Lughnassad Ritual 2005
Drumming followed by drumming and singing
Gathered Here1
Gathered here in the mystery of the hour.
Gathered here in one strong body.
Gathered here in the struggle and the power.
Spirit, draw near.
(repeat until all are gathered in the circle)
HPS: Welcome to the Circle of the Flaming Chalice Lughnassad Ritual. Tonight will celebrate the first harvest with a corn roast and we will celebrate the Gods games in addition to some ritual activities. Once the circle is cast, we ask that you unzip the circle from the inside and zip it from the outside after you have stepped through the area you unzipped if you must leave the circle to go to the bathroom which is in the hall or for any other reason, and do the same when reentering the circle only unzip from outside and zip on the inside (demonstration). For the dance the HP will open the circle for all of us to pass through. There are some shakers near the East entrance which you may wish to pick up and use during the dance and chant and leave there afterward. We hope you will find our ritual meaningful and the games fun.
HP: Lughnassad is named after the Celtic solar God Lugh, or ‘Lugh of the Long Arm,’ who is skilled in many crafts. It is also knwn as Lunasa, or August Eve. It is an extremely ancient Celtic fire festival, and one of the Great Sabbats, when Pagans mark the shortening of days and celebrate the first harvest. It is the Feast of Bread. In ages past, the divine priest-king was sacrificed willingly in the fields that the harvest might be abundant and the people might survive through the winter. Some Christians celebrate in their own manner with a harvest blessing or ‘loaf-mass,’ later called Lammas. The priest-king's death was a reflection of the dying of Lugh, the sun God. The waning light heralded the coming of darkness and winter. Now the Goddess becomes the Reaper, and attends the God in his passing. It is a sober time, but not tragic, as the God says in The Lord of the Dance:2
I sleep in the kernel and I dance in the rain;
I dance in the wind and in the waving grain;
And when you cut me down I care nothing for the pain:
In the spring I’m the Lord of the Dance once again!
Witch #1 casts the circle using the athame and saying as he/she stops in each of the four directions: May naught but love enter or leave this circle
Consecration of the water and the salt3
HPS: (placing the athame's point in the water and visualizing all negative energies being driven out of the water)
I exorcise thee, O creature of water, that thou cast out from thee all impurities and uncleanliness, in the names of the Lady and the Lord.
(placing the tip of the athame in the salt and visualizing all negative energies being driven out of the salt)
Blessings upon thee, O creature of earth. Let all malignancies and hindrances pass forth and let all goodness enter in.
(taking three tips of salt on the athame and putting it in the water)
As we are ever mindful that as water purifies the body, so salt purifies the soul. (stirring the salt in the water) Wherefore I do bless thee in the names of the Lady and the Lord.
(HPS sprinkles the concentrated water three times at each quarter, also above and below)
Consecration of fire and air
HP: (takes the incense and lights it in one of the candles)
I charge thee, O Creature of Fire that thou allow no evil to defile this circle.
(extinguishes the flame and watching the incense curl up) I invoke thee, O Creature of Air, that thou may protect this our Circle with love.
(censes the Circle using the burning incense by drawing in the air an elemental cross in each quarter finishing in the center of the circle with a full three-dimensional elemental cross)
Call the Quarters3
Witch #2 East
Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, Creatures of Air, we welcome thee and ask that you witness our rite, guarding our Circle and all within. Hail and Welcome
All: Hail and Welcome
Witch #3 South
Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, Creatures of fire, we welcome thee and ask that you witness our rite, guarding our Circle and all within. Hail and Welcome
All: Hail and Welcome
Witch #4 West
Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, Creatures of water, we welcome thee and ask that you witness our rite, guarding our Circle and all within. Hail and Welcome
All: Hail and Welcome
Witch #5 North
Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North, Creatures of earth, we welcome thee and ask that you witness our rite, guarding Our Circle and all within. Hail and Welcome
All: Hail and Welcome
Closing the Circle3
Witch #1 (using a finger he/she retraces the Circle)
Thus we are met, at a time that is no longer a time, in a place that is no longer a place, for we are between the worlds and beyond.
Call the Goddess and God3
HP and HPS (holding hands, one hand up and one hand down) Lady and Lord, we ask for your presence at this, our Circle. May you guard and watch over our Circle, and guide us with your loving presences. So Mote it be!
All: So Mote it be!
Dance and Chant
HPS: (leads coveners around the altar and over to the East)
HP: (HP opens the Circle and closes it after everyone goes out)
HPS: (HPS leads coveners in a dance all around the outside area, winding around and after chanting and dancing for awhile leads coveners back to the East entrance where HP opens the Circle and closes it after everyone comes back in)
Chant: (from the CD, Flight of the Hawk, repeat chant until dance is completed)
Spiraling into the center, The center of the shield,
Spiraling into the center, The center of the shield,
We are the weavers, We are the woven ones,
We are the dreamers, We are the dream,
We are the weavers, We are the woven ones,
We are the dreamers, We are the dream.4
Witch # 6: Through the sacred union of the Lady and her Lord is the harvest assured. May their power pass down to us, that we too may enjoy the gift of bounty. May the harvest grow and spread wide to all we love.
Witch #7: May we draw the surplus from the land that our bodies be filled with strength. May the power of the Lord and the Lady reach down to us that young and old alike may wax anew.
All: Ever turn the wheel. Ever onward.
HPS & HP: (HPS picks up the loaf of bread from the altar and, holding it high, with HP she leads the coven in a dance around the inside of the Circle. Returning to the altar, HPS replaces the loaf.)
HP: Now let us enjoy a dramatic reminder of this season of the year. (HP dances deosil, around the outside of the seated Circle, but within the consecrated Circle)
Witch # 8: (dances serpentine around the inside of the Circle. As they pass one another, they strike hands over the heads of the seated coveners.)
All: (clap at the same time they stirke hands and shout): Lugh! (HP and Witch #8 circle thirteen times. On the last circling, HP drops to the ground after the hand slap and the Witch jumps over (or passes between coveners). He runs deosil once around the Circle. Returning to HP, the Witch helps him to his feet and they embrace.)
All: (cheer and come to their feet)
HPS: Lord and Lady, we thank thee for all that has grown from the soil. May it continue to grow in strength. So mote it be.
All So mote it be!
The Great Rite — symbolically3 (Please note, when it comes your turn to drink the libation, you may choose to raise the cup in salute or dip a finger in the cup and bring it to the lips.)
HPS: (holds the cup of juice in front of the HP)
HP: (holds the athame, blade down, over the cup)
HPS: As the cup is the female;
HP: And the Athame is the male; (as they say their words they slowly bring the cup and athame together, so the blade of the athame is dipped into the libation. HPS and HP should feel the power of the Goddess and God enter the libation.)
HPS and HP: Together they are one! (the blade is removed and wiped clean. HPS raises the cup in salute to the Gods and drinks. She then hands the cup to the HP)
HPS: Blessed Be. (The HP raises the cup in salute and also drinks.)
HP: Blessed Be. (HPS takes the bread. HP holds his hands over it)
HPS and HP: Lady and Lord, bless this bread that we may partake of your bounty. (HPS takes a piece of the bread and eats it. HP does the same. The cup and bread are then passed around the Circle so that all may share. The cup is then handed to HPS who drinks any remaining libation and turns the cup upside down on the pentacle and grounds the energy of the ritual through the pentacle. Any leftover bread is also placed on the altar.)
Feast Blessing (Witch #9):
Blessed be the Harvest,
Blessed be the Corn Mother,
Blessed be the Grain God,
And blessings on the food and drink we will be sharing,
For together they nourish both body and soul.5
Dismiss the Goddess and God
HPS and HP: (holding hands, one hand up and one down)
Lady and Lord, we thank you for joining us in our Circle.
We ask for your Blessings and Love as you depart to your chosen realms.
Hail and Farewell!
All: Hail and Farewell!
Dismiss the Quarters
Witch #5: NORTH
Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North,
Creatures of Earth, we thank you for your presence at this our Circle.
May there be peace between us, now and always, and as you depart, we bid you
Hail and Farewell!
All: Hail and Farewell!
Witch #4: WEST Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West, Creatures of Water, we thank you for your presence at this our Circle. May there be peace between us, now and always, and as you depart, we bid you Hail and Farewell!
All: Hail and Farewell!
Witch #3: SOUTH Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South, Creatures of Fire, we thank you for your presence at this our Circle. May there be peace between us, now and always, and as you depart, we bid you Hail and Farewell!
All: Hail and Farewell!
Witch # 2: EAST Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East, Creatures of Air, we thank you for your presence at this our Circle. May there be peace between us, now and always, and as you depart, we bid you Hail and Farewell!
All: Hail and Farewell!
HPS: Before our closing song, I want to remind you that we are having a corn roast in the fire pit in the yard and while that is cooking, we will transform our Circle for relays with an obstacle course, after which we will have games of horseshoes in the yard. The High Priest and High Priestess, or someone they select, will explain and judge the games.
Closing song: (holding hands in the Circle)
May the Circle be open, but unbroken,
May the peace of the Goddess be ever in your heart.
Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.6
1. Philip A. Porter, Gathered Here, in Singing the Living Tradition Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993
2. by Amber K, Covencraft, Witchcraft for Three or More Llewellyn Publications, A Division of Llewellyn World Wide, Ltd., 1998
3. (Essential Wicca, Paul Tuitean and Estelle Daniels, pg. 65)
4. Raymond Buckland, Wicca for Life: The Way of the Craft-From Birth to Summerland, pg. 254
5. Lughnassadh by Akasha, slightly altered. Found at The Celtic Connection
6. Found at BryteUnicorn's Enchanted Forest
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