Tryskelion Lammas, 1997

Special Preparations or Materials:

• 5 small, wrapped bags of cornmeal (wrapped in either cloth or corn husks)
• Altar arrangement should be in keeping with the meaning of the Sabbat - wheat sheaves, corn, and rice.

The HPS issues the call to Circle, and each prepares to enter.
The Circle Guardian challenges each who would enter the Circle.

Eastern Invocation

Old Ones of the East;
Ancient Powers of Air;
We call to thee this Lammas night!

Guard us well thru this harvest feast,
And turn away all those who’d dare
Disturb our sacred ritual of light.

Grant to us the power of your glorious winds,
Both calming breeze and furious gale,
That by our wits we may surive
And gain and prosper in these darkening times.

Come, come, oh Gods of Air,
Ye who are the lady’s breath,
Come now ye Old Gods of the East
As I will it, so mote it be!

Southern Invocation

Guardian of the South
Elemental of Fire
I call to you and ask
Your presence this night
As we remember who
And what we are.

I ask that you bring Your strength
that we may feel the power of conviction.
I ask that you bring Your passion that we may
Feel the fire that comes from within
To draw upon these,
In honor of the Lord and Lady
and of ourselves and all who walk this path
Let us never forget
Where we come from
And to whom we return.

Western Invocation

Guardians of the Western Gate
Spirits of the Rivers and Seas
Hear our beckoning
Join us at this Lammas Feast
Partake of our breads and meats
As we would partake of your love.
And hold this Circle against the
World of the uninitiated.
Blessed Be.

Northern Invocation

Oh Guardians of the North
Gnomes of the Earth
Divine spirits of the planet.
Hear our call.
Join this Circle with your guiding presence.
Ground our energies in the firm clay of your realm.
We welcome your company at this Lammas feast.
Blessed Be.

Goddess Invocation:

Oh Mighty Mother of us all,
Bringer of fruitfulness,
Reaper of Souls.
Be with us as we journey inward this night
to that place of waiting, that place of sight.

We’re grateful to You for these first harvest fruits
And the abundant harvest yet to come.
Give us fruit and grain, and Flocks and herds,
To build us strong, to stand against the cold that numbs.
Oh, Blessed Lady, now in your warrior garb,
With all your strength and all your love,
Descend among us,
Live within us,
Smile upon us now.

Song of the Goddess:

I am the Great Mother, worshipped by all creation and existent prior to their consciousness. I am the primal female force, boundless and eternal.

I am the blessed Mother, the gracious Lady of the Harvest. I am clothed with the deep, cool wonder of the Earth and the gold of the fields heavy with grain. By me the tides of the Earth are ruled; all things come to fruition according to my reason. I am refuge and healing. I am the life-giving Mother, wondrously fertile, and I send you blessings of limitless love.

God Invocation:

Mighty Lord of All Seasons,
Turning now towards Autumn's faint light
Be with us as we journey inward this night
to that place of waiting, that place of sight.

We're grateful to You for these first harvest fruits
And the abundant harvest yet to come.
Give us fruit and grain, and Flocks and herds,
To build us strong, to stand against the cold that numbs.
Mighty God, Honored Sacrifice,
With all your strength and all your love,
Descend among us,
Live within us,
Smile upon us now.

Call of the God:

I am the harvest, offering up grain and fruits beneath the sickle of time so that all may be nourished. For without planting there can be no harvest; without winter, no spring. Worship me as the thousand-named Sun of creation; the spirit of the horned stag in the wild; the endless harvest. See in the yearly cycle of festivals my birth, death, and rebirth; and know that such is the destiny of all creation. I am the spark of life; the radiant Sun, the giver of peace and rest; and I send my rays of blessings to warm the hearts and strengthen the minds of all.

Now let us keep the feast of Lammas!

Sabbat Meaning and Symbolism

All sit in a circle around the Lammas plate. One covener will tell the story and meaning of Lammas. Let each sit or lay comfortably while listening. Afterwards, sing the Lammas ballad.

The Bardic Lammas

Come here to me now,
My lover, my son.
Let us enjoy all the things we have done
The harvest is in, your days they grow short
Spend time with me now, my eternal consort.

We have given our children all that they will need
From the meat of the stag to the crop from the seed.
We have toiled and labored now all thru the wheel.
And this harvest is proof of our labor revealed.

Let us fear not your passing for it is natures trend
For to be a beginning, there must be an end.
So we mourn not for you, but rejoice in this feast,
and pay homage to thee, Lugh, lord of the beasts.

Consecration of Bread and Mead:

HPS (holding the chalice upwards between her hands):

Now let each assume a meditative posture, and together we shall share the Lammas feast.

Gracious Goddess of Abundance,
Bless this wine and infuse it with your love
By Your many names, do I bless and consecrate this wine.

HP (hold the plate of bread upwards with both hands):

Powerful God of the Harvest,
Bless this bread and infuse it with your strength,
By your many names, do I bless and consecrate this bread.

HPS

Let us now join hands and purify ourselves. Breathing in the life force of the universe, expelling all that is negative from us. Now we are prepared to partake of the bread and brew that has been consecrated for the Lammas meal.

Breaking of the Bread

Handmaiden takes up the bread and breaks pieces onto the plate, then carries the plate to each of the coveners while the HP says:

HP:

Take now of this bread
And know the grain of which you partake
As the latest of countless generations -
Growing to fruitfulness,
And in dying, giving up the seeds
From which new life shall spring!

HPS:

Know that every seed, every grain
Is the record of times most ancient,
And a promise of all that shall be.

HP:

Eat of the bread,
And know of life eternal and ever changing.

After each has eaten his/her piece of the bread, HPS says:

HPS:

With this knowledge, our souls are sustained
in this season of waning light and increasing darkness.

Sharing of Wine

Circle Guardian comes forward to the Lammas plate, and pours wine into each of the coveners glasses. He then passes ‘round the Circle and offers each a glass, while the HPS says:

HPS:

Drink deep now of this brew,
And know the transformation...
Of simple fruit and grain into a sparkling elixer.
As this wine has undergone change,
So, too, by Cerridwen’s Cauldron, shall we!

HP:

As this wine gives enchantment of the Goddess
Or abasement into lower realms,
So do all humans rise or fall in each life
As their own will and strength determines.

HPS:

Drink of this wine And know the cauldron of rebirth And the power of Will!

As in the bread, and in the brew,
So also is it with us.
The Mysteries of ancient times are with us still.
May the Ancient Ones of Power,
And the Ancestral Gods of Old,
Lay their blessings upon this meal!

Workings:

HPS:

And so we experience the unbroken physical link of seed to harvest and back to seed; the transformation of the grain, by Art, into a new reality. How so deeply this reflects our own seeding, our life, and our death... then followed by our own transformation, by our rebirth in Summerland by the Lady’s love.

The Corn King’s sacrifice, but mirrors the sacrifices we, ourselves, make each day... in our attempts to live by the Rede’s advice, and in honor of those who’ve gone before, as well as they who presently stand by our side.

Take notice of the small plate of cornmeal packages in front of you. When this land was young, corn was known as the ultimate link between the Gods and Man, and as such, was revered as a sacred talisman and offering. For this ritual, hold in your mind’s eye that which you hope to reap by next year’s harvest.

HP: (Wait a space of a few heartbeats, then say:)

Let us all join hands and walk the Circle wide,
The energy we raise, imparted to the corn.
While you circle, Chant the chant,
And walk the Circle narrower.

Empowerment Chant:

Ripen fruit, ripen seed
Harken to my inner need.

When the time is right, HPS speaks these words:

Drop your hands and give the corn
All hopes and dreams and love reborn.
Into the ground for birth next year,
Send forth the energy into the corn!
As I will it, so mote it be!

Coveners:

As we will it, so mote it be!

Winding Down:

Before closing the ritual, while each is seated in the Circle... go around the Circle, with each person telling describing something that they’ve done since last Lammas that has “borne fruit”.

Closing:

HPS:

This Circle now draws to a close.
Let us give thanks to the Goddess and to the God
For this time of richness
And for the times of magick
That will come.
Watchers, call now your Quarters!

Goddess devocation:

Blessed Lady,
We thank thee for the joys of harvest,
of rich fruits and hearty grains
that will sustain us through the coming darkness.
But most of all, dear Lady,
We thank thee for the harvest of love among friends,
that allows such fellowship as this to be.
From the seeds that we plant of our harvest this year,
May we reap all our hearts desire next harvest...
Ever mindful that is through love that the will is realized.
Go if ye must, but stay if ye will...
Blessed Be.

God Devocation:

Blessed Lord
We thank you for the fruit of your loins,
As you sustain our bodies
We will sustain our love and devotion for you.
We thank you for our sense of belonging to you,
to ourselves, to each other,
and to our places in the Divine Cycle
you have shown us this night.
Go if you must,
but love us always.
Blessed Be.

Eastern devocation:

Ancient Powers of Air,
Old Gods of the East
I thank thee for they attendance this night.
Go if ye must,
Stay if ye will...
By light of day or dark of night
Always shall I honor thee.
Blessed Be.

Southern devocation:

Ancient Powers of Air,
Old Gods of the East
I thank thee for they attendance this night.
Go if ye must,
Stay if ye will...
By light of day or dark of night
Always shall I honor thee.
Blessed Be.

Western devocation:

Ancient Powers of Air,
Old Gods of the East
I thank thee for they attendance this night.
Go if ye must,
Stay if ye will...
By light of day or dark of night
Always shall I honor thee.
Blessed Be.

Northern devocation:

Ancient Powers of Air,
Old Gods of the East
I thank thee for they attendance this night.
Go if ye must,
Stay if ye will...
By light of day or dark of night
Always shall I honor thee.
Blessed Be.

Grounding of Energy

All join hands as the HPS says:

To the Mother do we ground this energy,
Let it fade within the earth..
By Earth and Air, and Fire and Water,
Our Circle’s done,
Blessed Be!