Lughnasadh, or Lammas Day, is the first harvest festival of the year and a time when Wiccans celebrate an abundance of the season so far - which is why it's often seen as the witchy Thanksgiving. For Silja's Lughnasadh ritual, you'll need a candle, some food to offer and a feather.
Prepare your sacred space as you wish, by casting a circle and raising energy. Light your altar candle and say:
“Here I am on the first harvest, the sacred festival of Lughnasadh, seeking to understand life, death, and rebirth and to honour those who have endured each. Lord and Lady, give me insight!”
Spend some time in quiet reflection on life, and the bounty Mother Earth gives us with the harvest. Place some food or harvest items on your altar and say:
“I thank you, Mother Earth, for the bounty you give us! I thank you, gods and goddesses, for your guidance and protection. [Add specific instances from the last year here if you like.] As my goddess matures and her pregnant belly grows, so the harvest grows. The Sun God is waning, but his energy still warms my body and his strength strengthens my mind. I give you both this share of my harvest as a token of my thanks.”
Take a feather, preferably a colourful one, such as from a peacock or an iridescent, black magpie feather, and lightly tickle your cheek with it. Smile and say:
“Lord Lugh, Lady Gaia, come to me! The joy in everything help me see! I may be stressed, but today I’ll have fun—enjoy my food, and party with the sun!”
If anyone in your family is sad, or a friend takes things too seriously, or a work colleague is under stress, visualize that person and then imagine tickling him or her with your feather until they laugh. Close the sacred space as you wish.
Wiccan Tip: Use altar decorations, such as the food from this ritual, as an earth offering after the ritual is finished, to give back to Mother Earth by feeding her creatures.
This ritual is from The Green Wiccan Spell Book by Silja. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.