lammas solitary ritual
Protect the Home
Because we know so very little about how many of the ancient sabbats were celebrated, I often look for ritual inspiration in Christian sources. This frightens some Witches, but early Christianity in Europe was always far more “Pagan” than it was Christian. It was full of saints (of both genders) who acted much like gods, and what is the Virgin Mary if not a stand-in for the Goddess?
The working in this ritual borrows ideas from the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary as found in the Carmina Gadelica, a compendium of Scottish poems, songs, history, and lore collected by the folklorist Alexander Carmichael (1832–1912) between 1860 and 1909. This small bit in the ritual is based on the poem “The Feast-Day of Mary” in the Carmina Gadelica and comes from the island of Barra in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides and has been found nowhere else. Today the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15, but for several centuries (until a calendar adjustment in the 1700s) it lined up nicely with Lammas! There’s no way to tell if the ideas behind this ritual date back to the ancient Celts or Saxons or were definitely used in or near Lammas, but it’s not impossible.
For this ritual you’ll need some dried kernels of corn (or other grain), which will be used to protect your home (and especially your ritual space) in the coming months. The original version of this working (from Scotland) calls for drying out your corn kernels with wood from a rowan tree. If you want to add a little extra energy to this ritual, you can track down something from a rowan tree (either the wood or the tree’s berries) and mix that with your drying corn.
After selecting the corn for the ritual (ideally picked from a field, but more likely from a grocery store or a farmers’ market), shuck it so the kernels are all visible and then set it outside in the sun for at least an hour. This will begin the drying process but also help the corn absorb some of the sun’s protective energy. After it’s been in direct sunlight, remove the kernels from the cob and place those on a baking sheet. Set your oven to its lowest possible setting and then bake your kernels for four to six hours until dry. I check on my kernels about every hour and turn them over during that time to prevent one side of the kernels from burning. Once they’re dry, allow them to cool and then place them in a bowl suitable for ritual.
During the ritual, the dried kernels will either be scattered or placed (depending on personal preference) around your home, altar, and any place that might need an additional level of protection. When doing this rite at my house, I always place a few kernels in front of my door and either outside my ground floor windows or on the windowsills of my house. Because this ritual requires some walking around, you’ll either have to cast a circle large enough to encompass your own house or open up your circle when you distribute the kernels. Because I usually do my solitary rituals when my house is empty, I just cast a super big circle.
One thousand years ago, families in the Hebrides of Scotland would wake up early in the morning, select a few grain ears, and then begin the drying process. When that was completed, the rite would commence. Because of the time necessary to dry the grain, this most likely resulted in the ritual taking place in the late morning or early afternoon. I prefer to do it as the sun sets, but if you find yourself wanting to do it during daylight hours, just dry your corn out the day before the ritual.
In addition to protecting your home, the grain used in this rite can be used to protect family members or pets. If you choose to do that, simply give those you’re protecting a few kernels and advise them to store those grains in a safe place. For my cats, I just tape a few kernels of corn under their water bowl. If you want to do a little protection magick for people you don’t see regularly, you can tape your corn kernels to a picture and then store them in a safe place.
There’s nothing particularly different about this ritual from the majority of the rites in this book. However, I did move the quarter calls up ahead of the circle casting. There was no particular reason to do this other than to illustrate that the order in which things are done is one of personal preference, not any specific Witchcraft rule.
Materials Needed
• Corn kernels (or other grain, dried)
• Regular altar tools
• Bread and drink (for cakes and ale)
The Ritual: Protect the Home
Your pre-ritual preparation will depend on how exactly you want to conduct the rite. If you’re going to place your corn kernels in specific spots in your house, you may want to prepare those areas ahead of time. If you’re going to place any of the kernels outside, those areas can be prepared ahead of time too. I place a lot of my kernels in the ground near my front and back doors and near (or in the windowpanes of) certain windows. Because the ground is often dry and hard to dig up in early August, I’ll prepare it for my kernels before starting my ritual, breaking up the dirt and digging small holes to place my corn in.
If you’re going to cast a circle around your entire house, you’ll want to cleanse all the areas you’ll be ritualizing in. The easiest way to cleanse such a large area is with salted water (blessed and consecrated) and incense. Sprinkle the water wherever your working is likely to take you, paying special attention to windows, doorways, and corners. When that’s finished, follow up with some incense or an herb bundle. Think of it as a bit of extra-early fall cleaning. When everything is cleansed, start your rite.
Statement of Intent
Begin the ritual by stating its purpose, with something like this:
I come here tonight to celebrate Lammas, the first harvest. I will use the first gifts of the field to protect my home and prepare it for the months to come. In the names of the Lord and the Lady, so mote it be!
Quarters/Circle
Beginning in the east, call the elements to attend your rite. If you’re lighting candles to symbolize the four quarters, do so after the conclusion of each quarter call.
Spirits of the east, element of air and wind, powers of growth and inspiration, I summon you to join me this sacred sabbat night. Guard, protect, and bless this Lammas rite! Hail and welcome!
Spirits of the south, element of fire and sun, powers of fertility and will, I summon you to join me this sacred sabbat night. Guard, protect, and bless this Lammas rite! Hail and welcome!
Spirits of the west, element of water and rain, powers of growth and change, I summon you to join me this sacred sabbat night. Guard, protect, and bless my Lammas rite! Hail and welcome!
Spirits of the north, element of earth and field, powers of harvest and home, I summon you to join me this sacred sabbat night. Guard, protect, and bless my Lammas rite! Hail and welcome!
To cast your circle, begin in the east and move clockwise. If you’re casting a circle around your entire house (or even just much of it), be sure to visualize your circle covering all of it. A really big circle casting requires a little more force and may require more than one or even three trips around the room presently inhabited. Because of the size of the circle being cast, you might want to use a sword or an athame for a little extra oomph if that’s not something you normally utilize.
Starting in the east, cast your circle while saying:
In the names of the Lord and the Lady, I cast this circle. All within the boundary of my magick circle, I declare to be between the worlds! All within exists outside of mundane time and space! May this circle be filled with the love and power of the gods! So mote it be!
Calling to the Lord and Lady
If you have candles for the Goddess and God, they can be lit after each call.
I call to the Lord of the Grain and God of the Harvest, the Shining Sun who blesses the fields and the fertile Horned One who gives this world the breath of life. Be with me tonight in my circle. Reveal to me the mysteries of the first reaping and bless the fruits of my labor as I honor your toils on my behalf. May your gifts strengthen me for the work ahead. Great God, be welcome here! So mote it be!
I call to the Goddess of the Fields and the Queen of all Bounty, the Silver Moon who guards my gardens and the Earth Mother whose womb is the source of all life. Be with me tonight in my circle! Reveal to me the mysteries of the seasons and the turning of the wheel, and bless the protective working I undertake tonight in your name. Smile upon me as you did your children of old! May your gifts provide strength and sustenance in the days ahead. Great Goddess, be welcome here! So mote it be!
The Working
Start by letting your mind drift back to centuries ago when the failure of the grain harvest meant famine or even death. We are so far removed from where our food comes from today that it often makes being appreciative of it difficult. Think about where the corn kernels you’ve dried have come from. Is it a nearby field? Or did they come from a faraway place? Take a moment to visualize the fields of grain that are so important to our society and try to feel a real connection to them. Once you feel that connection, pick up your bowl of corn kernels and place some of that energy into them while saying:
On the feast day of Lammas
Goddess of the Grain, Mother of the Earth,
I took a handful of the new corn,
I removed its husk and its threads,
All with my own hands.
I dried it gently in the sun
And then baked it with loving care in my house.
As the gods have shared this with me,
I now share it with all those around me.
I shall scatter it sunwise round my dwelling
In the name of the Great Lady,
Who promised to preserve me,
Who did preserve me,
And who will preserve me,
In peace, in abundance,
In righteousness of heart and purpose.
So mote it be! 71
Once the corn kernels have been blessed, place them wherever you wish inside or outside your house, doing your best to move in a clockwise direction. If your house has more than one story, begin upstairs and then spiral downward. If you wish to spread some of your kernels outside, do that last before returning inside.
Once you’ve returned to your altar, you can either move on to cakes and ale or do a little extra protection work for loved ones. If you’re planning to give some of the corn kernels to friends, place the grain in your dominant hand and picture your friends in your mind’s eye. Visualize them healthy, safe, and content. Will some of that energy into the grain and then say something like this:
Preserve my friend with abundance and peace,
May all that they desire only multiply and increase!
The next time you see these friends, give them the grain to carry on their person or put in a safe space. If you find yourself needing a little extra protection away from home, you can also bless a piece of grain for yourself.
If a person you’re doing the working for is not one you’ll see anytime soon, simply take the kernel you’re blessing for them and tape it to the back of their picture (or perhaps to their name neatly written on a piece of a paper) and store in a safe place. When all of your protection magick has been finished, proceed to cakes and ale.
Cakes and Ale
Take a piece of bread and place it upon your altar’s pentacle while saying:
By the powers of earth, sea, sky, and wind, this gift made its way to me. Summer rain, soil warm, pollen blown, and sun so bright have all done their work so that I might not know hunger. From the Corn Mother and the God of the Grain, I have received this bounty! May I never hunger!
Eat at least one bite of the bread while recalling all that has gone into its creation. After you’re satisfied with your connection to the bread, place your drink (presumably in a cup) upon the pentacle and ask for the gods blessing upon it:
By this gift of the Goddess and God, may I never know thirst! From rain, from vine, from sky, from ground, may I be blessed by all the elements! From the Earth Mother and the Lord of the Sky, I have received this bounty! May all my thirsts be quenched!
Have some sips of your beverage, connecting to where it originated from. That could be a grapevine in far-off France or a spring in another land. It might simply come from a water source near your house or a brewery down the road. Connect to its origins regardless, being thankful for all that we have to drink. Finish eating your bread and drinking your ale, making sure to reserve some and make an offering to the gods post-ritual (or simply place some upon the ground now if you’re outside).
Goodbyes to the Lord and Lady
There’s no particular order that has to be followed when saying goodbye to the gods. I usually just go in inverse order, meaning I’d say goodbye to the Lady first.
I thank the Great Goddess for being with me tonight in my circle. Goddess of the Grain, Queen of the Harvest, you have shared your bounty with me this night, and for that I am grateful. Continue to walk with me in the waning days of summer, and may your blessings protect me and mine in the days to come. Blessed be!
If you’ve lit any candles for the Goddess and God, blow them out at the end of each goodbye.
I thank the Great God for being with me tonight in my circle. Lord of the Sun, Horned One of the Fields, you have shared your blessings with me this night, and I am grateful. Continue to walk with me as autumn draws near, and keep me, my loved ones, and this work safe and sacred this turn of the wheel. Blessed be!
Taking Down the Circle/Dismissing the Quarters/Closing Statement
Starting in the east take down your circle widdershins, making sure to visualize all of the energy that you used to create your circle being released. If you cast a circle around your entire house, visualize all of those places returning to our mundane world.
In the names of the Lord and the Lady, I cast this circle wide. All within its boundary were once between the worlds but shall be no longer. All will exist nearly as it once was but now be charged with the protective energy of my Lammas rite. This circle is now open but never broken! So mote it be
Starting in the east, move widdershins around your ritual space, dismissing the elemental energies you have summoned. If you lit candles for the elements, blow them out after each dismissal.
Spirits of the north, element of earth and field, powers of harvest and home, I summoned you to join me this sacred sabbat night. You have guarded my circle well and now I wish you hail and farewell!
Spirits of the west, element of water and rain, powers of growth and change, I summoned you to join me this sacred sabbat night. You have guarded my circle well and now I wish you hail and farewell!
Spirits of the south, element of fire and sun, powers of fertility and will, I summoned you to join me this sacred sabbat night. You have guarded my circle well and now I wish you hail and farewell!
Spirits of the east, element of air and wind, powers of growth and inspiration, I summoned you to join me this sacred sabbat night. You have guarded my circle well and now I wish you hail and farewell!
Finish your ritual with a closing statement.
I have celebrated the first harvest. May the first fruits of this Lammas protect me, this house, and those I love! So mote it be!
FIN
71. Adapted from the poem “The Feast-day of Mary” in Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica, Vol. 1. Here is a link to it from the National Library of Scotland: https://digital.nls.uk/early-gaelic-book-collections/archive/78420434.