Lughnassad 2008
Preparation:
Altar: Wheat, or harvest, themed altar cloth. Goddess and God candles. Quarter candles and representative items. Lighter. Bread (Any kind of bread: pita, bagels, baguette, etc.), sliced and covered with a cloth. Athame.
Circle: Chairs for those who need them.
Cast the circle
Drummers: Build energy for about five minutes.
Call the quarters: Light each candle in turn.
Call Spirit: Light the candle
Call the Goddess: Light he candle
Call the God: Light the candle
Greeter: Today we celebrate Lughanssad, also called Lamas. There are two ways of approaching this sabat. We could tell the story of Lugh and the Tuatha de Dannen or we could concentrate on the first harvest. Tonight we do the latter. This is the time of harvesting grains, berries, and apples. Let us give thanks for the abundance of the Mother. Let us also send out positive energies to the farmers who lost their crops in the recent floods.
HP: The seed was planted. The God entered the Earth. The seed was tended and it grew into the grain. The God is in the grain. The grain is now to be harvested. The God sacrifices himself once more so that we, his daughters and sons, may live.
HPS: The seed was planted in the Earth. It grew in the womb of the Mother. The God was renewed. He has grown into the grain. The Goddess is now prepared to receive the sacrifice of the God once again so that we, her daughters and sons, may live.
The Bread We Share 1
The bread we share today is sacred.
Grain, gift of the earth gives life.
The friendship we share today is sacred.
All gatherings when people meet and touch, celebrate life.
The laughter we share today is sacred.
Joy and sorrow that rise from love are springs of life.
The stillness we share today is sacred.
In this peace is a haven for the spirit which nurtures life.
For bread, for friends, for joy and sorrow, for the comfort of quietness: let us ever be grateful and caring.
Song: Lord Of The Dance 2
I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun;
I was called from the darkness by the song of the Earth,
I joined in the singing and she gave me birth.
Chorus: Dance, then, wherever you may be!
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you on, where ever you may be,
I will lead you all in the Dance, said he!
I sleep in the kernel and I dance in the rain,
I dance in the wind, and through the waving grain,
And when you cut me down, I care nothing for the pain --
In Spring I'll be Lord of the Dance again!
I see the maidens laughing as they dance in the sun,
I count the fruits of the harvest, one by one;
I know the storm is coming, but the grain is all stored,
So I sing of the dance of the Lady and the Lord.
Chorus
We dance ever slower as the leaves fall and spin
And the sound of the Horn is the wailing of the wind;
The Earth is wrapped in stillness and we move in a trance,
But we hold on fast to our faith in the dance.
They cut me down, but I leap up high!
I am life that will never, never die.
I'll live in you and you'll live in me --
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he!
The moon in her phases and the tides of the sea,
The movement of Earth, and the seasons that will be
Are rhythm for the dancing and a promise through the years --
The Dance goes on through joy and tears.
I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun;
I was called from the darkness by the song of the Earth,
I joined in the singing and she gave me birth.
Chorus
HP: Bread comes in many forms. It is different in each culture. Let each of us now speak, individually, about the bread in our lives. (Let each person tell their story.)
HPS: (Uncovers the bread and shows it to all present.) This is the Staff of Life, the metaphor for food. We have each acknowledged its meaning to us. Let us now, mindfully, share it. When it is offered to you, take a piece. Look at it. Consider its texture, its aroma. Think about how the soil was prepared, how the seed was planted and cared for. Think about the harvest, the processing of the grain, its transformation into flour, its transportation to the bakery. Think of it being mixed with other ingredients, kneaded, and placed into the oven. Think of it being packaged and transported to the store. Think of the people who did all of this and of the the equipment and fuel that was used. Then eat and be grateful. (Offers bread to each person. Allow time for all of this.)
Chant: We Are One 3
We are one with the Mother
We are one with the Earth
We are one with each other
By our lives by our birth,
We are one,
We are one,
We are one.
Feast Blessing: 4
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.
Thank the God: Extinguish the candle
Thank the Goddess: Extinguish the candle
Devoke Spirit: Extinguish the candle
Devoke the quarters: Extinguish each candle in turn.
HP & HPS: The circle is open.
Closing song: 5 (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.
Feast
1. Rudolph Nemser, The Bread We Share in, Singing the Living Tradition Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993
2. Words by Marty Hale-Evans. anon, Traditional Shaker, adapted.From: Hedra's Pagan Chant Page
3. Author unknown
4. Lughnassadh by Akasha, slightly altered
5. Found at BryteUnicorn's Enchanted Forest.
| Home Page | By-Laws | Graphics Credits | Links Page | Rituals |