Lughnasadh

 

 

“In Celtic Reconstructionism, Lughnasadh is seen as a time to give thanks to the spirits and deities for the beginning of the harvest season, and to propitiate them with offerings and prayers not to harm the still-ripening crops.” – Wikipedia

 

This is the first of three great harvest celebrations.  Lugh, or Lug, was a great Celtic King and God of Light.  August is his sacred month when he initiated festivities for his mother Tailtiu.    There was great feasting, markets, games and bonfires held.  If their harvest was good, they would celebrate their skills at harvesting.  The harvest weas then stored for the hard winter months.

The Great Mother was honored as the Celts celebrated the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.  Grain was the heart of the celebrations.  Great loaves of bread were made from the newly milled grain.

 

Sue’s Artisan Bread

 

3 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoons salt (or 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt)

½ teaspoon yeast

1 ½ cups warm water

 

In a bowl, stir the flour, salt, yeast and water until combined.

Cover with plastic wrap and set at room temperature for 8 – 24 hours.

Gently turn out dough on to well floured piece of parchment paper and form into a ball.

Rest 30 minutes.

In the meantime, place baking dish (I use a cast iron roasting pan), and lid, into the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Slash the top of the bread with an X pattern.  (This is important because bread will blow out and not hold the shape of a loaf.)

Gently transfer the parchment and dough into the heated roasting pan and bake 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown.

Cool before slicing.   

Now is the time to take stock of our own personal strengths and skills.  We all have talents, some have many, and most are trying to find more that they can learn to do.  Lifelong learning is encouraged.  Think of your accomplishments and honor them by accepting compliments you get for them.  Do not dishonor your gifts by deflecting compliments.  Feel a surge of pride. 

It is wonderful to feel a connection with where our food comes from, the hands that helped us have a harvest, and the hands that prepared the feasts.  This is the month to gain a closer connection to Mother Earth.  We all have our unique gifts and talents, our own heritages, our own cultures and I love international recipes to follow and to try to make.  I have been trying to make deeper connections with my heritages of Welsh/English and Norwegian backgrounds.  I love to make foods, in a modern way, that reflect ancestry. 

Our world is in crises.  We are in crises.  We need to gather as much wisdom as we can that might stir us into action.  Deepening our spiritual aspects as the full moon approaches full of Aquarius/.  Aquarius will bring about big changes and we need to know who we are, right to our ancestry.  We are still part of who our ancestors were.  We are simply progression towards a oneness of compassion and justice. Who we were years ago is not who we are now?  Who are we?  What difference are we making in our world today?  I believe that becoming knowledgeable about our ancestry will help us become closer to the spirit of the universe.  Gathering and feasting is a huge part of making this united front that is needed for our world to feel loved again, our Mother Earth to feel loved again, for us to feel loved again. We are not who we were but a moment ago.  We have changed.  We are unique even amidst our communing together.  Our talents and gifts are needed in the world and it is important for us to allow our talents and gifts to thrive and to meld into the healing of the world, others, and ourselves.    

Bake artisan bread, make jam of fresh fruit.  (I have made raspberry freezer jam from our few bush that gave us gallons of fruit this year). Invite friends and those of ‘your tribe’ to come and feast with you.  Have a bonfire.   Commune.  Share, Develop new skills and utilize our talents for the betterment of The All.

 

©Carol Desjarlais 8.06.22