Lammas is Coming

Lughnasadh (Loo-nah-sah), also known as Lammas, is often defined as a Cross Quarter day midway between the Summer Solstice(june 21st) and the Autumnal Equinox (Sept 21st). Lughnasadh is celebrated generically on August 1st, however this year the actual time of occurance is August 7th. The name Lammas is taken from an Anglo-Saxon and Christianized holiday occurring at the same time, that may or may not have a common origin. As the name (from loaf-mass, "loaves festival") implies, it is a feast of thanksgiving for bread, symbolizing the first fruits of the harvest.

It is the first of the three harvest festivals, the other two being Mabon and Samhain. It commemorates the sacrifice and death of the God; in its cycle of death, nurturing the people, and rebirth.

During medieval times, loaves were baked from the first grains of the harvest and blessed in a church ceremony known as the "loaf mass". Many believe that "lammas" is a shortened form of "loaf mass". Others attribute "lammas" to a combined form of "lamb" and "Mass" which reflects a time when lambs were offered as a tribute to feudal lords.

Lughnasadh (LOO-nah-sah) marks the beginning of the last quarter of the Celtic year. The festival is associated with the Irish god Lugh, or Samildanach, which means "he of many gifts". Lugh held funeral games in honor of his foster-mother Tailtiu, the goddess of agriculture who died while clearing the Irish forests in preparation for planting.

Both festivals celebrate the fruits of the harvest with games and contests and a magnificent feast. In this sense, the celebrations are similar to the American Thanksgiving holiday.

July Earth Happenings

July is a very quiet month for us in the Wiccan world... we embrace the growing season in full and feel the energies of Earth and Sun co-mingle in perfect symbiosis. This is the time when the Earth reaps from the benefits of the Sun's heightened presence. Corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July" and it was waist high this year in Indiana.
Daylight leaves us this month. After the Summer Solstice occured on June 21st, the relative angle between the Sun and Earth has been decreasing at a rapid rate. By July 31st, the relative angle between the Earth and Sun decreases from 23 1/2 degrees to about 18 degrees. The difference in the amount of Daylight between July 1st and July 30th is a LOSS of 45 minutes!
And we prepare for the first of 3 harvests that come to us starting next month. Now is the time that things grow.
Ponder this at the Full Moon on July 21st:
All that will be harvested must first BECOME and this is that time of year.

FireHawk