Lughnasadh Ritual
August 8, 1998, at JW's
Full moon in Pisces
(Weavre's Note--this outline reflects a few changes made between our conference night meeting and the ritual itself.)
2. Cleansing: washing personal cup in a communal tub, in preparation for ritual. (toning together?)
---Beginnings / The Journey---
3. Cast circle around entire Labyrinth and yard, and call Quarters from
along the fence, outside the Labyrinth.
---East: CB
---South: JS
---West: MT
---North: JW
4. Weavre will invoke Hecate, and will become Hecate for this part of the ritual.
5. One at a time, pass Hecate’s challenge in order to enter the Labyrinth. Upon entering, each woman in turn begins at the first station of the Labyrinth ("Yule").
6. Continue through the Labyrinth, participating in the mystery that
celebrates the accomplishments of each holiday thus far this year,
moving toward the center.
---(Samhain) Hecate’s challenge; the descent into the Underworld; the
entry to the
Labyrinth--Weavre. (Fire at entrance?)(Note: the lightning sufficed! *wink*)
---Yule: Compost / the return from the Underworld / rebirth--Weavre and Tommy
---Imbolc: Seed--JR and JS
---Ostara: Sprout--CB
---Beltane: Bud--MT
---Midsummer/Litha: Flower--MR
---Lughnasadh: Fruit--JW
---The Center---
7. At the center, group attunement. Now we come together as a Circle.
8. We will prepare a cauldron of tea over a fire, each adding a handful of herbs. CB will offer an image from Shakespeare, of the witches chanting,
---------“Double, double, toil and trouble,
----------Fire burn and cauldron bubble . . .”
(Note: I don't have a copy of the poem CB actually wrote; if anyone else does and shares it, I'll be happy to include it here.)
9. While the tea steeps, we will sing together (lyrics follow) and use large wooden spoons to drum on the sides of the cauldron. We want to raise a LOT of energy!
---------“Make for yourself a power spot!
----------Get you a spoon and a cookin’ pot!
----------Bring Air, bring Fire, bring Water, bring Earth--
----------And you a new universe shall birth!”
10. We will accept the energy in our finished tea as our gift to ourselves, taking it into us to be used for healing, growth, sustenance, etc., as we continue our journey through the year. It is time to accept our right to enjoy the fruits of our labor. JW will serve the tea into our cups. We drink and replenish our “women’s intuition.”
---The Return---
11. We will then ground, sharing a feast of bread, apples, nuts, and
roasted corn. It is all right to put some of the tea into a personal
container to take home to use later; the remaining tea will be offered
as a libation into the Earth.
12. Hail and farewell to Hecate.
13. We will then emerge together from our Labyrinth, then thank the directions and open our Circle.
Reminders:
CB: East quarter call, Third Station, Bread,
JS: South quarter call, Second Station, paint for sheetwall
MT: West quarter call, Fourth Station
JW: North quarter call, Sixth (Fifth?) Station, stakes for
sheetwall, wooden
spoons, Cauldron
MR: Invocation of Hecate; Guardian at the Gate of the Labyrinth,
(Originally MR was to do this invocation.)
Weavre: First Station
JR: Second Station, Corn
Everyone:
---sheets to be painted, (also bring existing sheet-sized decorative
tapestries, etc.
if you have any you’d like to use)
---personal cup to wash and use for tea
---herbs for the tea
Who is bringing apples and nuts?