“At Harvest Home, the sun enters Libra, the astrological sign traditionally represented by balanced scales, and this is appropriate given the fragile balance in which the whole cosmos is poised on this day. Occurring at a point in the year when day and night are again equal in length, Harvest Home represents a time of balance and equilibrium in the natural cycle (as does the vernal equinox), but the thoughts which move us now are not the thoughts which captivated us in Spring. At the time of the vernal equinox, our thoughts turned from winter toward the lengthening hours of sunlight, the greening fields and gardens, and the new life bursting forth everywhere. Now with the harvest completed, the crops gathered in, and the nights becoming longer, we pause to enjoy the warm slanted sunlight of these golden autumn days, to give thanks for summer’s bounty and to prepare ourselves mentally for the coming winter. The gods associated with Harvest Home are harvest (particularly the grape harvest) or vegetation gods such as Dionysus and Bacchus, gods in their maturity like Thor, Mabon, Thoth and Hermes, and nature spirits like John Barleycorn. The goddesses of this time are also mature deities associated with abundance, harvest, home and hearth, and they include Demeter, Ceres, Hestia, Modron, Morgan, the Muses and Persephone.”

– Mabon – Harvest Home, Catherine Kerr

“In late September, the sun crosses the celestial equator and there is a day where the length of the day and night are approximately equal. These days are called equinoxes, from the Latin meaning “equal night.” The autumnal equinox marks one of the lesser Sabbats, called Mabon, occurring around September twenty-second or twenty-third. Astrologically, this is when the sun moves into Libra. This holiday is the second harvest festival, falling during or at the end of the European grain harvest. It also known as the wine harvest, and often marks the beginning of hunting season. In one old Craft tradition, the fall equinox was named “the Night of the Hunter” and farmers would slaughter livestock too weak to survive the winter on this night.  Druids know this celebration as “Mea’n Fo’mhair” and honor the Green Man, God of the Forest, and his trees with poured offerings of ciders and wine. Norse pagans celebrate this time as Winter Finding, a time period that runs from the Sabbat until October 15th. This night is known as Winter’s Night and is the Norse New Year. The Wiccan New Year is also approaching at October’s end. It is known the ancient Mayans observed this date as well. At the pyramid at Cihickén Itzá, seven triangles of light fall on the pyramid’s staircase on this date only. In Japan, there is a six-day celebration around the equinox. This holiday is to honor Higan-e, the “other shore” and is based on six “perfections”: giving, observance of the precepts, perseverance, effort, meditation and wisdom.  By this time of the year, the days are visibly waning, the temperatures begin to cool and it is time to start preparing for winter. Many people like to refresh their altar(s) for this time, adding elements in autumn colors (orange, brown, gold, dark reds, rust) like acorns, pine cones, leaves, dried plants and herbs, apples, pomegranates, ivy and horns of plenty.”

–   Rae Schwarz, Fall Equinox   

“As autumn returns to earth’s northern hemisphere,
and day and night are briefly,
but perfectly,
balanced at the equinox,
may we remember anew how fragile life is —-
human life, surely,
but also the lives of all other creatures,
trees and plants,
waters and winds.

May we make wise choices in how and what we harvest,
may earth’s weather turn kinder,
may there be enough food for all creatures,
may the diminishing light in our daytime skies
be met by an increasing compassion and tolerance
in our hearts.”

–  Kathleen Jenks, Autumn Lore  

 

“Blessed be the Harvest,
Blessed be the Corn Mother,
Blessed be the Grain God,
For together they nourish both body and soul.
Many blessings I have been given,
I count them now by this bread.
Guardian of the East, I pray for your indulgence.
Hear me now as I request your aid in the cycle of life.
As your winds blow through fields of ripened grain,
Carry loosened seeds upon your back
That they may fall amidst the soil
That is our Mother Earth.”

– Lammas Ritual

8 Facts To Know About Lughnasadh, Pagan Harvest Festival

The holiday honors Lugh, the Celtic god of light

In August many pagans and polytheists celebrate the summer festival of Lughnasadh. Here are eight things to know about the holiday:

1. Lughnasadh, also called Lammas, falls on August 1, roughly halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox.

2. The name of the holiday derives from Old Gaelic and is a combination of Lugh, a Celtic god, and násad, or assembly.

3. The holiday honors Lugh, the Celtic god of light, but it also celebrates his mythical foster mother Tailtiu, who is said to have cleared the lands of Ireland to make way for the planting of crops.

4. Modern pagans celebrate Lughnasadh as a harvest festival, when the first crops of the year would traditionally have been reaped.

5. Lughnasadh’s alternate name, Lammas, derives from the Old English term for “loaf mass.” It originated from early English celebrations of harvest time, during which loaves of bread were consecrated.

6. One of the earliest references to the holiday is a 15th century version of a medieval Irish legend, Tochmarc Emire. The saga suggests that the holiday celebrated the god, Lugh’s, wedding feast. Other legends, though, attribute the origins of the holiday to a mythical funeral rite Lugh held in honor of his mother, Tailtiu.

7. Many pagans and polytheists celebrate the holiday with feasting, songs, and games. Some honor the harvest roots of the holiday by baking breads and cakes.

8. Lughnasadh is one of eight pagan holidays, along with the fall equinox, Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, the spring equinox, Beltane, and Litha.

Source

Antonia Blumberg, Reporter
Published on HuffPost

 

Lammas Charm for Gathering in Abundance

You will need:

A broom or beson

Ribbon (traditional Lammas colors, green(for abundance) or gold(for prosperity and gathering)

A Sprig of Mint

As far as the broom or beson goes, any broom/besom will do as it is always the intent of your actions that are important. If you don’t have a broom then collect a bundle of twigs and tie time at the top with your ribbon to make a hand shaped broom. The broom/besom is a potent symbo of hearth and home, found in some form in almost every home. It is a traditional magickal tool useful for everyday charms as it has the imprint of its owner firmly on it.

Next take your sprig of mint (ideally from your own garden, or dried mind – put in a pouch. The mint represents abundance and plenty and is easily accessible to obtain.

Take your broom and tie your ribbon around the top. Tie in your sprig of mint or securely fasten your pouch. Take your broom outside, place both hands on the stave and focus on your intention – gathering in the harvest for winter. Turn slowly three times in a clockwise direction then start to sweep towards your door saying:

“By one, two, three and four, sweep Lammas gifts to my door. May abundance be a constant friend by my hearth till Winter’s end.”

If you don’t have an outside space, you can sweep from your front door inwards to either you kitchen or hearth.

Repeat this three times, take your besom back into your house and put it in its usual place. You can leave the ribbon on for as long as you want to. If you have made your own broom you can place it where you consider the heart of your home to be. You can return the mint to the earth and be sure to say thank you for the use and gift of it.

Make a Corn Husk Herb Sachet

Corn Husk Sachet
During the late summer, particularly around the Lammas season, corn is in abundance. It’s everywhere, and if you’ve ever picked fresh corn straight from the fields, you know how delicious it tastes! When you pick your own corn – or even if you buy it from your local farmer’s market – you typically have to figure out what to do with all those leftover husks. You can use them to make a corn dolly or a husk chain if you like. Another great way to use them is by making corn husk herb sachets.

You’ll need:

Several corn husks
Dried herbs of your choice
A hot glue gun
Not sure which herbs to use? Check out our list of Herbal Correspondences.

WEAVE THE HUSKS
Corn Husk Sachet

Trim the ends off the husks, and cut them into strips – I find that about 1/2” – 3/4” in width is the most manageable size. Weave several strips together as shown in the photo (I used five going in each direction, for a total of ten). Once you’ve created a square, use your hot glue gun to anchor the stray edges into place, so you have a nice even edge.

ADD YOUR HERBS
Corn Husk Sachet
Fill your pouch with dried herbs of your choice. Image by Patti Wigington 2012
Fold the square in half and glue the short sides together, creating a small pocket. Fill the pouch with herbs of your choice, and then hot glue the long open edge closed.

To give your sachet some magical mojo, select herbs based upon purpose and intent:

Healing: Apple blossom, lavender, fennel, chamomile, sandalwood, wintergreen, peppermint
Money/prosperity: Bay leaf, basil, chamomile, Buckeye, myrtle, apple, sunflower, pennyroyal
Love: Allspice, apple blossom, catnip, lavender, clove, yarrow, marjoram, basil.
Strength: Oak, acorns, bay leaf, thistle, yarrow.

Once your glue has dried you can place these sachets around your house or in your drawers. The corn husks will dry naturally, and you’ll be left with scented woven packets. If you like, decorate them with a pretty ribbon, some berries, or other seasonal items.

 

Author

Patti Wigington, Author
Published on ThoughtCo

The Final Sheaf

In many societies, the cutting of the final sheaf of grain was indeed cause for celebration. People celebrated by making corn dolls, which represented the spirit of the grain. Sometimes these dolls were full-sized, made of the last stalks of corn to be harvested, and decorated with ribbons, streamers and even articles of clothing. Ivy was a symbol of rebirth, and so it wasn’t uncommon to dress the corn doll with a headdress of ivy.

In some rural areas, the corn doll was kept in a place of honor at a farmhouse in the village, until it was time to make one the following year. At that time, the old one was ceremonially burned.

Elizabeth W. Barber writes of harvest customs in Russia and eastern Europe in The Dancing Goddesses: Folklore, Archaeology, and the Origins of European Dance. Barber says, “The reapers carefully cut and bind the first sheaf and give it as an offering of “first fruits” to God or the gods… then the teams cut, bind, and store the remaining grain, until they approach the end of the last field. But this again requires care, for now the reapers feel they have driven the “spirit of the grain” into a corner, and if they anger her, there will be no harvest next year. What to do? All over Europe, from Russia and the Balkans to Ireland, the last sheaf has traditionally been made into some sort of corn dolly.”

The creation of corn dolls was just one of many customs surrounding the final sheaf of the grain harvest. In Ireland, the final sheaf was gathered with great ceremony, celebrating the living things that might be living within it. If you think about it, that makes sense — a cornfield is a perfect nesting place for small animals, such as rabbits, mice, birds, or frogs.

As the reapers harvested the crop, the animals within fled, until there was only one sheaf left. Since the animal was more often than not a small, very frightened hare, the phrase “putting the hare out of the corn” came to mean the end of the reaping.

In some parts of the British Isles, young maidens were invited to cut down the final sheaf. The one who was able to do so in a single stroke of the scythe was guaranteed to be married within the year — probably because she had just proved herself as an able and strong farmwife. In other areas, it was believed that the person to cut the final sheaf would have good luck for a year, but in some communities, it was a sign of ill fortune to come.

Courtney Weber says in her book Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess, “At Lughnasadh, [Brighid] produces the harvest… when sowing time comes again, the grain from the final sheaf was mixed with the new seed, to nurture the earth again, encouraging the next harvest, and ensuring a cycle of life and rebirth.”

An odd tradition in some areas was the use of the final sheaf to find the corpse of a drowning victim. The sheaf was placed in the water with a lit candle upon it, near where the person was believed to have fallen in.

The sheaf drifted, and it was believed that it would come to rest where the body was submerged. It was thought that only the final sheaf had the magical ability to find these lost souls.

Regardless of how it was used, the cutting of the final sheaf meant that the grain harvest was over. Now bread baking could begin, and food stored away for the coming winter months.

 

Author

Patti Wigington, Author
Published on ThoughtCo

The Magic of Corn

Of all the grains eaten in the world, corn–or maize–probably is surrounded by more legends and folklore than any other. Corn has been planted, tended, harvested and consumed for millennia, and so it’s no wonder that there are myths about the magical properties of this grain. Let’s take a look at some of the customs and traditions surrounding corn.

Corn Folklore
Parts of Appalachia are rich in superstitions surrounding corn. Some farmers believe that if you miss a row while you’re planting corn, someone in your family will die before harvest season. Likewise, if you see kernels of corn lying in the road, it means company is on the way – but if you brush the kernels away or bury them, your visitor will be a stranger. If the husks on your corn extend far beyond the ear itself, it’s a sign you’re in for a long hard winter. Burning the cobs, husks, or kernels will bring about drought in the coming season.

In late August, we celebrate the beginning of the Corn Moon. This moon phase is also known as the Barley Moon, and carries on the associations of grain and rebirth that we saw back at Lammastide. August was originally known as Sextilis by the ancient Romans, but was later renamed for Augustus (Octavian) Caesar.

During the westward expansion of the nineteenth century, settlers in some Midwestern areas believed that if a girl found a blood-red corn cob among the yellow ones, she was sure to marry before the year was out. Forward thinking young men occasionally planted a few random kernels of red corn strains among their crops. In Kentucky, it’s said that blue kernels found on an otherwise red corn cob will bring the person who finds them very good luck indeed. Longfellow alluded to this custom, writing, “In the golden weather the maize was husked, and the maidens blushed at each blood-red ear, for that betokened a lover; but at the crooked laughed, and called it a thief in the corn-field.”

In parts of Ireland, it’s believed that burying a sheaf of corn while uttering a curse will cause your enemies to die–they will rot from the inside as the corn decays in the soil.

Some Native American tribes planted beans, squash and corn in an arrangement known as Three Sisters. In addition to being a self-sustaining ecosystem, in which each plant helps the others, the planting of this trio is associated with the concept of happy families, abundance, and community.

Corn also features prominently in Native American folklore. The Cherokee, Iroquois, and Apache all have tales about how corn came to be part of man’s diet – and these stories usually involve an old woman presenting corn as a gift to someone young.

Using Corn in 7 Magical Ways
To use corn in magical workings, think of the symbolism of this hearty grain. Here are some ways you can use corn in ritual:

Use corn in rituals involving growth and transformation. After all, a single kernel brings you a tall stalk full of (you guessed it!) more kernels! You can also associate it with self-sustainability and fertility, both of people and of the land.
Ceres was the Roman goddess of grain, specifically corn, and of the harvest season. According to Roman legend, she was the one who taught mankind how to farm. She is associated with agricultural fertility and a bountiful harvest. Make her an offering, and she may well protect your crops from natural disasters such as flooding or blight.
Create herbal sachets out of the husks, to use around the house, bringing in magic associated with various herbs.
Make offerings to gods or goddesses of fertility. Depending on your tradition, different deities like different things, but in general, you can’t go wrong with offerings that are food, drink, or handmade items.
Sprinkle corn around your ritual area to delineate sacred space. This is a great way to create an eco-friendly circle that you don’t have to clean up later – don’t worry, the birds and other local wildlife will take care of it!
Make a corn doll to honor the deity of your tradition.
Create a corn husk chain, with each link representing a magical goal. As you get closer to the goal, remove a link, and either burn it, bury it, or return it into your garden.

 

Author

Patti Wigington, Author
Published on ThoughtCo