Whole Grain Bread for Lammas

Bread is a central feature in Lammas and Lughnasadh celebrations. Here's a great recipe for whole grain bread:

In a large mixing bowl combine:

• 2 cups milk (warm to the touch)
• 2 packages of dry baking yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Whole Grain Bread for Lammas

Lughnasadh aka Lammas

Lughnassadh (pronounced "LOO-nahs-ah") or Lammas, is one of the Greater Wiccan Sabbats and is usually celebrated on August 1st or 2nd, although occasionally on July 31st. The Celtic festival held in honor of the Sun God Lugh (pronounced "Loo") is traditionally held on August 7th. Some Pagans celebrate this holiday on the first Full Moon in Leo.

Other names for this Sabbat include the First Harvest Festival, the Sabbat of First Fruits, August Eve, Lammastide, Harvest Home, Ceresalia (Ancient Roman in honor of the Grain Goddess Ceres), Feast of Bread, Sabbat of First Fruits, Festival of Green Corn (Native American), Feast of Cardenas, Cornucopia (Strega), Thingtide and Elembiuos. Lughnassadh is named for the Irish Sun God Lugh (pronounced Loo), and variant spellings for the holiday are Lughnasadh, Lughnasad, Lughnassad, Lughnasa or Lunasa. The most commonly used name for this Sabbat is Lammas, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "loaf-mass"....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Lughnasadh aka Lammas

Lammas and Lughnasadh

Lammas and Lughnasadh is an ancient Pagan festival celebrated in many parts of the world. Typically falling on the first day of August, this festival celebrates the fruits of the first harvest of the year with a focus upon gratitude and blessings for abundance. The names Lammas and Lughnasadh are often used interchangeably which can create some confusion but the following will help to clear things up....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Lammas vs Lughnasadh

Lugh, Master of Skills

Lugh (pronounced LOO) was known to the Celts as a god of craftsmanship and skill -- in fact, he was known as the Many-Skilled God, because he was good at so many different things. In one legend, Lugh arrives at Tara, and is denied entrance. He enumerates all the great things he can do, and each time the guard says, "Sorry, we've already got someone here who can do that." Finally Lugh asks, "Ah, but do you have anyone here who can do them ALL?"

Take the opportunity this day to celebrate your own skills and abilities, and make an offering to Lugh to honor him, the god of craftsmanship....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another and  moved to my new website, The Powers That Be, and can be found here: Lugh - Master of Skills

Gods of the Harvest

When Lammastide rolls around, the fields are full and fertile. Crops are abundant, and the late summer harvest is ripe for the picking. This is the time when the first grains are threshed, apples are plump in the trees, and gardens are overflowing with summer bounty. In nearly every ancient culture, this was a time of celebration of the agricultural significance of the season. Because of this, it was also a time when many gods and goddesses were honored. These are some of the many deities who are connected with this earliest harvest holiday.

Adonis (Assyrian): Adonis is a complicated god who touched many cultures....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Powers That Be, and can be found in its entirety here: Gods of the Harvest

A Lammas Harvest Ritual

In some Wiccan traditions, Lammas is the time of year when the Goddess takes on the aspects of the Harvest Mother. The earth is fruitful and abundant, crops are bountiful, and livestock are fattening up for winter. However, the Harvest Mother knows that the cold months are coming, and so she encourages us to begin gathering up what we can.

This is the season for harvesting corn and grain, so that we can bake bread to store and have seeds for next year's planting. If you would like to hold a Lammas harvest ritual, here's how:

What You Need:

• A candle to represent the Harvest Mother
• Stalks of wheat
• A loaf of bread...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: A Lammas Harvest Ritual

Lughnasadh Incense

Combine the following:

• 2 parts Frankincense
• 1 part Heather
• 1 part Apple blossoms...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Apothecary, and can be found in its entirety here: Lughnasadh Incense 

Honoring the Soul of the Harvest

Spirit of the Grain - In many cultures around the world, staple crops such as corn and rice are believed to embody a spiritual essence.

In European cultures, a corn doll was often used to represent the spirit of the harvested crops. However, Europe didn't have a monopoly on this at all. In South American countries, some tribes took the largest portion of the crops -- typically maize -- and dressed it in clothing as an effigy....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been  moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar. It can be found in its entirety here: Honoring The Soul of the Harvest

Lammas Bread Protection Spell

A book of Anglo-Saxon charms advised the crumbling of the Lammas loaf into four pieces and the burying of them in the four corners of the barn to make it safe for all the grain that would be stored there. You can also use this old spellcraft in a protection spell for your home. Here's how:


Bake a Lammas loaf, and when it is cool break it into four pieces ...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Lammas Bread Protection Spell

Money Ritual Bath

Three nights before the cycle of the full moon, you should begin this three-day spell to remove the negative energy preventing abundance from coming your way. Repeat the following ritual bath on each of the three days leading up to the full moon with the last day being on the day the full moon starts. You should use the same candles for each of the three ritual baths.

The Ritual Bath:

To a warm bath, add money bath salts, which are made from a variety of formulas but generally have a strong patchouli scent....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Money Ritual Bath

Spell To Be Seen More Attractively

Fill your bathtub with water and scatter some fresh rose petals in it. Light some vanilla candles and/or incense. As you lie in the water, meditate on the image you would like to project and say these words:

Earth, Air, Fire, Sea
Let the Goddess' beauty
Shine through me...

... this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can also be found here: Spell To Be Seen More Attractively

On Elemental Fairies

Elemental fairies (being one type of fairy) “are the thought-forms of the Great Beings, our angels, who are in charge of the evolution of the vegetable kingdom. When one of these Great Ones has a new idea connected with one of the kinds of plants or flowers which are under his charge, he often creates...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Powers That Be, and can be found in its entirety here: Elemental Fairies

Earth Angels

Doreen Virtue in her book Earth Angels tells how some of us are Incarnated Elementals (Nature Spirits) and animals. There are five categories of Earth Angels: Wise Ones, Incarnated Angels, Starpeople, Walk-Ins, and Incarnated Elementals. According to Doreen, the following are characteristics of each category:



Incarnated Angels tend to – have sweet, heart shaped faces; have overeating and weight issues; be a fixed astrological sign (Leo, Taurus, Sagittarius, Scorpio and Aquarius); be professional helpers (teachers, healers, customer service); lighten or highlight their hair; have difficulty saying no; love angel objects; have extra guardian angels; seem to glow; fall in love with...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Powers That Be, and can be found in its entirety here: Earth Angels

Spiritual Assistance Spell

The Archangel Michael offers protection in all areas, however he has earned special renown for protecting against rape. Call him by name or attract him with burning frankincense and tell him what you need....

... this and other spells for protection can be found at my new website, Book of Shadows.

Love and Lust Powder

• 5 oz. Talc
• 1/4 oz. Cinnamon
• 1 oz. Sandalwood
• 1/2 tsp. sweet basil
• 10 drops frankincense oil
• 8 drops jasmine oil...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Apothecary, and can be found in its entirety here: Love and Lust Powder 

July Moon Names

What follows is a list (in alphabetical order) of the names given to the July moon. Also listed is the tradition and/or origin of that moon name:

Blackberry Moon ~other
Little Ripening Moon ~Creek
Blessing Moon ~Dark Janic
Blood Moon ~other
Buck Moon ~Algonquin...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: July Moon Names

OH NO!

Something happened to my theme! So now I am trying to figure it out. In the mean time... well... YIKES!

UPDATE:

Crisis averted. I had to replace the old template with this newer one. But it's nice, and easy on the eyes, and I like it. So... now we're back to normal !