Lughnassadh 2007
Purify self and cast Circle.
Invoke Goddess with:
“Red Goddesses, Great Queens of the Earth, Inari and Morrighan, I call to You and I know that You hear me. Hear my desire for You to join me in my Lughnassadh rite as I celebrate the first harvest. In this season of ripening you are the fruits and bounty of the land, you are Sovereign over all, accept my offering and attend my Circle this night! Hail and Welcome!”
Pour some wine into the libation dish.
Invoke the God with:
“Lord of the Evening Star, God of risings and settings: Lucifer, I call to You and I know that You hear me. Hear my desire for You to join me in my Lughnassadh rite and I begin to bring in my harvest. You are the child of Light and Shadow; it is now your time to ripen and fall. It is through your direction that the harvest flourishes, accept my offering of fruit and attend my circle this night! Hail and Welcome!”
Add some fruit to the libation dish.
Hold your wand and face West, with your arms outstretched say:
“The Wheel of the Year turns once again and Summer’s heat fades into Autumn’s chill. I come here tonight to celebrate the joy of the first harvest when the ripe fruits and early grain are ready to be brought in for the feast. This is the time when we realize that the bounties of natures are given to us so that we may survive the coming cold, after a time of plenty we must begin to prepare for the lean months. The Stag King is growing old; he begins to decline with the waning of the year. Soon his time will be over, he will fall beneath the bitter sickle of the Crone just as the wheat falls beneath the farmer’s scythe. I have worked hard during the year to bring my own harvest to fruition, but the rewards are not yet certain. Light diminishes and the days grow shorter, the nights grow colder, and Summer passes. I have come to turn the Wheel, knowing that to harvest I must be prepared to sacrifice, and warmth and light must pass into Winter. Blessed be!”
Place the wand back on the altar, hold up the bowl of harvest items and bless it saying:
“Blessed is the bounty of the harvest!
It is a tangible manifestation of the
Marriage of the God and Goddess,
Of Their promise of rebirth,
And of my own ability to grow.
I celebrate the first harvest,
Mixing it’s energies with mine,
That I may continue to prosper.
Many blessings I have received
The gifts of the God and Goddess,
For these small gifts I am grateful.”
Place the bowl back on the altar. Say:
“For every harvest there are things that are unrealized,
Seeds that did not grow or grew poorly,
This is a time for us to realize our regrets
To be thankful for the lessons they taught us
And to acknowledge them so we may move on.”
Wow, I didn't realize that I've been working with the Morrighan for a little over a year until I started getting this page together! The things you learn. *grin* When I started working with Her I would invoke her and Inari together. That stopped after Ostara '08 but that's another story. Also, I thought that this was my Mabon ritual last year. Apparently, I skipped 2007 Mabon which isn't a big surprise because the last couple of years I've been a little lax with ritual. I've been pretty happy because I seem to have snapped out of that rut. =) I really loved this ritual, especially the corn husks. When I wrote this, I didn't have time to buy corn and dry the husks naturally, so I popped the leaves in the oven on 'warm' and let them dry that way. When I burned them there was very little smoke (and I did it indoors) and I wasn't disgusted by the smell. It was a little woody and a smelled a lot like corn (there's a shock, right?). I'm definitely going to do this again now that I know that it's a Lughnassadh ritual and not Mabon. *facepalm* Take time to write on your slips of paper or corn husks those things that you are regretful for. Then say:
Now write out any farewells for the year on the paper or corn husks, things that have passed from you or have left your life. Then say:
“Every ending is a new beginning.
What is gone is not lost,
It will return in a new way,
In a new day.” Light the brown candle and say:
“In this fire, may it pass from me and mine!
May it pass, may it pass.
May it pass on the outflowing tide,
And burn with the red sun,
As the year dies
And fades
As everything fades,
As everything passes,
All fades away…” Take your slips of paper or husks and light them from the candle and let them burn out in the cauldron.
Say:
“All things have their season,
During this time of harvests
We must look back and think
About what we have sown
What were my hopes for this year?
This is a time to reflect,
To gather our memories,
And to see what lessons we have learned.
We must take stock of the past
Before we can begin to plan the future.
I look backward and see what I have sown,
And I am thankful for my harvest.” From the harvest bowl, remove an acorn and say one thing that you have harvested this year. Continue until you are out of ideas or acorns.
Hold up the bread and fruit and say:
“I know that every seed, every grain,
Is a record of ancient times,
The latest of countless generations,
Which has grown to fruitfulness
And in dying has given us the seeds
From which new life will spring!
I know that the sun must die
So that the Earth may live!
The darkness rises in its turn
So that the land may freely give
Milk and honey, ale and corn.
God of the ripening fields,
As you prepare to deliver yourself
Under the Crone’s icy sickle,
Teach us the secrets of rebirth.” Take a piece of bread and some of the fruit and add it to the libation dish, then eat some it yourself. While eating, contemplate your connection the past and future, the continuity of life, and feel the energies of the land blend with your own to help sustain you through the cold months of Winter.
Say:
“I have partaken of the First Harvest, savored the sweetness of ripe fruit and the hearty grain. Now I may continue upon my path, ready for the next harvest and the time when Dark overtakes Light. May the nodding grain loose its seeds to buried in the bountiful Earth and return to us in the Spring. I give thanks for generous harvest, the giving that is also a gift.”
Chant:
“Our hands will work for peace and justice
Our hands will work to heal the land
Gather round the harvest table,
Let us feast and bless the land!” Say:
“As is has been done in the past, as I have done now, as will be done in the future; I have again forged a link in the chain of tradition and the Gods have answered. Let me go forth into the world secure with the knowledge that my ritual has pleased the gods and I go forth with Their blessings. I am a Child of the Earth, may the sacred presence remain within me always, I go now in blessings and peace. My rite has ended.”
Bless the cakes with:
“Lord of the grain, I offer these cakes in Your honor.
As I eat them, fill me with the power of Your Spirit.” Bless the chalice with:
“Lady of the Harvest, I offer this wine in Your honor,
As I drink it, fill me with the nectar of Your love.” Hold both up and say:
“Behold the gift of the God!
Behold the gift of the Goddess!
Eat and drink;
and in the silent mirror of your souls
behold that thou art divine!
May we never hunger!
May we never thirst!” Place some cakes and wine in the libation dish and then eat the simple feast.
Ground and then close the Circle.
Eidolon Moon's Notes:
