Lughnasadh Sabbat Ritual

 --Lammas or Lughnasadh (LOO-na-sahd) is the First Harvest. The sun and grain god represented by the Celtic god Lugh is sacrificed so that His life force may sustain the Earth and us, His children.  This is a funeral celebration, thanking Lugh for his sacrifice so that we may live and be prepared for the coming winter. Traditionally Lughnasahd is celebrated through the baking of the bread from the first harvest of grain and the blessing of the first harvested fruits. Also playing competitive sport games, especially those that display strength and skill, are traditionally held at this time including the Olympics, the Panatheniac Games, the Highland Games, and modern football season.

“The traditional five games (Pentathlon) are running  (50 or 100 yard speed race), long jumping (from running start in sand pit, the longest jump wins), wrestling (gripping only  above the waist and whomever can get the others shoulder to touch the ground first wins), boulder heaving (a bowling ball will do in our modern exploits of this sport, the farthest landing wins), and taber tossing (a long pole, like a flag pole is thrown at a hay bale target, the one closest to the target wins.)” ---

‘Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard’ by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart

For the passing of summer we remember the good times and the bounty of the Earth by eating a special meal. The following ritual is designed to utilize food as an offering and a way of ingesting transformation into our lives.

The Feast for Lugh

 (Based on an article by Sandra Kynes at http://www.llewellyn.com/encyclopedia/article/7828 )

Needed:

·      Baked bread, wine, chalice, athame, grapes, offering bowl, have the food for the feast ready but not in the circle

·      Also a list of three wishes to be made during the ritual

Instructions:

·      Cast a 'Circle of Art'

·      Call the Watchtowers

·      “Lord Lugh, Lord of the Harvest, the bounty of your seed ripens in the fields and orchards, Be with us during this rite!”

·      “Lady Gaia, Mother of all, your great swollen belly provides abundance. Nourish us, protect us. Be with us during this rite!”

·      Fill chalice with wine, bless and consecrate the wine by first visualizing it being filled with yellow light and say, “I exorcise you of all impurities that may lie within.” Then visualize the wine being filled with bright blue light and say, “And I do bless you and consecrate you to this working.”

·      Each person take a bit of bread and a sip of wine, saying before hand, “I share the bounty of the Lord. I share the bounty of the Lady.”

·      “Lets us think on what began earlier this year, what has grown and is ready to come to fruition into our lives” Contemplate this, then take 2 grapes each, holding them in your power hand (the hand you write with) and make a wish utilizing visualization and focused will. Eat one and place the other in the offering bowl saying as you do, “So mote it be”

·      Do the same with a bit of bread, after eating one piece, place the other piece in the offering bowl, as you do say, “So mote it be.”

·      Then take a sip of wine while making your wish then pour a bit into the bowl saying, “So mote it be!”

·      “May our wishes and intentions be carried above and below! May the blessings be!”

·      Bid farewell to Lugh and Gaia, then farewell to the Watchtowers. Release the circle then bring out the food!

·      Before eating say this last final prayer: “Thanks be to Lugh, God of the grain, God of the sun. Your sacrifice for our sustenance and life shall be honored! Hail be to Lugh for our fruit and grain, Hail be to the Goddess who shall see to His rites and passage. In both your honor, Lugh and Great Goddess, do we partake in this holy feast. So mote it be!”*

·      

     Now eat and enjoy each others company! A blessed Lughnasadh to all, may your first harvest be bountiful!  

NOTE: Once the feast is over you may burry the offerings and clean the bowl.

 *T.LH

Lugh, Celtic Sun God of the Grain.

Beatus Esse,

Tytus Lionheart

Mabon 2012

"Winter is coming." 

 Mabon is the second time of the year when the sun crosses the celestial equator only this time the sun is heading south. Winter's approach is noticed by the shortened days. In ancient times (and still in some rural ares of the world) the harvest is brought into the home. In our modern society we can see the symbolic, spiritual aspect of this "second harvest" by measuring the fruits of our hardwork and celebrating the bounty of the harvest, as we brace for the coming cold and darkness. There is a bustle of hustle as preparations are made, final tasks are completed and the success of the year is measured. Mark this time by actualizing fullfillment of your own dreams.
 Mabon represents all that we should be thankful for; all that we have gained thus far in life. We must attune ourselves to the divine influences that rule this sabbat: to the Father God, the Sage, and the Earth Mother. These are the main divine types that are invoked for Mabon. *The Father God represents the sun loosing its powers as summer ends as well as the withering vine; symbolically this is a self-sacrafice from Father God, who gives up His life force so His children may live on. We are to be thankful to our Father God for his sacrafice so that we may be strong for the coming cycle. He will eventually die but be reborn on Yule as the Divine Child: the Sun God reborn.
*The Sage is represented as Dionysus, the God of the Vine. Mabon is also called the winefeast, wine is sacred to Dionysus and so many enchant wine as a way to invoke Dionysus within themselves. Rituals that involve Dionysus usually involve ecstatic trance, vision work (divination,pathworking,spirit summoning), and general revelry to honor and be blessed by the the Great Old One Dionysus.
*The Earth Mother is repsresented most famously by Demeter, whose power over the Earth's abundance and growth withers to nothing after Her daughter Persephone is kidnapped by the God of the Underworld, Hades. He tricks Persephone into a marriage to the woe of Demeter. With the help of the Crone Goddess Hekate, Demeter was able to meet and work a compromise with Hades.  Persephone will be free from the underworld and be able to be with Demeter during the spring and summer season but at the equinox the young Goddess had to return to Her husband, and she then becomes the Queen of the underworld. This bit of mythology has a number of symbolic material attached to it that explain key lessons of the pagan mystery teachings. The tale of Demeter and Hades is an echo of an ancient mythos for the Goddess called Inanna and her descent into the underworld, this is symbolic of the Goddess conquering death and creating the Cycle of Rebirth.
Mabon then has many themes; sacrifice, death, rebirth, transformation, vision working, divination, pathworking. We must take in the transmutive energy of the sabbat and internalize it with in ourselves.
Many celebrate the equinox by doing a simple ritual known as "the wine feast", in honor of Dionysus. So it is appropriate to have some wine that is blessed and to use the remainder in the glass to perform a divination through scrying with the wine; or to enchant the wine, drink half and pour the remainder as a libation to the Earth. Generally a feast of the harvest (or symbolic harvest) is mostly practiced at this time, said to be in honor of Demeter and Dionysus (or the Father God). Think of this sabbat as the Wiccan Thanksgiving, but less about pilgrims and more about the natural changes happening in our Earth and being one with those changes.

Mabon Harvest Ritual

*based on ritual by High Priestess Judy Ann Nock in her book "The Wiccan Year"*Cast a circle then invoke Demeter and Dionysus, place upon the altar: an ear of corn, a loaf of bread, a bowl of grain, a chalice of wine. Think of all the gifts of the land as you accept their bounty. Position each object on the altar to its cardinal point and call forth each quarter as you touch each object in turn: 

• Touch Corn (east) and say,"Golden is the ripe corn, as golden as the sun rising in the East. The seeds of new life will be carried on the wind to the waiting fields of our eternity. To the East and the spirits Air, We bid you Hail and Welcome!"
• Touch the Bread (south) and say,"The fire of the south aids our cooking, and warms our hearths. By the blessed flame does wheat transform to nourishment. We take in your essence, O' spirits of the South. And to the Spirits of Fire, We bid you Hail and Welcome!"
• Touch the chalice of Wine (west) and say,"The sacred chalice holds the gift of the God, and in partaking, we share the libation of joyful measure. To the West and the Spirits of Water, we bid you Hail and Welcome!"
• Touch the Grains (north) in the bowl and say,"The abundance of the Goddess is evident in the teeming fields. The harvest of Her great body sustains our soul. Behold Her gifts of the Fruitful Earth. To the North and the spirits of Earth, we bid you hail and welcome!"
• Hold the Corn aloft and take a bite. After doing so recite the following invocation: "Blessed be the corn of the fields. Such was the beginning of the settled Earth. Demeter taught us the secrets of cultivation. In Her golden hair is the silk and the seed that flows in a river of beautiful abundance."
• Hold the Bread, break off a piece. Eat slowly, taking in its texture and flavor. Recite the following: "Bread is humankind's first alchemy. Through the sacred transmutation of the elements our bodies are fed and nourished. The Goddess feeds us with spiritual food. May the blessings of Her body be ours. She is with us, She is beside us, She dwells within us."
• Hold out the Chalice, take a sip and recite: "Blessed be the blood of the god that flows within our veins, He dies and awaits rebirth. His long sleep begins as the Earth opens to receive Him. May we be reminded of His sacrifice and coming resurrection, like the vine that dies and rises again. Life is eternal and in each death is the potential for birth. Through His sacrifice, the land increases."
• Take some grains from the bowl and sprinkle them onto the ground. Recite: "Into the Earth the seed will spill, sprouting forth life. Likewise we shall harvest what is here and be thankful for the blessings we have. We are in awe of the Earth, we are in awe of the Seed, We are grateful for all the Lord and Lady has given us."
• Meditate on your successes and gains of the year. Give thanks for all that you have received and allow yourself to mourn for the things not meant to be. If you are in a coven take this time to pass the blessed food around and share each others achievements and memories. If you are solitary enjoy your blessed feast and think of your accomplishments, write them in your journal as they come to you during this meditation. When you are ready to close the ritual, use this passage from Ranae, by the Greek poet and playwright Aristophanes to honor the essence of the season:

Let us to the flowery meads repair,

With deathless rosses blooming,

Whose balmy sweets impregn the air,

Both hills and dales perfuming,

Since Fate benign our choir has joined,

We'll trip in mystic measure,

In sweetest harmony combined,

We'll quaff full draughts of pleasure,

For us alone the power of the day,

A milder light dispenses,

And sheds benign a mellow ray, 

To cheer our ravished sense

The Coming Beltane Sabbat * Beltane Fires of Passion

A wonderful article I think will summerize the coming Beltane Sabbat!: Beltane Fires * Wicca-Spirituality.com/Silver Chalice E-Zine

 I will be posting the Outline of the Beltane Ritual the day before on the 29th, that I will be performing April 30th at sundown (the traditional start of Beltane) . It will be simple, but powerful and hopefully passionate like the coming Sabbat. To me Beltane is like Wiccan Valentine's Day, it's a time (if you are so blessed) to pay special attention to your lover or mate, if you are solo at this time then pay special attention to your close friends and family or even pay special attention to yourself, give yourself something nice; give it to your Higher-self during ritual. There is lots to be not only be passionate about but thankful for and these I feel are the key celebration points for Beltane; passion, pleasure and being thankful. This being the case, not only should we celebrate the Union of the Goddess and the God but we should be thankful for all that we are blessed with because of that Union. We should also be thankful for the Unions we have here on the physical plane Unions with: friends, family, lovers, animals, plants, places, Self, and careers. Whatever brings you pleasure take joy in it and be thankful for it, for doing so is a holy act:

"ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in Her praise. For Hers is the ecstasy of the spirit, and Hers also is joy on earth; for Her law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For Hers is the secret door which opens upon the land of youth and Hers is the cup of wine of life, and the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality. She is the gracious goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, She gave the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, She gives peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor does She demand sacrifice, for behold, She is the mother of all living, and Her love is poured out upon the earth." ---- Charge of The Goddess

Ostara Ritual for Vitality

Ostara Ritual

Invocation for Vitality

(From The Wiccan Year by Judy Ann Nock, pg.111)

With its emphasis on new beginnings and new life, Ostara is an ideal time to call a renewed sense of energy to ourselves so that we may flourish along with the greening earth. Begin with an invigorating ritual bath. Combine equal amounts of: Sea Salt and Epsom Salt in a bowl (about 1/8 cup of each) and add a handful of crushed peppermint leaves.

                Pour the mixture into a muslin pouch or large tea bag/ cheese cloth and steep in a hot bath. Allow the salts to dissolve and the water to cool until it in comfortable. Immerse yourself in the bath with a soaked cloth draped over your face. Breathe in the stimulating essence of the herb as you allow the warm water to ease your muscles.

                Use the cloth to exfoliate your body, envisioning the cold and stagnant energy being scrubbed away and replaced with an exciting new dawn. As you wash your face, think on these words:

                “I cleanse myself in the blessed company of the tender green of the Earth. May my thoughts and desires be aligned with the Divine Nature of the Goddess. Allow my eyes to discern beauty wherever it lies. Let me breathe in the invigorating air. May it renew my blood with it’s purity. May my ears be filled with the happy songs of the birds of the sky. May my lips curl in a delightful smile at the new life unfolding around me. May my voice be clear and strong, raised in praise to the great lady of all beginnings. May my heart beat steady and sure, filled with love and not longing. May I never hunger nor thirst, but accept the abundance that is Her gift to the land. May the powerful sinews of my arms stretch to the sky to invoke Her grace. My hands will work the transformation of Her lovely crafts. My legs will move in a joyful dance. My feet will walk gently upon the renewing Earth, and the land shall become more beautiful because of my care.”

                After immersing yourself in water, it is now time to envision yourself aligning with the creatures of the land and of the air. Allow yourself to air-dry. As the water evaporates from your skin, think of the snakes that shed their skin in their cycle of renewal and the birds that molt, revealing their new feathers, soft and crisp. Next, light a candle and place a plate of fresh sprouts before you. Hold the plate high above the candle, saying this:

“May the spark of life and the flame of vitality imbue these living seeds with power and strength. Goddess great, Goddess green, blessings on these thriving seeds! As I consume them, hear my plea: Heal me. Grant me what I need.”

As you chew the sprouts, envision yourself taking in the energy of the springtime. As you swallow, envision yourself taking in the healing power of the Goddess inside you, replenishing your internal organs, enlivening your body with healthful energy, with blessings inside and out.

T.LH Notes:

I created a ritual bath to shed the unwanted and stagnant energy and then I took in a Goddess healing invocation which required me to eat fresh spouts and drink some delicious Mango juice. I feel I am seeing things more clearly, and I frankly have a lot of positive energy despite the stress I have been facing and the pain from my injury. I feel I shed-ed all which was keeping me from blossoming with the spring equinox and I had a very powerful moment during the cleansing as I was chanting "Goddess good, Goddess green, Goddess awaking Spring in me." I had a rush of energy that was deeply moving. I don't know if it was the combination of eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil and Epsom salt that forced my third eye to open and flux or if Goddess touched me, but I felt a great power awakening within me and a connection to all things. I went out after the bath and planted a mint plant in my garden giving back to Goddess what Goddess had given me. I still feel a "buzzing" around my aura and body. I feel refreshed, energized and happy. My spirituality has always been strong but its moments like these that give me the most comfort.