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Lughnasadh Rituals
The main themes of Lammas are the death and rebirth of the God, the festival of Lugh the Sun God, the first harvest and personal sacrifice to repay what we have been given.
Whereas other Sabbats are sometimes about giving up the old to take on the new, Lammas is concerned with making sure we have given enough for what we have received. Living in a very commercial society it is often easier to think about the things we want but do not have than it is to remember what we already have. Hence Lammas is a good time to consider the positives in life, to count your blessings so to speak. As this is something we are not accustomed to doing, it is a good idea to start your preparation a few days before you intend to celebrate the Sabbat.
Take a number of pieces of paper and on one side make a not of something you have achieved in the past year, or even since your last Sabbat. On the reverse make a note of something you intend to do in “payment” for this. This should be something you can achieve but which will cost you either time or effort in some way. To give an example, if you have had success in an examination, put that on the first side. On the reverse you may like to dedicate some time to helping teach someone else a skill they do not have or to reading to a young child. The “achievement” and “payment” do not have to be directly linked. You might choose to cook a special meal for someone who deserves it, for example, as payment for your pet’s recovery from an illness. Once you start on an exercise like this it can be easy to think of a huge number of positives which have happened in your life. If this is the case, try to restrict yourself to the ones where you feel that you have received the help of the Goddess and aim to mark three key events in this way.
At the time you have set aside for your ritual, call upon the elements, the Goddess and the God in the usual way. Take your first piece of paper and read carefully the “achievement” whilst remembering the way you felt at the time. Give thanks to the Lord and Lady for giving this to you.
Then turn it over and read your “payment”. Dedicate this task to the Lord and Lady, saying that you will be doing it in their honor and as payment.
Repeat this with all three.
Once you have finished, thank the elements, the Goddess and the God.
You can either pin your promises up in a place where you can see them, only removing them when you have carried out your tasks, or you can put the papers away in a safe place. Either way, do not forget to carry out your promises, as these have been made and dedicated as a Witch and just as you do not wish the Goddess and God to stop helping you, so you do not want to fail to carry out your offering to them.