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| Lughnasadh (August 1st) Fire Festival Lughnasadh is the first in the trilogy of harvest festivals. It marks the beginning of the harvest season, and the decline of Summer into Winter. Lughnasadh is the festival in honor of Lugh, the Irish God. Lugh, God of All Skills, is known as the "Bright or Shining One", He is associated with both the Sun and agricultural fertility. Lleu, Lugh's equivalent in Britain and Wales, is the son of Arianrhod, Goddess of the Stars and Reincarnation. Games of athletic prowess are played in honor of Lugh. The games are said to be funeral games for Lugh and, in some traditions, his foster mother, who is honored at this festival because she died while preparing the fields for planting. Many grains, seeds, herbs and fruits can be harvested and dried at this time for later use through the remaining year. Corn is one of the vital crops harvested now, and in some areas the sacrifice of the corn king is performed. Death and rebirth are apart of the cycle Lugh journeys through in his mating with the Goddess, during the waning year. The Goddess oversees the festival in her Triple guise as Macha. She presides in her warrior aspect, the crow who sits on the battlefields awaiting the dead. She is the Crone, Maiden and Mother, Anu, Banba, and Macha, who conveys the dead into the realm of the deceased. Macha is forced, while heavy with child, to race against the King of Ulster's horses. She wins the race and gives birth to twins, and cursed the men of Ulster with the pain of labor when they most need their strength. She becomes the Queen of Ulster through battle for seven years. Her fortress in Ulster is known as the Emain Macha and its otherworldly form known as Emania, the moon Goddess' realm of death. Lughnasadh is a time of bounty, celebration, and hopes for an abundant harvest season. We celebrate the bounty of our own life's harvest, the work we have done in and within our own lives as well as in our community. We understand and acknowledge the need for successes in both the physical and spiritual realms. For without success and a fruitful harvest we will not have the staples we need to continue our work on all levels. Our religion is one of service, not sacrifice. For there is no service in sacrifice, and no sacrifice in service. We need to fill our own cups and when our cups runneth over, we can't help but splash those around us with the life giving waters.
For we as members of the Universe and children of the Mother expect to share in the benevolence of Her Love. For ours is the Mother, who nurtures and Loves Her children, sharing her bounty. Prosperity is not amassing and hoarding a great profusion of assets. Prosperity is having more than what is essential and never having less than we desire. We understand the abundance and magnanimity of the Universe and celebrate, recognize, and honor this. | Animals/Mythical beings:
Griffins, Roosters, Calves, Centaurs, Phoenix. | Gemstones:
Aventurine, Citrine, Peridot, Sardonyx, Yellow Diamonds and Citrine. | Incense/Oil:
Wood Aloes, Rose, Rose Hips, Rosemary, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Safflower, Corn, Passionflower, Frankincense, Sandalwood . | Colors/Candles:
Red, Orange, Golden Yellow, Green, Light Brown, Gold, Bronze, Gray. | Tools/Symbols/Decorations:
Corn, Cornucopias, Red, Yellow Flowers, Sheaves of Grain (Wheat, Barley, Oats), First Fruits/Vegetables of Garden Labor, Corn Dollies, Baskets of Bread, Spear, Cauldron, Sickle, Scythe, Threshing Tools, Sacred Loaf of Bread, Harvested Herbs, Bonfires, Bilberries, God Figures Made of Bread or Cookie Dough, Phallic Symbols | Goddesses:
The Mother, Dana (Lugh’s wife & queen), Tailltiu (Welsh-Scottish), Demeter (Greek), Ceres (Roman grain goddess..honored at Ceresalia), the Barley Mother, Seelu (Cherokee), Corn Mother, Isis (Her birthday is celebrated about this time) | Gods:
Lugh (Celtic, one of the Tuatha De Danaan), Johnny Barleycorn, Arianrhod’s golden haired son Lleu ( Welsh God of the Sun & Corn where corn includes all grains, not just maize), Dagon (Phoenician Grain God), Tammuz/ Dummuzi (Sumerian), Dionysus, plus all sacrificial Gods who willingly shed blood/give their life that their people/lands may prosper, all vegetation Gods & Tanus (Gaulish Thunder God), Taranis, (Romano-Celtic Thunder God), Tina, (Etruscan-Thunder God), the waning God | Essence:
Fruitfulness, Reaping, Prosperity, Reverence, Purification, Transformation, Change, The Bread of Life, The Chalice of Plenty , The Ever-flowing Cup, the Groaning Board (Table of Plenty) | Meaning:
Lugh's wedding to Mother Earth, Birth of Lugh; Death of Lugh, Celtic Grain Festival | Rituals/Magicks:
Fire Magick, Money Spells, Health Spells, Bonfires, Prosperity, and Generosity, Continued Success, Good Fortune, Abundance Spells. | Customs:
Games, the traditional riding of poles/staves, country fairs, breaking bread with friends, making corn dollys, harvesting herbs for charms/rituals, Lughnasadh fire with sacred wood & dried herbs, feasting, competitions, lammas towers (fire-building team competitions), spear tossing, gathering flowers for crowns, fencing/swordplay, games of skill, martial sports, chariot races, hand-fastings, trial marriages, dancing ‘round a corn mother (doll) | Foods:
Loaves of homemade wheat, oat, & corn bread, barley cakes, baking bread (gingerbread man) in honor of the God. corn, potatoes, summer squash, nuts, acorns, wild berries (any type), apples, rice, pears, berry pies, elderberry wine, mead, cider, beer | Herbs:
Berries, Fenugreek, Frankincense, Heather, Hollyhock, Mistletoe, Oak, Oat, Sunflower . | Element/Gender:
Fire/Female | Threshold:
Noon | Lughnasadh Incense Recipe: - 2 parts Frankincense
- 1 part Heather
- 1 part Apple Blossoms
- 1 pinch Blackberry Leaves
- a few droms Ambergris oil
Lughnasadh Oil Recipe: 2 drops peppermint oil, 3 drops elder oil, 1 drop fir oil, 1 drop hazelnut oil (Use corn oil as a base here) Lammas/Lughnasadh Rituals
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