Lughnasadh

By Jennie Smith

Lughnasadh, also called Lammas, is celebrated on August 1st. It is the first of the three harvest celebrations on the Pagan Wheel of the Year.

Lughnasadh Altar ©Jennie Smith

Ancient pagans worshipped agricultural gods in hopes that the harvest would be abundant and protected from disease and pests. As modern pagans, we can run to the grocery store anytime and are not dependent on an abundant harvest to make it through the winter like our ancestors were. We can still celebrate Lughnasadh through gratitude rituals and honouring Mother Earth. 

The days are starting to get shorter as the wheel is slowly turning to the darker half of the year. Lughnasadh is the halfway point between the summer solstice and the fall equinox. If you have your own garden or go to your local farmers’ market, you know the bounty that is upon us and the crops that are ready to start harvesting, such as corn and wheat.

Lammas Altar ©Jennie Smith

Lughnasadh correspondence:

Colours: brown, olive green, yellow, gold, orange

Animals: sheep, crow, eagle, rooster, phoenix, pig, cow, squirrel

Crystals: citrine, topaz, carnelian, tiger’s eye, pyrite, quartz

Herbs: basil, rosemary, yarrow, calendula, coneflower, hops, sage

Flowers: marigolds, sunflowers, aster, poppy, rose, cornflower

Altar decorations: corn dolly, cornucopia, wheat bundles, cauldron, candles, sunflowers, corn, crystals, sun symbols, bread offering

There are many ways to celebrate Lughnasadh and the seasonal shift. We can celebrate with an elaborate ritual, by doing a few small things, or just a whisper of thanks.

You can decide what is right for you based on how you’re feeling at the time and your energy levels.

Lughnasadh Bread ©Jennie Smith

Some years I bake bread, prepare a special meal for my family, and leave offerings for the nature spirits. Other years, I may take a nature walk or make a cup of tea and sit in my garden, noticing what’s growing and giving thanks for my blessings and the abundance around me.

Lammas ©Jennie Smith

A few of my favourite ways to celebrate Lughnasadh include decorating my altar, baking bread (see recipe below), harvesting from my garden, preparing a special meal with local produce, practising a gratitude ritual, making loose incense with dried herbs from my garden, making a herbal tea blend, making herbal sachets for a ritual bath (see recipe below), spending time outside in nature, or having an evening campfire.

However you decide to celebrate this late summer sabbat, I wish you many blessings and happiness. 

Jennie Smith @nature_seasons_magic

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Jennie's Bread ©Jennie Smith

Bread Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup of warm water

1 packet of active dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp oil, divided

2 ½ cups flour

3 tbsp dried herbs (I like rosemary, cilantro, parsley, thyme)

1 tsp salt

Raising bread ©Jennie Smith

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix ¼ cup of the warm water, yeast, and sugar until the yeast has dissolved. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, the remaining ¾ cup warm water, 1 ½ cups of flour, the herbs, and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

3. Add 1 cup of flour, kneading the mixture until it is combined for about 6-7 minutes.

4. In a well-oiled bowl, place a damp cloth over the bread mixture and allow it to rise until doubled in size for about 1 hour.

5. Punch the dough down and knead for 1 minute. 

6. Divide the dough and place it in two greased loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

7. Bake at 350° F (175°C) for 30-40 minutes. Allow it to cool, and brush with oil or butter. 

Witchy tips while baking: 

Add each herb with intention:

• Rosemary: healing, blessings, protection

• Cilantro: love, peace, protection, healing

• Parsley: prosperity, luck, protection, love, eases grief 

• Thyme: healing, luck, courage, purification

• Dill: luck, wealth, protection, strength 

• Sage: protection, wisdom, healing

• Basil: prosperity, happiness, success, courage, love

• Salt: protection, cleansing, grounding, purification 

As you are mixing and kneading the dough, send blessings and good intentions to those you are making the bread for and give thanks for your many blessings, including the ingredients to make the bread, the tools you are using, and the kitchen in which you are making it.

Jennie's Bath Blend ©Jennie Smith

Lughnasadh Bath Blend:

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl:

• 2 cups sea salt or Epsom salt: protection, purification

• 2  cups oats: abundance, spiritual growth, happiness

• ¼ cup of each herb:

  • Dried calendula: cleansing, joy, healing, love, success

  • Dried lavender: healing, love, happiness, tranquillity, peace, wisdom, protection

  • Dried rose: love, healing, self-love, abundance, blessings, peace

  • Dried cornflower: magic, love, abundance

• 2 tbsp sweet almond oil (or another oil that you have on hand): beauty, prosperity, love, vitality

• Optional: 15 drops of essential oils such as lavender or rosemary

Add 1 cup directly to your bath or into a muslin bag that you can add to your bath.

Soak for up to 20 minutes.

Store in a mason jar or air-tight container. 

Lughnasadh Bath Blend ©Jennie Smith

Bath Ritual:

As you fill your tub, place your bath blend in the water.

Stir it with your hand clockwise as you visualize or whisper 3 times:

“Thank you for the abundance of healing, love, happiness, prosperity, peace, and success in my life”

imbuing the magical properties of these Lughnasadh herbs. You can add a little extra magic by placing candles and crystals around you while you soak.

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Jennie Smith

About Me:

I’m Jennie. I live in Ohio with my husband and our three kids, ages 19-22. I am a special education teacher of high school students with multiple disabilities. I am also currently working on my master’s degree. I am a pagan and green witch. I have been practising green witchcraft for many years and studying herbalism for over 20 years. My hobbies include gardening, herbalism, reading, and outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking. As a green witch, I work with nature and the earth’s energies. I love working in my garden, working with different plants, flowers, and herbs, and making teas, tinctures, lotions, and salves with them. For me, to be a green witch means living seasonally, finding magic in the mundane and recognizing the sacred in everyday life (working in my garden, talking to my houseplants while watering them, mindfully sipping my tea, etc), and living in harmony with nature.

Find me on Instagram @nature_seasons_magic.

I’d love to connect!

Blessed Be,

Jennie