As 2 August (in the Northern Hemisphere) was the date of the Anglo-Saxon Pagan festival of Lammas (loafmass), some believe that the killing of William Rufus was in fact an enactment of the "divine sacrifice". This old Pagan custom connected the kingship with the land and, having turned his kingdom into a wasteland, William Rufus was killed by the people (or the Gods) as a sacrifice in order to renew the land. Others, however, hinted that the king's own brother had him assassinated in order to rule England. While we may never know what was the actual truth behind the slaying of William Rufus, what is for certain is that the theme of sacrifice, a dying king and the wasteland embodies many of the dominant themes of Lammas.

The Celts also celebrated a special festival around this time of the year, which was held from sunset on 1 August until sunset the following day. To the Irish this festival was known as Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-nus-uh) and was said to either commemorate the death and resurrection of the God Lugh (who was the equivalent to a Sun God), or the funeral games hosted by Lugh in honour of his foster mother, Tailte. Today these games are referred to as the "Tailltean Games". In his book "The White goddess" Robert Graves believed that these games were in fact held in honour of Lugh who was the sacrificial king.

For modern Pagans in the Southern Hemisphere, Lughnasadh (or Lammas) is celebrated around 31 January or 1 February, and following the rites of our ancestors, celebrates the harvesting of the grain. In days gone by, the first sheaf of wheat was ceremonially reaped, threshed, milled and then baked into a loaf of bread. This bread was considered holy and by eating this bread, the bread of the Gods, it was believed that the grain had died in order that the people may live. Some readers may notice similarities between these old Pagan beliefs and that of the Christian sacrament of Communion. This is because the Christian Mystery of Communion echoes the Pagan Mystery for the Grain God.

Grain has always been associated with Gods who were killed, dismembered, and then resurrected. This dying and resurrecting God was known as Osiris to the Egyptian; in the lands of ancient Sumeria, he was called Dumuzi; and to the Greeks, Adonis. Some people even perceive Jesus in a similar light. All these Gods personify the spirit of nature (being Vegetation Gods), that dies each Winter, only to be reborn again in the following Spring.

In the Greek myths, the story of Demeter (the Grain and Fertility Goddess) and her daughter Kore (meaning "maiden") follows the theme of death and rebirth. When Kore is carried off into the Underworld by Hades, Demeter will not allow anything to grow on the Earth until her daughter is returned to her. While in the Underworld, Kore becomes its Queen, Persephone, and subsequently eats some seeds of a pomegranate. In doing so, this means that while she can return to the Earth to be with Demeter, she is also bound to the Underworld where she must return each year. The ancient Eleusinian Mysteries, which were celebrated around the Autumn Equinox (the following Sabbat), culminated in the revelation of a single ear of corn, a symbol of the initiate of the cyclical nature of life, for the corn is both seed and fruit - promise and fulfilment.

While Lughnasadh (or Lammas) can be considered a time of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest, the overriding theme is one of sacrifice - in that something has to give to make way for something else. The Sun's strength begins to wane and the plants of Spring begin to wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use, as well as to ensure future crops. In our personal lives, if we are ambitious, we sacrifice our leisure time. If we do nothing, it is our hope of achievement that dies. Even the bliss of a new love means we have to sacrifice something - some personal freedom if we are to maintain the relationship.

Lughnasadh offers us the opportunity to take stock of our own personal harvest - a time to reflect on our achievement, no matter how large or small. But in doing so, we need to be honest with ourselves. If we overestimate what we will achieved, we may find that we are unable to achieved everything we have set out to do. If we underestimate, a number of our talents will not be used and are, therefore, wasted.

One good way of taking stock of your personal harvest is to make a list of all you have done, from difficult examinations to the simple fact of just making it through another year of steady work and family commitments. Include not only any deadlines that have been made and kept, but also tasks such as keeping the family fed and clothed. If the past year has been a difficult one, then list the fact that you have survived the tragedy or sorrow.

Give true thanks for all that you have done - the major achievements to the thankless chores. Keep the list as your own personal harvest, tied in a red ribbon, and placed somewhere safe for you may want to view it from time to time just to remind yourself what you have actually achieved.

Make another list of things you wish to sacrifice - those things you wish to remove from your life so that you can put your energy to better use elsewhere. Let go of a bad habit can be a real sacrifice even if there is a little pleasure in the habit itself, for we all cling on to what is familiar. With this list completed, cut and burn the pieces, visualising the things you have written down being removed from your life. You may also wish to receive some strength to survive these sacrifices you are about to make.

At this time you should be seeing the efforts of your work beginning to manifest, as this is the start of the harvest season. Look at your life and see where you have aimed, and whether you are still on target. What have you accomplished that you set out to do? What do you still have to get done? Many times we get bogged down in the day to day details and we forget to take stock and look at the larger picture of our lives. Are we where we want to be? Are we who we want to be? Meditate on how what has happened has been directly or indirectly caused by choices you have made. Reflect now on those choices and see where your free will has led you. Are you happy about them? If not, what can you change now?

As the Sun is waning now, even though the heat has increased, we will find that we are starting to turn more inward. This process will continue until Samhain, which marks the beginning of Winter. Do not be too hard on yourself if you have discovered that you have not achieved as much as you had hoped. Remember that there is still time before the Winter to accomplish those things which need the Sunlight and Summer breezes to grow. However, try not to let the lazy, sultry Summer heat sap you of your strength and determination.

Lughnasadh also teaches us to live in the now, as fully as possible, but that we should also plan for the future. A further underlying theme is to share what we have in abundance with others, and to share the burdens of survival so that the burdens are lightened by many shoulders. Is there someone you know who might need a helping hand at something, even if they have not been able to ask for help themselves? Are you, yourself, too proud to admit that you cannot possibly do everything in order to please everyone?

There are many aspects to Lughnasadh that we can take advantage of depending on our own level of spirituality and commitment.

For those readers who are magickally inclined, an appropriate incense to use at Lughnasadh is a blend of frankincense, juniper and sandalwood. A pinch of myrrh can also be added to represent the memory aspect of the festival. Rosemary can also be used as an alternative to frankincense.

My own personal Lughnasadh celebrations will be rather low key this year as I will be focusing on my trip to New Zealand, the land of my birth, towards the end of the month. This trip coincides with a Pagan festival being held the first weekend in March. Not only have I had the great honour in being asked to present a couple of lectures, but the British Chief Druid, Philip Carr-Gom, will also be talking on Druidry, and his new book on "Druidcraft". So, not only am I looking forward to catching up with family and friends, but I may also be meeting some New Zealand readers of Insight during my visit.

Sabbats Down Under  |   The Autumn Equinox  |   Samhain  |   Mid Winter Solstice

Imbolg  |   Spring Equinox  |    Bealtaine  |   Mid Summer Solstice

Lughnasadh

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