Lammas: my first celebration and I can’t get it together

[Spirit Moon]

I’m celebrating it on August 1. The night before is my first ritual…this is for another post since I need a little help with it too.

I’m a daughter of the Greek pantheon but Demeter just doesn’t seem right to me :fishsmack. I feel really bad. I’m not really close with any of the goddesses, I favor the gods. But even then I’m a little clueless on who to worship during it. Dionysus is the only one I can think of.

This will be the first time in a long time that I’ve made dinner. If my parents found out this is the reason why I’m cooking they’d have a fit. The menu is planned…baked fish parmigiana and rice. I’m really limited on what I can eat. I was thinking about making a sacred loaf of bread. I want to give the first part of the food to the gods before my parents or I get any…how do I do that without my parents knowing? (This would help me with the other Sabbaths too).

:ahhhh:

[Shatril]

Bread is excellent for this celebration of first harvest which is grain. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also appropriate. If you have a farmer's market close that is a good place to find the foods harvested in your area, which is very appropriate for this celebration. You may want to consider Hestia as the Goddess of the hearth. Ceres a Roman Goddes closely aligned with Demeter may be more to your liking as she is the goddess of the grain. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/ceres.html I do understand what you mean about the Gods. They have always been my pick, and as a woman I get lots of grief about this.

To get the food past the 'rents, just make a plate while dishing up the stuff into the serving bowls, before you call them to dinner. Take it to wherever you plan to give the offering, if it is outside and you can use the excuse of getting flowers for the table that is great. Just take it there and give a brief prayer. You can get back to it later then.

Just some thoughts

[The High Queen of Faerie]

I’m celebrating it on August 1. The night before is my first ritual…this is for another post since I need a little help with it too.

I’m a daughter of the Greek pantheon but Demeter just doesn’t seem right to me :fishsmack. I feel really bad. I’m not really close with any of the goddesses, I favor the gods. But even then I’m a little clueless on who to worship during it. Dionysus is the only one I can think of.

This will be the first time in a long time that I’ve made dinner. If my parents found out this is the reason why I’m cooking they’d have a fit. The menu is planned…baked fish parmigiana and rice. I’m really limited on what I can eat. I was thinking about making a sacred loaf of bread. I want to give the first part of the food to the gods before my parents or I get any…how do I do that without my parents knowing? (This would help me with the other Sabbaths too).

:ahhhh:


ooh, that sounds awesome! i too am a daughter of the greek pantheon. ironically before i figured that out, i primarily prayed to 'the goddess'. now i just pray to eros, hypnos, and thanatos! :p so i favour gods too, no worries.

what you might want to do about the bread (which is a very good idea btw), is cut a slice (or two or three) for your deities. set it on your altar or something. if your parents ask where it went, just tell them that you tried some earlier (when they were out or something). that should work. :) just act natural.

i'd love to talk with you some more, actually. :) you'll need to get back to me on how your lammas celebration goes!

[Spirit Moon]

Bread is excellent for this celebration of first harvest which is grain. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also appropriate. If you have a farmer's market close that is a good place to find the foods harvested in your area, which is very appropriate for this celebration. You may want to consider Hestia as the Goddess of the hearth. Ceres a Roman Goddes closely aligned with Demeter may be more to your liking as she is the goddess of the grain. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/ceres.html I do understand what you mean about the Gods. They have always been my pick, and as a woman I get lots of grief about this.

To get the food past the 'rents, just make a plate while dishing up the stuff into the serving bowls, before you call them to dinner. Take it to wherever you plan to give the offering, if it is outside and you can use the excuse of getting flowers for the table that is great. Just take it there and give a brief prayer. You can get back to it later then.

Just some thoughts

There isn't a farmers market close to me...but there are some frozen blueberries and strawberries in the freezer. If I put food on the grocery list that I can't eat my mom will get suspicious. Which there aren't many vegetables I can eat. I'll read about them...thank you :).

The food is going to be buffet style. My offering will definitely be outside. I'd have to do it quick before they came in...the kitchen is next to the family room, kind of open.

ooh, that sounds awesome! i too am a daughter of the greek pantheon. ironically before i figured that out, i primarily prayed to 'the goddess'. now i just pray to eros, hypnos, and thanatos! so i favour gods too, no worries.

what you might want to do about the bread (which is a very good idea btw), is cut a slice (or two or three) for your deities. set it on your altar or something. if your parents ask where it went, just tell them that you tried some earlier (when they were out or something). that should work. just act natural.

i'd love to talk with you some more, actually. you'll need to get back to me on how your lammas celebration goes!
For the past couple weeks when I begin to pray I start with whoever wants to listen. Recently Hermes has come to me in a dream with his symbols. I called out to Apollo once a while back for protection in a dream. I think Ares is mad at me...maybe an offering to him will make things better.

That could work :). Act natural...got it :) I'll be sure to let you know :)

[The High Queen of Faerie]

There isn't a farmers market close to me...but there are some frozen blueberries and strawberries in the freezer. If I put food on the grocery list that I can't eat my mom will get suspicious. Which there aren't many vegetables I can eat. I'll read about them...thank you :).

The food is going to be buffet style. My offering will definitely be outside. I'd have to do it quick before they came in...the kitchen is next to the family room, kind of open.


For the past couple weeks when I begin to pray I start with whoever wants to listen. Recently Hermes has come to me in a dream with his symbols. I called out to Apollo once a while back for protection in a dream. I think Ares is mad at me...maybe an offering to him will make things better.

That could work :). Act natural...got it :) I'll be sure to let you know :)

aww, what makes you think ares is cross with you?
:( that's crap. an offering does sound like a good idea, and maybe just say 'i'm very sorry for whatever i did' or something similar? i don't know if that would go over well because i don't know his personality :D but i'm sure that he'll come around.

just act like nothing suspicious is going on, and no one will think anything is. :) if you act like you're hiding something, they might wonder!

and if you plan on doing a ritual, do you know where your parents/whoever else lives in your home will be? do you know they won't knock on your door as you're performing a rite? :) good precautions to think about, hehe

[Spiritcalf]

Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday!

....sorry.....

just had to get that out there. lol.

[The High Queen of Faerie]

Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday!

....sorry.....

just had to get that out there. lol.


happy [early] birthday! :havinapar :boquet:

[Spiritcalf]

Thank you!


:)

[NivekDrgnMage]

http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/Lammas.html

This site may help in which god and goddess to honor.

[Ben Gruagach]

While foods (particularly bread) are certainly traditional as offerings to place on an altar for Lammas, you can be more creative too.

Since Lammas is a harvet festival, why not put something on your altar that you've done in the past year that you're particularly proud of? It can be a poem, a story, an essay or assignment for school or work, a picture you drew, painted, or took with a camera. It might be something you made like a crafty thing or fine art.

Or you could just write, in your best fancy handwriting, a little "thank you" type note or list of things you're thankful for and then fold it up or roll it up and tie it with nice ribbon, string, thread, or yarn. And place that on your altar or in your special place (it can be a window sill or bookshelf or on top of your bedroom dresser -- just so long as it's somewhere that you can place things and know they won't get disturbed by others if you can help it.)

You don't have to burn or throw away any of the offerings either. But do try to at least leave them out for a few hours, or overnight, or for a day or so before you put them away.

When you put them on your altar you will likely want to do something to say "thanks" and show honour and perhaps even love as you place them. I like to give the item a little kiss, and whisper "thank you" as I place it. Just make it special.

If you can't normally eat the foods you're thinking of using for your offering (you're allergic or whatever) you might want to rethink using those foods anyways. An offering that means something to you is more significant than one that is not normally part of your life. It's up to you though.

And above all, HAVE FUN! It should be a celebration of the abundance and recognition of the things that have come into your life.

[Spirit Moon]

aww, what makes you think ares is cross with you?
:( that's crap. an offering does sound like a good idea, and maybe just say 'i'm very sorry for whatever i did' or something similar? i don't know if that would go over well because i don't know his personality :D but i'm sure that he'll come around.

just act like nothing suspicious is going on, and no one will think anything is. :) if you act like you're hiding something, they might wonder!

and if you plan on doing a ritual, do you know where your parents/whoever else lives in your home will be? do you know they won't knock on your door as you're performing a rite? :) good precautions to think about, hehe
Because I'm not paying him a lot of attention. I've been going to Apollo lately. I hope he comes around...stubborn as he is :lol:

Yea, they would. My parents will be downstairs...I'll be in my room. I don't know that...we have an intercom system so they could ring in or they could knock on my door.

Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday!

....sorry.....

just had to get that out there. lol.
Happy early birthday :)

http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/Lammas.html

This site may help in which god and goddess to honor.
Thank you, I'll check it out :)

[Spirit Moon]

While foods (particularly bread) are certainly traditional as offerings to place on an altar for Lammas, you can be more creative too.

Since Lammas is a harvet festival, why not put something on your altar that you've done in the past year that you're particularly proud of? It can be a poem, a story, an essay or assignment for school or work, a picture you drew, painted, or took with a camera. It might be something you made like a crafty thing or fine art.

Or you could just write, in your best fancy handwriting, a little "thank you" type note or list of things you're thankful for and then fold it up or roll it up and tie it with nice ribbon, string, thread, or yarn. And place that on your altar or in your special place (it can be a window sill or bookshelf or on top of your bedroom dresser -- just so long as it's somewhere that you can place things and know they won't get disturbed by others if you can help it.)

You don't have to burn or throw away any of the offerings either. But do try to at least leave them out for a few hours, or overnight, or for a day or so before you put them away.

When you put them on your altar you will likely want to do something to say "thanks" and show honour and perhaps even love as you place them. I like to give the item a little kiss, and whisper "thank you" as I place it. Just make it special.

If you can't normally eat the foods you're thinking of using for your offering (you're allergic or whatever) you might want to rethink using those foods anyways. An offering that means something to you is more significant than one that is not normally part of your life. It's up to you though.

And above all, HAVE FUN! It should be a celebration of the abundance and recognition of the things that have come into your life.
:fpraiseyo Great suggestions, great advice...thank you :fpraiseyo

[The High Queen of Faerie]

While foods (particularly bread) are certainly traditional as offerings to place on an altar for Lammas, you can be more creative too.

Since Lammas is a harvet festival, why not put something on your altar that you've done in the past year that you're particularly proud of? It can be a poem, a story, an essay or assignment for school or work, a picture you drew, painted, or took with a camera. It might be something you made like a crafty thing or fine art.

Or you could just write, in your best fancy handwriting, a little "thank you" type note or list of things you're thankful for and then fold it up or roll it up and tie it with nice ribbon, string, thread, or yarn. And place that on your altar or in your special place (it can be a window sill or bookshelf or on top of your bedroom dresser -- just so long as it's somewhere that you can place things and know they won't get disturbed by others if you can help it.)

You don't have to burn or throw away any of the offerings either. But do try to at least leave them out for a few hours, or overnight, or for a day or so before you put them away.

When you put them on your altar you will likely want to do something to say "thanks" and show honour and perhaps even love as you place them. I like to give the item a little kiss, and whisper "thank you" as I place it. Just make it special.

If you can't normally eat the foods you're thinking of using for your offering (you're allergic or whatever) you might want to rethink using those foods anyways. An offering that means something to you is more significant than one that is not normally part of your life. It's up to you though.

And above all, HAVE FUN! It should be a celebration of the abundance and recognition of the things that have come into your life.


hehe, i remember i did the 'thank you' thing in my first lammas celebration. :)

[Spiritcalf]

I am making corn dollies on lammas/birthday and baking bread if I can get some more yeast.

[The High Queen of Faerie]

I am making corn dollies on lammas/birthday and baking bread if I can get some more yeast.


ooh, if you can get pictures of those corn dollies i'd love to see! :p

[Shatril]

I am making corn dollies on lammas/birthday and baking bread if I can get some more yeast.

I want to make some even have the wheat and corn husks, but :wah: can't find a pattern for something simple. Most of the ones that I see are so complicated I can't even begin to figure out how to make it. If you don't mind sharing I would be most grateful.

Shatril

[Spiritcalf]

I want to make some even have the wheat and corn husks, but :wah: can't find a pattern for something simple. Most of the ones that I see are so complicated I can't even begin to figure out how to make it. If you don't mind sharing I would be most grateful.

Shatril

Site 1 (http://www.ravenquest.net/WyldeWoods/corndolly.html)

Link 2 about wheat dollies (http://members.aol.com/ivycleartoes/corndoll.html)

http://www.mingolanguage.org/texts/tom/dolls.html

this link has pictures (http://www.aaanativearts.com/article552.html)

I hope this helps a bit.

[Spiritcalf]

I am also going to make a corn husk crown to wear on lammas.

[Tullip Troll]

Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday! Lammas is my birthday!

....sorry.....

just had to get that out there. lol.

so wouldn' tthat make you a Lam...not a calf

[Tullip Troll]

wow you guys bring everyhting over to my place...we can do this all together.

MheraPai

[Spiritcalf]

so wouldn' tthat make you a Lam...not a calf

:smoochypo

lol. No I am Spiritcalf not Rackoflamb.


Anyway, This is the simplist link I could find, if you guys can not make corn dolls after this link that you got problems. lol.

Corn Dolls (http://www.hcsv.org/hcsvkids/corn_husk_doll.htm)

[Tullip Troll]

some of us are all hooves...

MheraPai

[Shatril]

Thx so much for this. The ones with the picture was really helpful. I used a much simpler corn husk dolly for my Brides Bed. These are exquisit. Thx.

[Spiritcalf]

I live to serve. I will try to take pictures of teh dolls I make, but I won't ba back from vacation till aug 17th then a week for processing, so it would be september before I could post them :(

[Spirit Moon]

I am making corn dollies on lammas/birthday and baking bread if I can get some more yeast.

I want to see pictures too :)

If I could have found dried cornhusks I'd make them too.

Enjoy your vacation :)

[Shatril]

I want to see pictures too :)

If I could have found dried cornhusks I'd make them too.

Enjoy your vacation :)

Hey in the grocery store in the ethnic food section, or produce section you can get some. They are used for tamales.

[Spiritcalf]

NO, you do not use dry ones. You use ones straight off the cob so they are more flexiable. You can use dry ones, but only if you soak in warm water for 30 minutes.

[The High Queen of Faerie]

I live to serve. I will try to take pictures of teh dolls I make, but I won't ba back from vacation till aug 17th then a week for processing, so it would be september before I could post them :(

okie ^0^ thanks a bunch for all of the links, and thanks for hopefully taking pictures :D hehe

and do have a nice holiday!

[Shatril]

NO, you do not use dry ones. You use ones straight off the cob so they are more flexiable. You can use dry ones, but only if you soak in warm water for 30 minutes.

Well I suppose I could have corn on the cob for dinner, hehehe. But if I can't get that then the dried soaked ones do work ok.

[StephanieAine]

If my parents found out this is the reason why I’m cooking they’d have a fit. The menu is planned…baked fish parmigiana and rice. I’m really limited on what I can eat. I was thinking about making a sacred loaf of bread. I want to give the first part of the food to the gods before my parents or I get any…how do I do that without my parents knowing? (This would help me with the other Sabbathstoo).
I hope you don't mind me jumping in here, but I thought I should let you know about something. I'm assuming that your parents are Christians since you're saying that they'd have a fit if they knew you were making a dinner in honor of your gods and that you need to do this without them knowing.

If I'm right about that - then I thought you should know that maybe part of the reason that they'd have a fit wouldn't only be because you'd be participating in some ritual outside of their Christian faith... but also because you'd be making them unknowing participants in the meal.

That becomes a problem because the Bible indicates that Christians aren't supposed to eat meals that are connected to the worship of other gods. While not all Christians follow that, many do - and so if they were to participate in a meal of that kind, they'd be unknowingly participating, and you'd be the only one 'in the know.' From your parents' position, they wouldn't be knowingly participating - so it's not a case where God would be upset with them, because they'd be completely unaware - but in my opinion (and I hope you understand why I feel it necessary to tell you this), I don't think it's right to have a situation where they're eating food that is part of a practice that they don't want to be part of, you see what I'm saying?

I think it would be very different if you went off after dinner (a dinner that wasn't connected to, or blessed to, that tradition) and spent time by yourself doing whatever you need to do apart from them, or if you prepared separate food or bread or whatever and ate apart from them at another table, or whatever you could think of to distinguish between your religious space and theirs - and not have their dinner or dinner table part of it. If you did that, then they wouldn't be unknowingly participating - and they wouldn't be participating at all.

If you're at home and it's a situation where you want to have a special holiday meal, and you're of a different religion that isn't compatible with their beliefs, I would imagine that it would be difficult to manage, but I can't see how you can combine it into their lives without their express desire to be part of it. (Just as they can't snap their fingers and make you believe in Jesus Christ or have a deep desire to go to church! They can pray for it, they can talk to you, they can hope... but ultimately, they know you have your own beliefs. You also wouldn't be given bread and wine at communion unless you were a believer and had indicated that you were a believer, you see?)

In my own case it's interesting because I do follow the Celtic calendar - but it's the Christian one. While I can't participate in a Lughnasadh meal at a pagan ritual, I can do it separately on my own - because it's a completely different thing, different religious observance, different God, etc. I may not be able to eat at the pagan ritual, but I can invite non-Christians to eat with me. (Hard to explain in a message post - but I hope you see the distinction!)

As I write this I'm concerned that someone may be thinking I should leave paganism to the pagans - and that's fine, I understand - but I think the issue is more about taking people's conscious choices, wishes, and beliefs into consideration and not putting them in a position of unknowingly insulting their God. I'm not sure if the threefold law fits into any of this, but I'm guessing it does? It's something to think about, anyway!

And now that I've probably made everyone roll their eyes, I'll sign off, LOL...

[The High Queen of Faerie]

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here, but I thought I should let you know about something. I'm assuming that your parents are Christians since you're saying that they'd have a fit if they knew you were making a dinner in honor of your gods and that you need to do this without them knowing.

If I'm right about that - then I thought you should know that maybe part of the reason that they'd have a fit wouldn't only be because you'd be participating in some ritual outside of their Christian faith... but also because you'd be making them unknowing participants in the meal.

That becomes a problem because the Bible indicates that Christians aren't supposed to eat meals that are connected to the worship of other gods. While not all Christians follow that, many do - and so if they were to participate in a meal of that kind, they'd be unknowingly participating, and you'd be the only one 'in the know.' From your parents' position, they wouldn't be knowingly participating - so it's not a case where God would be upset with them, because they'd be completely unaware - but in my opinion (and I hope you understand why I feel it necessary to tell you this), I don't think it's right to have a situation where they're eating food that is part of a practice that they don't want to be part of, you see what I'm saying?

I think it would be very different if you went off after dinner (a dinner that wasn't connected to, or blessed to, that tradition) and spent time by yourself doing whatever you need to do apart from them, or if you prepared separate food or bread or whatever and ate apart from them at another table, or whatever you could think of to distinguish between your religious space and theirs - and not have their dinner or dinner table part of it. If you did that, then they wouldn't be unknowingly participating - and they wouldn't be participating at all.

If you're at home and it's a situation where you want to have a special holiday meal, and you're of a different religion that isn't compatible with their beliefs, I would imagine that it would be difficult to manage, but I can't see how you can combine it into their lives without their express desire to be part of it. (Just as they can't snap their fingers and make you believe in Jesus Christ or have a deep desire to go to church! They can pray for it, they can talk to you, they can hope... but ultimately, they know you have your own beliefs. You also wouldn't be given bread and wine at communion unless you were a believer and had indicated that you were a believer, you see?)

In my own case it's interesting because I do follow the Celtic calendar - but it's the Christian one. While I can't participate in a Lughnasadh meal at a pagan ritual, I can do it separately on my own - because it's a completely different thing, different religious observance, different God, etc. I may not be able to eat at the pagan ritual, but I can invite non-Christians to eat with me. (Hard to explain in a message post - but I hope you see the distinction!)

As I write this I'm concerned that someone may be thinking I should leave paganism to the pagans - and that's fine, I understand - but I think the issue is more about taking people's conscious choices, wishes, and beliefs into consideration and not putting them in a position of unknowingly insulting their God. I'm not sure if the threefold law fits into any of this, but I'm guessing it does? It's something to think about, anyway!

And now that I've probably made everyone roll their eyes, I'll sign off, LOL...


you know, that's a very interesting point.

since i'm not big on christianity, i didn't know that - and i'm sure a lot of other people didn't, as well. :) thanks for the information. :p

[StephanieAine]

:kooky: you're welcome!

[Romani Vixen]

ooh, if you can get pictures of those corn dollies i'd love to see! :p
I'll have to remember to take a pic of the one that I did earlier this year. Straw doesn't like me though.

[Romani Vixen]

I want to make some even have the wheat and corn husks, but :wah: can't find a pattern for something simple. Most of the ones that I see are so complicated I can't even begin to figure out how to make it. If you don't mind sharing I would be most grateful.

Shatril
I tried a few different ones... but the simplest was the only one that I could figure out.

Soak wheat stalks with the straw on. do a few... you'll figure out later which ones to use. soak them for at least 30 mins in the bathtub, cold water. gently dry off the excess water. you'll use increments of three. so either three stalks, or 6 or 9... but you want 3 piles. Use appropriate colored embroydery floss or yard and tie at the end furthest from the wheathead, leaving plenty of excess in the floss. Start braiding!!!! When you get close to the wheat heads, hold the bundle close to the head and bend the far end (that you tied earlier) around to meet at that spot. tie securely. You'll end up with a big loop and the wheatheads at the bottom.

[Shatril]

I tried a few different ones... but the simplest was the only one that I could figure out.

Soak wheat stalks with the straw on. do a few... you'll figure out later which ones to use. soak them for at least 30 mins in the bathtub, cold water. gently dry off the excess water. you'll use increments of three. so either three stalks, or 6 or 9... but you want 3 piles. Use appropriate colored embroydery floss or yard and tie at the end furthest from the wheathead, leaving plenty of excess in the floss. Start braiding!!!! When you get close to the wheat heads, hold the bundle close to the head and bend the far end (that you tied earlier) around to meet at that spot. tie securely. You'll end up with a big loop and the wheatheads at the bottom.

Well that is very easy, thx. By the way, I read on one of those sites that you should use warm water. Maybe that would make the straw easier for you to work. I'm for sure gonna do that, cuz it was from some big time experts with all these really fancy dollies.