Wiccan Lammas / Lughnasadh Ritual Guide For Covens
Ritual Preparation:
- Gather the necessary tools
- Select two candles for your altar, one in a shade of green, the other a shade
of yellow or gold.
- Select four additional candles for the elemental quarters. Select a color
that represents the energy of that quarter, i.e., blue to represent Water in the
West and red to represent Fire in the South.
- Choose your favorite ceremonial broom.
- Choose your favorite serving trays or dishes.
- Set aside your ceremonial cakes and wine on the serving trays. And a special
decanter to hold the wine. If you don't partake of wine, use your favorite grape
juice for the harvest ceremony. Some people like to make juice from the fruit they
have gathered and use this as the wine for the festival. Apple cider and corn bread
really are a nice combination and a perfect example of offerings for this festival.
- Select a bell, you might want to add a decorative ribbon or wrap a vine of flowers
around the handle to coincide with the colors of the harvest festival.
- Choose a gift for honoring the God/Goddess on this harvest day. One of our
favorite methods of gift giving on this Fire festival is to burn incense. We select
a few stalks of the herbs we collected from the harvest, like sage and lavender. We
set them out in the sun to dry for about 1-2 weeks prior to the festival. Then we
conduct a small general ceremony to bind the herbs together into a smudge stick with
cotton yarn. The yarn is wrapped tightly around the herbs in a clockwise spiral. The
stick should be about 4-6 inches long, and then set it out in the sun again until the
day of the festival. We light this smudge stick as our offering of energy and sweet
odors to the God/Goddess.
- A decorative pillow or rug to lie or sit on for your meditation.
Prepare Ritual Space
Clean the area, not just energy wise but dust and vacuum your space. If your space
is outside, you might clean any fallen branches, weeds or even clear any animal
indications that may have been deposited in the area. The most important part is to
clear and cleanse the space.
Prepare Body
It's just as important to prepare yourself as it is your space. On the day of your
ceremony take a shower or bubble bath. Make sure your ritual clothes (whether a robe
or just jeans and a t-shirt) are clean. Take time to have a meditation to align and
prepare your energies for the spiritual work ahead.
Open The Circle
The Priestess should find compass North, where the ritual will begin with calling in
the quarters starting with the North. Set your circle according to the directions. If
you are conducting the ceremony alone, you might chose to use a rope of natural fibers
to outline your ceremonial circle. If you're performing the ceremony in a coven, mark
the location of the quarters so everyone will know where to stand when the circle is
drawn. The Priestess should guide everyone through the steps for setting up a Door
Between the Worlds by raising the vibration of the group and/or area.
Close your eyes and imagine a divine white light emerging from the solar plexus of
each person and then raising up toward a center point over the circle. Many call this
establishing a "cone of power". Imagine this light spinning clockwise rising your
energies and awareness. If you're a solitary witch, you will imagine the light
beginning at your solar plexus and then moving out to fully encompass your ritual
space. Each Quarter Master will then be directed to call the Watchtowers or Elemental
Quarters it's usually the choice of the Priestess, but each person should call upon
the same force. Some witches call Angels, Spirit Guides, or just the elements. It's
up to you or your coven, just as which direction to start with is up the individuals.
Many witches begin with the North, where others begin with the east.
Facing North The 1st Quarter Master States:
"All Hail to Thee, Guardian of the Watchtower of the North,
the powers of earth. cornerstone of all elements, sand and granite, quartz and crystal,
from the fertile fields to the cool wood lands, bring us your steadfast power. We the
children of the Harvest invite you to join in our Sabbat. So Mote It Be."
Light the Northern candle and ring the bell once.
Facing East The 2nd Quarter Master States:
"All Hail to Thee, Guardian of the Watchtower of the East,
the powers of water. The rivers and streams that nourished the harvest, fed our
emotions, and helped to ripen all that we are about to reap. Let us drink deeply of
the honesty of our friendships. We, the Children of the Harvest invite you to join
our Sabbat. So Mote It Be."
Light the Eastern candle and ring the bell once.
Facing South The 3rd Quarter Master States:
"All hail to Thee, Guardian of the Watchtower of the South,
the powers of air. The gentle breezes that make the fields dance, as well as the
thunderous hurricanes that energize the atmosphere, and us! Inspire us to reap the
benefits of all that we have sown in our lives. We the children of the Harvest invite
you to join in our Sabbat. So Mote It Be."
Light the Southern candle and ring the bell once.
Facing West The 4th Quarter Master States:
"All Hail to Thee, Guardian of the Watchtower of the West,
the powers of fire. The warmth and strength of the summer sun brings forth the
abundance of this sultry season. Give us the courage to take that which we have wanted
and fought for in our lives. We the Children of the Harvest invite you to join in our
Sabbat. So Mote It Be."
Light the Western candle and ring the bell once.
Invocation To Spirit
The Priestess should guide everyone through the steps to:
Call your personal Spirit Guide and solicit their assistance during the ritual. Your
personal guide can assist you to maintain focus and concentration during the ritual
as well as, aid in your tasks within the circle. You might call upon them like this:
"(State your guides' name), I call upon your guidance and
love to assist me during this spiritual celebration to help me maintain my focus,
energy and alignment for divine purpose and work."
Light a candle for your guide and ring the bell twice.
Call your deity and solicit their assistance aligning yourself with the deity. In
most covens the High Priest/Priestess will summon the deity. In other covens each
person will call upon their chosen deity and align their energies (this is the method
we prefer most. It empowers each individual instead of setting one person above the
rest). Which ever you prefer light a candle for each deity you summon upon the altar
and ring the bell three times for each deity called.
"I believe in the spiritual existence of myself as a perfect
image of (deity's' name). In this reflection that is my physical embodiment, I align
myself and my faith in the supreme guidance of my soul with the ancient powers and
wisdom of (state the deity's name once more)."
State Your Purpose
The Priestess should state the intent of the gathering. For a Sabbat you'll state
your purpose of honoring the harvest, as well as, the God and Goddess of the harvest.
You'll continue by blessing the cakes and wine for the ceremony.
You might say something like:
"We have come to honor the nature kingdom, the abundance
of the harvest and nurturing of the giving mother earth. We/I honor the prosperity
given by the Father God and the many blessings of provided through our harvest of
plenty."
Honor The God/Goddess
The Priestess presides over the steps to honor and dedicate the items for the festival.
Perform manual and visionary tasks by pulling in images of the Sun God, and the
Goddess of Abundance. Imagine the rays of the sun touching the fields and helping
your garden to grow. Imagine the energy of the Goddess touching the vines and stalks
causing them to bloom and bear forth their fruit, flowers and vegetables. You should
state your honor and gratitude, something like this:
"To the shining God of gold and sun we offer our thanks
and gratitude;
To the Goddess of plenty and fertilization we give homage to your love and light.
For the harvest we have reaped and beauty you have provided we honor you both on this
your night of Lammas."
Light the candle you chose to represent the Yule festival and ring the bell seven times.
Dedicate Offerings
Whether you're conducting a ritual of honor or for work, you should present an
offering that is commensurate with the event. We like to make an offering of energy
through a fragrant bouquet. We light the smudge stick we prepared and allow the sage
and lavender to blaze for a few moments. We say part of our prayer, then blow out the
flames and allow the incense to continue to smolder. Then we complete the prayer and
place the incense in a special holder, we like to use a brass bowl shaped in the fashion
of a miniature cauldron.
Finally, because this festival is one of a harvest and new beginnings, we like to add
a bowl or several bowls of seeds that we will use to plant in the spring.
For the prayer itself, hold the smudge stick in your left hand and light it with the
right. Then hold up the burning stick to the God with both hands and say something like
this:
"We offer this gift as a symbol of our love and thanks to
Lammas; We honor the Fire God and his rays of light that bring forth the harvest."
Lower the smudge and blow out the flames, allow the stick to smolder. Again with both
hands hold the stick up to the Goddess)
"We share the fragrance of this offering with the Goddess of
Abundance We honor the elements of rain and fair weather that she has given to nurture
our garden."
Set the smudge in the bowl and retrieve a bowl of seed, holding it up to the God/Goddess;
"We give thanks for the abundance of our garden; And we share
in the blessings of these seeds for gardens yet to come."
Replace the seeds on the altar and ring the bell nine times.
{We try to allow at least 2-3 of our plants go to seed before the harvest just for this
purpose.}
For Honoring
Partake of cakes and wine that you have set upon a platter. For this festival, an
offering of bread or cakes baked with the grains from your harvest is a perfect way to
honor the God/Goddess.
(Some covens like to serve the cakes upon small dishes, while others prefer to hold the
cakes in their hand. Which ever you chose, the cakes should start on a platter for the
dedication. The wine starts in a special decanter and is poured into ceremonial goblets.
Once again different covens have different rituals. Some provide individual cups, much
like silver shot glasses, while others insist each witch bring their own goblet.)
To dedicate your cakes and wine, hold the plate of cakes up using both hands and say
something like:
"On this eve of Lammas we come to honor and share in our
bounty. We offer these cakes made of corn and this wine made of apple."
Ring the festival bell three times, then walk up to each person in the circle and allow
them to take a cake from the tray with the right hand. Make sure there's one or two
cakes left for the God/Goddess. When everyone has received a cake, hold it in both
hands and raise it up to the God; then say:
"With the partaking of this cake I take into my body the
essence of, the God of the Sun, Light and Grain. I align my spirit and soul with the
physical well being of my body and mind; As is the teacher and bridge builder between
the earthly and divine worlds."
Each person eats their cake.
With your right hand grasp the neck of the decanter. With your left hand hold your
chalice and pour the wine. When everyone has their share of wine, each person raises
their goblet to the Goddess and says:
"With the partaking of this wine I take into my body the
essence of the Goddess, I align my soul with the nurturing life and the love of
abundance."
Each person drinks half their wine, then holds the goblet up again.
"We ask the God of the Harvest and Goddess of Abundance to
accept this wine as our offering of honor and thanksgiving on this the festival of
Lammas."
Some people like to pour the remaining wine from the goblets into a large cauldron.
As a symbolic gesture that we are all one and all part of the divine. Some covens go
a step farther and light the wine, allowing it to evaporate into the ethers through
the flames. And others add to the ceremony and pour the wine onto the ground, making
a circle and pentagram with the liquid.
Meditation
The Priestess should guide everyone through a brief meditation. No matter what your
ceremony is for, we believe you should add a moment of meditation to the event. In
this altered state a witch can contact the God/Goddess and engage them in a private
ritual.
You can use this time to thank them for the gifts they brought you, the enjoyment you
had tending the garden, sharing the harvests with your family and so on. In our view,
the Sabbat ceremonies are not the time to ask for something for you yourself. This is
a time of honoring what the God/Goddess has already given you. You might ask for
clarity of vision or better understanding of the messages they provided you with the
growth of the garden and the tasks you were given to maintain and enjoy it.
Conclude your meditation by closing your chakra centers.
Thank The Deities And Spirits
The Priestess should guide everyone through a statement of thanks.
This is one of the more important steps to any ritual. You spent a good deal of time
asking for their assistance, calling the quarters, your personal spirit guide and the
deities, so be polite and spend time thanking them as well. Here's a simple example:
Stand facing the alter, hold your hands together as if you are praying, only open the
top slightly at the thumbs as if you're making a bowl with your hands. Then state:
"I, (state your magic name), thank the God, Goddess, Divine
Spirits and the Watchtowers of the Four Corners for watching over this ceremony of
Lammas. By the light and love of All that Is, we honor the blessings we have received
on this day. Many blessings to each and all as we walk along the path of enlightenment
forever."
Close The Circle
The Priestess should guide everyone through a process of closing the circle.
Mentally and verbally close the circle. You don't want to leave the gateway between
worlds open for several reasons. You could be inviting forces you don't necessarily
want around you. You can also be maintaining a state of heightened perception. While
this is great for ceremonies and ritual work, it isn't necessarily good for daily
activities. If you find yourself saying "I feel out of it today", then you need to
close your senses and get grounded. This is another reason for closing the circle.
Imagine the "cone of power" you established at the beginning of the ritual, slowly
coming down and dissipating back within the solar plexus of each person. Move to the
center of the circle, holding a ceremonial sword or knife. Starting in the North, turn
counter-clockwise and state:
"We give thanks to the God and Goddess once more. We honor
each other in this state of divine experiences. And we close this circle that binds
us to spirit, and can never be broken."
Snuff out the candles (don't blow them out). Some people like to leave the two ritual
candles burning during the night until they burn out by themselves. Then, if they last,
you use these two on the next day of the festival as you continue our honor of Lammas.
We prepare a special meal and invite family or friends to join us. These two candles
are placed as the center-piece of the table. If the original candles have extinguished
before the meal, we will light another candle from the flame of the original; allowing
all candles to burn as long as they can.
Physically close the circle by exiting over the broom. Pick up the broom and sweep
away any energy that may have been left over.
Clean your working area and prepare your offerings, gifts and candles for burial. If
there are any cakes left over from the ritual, set them outside for the animals and
spirit folk. Pour out any left over wine on the ground. Once again some people like
to pour out the drink in the shape of a pentacle. Wash all dishes and clean all tools.
Ritual Is Concluded
Finally, some people like to share their experiences during the ritual. Some even
carry the festival on and hold a party to share in some of the fruits, vegetables and
breads they labored over. For the solitary, now is a good time to record the events
and make notes about what you felt, what you did and didn't do that you might like
to do next time.
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