Lammas Ritual of
Thanks and Protection
Jason Mankey
Besides the usual associations with grain and the harvest, there are two other things I generally associate with Lammas: thankfulness and protection. Early August is a rather quiet time of the year on the Pagan turn of the wheel (it just doesn’t quite have the party atmosphere of Yule, Beltane, or Midsummer, and is mostly absent of the gravitas that hangs over many Samhain rites), which makes it a great time for contemplation and to offer thanks for all that we’ve received in our lives. Thanks, of course, can be linked back to the harvest, but it can also be about the personal harvests and blessings in our own lives, and the lives of those around us.
Many ancient Lammas rituals were about protection. The first grains of the harvest were blessed, dried slowly over a fire, and then brought inside and distributed around the home to keep out negative energies and unwanted entities. Another way to accomplish the same thing was to offer pieces of the first Lammas bread to a fire as a sort of offering. Often, such offerings were designed to keep certain mundane critters such as foxes and crows away, but were also sometimes directed at more supernatural threats, such as malevolent spirits or fairy folk.
For this short ritual, all you’ll need is a whole loaf of bread. Start by setting up your rite in your usual manner (casting the circle, calling the quarters, etc.) and then calling whatever deities are important to you and your practice. At harvest time I often focus on deities such as Demeter and Dionysus, or sometimes larger figures such as the Harvest Lord or Corn Mother. Whomever you call, just be sure their energies resonate with you and the rite.
After your container is set up and your chosen deities invoked, take your loaf of bread and hold it, reflecting on the energy and ingredients that went into making it. When finished, hold it comfortably and say:
Great Goddess (or insert name of a specific goddess here), I thank
you for this bounty.
Your gifts are what keep me and my loved ones strong and
walking upon this Earth.
Through the powers of soil, sun, rain, and wind I hold this bread!
May it be a source of protection and thanks on this sacred sabbat
day! Blessed Be!
Next, break your loaf of bread into two somewhat equal halves. The half in your left hand will be used for protection magick, the half in your right hand as a show of thanks to the gods and the earth for all you’ve received in life. Set the half loaf designated for thanks aside, and place the remaining piece of bread in your non-dominant hand. If you are inside, have a libation bowl for your offerings ready; if you are outside, stand near a secluded liminal space (such as near a tree or a shady spot in your yard or local park) or near a small fire or charcoal grill and then state your intention for this part of the rite:
May these first grains of my Lammas harvest serve as a shield against all wickedness, misfortune, and any maladies that may come for me or my loved ones. This bread, nurtured and blessed by the Lady and Lord (or specific deity names), shall be a source of magick and might on this Lammas night! So mote it be!
Now think of those things you want to be protected from over the coming months. As you contemplate each idea, pull a chunk of bread from your half loaf and hold it for a moment. If you are asking for you or a loved one to be free of sickness, picture yourself (or them) healthy and whole and moving around. Once that picture has been formed in your head, place your intention into the bread and then say it aloud and throw your small piece of bread into the fire or down onto the ground. Repeat this as many times as necessary. If you are doing this as a group ritual, simply pass the half loaf around and let everyone have a turn.
When you are done with this part of the rite, thank the grain and the harvest for looking out for you, and place any remaining bread onto your altar. Follow this by picking up the remaining (until now unused) half loaf in your non-dominant hand and address the gods:
As the gods and the earth so share with us, I now also share with the gods. Though our Lord and Lady do not demand sacrifice; I honor them for their gifts. Life can be hard, but I’m thankful for home, hearth, friends, family, the Craft, and the love of the gods.
Gracious Lady, Great Lord, O beautiful Earth, please accept these gifts from this first harvest as I praise all that I am thankful for.
Think of all the things you are thankful for in life, and for each one remove a chunk of bread, verbalize your thanks, and then share that small morsel of bread with a part of the earth. You could leave it near a tree, in some bushes, or in a body of water. Wherever you place it, make sure that the gratitude inside of you flows outwards into the bread and from there into the earth. If you are doing this with a group of people, pass the bread around the circle and have everyone verbalize what they are thankful for. Once the bread has been passed around the circle as many times as necessary, let everyone disperse to leave their offerings.
If this is a ritual you are doing inside, place your small pieces of bread in a libation bowl, and later, take it outside to a secluded spot when your rite is over. The best places for offerings of any sort are secluded or isolated areas where your offerings and magick won’t be disturbed by mundane forces. If you are stuck in a very large city, just near a tree outdoors will work too.
If there’s something left over from the half loaf designated for protection, it may be used for cakes and ale (adding a little extra protection to your insides never hurts). The half set aside for thanks should be saved and given to the fair folk/nature spirits at the conclusion of your rite. It’s considered “bad form” to eat anything designated as an offering. After bread and drink have been consumed, dismiss any powers you’ve raised, close up your circle, and thank your gods for a blessed first harvest.
Happy Lammas!