pieces of fabric.
Corn Wheel -
You will need:
A round wire or other hoop on which to build the wreath
8 ears of corn of equal length -- dried or fresh
Cardboard
A short piece of ribbon or twine (for hanger),
Glue,
Florists wire (optional)
Fashion a round hoop wide enough to accommodate the length of two ears of corn. Using ribbon or twine, form a loop to serve as a hanger. Tie or glue this securely to the hoop.
Position the eight ears of corn inside the circle, paying close attention to the illustration. Be sure to keep the hanger/ribbon positioned at the top of the wreath. Tie or wrap the corn shucks around the hoop. (They can be held in place with florists wire, if need be.) Use stray ends of the shucks to cover the hoop completely. (If using dried corn, the shucks should have been soaked in water before starting.)
Use florists wire to keep the shucks in place. Cut a small, round piece of cardboard. Lay the wreath on the table and position the cardboard circle in the middle of the hoop. Using a glue gun or some other fast drying glue, adhere the tips of the ears to the cardboard circle on the BACK SIDE of the wreath, being careful that the cardboard is not obvious from the front. You may want to cut out the middle of the cardboard circle so it can not easily be seen from the front. Allow the glue to dry and hang.
May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee,
O Mother, O Woman Eternal
who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters
between the hands upon Her Heart
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We swear by Peace and Love to stand,
Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
confirming this, our Sacred Vow.
~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
Source Unknown
Also known as: Lammas, August Eve, The Festival of Bread, Elembiuos, Lunasa, Cornucopia (Strega), Thingtide (Teutonic)
Date: August 1 or 2, or the first Full Moon of Leo
Symbols: All Grains, Breads, Threshing Tools, Berries (especially Blackberries)
Deities: Harvest and Grain Deities, New Mother Goddesses
Colors: Gray, Yellow, Gold, Green
Herbs: cornstalks, heather, frankincense, and wheat may be burned; acacia flowers, corn ears, hollyhock, myrtle, oak leaves, and wheat may be decorations.
Lughnassadh (Loo-NAHS-ah) is named for the Irish sun God, Lugh, and is usually looked upon as the first of the three Pagan harvest festivals.
Lughnasadh is primarily a grain harvest, one in which corn, wheat, barley and grain products such as bread are prominently featured. Fruits and vegetables which ripen in late summer are also a part of the traditional feast. The Goddess, in her guise as the Queen of Abundance, is honored as the new mother who has given birth to the bounty, and the God is honored as the Father of Prosperity.
The threshing of precious grain was once seen as a sacred act, and threshing houses had small wooden panels under the door so that no loose grain could escape. This is the original meaning of our modern word "threshold".
From "Celtic Myth and Magick" by Edain McCoy
The following are a few suggestions for activities that may be incorporated into the Sabbat ritual or engaged in during the day.
Make sand candles to honor the Goddess and the God of the sea.
If you don't live near a beach, you can achieve the same effect by putting sand in a large box, adding water, and working from there. This is definitely a porch or kitchen job, and newspapers are recommended under your work area for easy clean-up.
Melt wax form old candles (save the stubs from altar candles) in a coffee can set in a pot of boiling water. Add any essential oil you want for scent (or scent blocks from a candle supply store). Scoop out a candle mold in wet sand (you can make a cauldron by scooping out the sand and using a finger to poke three "feet" in the sand). Hold the wick (you can get these ready-made in arts and crafts stores) in the center and gently pour in the melted wax. Wait until it hardens, then slip your fingers under the candle and carefully lift it out and brush off the excess sand.
String Indian corn on black thread for a necklace.
If the Sabbat falls on a rainy day, you could collect rainwater in a glass or earthenware container, add dried mugwort, and use to empower objects.
Create and bury a Witch's Bottle. This is a glass jar with sharp pointy things inside to keep away harm. You can use needles, pins, thorns, thistles, nails, and bits of broken glass; it's a good way to dispose of broken crockery, old sewing equipment, and the pins that come in new clothes. Bury it near the entry to the house (like next to the driveway or the front door), or inside a large planter.
Do a Harvest Chant when serving the corn bread at dinner:
The Earth Mother grants the grain,
The Horned God goes to his domain.
By giving life into her grain,
The God dies then is born again.
Make a Corn Dolly to save for next Imbolc.
Double over a bundle of wheat and tie it near the top to form a head. Take a bit of the fiber from either side of the main portion and twist into arms that you tie together in front of the dolly. Add a small bouquet of flowers to the "hands," and then you can decorate the dolly with a dress and bonnet (the dress and bonnet may be made out of corn husks if you wish, or and cotton material is fine too).
Bake corn bread sticks.
You can find a cast-iron mold shaped like little ears of corn in kitchen supply shops. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/4 cup of sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening
Sift dry ingredients together, add eggs, milk, and shortening, and beat until smooth. Pour into molds and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Collect blackberries and make a fresh pie marked with the Solar Cross.
Have a magickal picnic with libations to the earth of bread and wine.
Sprout wheat germ in a terra cotta saucer (these can be found in nurseries for use under terra cotta flower pots).
The sprouts can be added to homemade bread or used as an offering. Children enjoy planting the seeds and watching them grow, too.
God the grain,
Lord of rebirth.
Return in spring,
Renew the Earth.
Make a Solar Wheel or Corn Man Wheel:
Turn a wire hanger into a circle (standard circle material for wreaths too), keeping the hook to hang it by.
Make a small cardboard disk to glue the corn tips onto. You can decorate it with any design, for example, a pentagram or sun.
Place ears of Indian "squaw" corn (it is smaller than regular corn and fits easily on a coat hanger) with the tips in the center of the circle and secure with hot glue to the cardboard disk. Use eight ears for a Solar Wheel, or five ears for a Corn Man. If all the ears of corn meet just right you won't need the disk, but if they are uneven the disk is helpful.
Wrap a bit of the husks of each ear around the wire on either side of the ear of corn, leaving some to stand out free from the corn.
Let dry overnight and hang on the front door.
Activities taken from "Green Witchcraft" by Anne Moura (Aoumiel)
Corn Dolly -
You will need:
Dried corn husks
Twine or string
Colored markers
Glue
Construction paper
Soak your husks in warm water until they become pliable (1 hour). Bunch together several damp husks and tie a piece of twine around them about 1/2 inch from one end. To make the head, hold a bunch by the tied end and, one at a time, fold the husks down over the twine as if you were peeling a banana.
Smooth the husks to create a face, then tie another piece of twine around the doll's neck. For the arms, tightly roll up a single husk, starting at one long edge. Use twine to tie it off at both ends where the doll's wrists should be. Now fit the arms between the husks below the head and then tie off the doll's waist.
To fashion a skirt, arrange several more corn husks so that they are inverted around the doll's waist. It will look as if a skirt has blown up over the doll's head. Tie the husks in place around the waist, then fold the skirt down and smooth the husks. For pants, divide the husks below the waist into two groups and tie each one at the ankle with twine.
Now draw on facial features and other details. Then glue on a braided twine hairdo and clothes made from construction paper or pieces of fabric.
Corn Wheel -
You will need:
A round wire or other hoop on which to build the wreath
8 ears of corn of equal length -- dried or fresh
Cardboard
A short piece of ribbon or twine (for hanger),
Glue,
Florists wire (optional)
Fashion a round hoop wide enough to accommodate the length of two ears of corn. Using ribbon or twine, form a loop to serve as a hanger. Tie or glue this securely to the hoop.
Position the eight ears of corn inside the circle, paying close attention to the illustration. Be sure to keep the hanger/ribbon positioned at the top of the wreath. Tie or wrap the corn shucks around the hoop. (They can be held in place with florists wire, if need be.) Use stray ends of the shucks to cover the hoop completely. (If using dried corn, the shucks should have been soaked in water before starting.)
Use florists wire to keep the shucks in place. Cut a small, round piece of cardboard. Lay the wreath on the table and position the cardboard circle in the middle of the hoop. Using a glue gun or some other fast drying glue, adhere the tips of the ears to the cardboard circle on the BACK SIDE of the wreath, being careful that the cardboard is not obvious from the front. You may want to cut out the middle of the cardboard circle so it can not easily be seen from the front. Allow the glue to dry and hang.
May the fruit of our lives be bound and sealed to Thee,
O Mother, O Woman Eternal
who holdest the inmost life of each of Thy daughters
between the hands upon Her Heart
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We swear by Peace and Love to stand,
Heart to Heart and Hand to Hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
confirming this, our Sacred Vow.
~Druidic Prayer of Unity~
many of us have cold times ahead, and sitting with a big lump of afghan that we are knitting or crocheting during this time is a wonderful idea. Doing a quick google search for afghan patterns will yield a million patterns, all free for the taking. With the newer, prettier yarns -- one is sure to find something lovely to create!
