Lammas

Lands on or about August 1

Sun is in 15° Leo
Waning Light, Height of Summer, Season of Fire
Recognizing and Honoring Sacrifices made to achieve goals
Colors – Red, Gold, Yellow, Orange

Magic of Lammas – Offering Thanks for the sacrifices made by others on our behalf, honoring our fathers, healing the wounds of childhood

Lammas is a celebration of the First Harvest. It is the time when we begin reaping the rewards of all the hard work we have done in our yearly incarnation. We desire to reconnect, and the first step in that is recognizing we did not achieve our goals alone. There were many helping us along the way. It is time to express gratitude to those who have nurtured, supported and encouraged us on our path. We offer thanks and share our bounty with those who shared our burden.

It is basically the Wiccan equivalent of Father's Day. We honor the God for his sacrifice, and recognize that the sacrifices made by the men in our lives are many. We do not recognize all the sacrifices that our fathers make for us. They leave early in the morning, and come home late, and we have no idea what goes on in their lives while they are gone. But, they leave behind their hearts, and they bring home what is necessary to keep us warm, safe, and happy.

Now is the time to harvest the plants you have been growing all year. Collect any seeds, appropriately label them and store them for the coming year. Hang bundles of fresh herbs up to dry.

Lammas ritual - Father's Day

This is a very simple ritual, but it brings forth a lot of memories, and a real sense of connectedness.

Preparation:
Build an effigy of the God out of sticks.
Make bundles out of hay that can be tied on to the effigy.
Harvest seeds from the plants that you have been growing, or purchase new ones to plant at Imbolc next year.

Cast circle, call quarters and invoke deity.

The effigy is dedicated to serve as a symbol of the God. Valerian Nightshade wrote the following invocation for this purpose.

Great Sun God, Lord of the grain, You who are known by many names;
Lugh, Tammuz, Adonis, Dionysus, Balder- it is time!
The summer has been very long.
Lay thy shadows on the sundials and on the meadows, let the winds go loose!
Command the last fruits that they shall be full,
Press them on to fulfillment and drive the last sweetness into the heavy wine.
We thank thee for thy sacrifice, for the bounty of the harvest
For the grain that sustains our body, for the divine spark that ignites our souls,
For the love that nourishes our hearts.
So Mote it Be.

The HPS states the purpose of the ritual is to express gratitude to the God. Three times a charm, so once to HP, once to God, and once to your own father.

Each covener picks up a hay bundle, approaches the effigy and expresses gratitude while affixing the hay bundle to the stick figure.

After everyone has said his or her piece the Priests light the effigy and all hold hands and watch it burn. It is nice to have a chant or music here.

Seed Blessing:

The chalice is placed on the pentagram plate that is covered in seeds that you have gathered from the plants that you grew, or new seeds can be purchased. If various types of seeds are used, they may be kept in separate envelopes so they may be easily identified at planting time.

HPS (to HP) – “Come unto me once again so that we may plant a seed that will emerge in the new year. (holding up the Chalice) As the Chalice is to the woman.”
HP – “The Athame is to the Man.” (Placing Athame in Chalice)
HP/S – “Joined together they bring blessedness.”
HPS – “I bless these seeds as they contain the power of rebirth within them. They will be kept in a sacred place, and wait for Imbolc when they can return to the soil to sprout and grow. We sow seeds of prosperity as we harvest the fruits of our labor.” Allow each participant to bless the seeds, pass out cakes and wine

Release Quarters, devoke Deity, and release Circle.

Feast!

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