#lughnasadth

Happy Lughnasadh! 🌾Felt very thankful for the local food from farm stands 🌽and a beautiful view at the park🌳. Great way to say goodbye to summer🌞 and welcome the coming fall!🍂

The Summer Crossquarter is also referred to as Lammas and or Lughnasadth. Summer’s Pinnacle is only next week! It is the zenith of Summer (like the way the full moon is the pinnacle of the lunar cycle, this is the pinnacle of summer) where it's at it's height and it's hottest but after will begin the steady transition into fall and shorter cooler days. This is also the middle of the year where we start to enter the darker half of the remaining year and we acknowledge what we've gained so far (reaping what we sowed) yet seeing what it might take to reach our goals which lies ahead. It’s time to finish projects and enjoy the first harvest of the harvest season! Enjoy the wonderful concert of crickets, the height of summer and the wheat and corn feast. I have a personal correspondences post that might help explain why I chose certain things! (Also here is my personal tag!)

A lot of us witches practice alone and have our own solitary rituals for each sabbat that we observe (or the ones we’ve created just for ourselves that we observe alone!) Like any solitary eclectic witch I do things my own different way but some of these things might line up with others practices.

When I am alone and casting spells a lot of it is visualization/intent so my solitary rituals are more like activities I like to do then specifically casting a spell. If I am doing a spell with an activity based on it a lot would be listening to music to get in the mood and focusing on a candle while visualizing for a period of time! Eves are also important to my celebration as I like to stay up until midnight and cast a spell then!

August’s Eve

Monday July 31st 2017

Go to a farmers market and support the summer harvest there. If you have a bee farmers tent, support them and buy beeswax carved candles for your ritual and some honey. They often have beautiful beeswax candles that can make wonderful energetic centerpieces to rituals. The farmers market at this time of year will have delicious and many ripe things along with glorious summer flowers.

If you have a garden or work with a community garden, give your garden some offerings. Offer it water, crushed eggshells, and your gratitude. If you take things for your feast remember to thank it.

Enjoy some snacks while doing crafts like popcorn, wheat crackers, sunflower seeds, fruit gummies, peach rings, potato chips, fries, corn on the cob, there are lots of delicious snacks that are grains, potatoes, corn and summer fruit related. 

Decorate your Altar and coat it in sunflowers, wheat, things that are bee related, maybe even potato related, corn husks, wheat structures and corn dolls, lazy eyed susans, ivy and beeswax candles. Use the colors that remind you of summer’s pinnacle and the harvest! I also like to add gold coins or even chocolate coins that are coated in gold foil that symbolizes prosperity and the rewards that come with hard work.

As a mixologist I love to make my own infusions and liqueurs and I also think alcohol drunk with intent can be very magical. This time of the year as everything is in season and herbs are at their peak I love to do an infusion with mint and gin or vodka, basil and vodka (most things with vodka cause vodka is like the ‘water’ of alcohol since its just ethanol diluted with water with no flavor. It’s like the clear quartz of spirits haha), rosemary and vodka, jasmine flowers and vodka and summer fruits with vodka too. I usually let them sit in large mason jars and when I shake them up I shake it with my intent. I take shots when getting into a headspace for magic or when I go to a circle with friends I make special drinks with them. If you work with entities it can make a wonderful offering. If you want to turn any of them into a liqueur (a sweeter smooth alcohol) just make simple syrup and you can add the same ingredients into the syrup to make it flavored to enhance the flavor of the infusion once you mix it in there. 

If possible if you have a nice park somewhere or an area that's safe that you can go to, go camping! Spend a night under the stars and sing with the fireflies. For me to do a midnight spell under the stars would be glorious but I am also lucky to have a massive backyard with a massive lawn space and little fear of anyone bothering me there (other than racoons lol). I also have a sunroom I can sleep in.

Midnight Spell:

Focus on what you would like to complete and goals to accomplish. This sabbat is great to set goals and help break through obstacles.

If you prefer a more physical activity based ritual than a visualization one you can do a practice by making a vision board of what you want to accomplish. Place it down on the floor like a grid and light a candle in the center to focus energy and intention to what you want (also energetically charging it) before hanging it in front of your bed. 

Basil is also in season and basil is an herb of prosperity. You can eat basil in a spell to symbolize the wealth you will gain or make an oil spell with it by infusing it in a carrier oil to bring prosperity into your life when you apply it on you. (Oregano as well!) 

Summer Crossquarter (lughnsasadth) Day

(Wednesday June 21st 2017)

Go on a journey! If possible take a trip to the woods! Hiking and just spending time outside where it’s sunny is nice too. The beach during this time of the year (August to mid September) is IDEAL because throughout summer the heat has warmed up the water so the water is a lot warmer. 

Bake Bread! If wheat is not your thing then corn bread or corn muffins are lovely! There is also zucchini bread as zucchinis are also in season and zucchini bread is delicious! If bread isn’t your thing at all no matter it’s contents then you can always enjoy a baked potato! 

make a bee fountain because there’s always time and wonderful magic in making a bee fountain. 

Do an enjoyable physical activity like hiking, bike riding, rock climbing, swimming, archery, fishing or kayaking. Lugh was a god of friendly sport and competition and this sabbat can be enjoyed by engaging in fun sport. If none of this sounds appealing to you (highly understandable) there are other ways to enjoy the summer outdoors passively without much physical effort. 

Evening

Celebratory Dinner Cook a dinner with foods of the summer harvest! Eat corn, wheat, potatoes, berries, melons, peach ciders, bread bowls, pastas, popcorn. For the 'meat' selection I love to eat fish as it resembles wealth in many cultures and catching a reward.  and enjoy any beer, cider or fruit juice that corresponds with summer’s harvest as well. 

Make a plate for any entities you like to work with.