Lammas

 

 

August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.  -Sylvia Plath

 

In ancient Ireland, Lammas was celebrated during August.  The name of this celebration, Lammas was once called hlaf-mas, "loaf-mass" before the Christians changed the name.  August/Lammas is all about the cycle of life;  birth, life, death and rebirth.  The God of Grain dies but will be reborn again.  I am late setting up my altar for Lammas, but I want to share some ideas so that we remember to celebrate the near-end of harvest. 

Those who follow the Sabbats, arrange our altar to reflect the symbolic meaning of Lammas.  Here are some ideas, and some ways, I have set up my Lammas altar.  I decorated my altar according to my environment at this place and time. 

Grain has been sheaved and grapes and apples are almost ready to harvest.  Ancestors hard work is honored, corn husk dolls are made, tools are honored, protection is called for with weaponry, fresh flowers are placed in vases, straw (or sweetgrass) is braided and put on the altar. (The three strands of braids represent land, sea, sky.)  Popcorn can be used to represent the grain harvest. If you have a small cornucopia, you can add that. 

Candles are added to represent the ancient fires that kept the ancestors warm, helped them change their diet into cooked foods.  As well, candles represent the clearing of negativity, healing, and purifying.  The candle also represents being able to see other perspectives. 

The stones for Lammas are citrine (I have mine I have collected and tumbled, in a small bottle).  The Citrine is all about empowerment, about rising energy, manifestation, evokes wonder and delight, and boosts your self-esteem.  The other stones are carnelian, golden quartz, and yellow fluorite.  Peridot is the main stone and peridot was symbolic of the goddess Pele’s tears.

You should have some kind of vessel and I have used an oil defusing bowl.  Some kind of flower should be added.  Sunflowers are best, but, if you do not have one, like me, add a dollar store bloom. 

Whatever your best skill is, you should add a symbolic representation of that.  I have added an easel to mind that speaks to Lammas.  Weaponry was also a part of August as, after the harvest, the men would go back to warring.  I found an antique shell in Yuma, near the practice fields.  I have added that. 

I am baking artisan bread this afternoon.  I love the rich flavor of a bread made with a long rise.

Metaphorically, our mental, spiritual, and emotional crops are ready for the first harvest,

Resource:  https://ladyandreverie.com/lammas-altar/

Carol Desjarlais 8.5.22