Category: Daily Posts

Celebrating Legends, Folklore & Spirituality 365 Days a Year for July 29th – The Feast of Thor

Summer Sunset Fairy!

July 29th

Feast of Thor

Thor, the Norse God of Sky and Thunder, has rulership over those aspects of life most important to sailors, farmers, and the poorer classes. Thor is considered to be the God of right orderliness and the regulator and enforcer of oaths. According to legend, he was the common man’s God, a tireless eater, drinker, and fighter who was inclined toward mankind; even the slaves came under his protection. On this day, Thor would have been invoked to bring fertility to the flock and fields for an abundant harvest.

Magickal Applications for Friday, July 29th

Summer Fantasy Woman

Magickal Applications for Friday, July 29th

 

Friday is named after the Norse goddesses of love, Freya and Frigga. There seems to be some debate as to whom the day is actually named after, so I thought I would share a little information so you can decide for yourself.

In Latin, this day is known as Dies Veneris, “Venus’s day.” In Greek, it’s Hermera Aphrodites, which translates to the “day of Aphrodite.” In Old English, this day is called Frige- daeg, or “Freya’s day.” This day has the Germanic title of Frije-dagaz, which, once again, could be Freya’s day or Frigga’s day.

Both Freya and Frigga were Norse goddesses of love and were the Teutonic equivalent of the Greco-Roman Venus/Aphrodite. However, Freya was one of the Vanir—the gods of fertility who supervised the land and sea—and she was the leader of the Valkyries. Frigga, Odin’s wife, was the goddess of the heavens and of married love. She was one of the Aesir—the gods associated with battle, magick and the sky. Freya and Frigga could be looked upon as different aspects of the same goddess. They both were called on to assist in childbirth and then in naming of the new baby. Frigga represented the faithful wife and loving mother, while Freya, who really captured the hearts and imagination of the Norse people, was the passionate mistress and lover.

Fridays classically are days for love, fertility, romance, and beauty magick, as well as working for happiness, harmony in the home, and friendship. So let’s take a look at some of the mythology involved with this loving, voluptuous, passionate, and luxurious day of the week, and see where it leads us.

 
Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

 

A Little History – The First Harvest Festival

summer fantasy

A Little History – The First Harvest Festival

This first harvest festival, the festival of Lugh, was known as Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-nah-sa) to the Celts. You may see many alternate spellings, as well as different names altogether, for this sabbat, and there is also the Irish alternate spelling Lunasa. In Gaelic, Lunasa is the name for the month of August. In addition, this festival was known as Lammas to the Anglo-Saxons. Lammas is considered to be roughly translated as “loaf mass.”

Lugh is a Celtic solar god. This deity is a talented, handsome craftsman and master of myriad skills. One of his titles is Lugh Long Arm, as he holds a magick spear of thunderstorms; another is Lugh “the bright and shining one” who brings the crops to ripeness.

It is interesting to note that Lugh is aligned with the Roman Mercury, who is a trickster god. Both of the gods were considered to be multi-talented deities as they are both healers, blacksmiths, magicians, poets, and warriors. Lugh was considered the inventor of all of the arts. Artisans, bards, and crafters can call upon Lugh when they need help. Lugh’s consort is the nature goddess Rosmerta.

Legend says Lugh started the harvest festival that bears his name in honor of his foster mother, and it was traditionally held on August 1. The harvest season was vitally important during medieval times, as a successful harvest would ensure that your family survived the coming winter. If the harvest was abundant, part of it could be sold or traded for goods and other supplies. It was, in effect, currency. As a modern Witch this notion may seem a little antiquated to you, but honestly it should not. The harvest is still vital to today’s world and economy. Think about it the next time you go to the grocery store to select your fresh produce. Depending on the success of the fruit and vegetable crops, the prices may be higher or more reasonable.

According to oral history, this first harvest festival of Lugh lasted for weeks during the harvesting season, and activities included horseracing, fairs, crafts, and, of course, food. From the traditions of this old community first-harvest tradition came one of the modern eight sabbats that we celebrate today.
Occasionally you can find references to Lugnasa Sunday, or Garden Sunday linked in to this holiday. In keeping with the Anglo-Saxon loaf mass theme, in days past folks were thought to leave offerings of harvested grain, or of bread to their gods, and as Christianity took hold, they would bring in a loaf of bread to be blessed at their church that was freshly made from the newly harvested grain crop.

Lughnasadh was also a popular time for visiting sacred wells, fertility magick, marriages and divination. As the harvest season begins, we come to realize that summer is fading into autumn. The sun’s power is on its annual descent and the daylight hours are starting to decrease.

Astrologically speaking the sun has entered the “power point” of the zodiac and is in the mid-point of Leo.

Seasons of Witchery: Celebrating the Sabbats with the Garden Witch
Ellen Dugan

 

Now is the time of the First Harvest…..

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“Now is the time of the First Harvest,
when bounties of nature give of themselves
so that we may survive.
O God of the ripening fields, Lord of the Grain,
grant me the understanding of sacrifice as you
prepare to deliver yourself under the sickle of the
goddess and journey to the lands of eternal summer.
O Goddess of the Dark Moon,
teach me the secrets of rebirth
as the Sun loses its strength and the nights grow cold.

I partake of the first harvest, mixing its energies
with mine that I may continue my quest for the starry
wisdom of perfection.
O Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun,
gracious ones before Whom the stars halt their courses,
I offer my thanks for the continuing fertility of the Earth.
May the nodding grain loose its seeds to be buried in
the Mothers breast, ensuring rebirth in the warmth
of the coming Spring.”


 –   Scott Cunningham, Lammas Ritual

The Witches Correspondences for Friday, July 29th

Sweet Days of Summer

FRIDAY CORRESPONDENCES

Venus/Water/East/West/South/Dawn/Female/Libra/Taurus

 

Magickal Intentions: Love, Romance, Marriage, Sexual Matters, Physical Beauty, Friendship and Partnerships, Strangers, Heart

Color: aqua, blue, light blue, brown, green, pale green, magenta, peach, pink, rose, white, all pastels

Number: 5, 6

Metal: copper

Charm: green or white garments, scepter

Stone: alexandrite, amethyst, coral, diamond, emerald, jade, jet, black moonstone, peridot, smoky quartz, tiger’s-eye, pink tourmaline

Animal: camel, dove, elephant, goat, horse, pigeon, sparrow

Plant: apple, birch, cherry, clematis, clove, coriander, heather, hemlock, hibiscus, ivy, lotus, moss, myrtle, oats, pepperwort, peppermint, pinecone, quince, raspberry, rose, pink rose, red rose, rose hips, saffron, sage, savin, stephanotis, strawberry, thyme, vanilla, verbena, violet, water lily, yarrow, and all flowers

Incense: ambergris, camphor, mace, musk, myrrh, rose, saffron, sage, sandalwood, sweetgrass, vanilla, violet, all floral scents

Goddess: Aphrodite, Asherah, Baalith, Brigid, Erzulie, Freya (Passionate Queen), Frigg, Gefion, Harbor (Beautiful One), Hestia, Inanna, Ishtar (Lady of Passion and Desire), Lakshmi, Lilith, Mokosh, Nehalennia, Nerthus, Ostara, Pombagira, Sarasvati, Shakti, Shekinah, Sirtur, Al Uzza, Venus (Queen of Pleasure), Vesta

God: Allah, Bacchus, Bes, Cupid, the Dagda, Dionysus, El, Eros (God of Love), Freyr, Frit Ailek, Shukra

Evocation: Agrat Bat Mahalat, Anael, Hagiel, Mokosba, Rasbid, Sachiel, Uriel, Velas

 
Courtesy of Moonlight Musings

 

The First Wheat or Barley Harvest of the Year – Lammas

pent

“Lammas celebrates the first wheat or barley harvest of the year and the skills of those who tend them. Baking and sharing bread, feasting with neighbor, and honoring the still-powerful forces of the summer sun’s light, and are key elements of this cooperative, community-based sabbat.   Corn and wheat dollies made from the last sheaves and stalks of harvested grain are kept through winter to be planted with the first seeds of spring. These organic Goddess figures powerfully affirm the reverence for the Earth’s cycles of birth, death, and renewal. The celebrations, which feature a break from toil, contests of skill, laughter feasting, and dancing, are tempered by the knowledge that most crops are still growing in the fields with no guarantee of adequate abundance for the long winter.   Lughnasadh’s energy of cautious optimism and feeling of well-being bring out the best in all people. The sabbat mingles the expansion of vibrant summer energy with the gathering energy of the upcoming season. The result is a unique time for solidly expanding toward focused goals, such as perfecting and challenging your skills.”

 

–   Damias Vine Yahoo Group, 7/29/07

The Witches Almanac for Friday, July 29th

Summer Splendor

The Witches Almanac for Friday, July 29th

Friday (Venus): Love, friendship, reconciliation, and beauty.

Pardon of the Birds (French)

Waning Moon
The Waning Moon (from the Full Moon to the New) is a time for study, meditation, and little magical work (except magic designed to banish harmful energies).

Moon Phase: Fourth Quarter

Moon Sign: Gemini
Gemini: Things begun now are easily changed by outside influence. Time for shortcuts, communication, games, and fun.

Incense: Vanilla

Color: Pink

Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Litha to Lammas

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“The grain to harvest’s cutting falls
to make the bread for banquet halls.
We’ll save some seeds where life’s waiting,
and plant a new field come next Spring.
We shared the work we needed to do,
and now we’ll share the eating too!
Thank you, fruit, and thank you bread,
for making sure that we are fed.”

 

–  Asleen O’Gaea, Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Litha to Lammas

Lammas Things to Do #13

pent

 

Thoroughly clean, dust, tidy up, refreshen, improve, and add appropriate seasonal decorations to your home altar.  This should normally be clean and tidy, however an extra cleaning before the Lughnasadh celebration is a way to express your reverence, create a visible reminder of your thoughts and devotional practices, and to offer hospitality to the nature spirits, ancestors, and Shining Ones. If you don’t have a home altar, read some books and webpages about setting one up in your home or garden, and then establish one this holiday season. 

Friday’s Witchery

Dreaming Summer

Friday’s Witchery

 

Love magick is a perennial popular topic. However, there is more to this topic than meets the eye. There are many enchanting layers here for us to explore on this day of the week. What about creating a loving home, or producing a loving and nurturing family? What about keeping your intimate relationships vital and on track? How about promoting happy, healthy, and enduring friendships? See, there is more to be considered than just the “You shall be mine…” type of fictional love spell.

Don’t forget that many of the deities associated with Fridays are also parents. So, yes, while this is the day to work on romance, sex, and love spells, there is additional magick to be considered here, which makes Fridays a more well-rounded and bigger opportunity for witchery than many folks ever truly realize. The truest, strongest magick always comes from the heart.

 
Book of Witchery – Spells, Charms & Correspondences For Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

 

Lammas Things to Do #11

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Read solitary or group rites for Lughnasadh available in books and webpages.  Create your own ritual for Lughnasadh.  Practice the ritual.  Conduct the ritual at a convenient time for you, or your family and/or friends, as close to the day of the autumnal equinox as possible.  Attend a public Lammas ritual of a local NeoPagan group. 

Friday, July 29th, Today We Celebrate

In perfect harmony

Friday, July 29th, Today We Celebrate

Icelandic Festival
VOLUSPA

Themes: Foresight; History; Perspective; Divination; Time

Symbols: Stories or Storybooks

About Voluspa: This Nordic goddess was born before all things, with the knowledge of all time within her. When asked to tell a tale to the gods, she recounted history, including the gods’ downfall. To commemorate this, wise women and seers in northern climes are still sometimes called Voluspa.

Voluspa teaches us the value of farsightedness and of remembering our history. We cannot know where we’re going if we don’t remember where we came from.

To Do Today: An old festival in Iceland known as the Islendin-gadagurinn preserves Voluspa’s energy by recounting local heritage and custom in a public forum including theater, singing, writing, and costumes. For our adaptation, I suggest taking out or working on a family tree, or perhaps a personal journal. Read over the chronicles of people from your ethnic background, and honor their lives in some appropriate manner (perhaps by lighting a candle). Voluspa lives in these moments, and at any time that we give ourselves to commemorating the past.

Alternatively, get out some good storybooks and read! Turn off the TV for a while, and enrich your imagination with the words of bards who keep Voluspa’s power alive in the world. Especially read to children, so they can learn of this goddess’s wonders.
 

365 Goddess: A Daily Guide To the Magic and Inspiration of the goddess
Patricia Telesco

Lammas Things to Do #10

pent

 

Stay at home.  Improve your home, backyard, or garden.  Eliminate long driving trips.  Do you really need to “Go” anywhere?  Do you really need to fly by airplane to another country?  Explore your backyard, neighborhood, local community, nearby city, county wide area, regional area within 100 miles.  Visit a local “sacred site.”

Friday – Freya’s Day

:)

Friday

Freya’s Day

 

Ruler: Freya, Venus

Colors: Emerald green or pink

Power Hours: Sunrise and the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours following.

Key Words: Love, money, health

It is easy to spot the ruler of this day by its name. In the word Friday, we see the roots of the name of the Norse goddess Freya, a goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses thus the verse “Friday’s child is loving and giving.”

In Spanish this day of the week is called Viernes and is derived from the goddess Venus. Matters of love, human interaction, the fluidity of communication, sewing and the creation of artistic garments, household improvement, shopping, and party planning all fall under the aspects of Friday and its ruling planet, Venus.

Friday’s angels are Ariel/Uriel, Rachiel, and Sachiel. Rachiel also concerns himself with human sexuality and is a presiding spirit of the planet Venus.

On Fridays, the hour of sunrise and every eight hours after that are also ruled by Venus, and that makes these times of the day doubly blessed. These four hours are the strongest four hours for conducting ritual.

Check the local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac to determine your local sunrise.

Source

Gypsy Magic

Lammas Things to Do #9

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Add some appropriate Lammas, Lughnasadh, or Mid-Summer songs, chants, prayers, reflections, invocations, or poems to your Neo-Pagan Craft Journal, Book of Shadows, blog, website, or Ritual Handbook.  Write in your personal journal.  Most spiritual seekers keep a notebook, journal or log as part of their experimental, creative, magical and experiential work. 

Lammas Things to Do #8

pent

Working and meditating in the garden is an important facet of any spiritual path.  We need to regularly reconnect with the earth and the autumn season outdoors. Tend your garden daily.  Water your garden each day.  Weed your vegetable garden.  Harvest squash, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables from your garden each day.  Review your own lists of chores for July and August, and act accordingly.