Suzanne Ress
At Lammas we gather to celebrate the first harvest, especially that of grain. On a deeper level, we are also celebrating the symbolic sacrifice of the sun god, which enables his descent to the Otherworld, that dark hidden place of the spirit.
The ceremony must take place outdoors, and should start at sundown on July 31st, but in case of inclement weather, it can be postponed a day or two.
If possible, set up your altar in a newly cut wheat field, but if this is not a possibility, any open space outdoors will suffice.
Ritual Preparations
Collect some dry straw from a newly cut wheat field or otherwise procure a small amount. Weave this dry straw into a small braid, big enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and tie each end securely with yellow or gold thread.
Bake or purchase a fresh whole loaf of grainy bread.
Prepare a small vial of massage oil, using a few drops of sandalwood essential oil in jojoba or another carrier oil.
Items Needed
An orange candle and a windproof lantern or hurricane lamp to protect it
A carafe or bottle of red wine and a chalice
An athame
A wide, heatproof dish containing salt, sand, or fine gravel
If the ritual is to be performed in a cut wheat field or other unusual location, you will need a fireproof surface to serve as your altar. This can be improvised using several firebricks, a slate paving stone, or a heatproof board or small table.
At sundown, all participants shall gather at the selected location and the altar shall be set up. At the center of the altar, place the orange candle in its lantern with a lighter or matches. To the east of the candle, place the vial of scented massage oil, and below it, the dish of salt, sand, or gravel. To the west of the candle, place the carafe of wine and the chalice, and below it the braided straw. The loaf of bread and a knife for slicing shall be placed above the candle. The athame shall be laid below the candle.
Participants should form a circle as the selected leader lights the orange candle. Using the athame, she shall slowly trace the form of a pentagram in the air above the altar, starting at the top point and moving diagonally toward the lower right side point, and saying:
I invoke the elemental lord of fire, representing the sun god, to present himself for sacrifice, by joining us in our celebratory circle
All present shall cheer, “Huzzah! Welcome!”
Moving the athame slowly from the lower right point of the pentagram, diagonally to the upper left point, the leader cries out the names of each element as she touches their point with her athame:
I invoke air, water, and earth!
Participants shall cheer and welcome each of the elemental lords as he arrives.
And finally, as she seals the pentagram, she will invoke the spirit, and a hushed silence shall reign.
When all of the elemental lords are present, they will join the other participants in moving sun-wise in a circle around the altar. They will start off walking, but gradually increase their speed until they are jogging or skipping around the altar.
As they circle, participants shall chant:
Eko, eko, Azarak!
Eko, eko, Zamilak!
Eko, eko, Cernnunos!
Eko, eko, Aradia!
This chant shall continue until a protective circle of pale blue light has risen around the group and all present have let go of earthly concerns and worries, and entered into an altered state of consciousness.
Now the leader blesses the scented oil and carries the vial around the inside of the circle, dabbing a small amount of oil onto the outstretched palms of all participants, and putting some on her own palms before replacing the vial on the altar.
Remaining in the circle, facing sun-wise, each individual gently massages the oil into the back of the neck and between the shoulders of the person standing in front of him.
The leader says:
The god has toiled long in the sun to bring forth the fruits of this harvest, and now he will find relief in his demise. He looks forward to his sacrifice, for only in this way can he join his lover, the earth, and let the circle of life continue uninterrupted.
The leader now places the straw braid into the dish of salt or sand, and all present say:
So long, Sun God! Huzzah! Huzzah!
The leader lights the braid aflame.
Everyone remains silent, contemplating his or her own upcoming sacrifice this night, until the braid has burnt to ash.
At this point the leader pours some wine into the chalice. She lifts the chalice and exclaims, “I spill the sun god’s blood upon the earth!”
She pours a little wine over the straw ash to fully extinguish it, and then refills the chalice.
“I now ask each of you present to sacrifice a little piece of your ego. Let us each name some unpleasant or unadmirable quality we would like to rid ourselves of. This shall be our personal sacrifice.”
The leader will commence by saying, for example, “I shall sacrifice criticizing my husband’s fashion sense,” or “I shall sacrifice my gum chewing habit,” or “I shall sacrifice gossiping about my neighbors,” or whatever else seems fitting.
She takes a sip of the wine and passes the chalice to the person on her left, who does the same, until everyone present has sacrificed something.
After each person has had a sip of sacrificial wine, the chalice is refilled and the bread is sliced. The bread slices are passed around the circle so that everyone has one, and then the chalice, too, is passed around, whoever wishes taking a sip.
The leader says:
Sun God, we thank you for having sustained us, and for continuing to sustain us through your sacrifice. We are grateful for this first harvest, the grain harvest, which shall carry us through the dark part of the year.
Now the lords of the other three quarters are thanked, and all of them are revoked, and the circle is closed.
Everyone shall be free to mingle about, eating more bread, drinking more wine, and conversing, until they’ve had their fill.