Celebrating Lammas (Wheel of the Year)

Celebrating Lammas and Lughasadh

At Lammas, we recognize and celebrate the Goddess in her aspects of Ceres,Ceridwen, Demeter, Isis and Inanna, all Goddesses of the Grain. Crops that were planted in the spring go to seed, and this is the time that seed was traditionally gathered for the next years' planting.

At The Goddess Garden Australia. we celebrate this festival by baking bread, incorporating fresh herbs from our Garden, and  decoratingour altars and other enchanting creation in harmony with Earth. Read on to learn more about Lammas and ways to celebrate it.

As the Summer solstice attains its peak, the earth's transformation becomes apparent. The festival of Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, hold significance within the Wheel of the Year, a sacred cycle honoured by diverse pagan and neopagan traditions. This year, Lammas occurs on the 3rd and 4th of February.

The celebration may continue until the 8th of February and usually lasts for three days. It serves as a time to honour the land's generosity and acknowledge the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is noteworthy that Lammas in Italian is Cornucopia, the horn of plenty representing abundance, a concept reflected in the celestial realm and the Earth's ley lines.

The Sun and Light of Lammas embody the height of Summer and the sun's power, symbolising warmth, energy and growth. This first harvest is a profound celebration; we joyfully revel in food and feasting, while weaving in timely themes of hope, sacrifice, and trust.

However Lammas can be a bittersweet time. We are at the height of Summer, the most beautiful time of the yea; our gardens areis abundant, the days are long and the sun is ever bright and warming. Our days are spent basking in this moment of perfection, but at the same time we know that it is all too fleeting.

Lammas marks the halfway point between Summer solstice an the Autumn equinox, and the days are already shortening. Darkness will soon return. so in these last glorious days of Summer, we celebrate our harvest — but we also must be prudent. Now is the time to gather grain and save seed ready for Winter's chill.

Decorating your Altars

Lammas altars are decorated withs unflowers and other orange flowers, wheat and oak, corn dollies, onion garlands, cornacopai, bread, Beewax candles, herbs in bloom, the colours of the sun, yellow, orange, Green and white and of nature Earthy rich robust browns. The sickle of the reapers and cauldron, coins, baskets, Athames and stars, star aniseed and apples

Spell-work

This is a great time to focus on themes of abundance and prosperity, connection to loved ones or settling disputes, and mental or physical gain./p>

Correspondences

Plants for Lammas

• Alder – Connects to the divine mother and the womb Magick of the cycles of life. Highly protective and births growth from devotion.
• Apple – Divination, eternal life, the five elements, protection, health, and prosperity. The Earth Apple of longevity and sweetness of existence.
• Basil – Money Magick, health, well-being, the Magick of Lakshmi, and the ability to prosper.
• Cedar – Purification and entrance into the house of the divine, the higher realms of spirit. Balanced masculine and feminine energy. Grounds, strengthens, and opens up clear visions.
• Daisy – Symbolises the mother goddess, the mother of Earth, love, fertility, abundance, and new beginnings. Used in wish and love spells.
• Frankincense – Boosts vitality in the darker months, strengthens the energy field, and provides a space for manifestation to ground into the earth. Supports growth and opportunities and is optimistic.
• Juniper Berry – Purification and removal of old projects or energy. Used in bandaging, purification spells, and for letting go of grief and emotional baggage.
• Mullein Leaf – Banishing herb connected to deep earth and death. Invokes the ancestors while protecting against evil and allows one to see through deception.
• Myrrh Resin – Healing of the womb and soul, prepares one for change. Used as a holy plant to heal the bloodline and restore the body, soul, and spirit to sacred balance.
• Oat – Creating wealth and sustainable foundations for growth. Used in money Magick and seeding creative ventures.
• Parsley – Fertility and rebirth, the carrying of a creative idea through to fruition. Connects to the womb of the goddess and abundance of the Earth realms.
• Pine – The Magick of the ancestors through the highest levels of the trees of life, connecting to the strength of the gods.
• Sage – Purification and invoking of spirit. Welcomes new life into one's home and energy field or casts out the old. Returns one to natural cycles and prepares the home for colder months.
• Sandalwood – Joy, celebration, fertility, steadfast magic for long-term goals. Invites love and pleasure and warms the heart and home.
• Thyme – Used in spells and magical recipes for beauty, courage, happiness, good health, protection, fairy communication, psychic ability improvement, and the prevention of nightmares.
• White Oak Bark – Dreaming, divination, binding and releasing old projects, purification, and unleashing the power within.
• Star Aniseed – Protection, the four elements, creating seeds from life, creating something from nothing. Helps spirit bring ideas into form.
• Birch – Deeply protective and grounding. Allows for resilience against life's traumas without exposure to the harsh conditions of the environment.
• Elderberry – Connected to fae realms and the sweetness of life. Connects to the tree mother, whose roots reach into the sacred cauldron within Earth. This tree connects to all kingdoms and is sacred, providing luck, love, power, protection, and Magick to complete all things in life.
• Cedar – Longevity, preservation, wealth, love, protection, and deep wisdom from the core of your being branching out into all facets of life. Helps with family and healing mother-line wounds.
• Calendula – Faces one in the direction of their spirit and heals wounds deeper than skin. Represents the sun and the soul's power. Used in spells of healing, sovereignty,

Crystals of Lammas

• Tigers eye
• Citrine
• Amber
• Carnelian
• Petrified wood
• Black obsidian
• Snow flake obsidian

Tarot Cards

• The Empress
• Death
• The Suite of Pentacles
• The Sun

Other ways to celebrate Lammas

• Complete a full house cleansing or blessing using smoke, vapour or sound (bells or chimes work great).
• Make corn dollies! This is especially great to do with kids — Waits and I made corn dollies for our altar this year, and he loved it. Some people bury their corn dolly in their garden during Samhain, and others keep their dolly for a full year, then burn it and make a new one next Lammas. As always, do whatever feels right for you.
• Gather wild berries, then bake them into a pie. Make kitchen magic!
• Try brewing your own beer or making your own blackberry or elderberry wine.
• The Perseid Meteor Shower happens every year at this time which means it’s always raining falling stars for Lammas! Find out where you can see the Perseids, and go out searching for a shooting star to wish upon.
• Build (or rebuild) a handmade broom – used Elder or birchMake a wicker man. Then make a bonfire, and burn it! Eat the bread and make a wish, Be sure to check for fire bans!
  
• For Cooking: Hearty grains, baked goods, cornbread, blackberries, potatoes, popcorn.
• For Drinking: Beer, ginger beer, blackberry wine, elderflower cordial, mint or cucumber water, mojitos.
• Sharing communal meals, especially those made from freshly harvested ingredients, is a significant aspect of Lammas celebrations. Baking and consuming bread are central to the feasting
• Hold ceremony emphasising gratitude, reflection, and releasing what no longer serves them. Bonfires and candlelight rituals often play a role in symbolising the waning strength of the sun.
• Honour Lammas association with skills and craftsmanship and what project you may want to work on or what skills you want to learn, make an Altar specifically for this.
• Spend time in nature, connecting with the land and expressing gratitude for the earth's abundance.

Product Launch for Lammas

As we begin out decent into the second harvest phase of the year, we are excited to launch Demeter - Cornucopia Goddess perfume.

She is full of the rich, hearty embodiment of Demeter's golden Cornucopia, filled with abundance nurturing us all.

This  beautiful aromatic tool is also a perfect addition your toolbox for work with during the upcoming Venus Retrogrades and the colder months of the year.

More tools you can use for your Lammas

We have developed the following resources to provide additional inspiration for your celebration of the events on the Wheel of the Year, including Lammas. 

All my Love M