Lughnasadh - Rituals

THE RITUAL:

Step One: Banish Negativity from your space.
Take the broom and sweep the entire area with a broom working in east to west strokes. (banishing negativity) Cleanse the area by walking each element around your soon-to-be circle in a clock-wise direction saying:
"Element of (name element). In the name of Spirit I cast out all unclean energies, real or imagined. May this area be blessed in the name of Spirit and be filled with the energies of love, joy and truth."

Step Two: Altar blessing & Empowerment:
Pass each of the representations of the elements over your altar 3 times in a clockwise direction. {visualize that you are stirring up positive energies into action and blocking out negativity} Once the third pass is complete place the incense on the east side, candle on the south side, bowl of water ion the west side, and earth (or salt) on the north side of your altar. Dab a scented oil on each corner as well, then dab the center of the altar saying:
"I bless and consecrate thee, O sacred altar, in the name of Spirit (or your deity). May you repel negative energy and collect positive enery from this day forward until the end of time. So mote it be."
Draw an equal armed cross in the air over the altar. Tap the altar 4 time, one for each direction and say:"As above, so below. This altar is sealed. So mote it be!"--Note if you have previously blessed and consecrated your altar..pass the representative of each element over the altar intoning a personal blessing, then tap the altar 5 times -- one for each element and once for Spirit.

Step Three: Light your illuminator candles on your altar. Say: "Oh Ancient Ones, I am here to honor you and preserve the old ways. I have come tonight to celebrate the harvest and consecrate its first fruits. I am here to renew my connection to you and the sacred land. I AM HERE TO HONOR THE GODS!"

: Cast Your Magick Circle - walk the circle in a clockwise direction (anywhere from 1 to 3 rotations).Saying the following Sabbat CircleCasting: *start by standing in front of your altar and say:
"tides of the season, ebb and flow"
(tap altar once - state the name of the Holiday energy to be invoked)
"From spring's first light to autumn's glow"
(Hold hands over the altar.)
"Doesil around from birth to death"
(begin in the north and begin making yuor rounds around circle)
"Legends, myths and love connect."
(you should be back at the notrh)
"Solar fire, sun's bright burning"
(Lift red fire candle from the altar and look skyward)
"Purify the Great Wheel turning"
(return candle to altar)
"Winds of the North to carry the flame"
(Begin walking north to east)
"The mists of eons, call thy name. Lughnasadh."
"East and South, the West inspire"
(pause as you state each of the directions)
"Enjoy the spirals even higher!"
(back at the north)
"The circle rises and marks rebirth"
(Begin the third pass of the circle)
"As seasons change and kiss the earth."
(back at the north)
"From seed and plough to harvest home."
(Hold hands over the altar again.)
"To starry vault and standing stone."
(At north point to the sky.)
"This Sabbat circle, thrice around."
(visualize the bubble sealing as your circle)
"I seal thee now from sky to ground!"
(bring your arm down and stomp your foot.)

Step Five: Light each of the quarter candles, calling the quarters. {remember to visualize an opening in your bubble for the quarters to enter}"Winds of Lughnasadh's Fire(direction), attend, acknowledge, and proclaim!"(once back at the altar raise arms,"Winds of Lughnasadh's Fire Spirit, fill this circle with thy love and protection!"

Step Six: Honor the Earth Mother.
Pour a bit of olive oil on the ground or into the offering bowl. As you pour say:
" As One we join with Her, our Mother. As One we sing to Her our song. As one we touch Her As One we heal Her, Her heart beats with out own as One Earth Mother, I honor You!"

Step Seven: Invocation of Spirit/Deity. Ground and center yourself again in front of your altar. Raise your arms to the heavens in the traditional Goddess pose. I'm using a call to Brigit but you can use a different one if you wish.
"Lady Brigit, first mother. Lady Brigit, I call to you. With the silence in my heart, from your call within my mind, with your kiss upon my lips I call you, I call you, I call you. Lady Brigit, I call to you. Bring me your inspiration. Lend me your honey tongue. O, Lady Brigit, O Lady Brigit, I call you home. I call you here."
You'll also want to call upon Lugh the primary deity of the High Holy Day. Assume the God position and say:
"I call to Lugh, Lugh of the long arm, master of all arts. I ask that you bring your skill to me once again as I ask you here to partake in the first fruits of the harvest. You've shown me how to take care of the grains and how to reap the harvest. Join with me now, Lugh, to eat the breads baked with the harvest! My grain has grown heavy a nd ripe as I've brought back the wheat of our Ancestors. Join with me, Lugh, and accept my offerings! Lugh, be with me tonight!"

Step Eight: Lughnasadh Invocation -
Light a small candle say or sing: (this is from Silver RavenWolf's Solitary Witch ppg 87)
"The King and Queen are wed at last
while summer's kiss turns feilds and grass
to harvest gold, and garden gifts
find sacrifice on earthen lips.

Witches gather hand to hand
power raised along the band
Vortex spiral in its quest
force and form to manifest!

Debts repaid and games of sport,
weather magick -- Thor's retort
blessing babies, baking bread
stocking up for winters stead.

Witches gather hand to hand
power raised along the band
Vortex spiral in its quest
force and form to manifest!

Bonfires, dancing, circle round
fruits and produce from the ground
offer up a feast of praise
while shadows lengthen in the maze.

Witches gather hand to hand
power raised along the band
Vortex spiral in its quest
force and form to manifest!

Witches gather hand to hand
power raised along the band
Vortex spiral in its quest
force and form to manifest!

Dark Lord melts into the night
taking with him summer's light
merging wishes, law, and might
removing evil from our sight.

Witches gather hand to hand
power raised along the band
Vortex spiral in its quest
force and form to manifest!"

August sun turns to bronze
golden children singing songs
fireflies flitter in the dusk
touching all with faery dust.
note: this is the fire of the fire holiday it is sacred fire with healing and purifying properties. As you light the candle, be aware of its power and significance - let it burn out in your cauldron.

Step Nine: Blessings & Wishes:
Earth - Now take up a dish of earth. Bless it in the name of the Goddess. Lay your hands upon it and say:"I bless, consecrate, and set apart this earth, in the name of the Triple Goddess. May this be sacred earth, set apart for magic. For earth is of the Goddess, being her sacred body." Remember that the Goddess is not only of the Moon, but of the Earth and of the farthest stars. She is the Triple Goddess of the Circle of Rebirth, the Mother of All Life. Decorate the dish of earth with flowers.Wands - take a wooden wand and oil it with vegetable oil." I bless it in the name of the Lugh, the Lord of all the arts. Pass it swiftly through the candle flame, the fire in the cauldron, so that it becomes magically imbued, 'charged', with power. Place the wand upon the dish of earth, saying as you hold it there: "As the wand is to the earth, so the male is to the femaleand the Sun to our blossoming world.Joined, they bring happiness. May the God of Life give ___ {something you want, for example, peace on Earth} May Brigit bring it forth!"

Sit quietly for a while, and picture the blossoming of what you have desired in life. The spells and invocations of all of us, all working on themes like these, must eventually bear fruit, because life is on the side of peace. Leave the earth and wand upon the alter.

Step Ten: Spiraling Peacefully. Walk deosil three times around the circle, then spiral into the center. Go evenly, with grace, meditatively. Sit beside the candle flame (cauldron), allowing yourself to feel peaceful. Gaze into the flame. The next part is different depending on whether you are man or woman.
*For a Woman: visualize a red rosebud in your womb. Always your womb is the source of your creative power, whether you are pregnant with a child, an idea, a work of art or an intention. Close your eyes and picture the light from the candle streaming into your womb so that the rosebud blooms, unfolds. Hold the image for a while, feeling the silkiness, smelling the scent, the freshness, seeing the color of the fully open rose within you. Feel the strength and power of your own fully blossomed capabilities. Say:"I am woman,strong to conceive and to create,to give birth and to tend.As I am daughter of the Goddess,and blessed by the God, may I ___"{here name what you wish to bring forth in life. For example bring healing to others or write my book whatever matters to you} {**Do not perform the petal opening visualization if you are pregnant - your body may treat the petal as the cervex and try to open.} Feel the strength and creative force within your womb, the center of your being. See the power being channeled, flowing into the desire you have just voiced. Open your eyes. Always, the rose is within you.
*For a Man: Visualize a bright flame. This burns within your sexual center, a point at the base of the stomach, just above the pubic hairline. It is your own male strength and energy which may rise through your body to be released as giving, fertilizing power, in any form, or may be the potency which impregnates, creating a physical child. It is the force which blesses and bestows, a healing and creative energy, like the shining Sun. Visualize also that you are sitting in a garden and that a rose tree is in front of you, the roses in bud. Say:"I am man,and in my passion is beauty,in my warmth is life.As I am son of the Goddess,and blessed by the God,I offer my strength and vitality to ____ "{name the area of life, the place, activity, or committment you choose}Visualize the light streaming from you to a rose upon the tree causing it to unfold, to blossom. Your flame is lowered by this effort. Much has gone out of you, the flame sinks down. Wait and watch, until a pink light streams from the rose towards your body. At its touch, just above the pubic hairline the flame resurges. It burns highter and stronger than before. Open your eyes. The flame is always within you.

Step Eleven: Perform any spells or additional rituals / meditations you would like.
Pn Lughnasadh I like to do property protections and make any poppets as necessary. Here is the procedure I use for protection...

A) Auric Protection for you.
Sit quietly and close your eyes. Take a few soothing breaths. Try to clear your mind and center into that soothing place deep within you. As you continue takingdeep breaths vitualize inhaling a blue mist - its light and clean. As you exhale visualize you are exhaling a grey smoke more heavy and toxic. (In this visual you are inhaling a soothing peaceful mist and exhaling the negativity and toxins) Once your entire body is full of the blue mist - visualize pushing the mist out through your pores (still inhaling more to keep the body full) Once you are surrounded by the blue mist it hardens into a shell. Thick and strong. To protect your child - have them sit on your lap. After you have pushed the blue mist through your pores visualizeit surrounding yor child. Have it harden/solidify. I check (a quick visualization) each morning to make sure the shell is still there on my kids and re-do the visualization monthly.
B) Protecting your property from negativity. This is another visualization. Once back inside (or on your property) after tossing the flowers in the above spell. Close your eyes, center and a gain ground by finding that peaceful center in your body. Envision the property line as a glowing golden ring. Imagin a golden "force field" (for lack of a better term) rising from the ground and surrounding your home and property in a bubble. Like you would when casting a circle. Havet he golden bubble harden.I also re-visualize this monthly on the full moon.
C) Sealing the property protection with a Witches Bottle
SUPPLIES: A Witch's Bottle(any bottle or jar with a top), Rosemary, Red Wine, Pins or nails, NeedlesMETHOD: Fill a small jar with the rosemary, pins and needles saying all the while the following as you do it:
"Pins needles, rosemary and wineIn the Witch's Bottle of mine;Guard against harm and enemiesThis is my will, so be it!"
When the jar is full pour in the red wine. Put the lid on the jar as tight as possible, Drip wax from a red candle around the seal of the lid.Bury the jar at the farthest corner of your property or place it in an inconspicuous spot in the house.
The Witch's Bottle destroys negativity and evil. The pins and needles impale evil, the wine drowns it and the rosemary sends it far from your home
D) Further Meditation for Charging your room or Home. Sit Straight with palms on lap, take deep breaths, relax, and move into a mental space where you activate your intuitive senses, Imagine a cord of energy from your spine connecting you to the Earth, and channel energy from the Earth through it, Silently ask for divine protection, guidance, and blessing, Direct your psychic sensing outward, and feel lines of force coming out of your aura, Note where the strongest energy is (check out the floor,ceiling, directions, etc), Note spots that feel empty or dead, note places that feel full alive, focus on where you are sitting and how you feel at that particular spot, Imagine a sphere of light and love energy at your heart, feel it pulsing outward with every breath. Feel the radiance increase with every breath, feel your self as a star, continue to breathe deeply and send out the energy, letting it pulsate in the room, When ready, start making power sounds representing the love and light you are channeling; use it to amplify the light you are weaving; and fill the room with the energy, Then shift focus to sending a probe out into the room, and note the differences in the quality of energy and how you feel about it, Repeat if necessary, When done, feel the completeness of the work.


Step Twelve: Take Communion - Hold hands over cup {visualize the energy of the sun feeding the vine growing into a berry, etc} and say:"From the sun to the vine from the vine to the berry from the berry to the wine this brew is blessed in the sacred names of our Lord and Lady. So mote it be." Lower the athame into the cup and say:"As the rod is to the God so the chalice is to the Goddess and together they are one!"{Visualize divine energy pulsating from the blade into the cup, and the entire cup filling up with white light.}Take a drink from the cup visualizing the divine energy entering your body and pushing out any negativity. When finished (do not drink all) say:"May you never thirst."Next hold your hands over the cakes and say:"From the moon to the stalk from the stalk to the grain from the grain to the bread this bread is blessed in the sacred names of our Lord and Lady. So mote it be!"Take a bite of the cake (or eat almost all of it), when finished say:"May you never hunger."**After ritual is complete pour remaining libations outside.

Step Thirteen: Perform offering to the gods (only if outside). This is the fire offering: "Upon the wings of fiery flame I give this offering in Goddess' name." where you pour just a drop of each into the cauldron. Otherwise combine in a libation bowl or dish.

Step Fourteen: Thank and release the quarters (begin in the west if you started in the north and move winddershins-counterclockwise)."Winds of the Spirit of Beltane's Fire, blessings upon you. I release thee upon thy way till next we meet again! Winds of the Beltane's West, blessings upon you! I release thee upon thy way till next we meet again!" (repeat for the South, East & North)

Step Fifteen: Release the magick circle (1 rotation counter clockwise)"O Great Circle of Sabbat Art, attend me no more this day but be released into (usually your athane, rod or wand)."

Step Sixteen: Seal the altar energies by tapping once on the altar and extinguishing illuminator candles.

Step Seventeen: Clean up and offer libations bowl out of doors. Pour on the ground or leave out side saying: "To the Gods."