The Witches’ Compendium: Lammas By Tenae S. The Witch of Howling Creek
Copyright Information The Witches' Compendium: Lammas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Feel free to share the content in any way you like, just please credit when you do. Disclaimer The author of this e-book has used their best efforts in preparing this e-book. The author makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this e-book. The information contained in this e-book is strictly for educational purposes. Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this e-book, you are taking full responsibility for your actions.
Tenae S. is a practicing kitchen witch from the West Coast of the United States where she lives on a small farm known as Howling Creek. She enjoys emphasizing her Celtic heritage in her craft and celebrating the Sabbats and Esbats throughout the year. She writes “The Witch of Howling Creek� blog and is the founder and editor of the free emagazine Pagan Living.
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Table of Contents 1
Foreword
Hearth & Home 3
Decorating with Natural Materials
5
Top 10 Decorations for Lammas
Magick & Witchcraft 8
Lammas Correspondences
9
Lammas Solitary Ritual
10
Corn Moon Ritual
11
Spells
Honor & Celebrate 13
Ways to Celebrate
Fete & Feast 15
Corn Recipes
Foreword Lammas is the first harvest festival of the year, the vegetable harvest, followed in September and October by Mabon and Samhain. This Sabbat is not as showy as some but is a lovely way to reconnect with the Wheel of the Year as, despite the often stifling heat in August, Lammas is the beginning of fall. You will start to see signs, subtle but definite, that summer is drawing steadily to a close. I always celebrate Lammas by getting up early to bake a batch of cornbread muffins (you’ll find my recipe towards the end of the e-book) and enjoying them with salted butter on the back deck, overlooking the garden. It’s a wonderful, relaxed feeling and there are many more ideas enclosed here! I hope your Lammas is a lovely day and that you are able to spend it surrounded by all the people and things you love.
Tenae S., The Witch of Howling Creek
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Hearth & Home
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Decorating with Natural Materials Natural materials are abundant in every part of the year and late summer puts all the symbols of Lammas right at your fingertips: corn stalks, wheat, fresh vegetables, zinnias and sunflowers. Each offers a unique opportunity for infusing the home with the spring season.
Corn Stalks
Wheat
Corn is an important part of Lammas. Corn dollies are a popular activity this time of year and they are very sweet decorations as well. Tuck a corn dolly or two into a seasonal vignette or string several together on twine or rope and hang on the mantel as a Lammas garland.
Wheat is a common theme to several summer and fall Sabbats but is especially important at Lammas. Tuck it into wreaths for a seasonal accent or into vases filled with lemons for a summer centerpiece.
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Fresh Vegetables
Sunflowers
Lammas is the first harvest festival of the year: the vegetable harvest. Cut a few differently shaped veggies open, such as squash and peppers, and dip the cut side into paint. Stamp bags, garland or even tablecloths with your new tools! Vegetables also look great piled in bowls around the kitchen.
These cheerful yellow flowers actually move their faces with the path of the sun all day. Isn’t that lovely? Float them in large tubs of water with floating candles or simply fill a vase with them. Also consider decorating with sunflower seeds. They make great vase filler or votive filler!
Zinnias Zinnias are a lovely, many-petaled flower that grow in a wild rainbow of colors in late summer. Plant borders of zinnias in the garden and fill vases with them to place throughout the house.
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Top Ten Decorations for Lammas Lammas is such a natural, easy Sabbat to plan for. Whip up a few cornbread muffins and decorate the house with these easy ideas:
Tie dried Indian corn cobs together with a length of burlap ribbon or raffia and hang up in a window or over the mantelpiece as a garland. Create or purchase beautiful corn dollies using dried corn husks, dyed raffia, beads and other craft supplies. Place the dollies on your Lammas altar or as decoration in the living space. Fill vases with wheat stalks and place around the house. Separate stalks of wheat into five even bundles and cut off to about 12 inches. Place the the stalks on top of each other to form a pentacle and tie together with raffia. Hang over the mantelpiece. Peel the labels off beer bottles, especially those with unique shapes or colors, and use as vases. Put an autumn-spin on the classic Yule popcorn string. Just string pieces of popcorn onto a green or yellow ribbon and place a knot every ten pieces or so to break it up. Instead of hiding all the fresh fruits and veggies of the season away in the pantry, fill every mismatched bowl you have with them and set them out for all to see.
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Gather summer herbs such as basil and thyme and bundle each type together with rubber bands and ribbons. Hang upside down in the kitchen to dry (and decorate!) Use twine in unexpected ways, such as wrapped in wide bands around mason jars. Set up the Lammas altar in the kitchen so you can enjoy its energy while using up all those delicious summer treats.
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Magick & Witchcraft
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Lammas Correspondences Every Sabbat has colors, spices and other items associated with it, most of which are based on the natural world and the current season. These items are particularly magickal around the time of the Sabbat and are a great place to start when designing rituals and spells. Colors:
Brown Yellow Gold Orange
Stones:
Aventurine Peridot Citrine
Herbs, Plants & Spices:
Ash Caraway Wheat Sunflowers Marjoram
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Lammas Solitary Ritual Sit skyclad indoors or loosely clothed in the garden. Light a white, yellow or gold candle Meditate on the flame, focusing on both the blessings in your life and the sacrifices you need to make. This would be an appropriate time to fashion a corn dolly or perform spells. Take a bite of cornbread and a sip of wine or ale, alternating until gone. Blow out the candle. Blessed Be.
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Corn Moon Ritual Sit skyclad, in view of the full moon if possible and preferably in your garden, however small it may be. Light a white candle and place it so you can see the flame and the moon without having to look away. Focus on their light, absorbing the energy. Garden Protection Spell Write out a protection spell such as the following on a small piece of paper: Protect this place, this abundance of joy. Protect this space, that this harvest we may enjoy. Roll the paper in a piece of dried corn husk and tie it with twine. Bury in the center of the garden. Take a bite of something recently harvested from the garden and a sip of tea from a white mug, alternating until gone. Blow out the candle. Blessed Be.
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Spell for an Abundant Garden Handwrite a blessing for continued prosperity and positive abundance. Lay a snipped leaf from the garden and a few heads of wheat on the blessing and tie the bundle with a piece of twine. Burn the bundle or bury it in the garden.
Spell to Protect the Home Bake a small loaf of bread, mixing in about a tablespoon of caraway seeds. Once the loaf has cooled, break it into four pieces with your hands. Walk to each corner of the house and bury one piece of bread, saying “Protection in the East,” “Protection in the South” and so on.
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Honor & Celebrate
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Ways to Celebrate Honor the aspects of Lammas, including the first harvest, the ancient versatility of corn and the coming autumn, with these simple, easy activities.
Bake bread of all kinds. Make preserves, jellies or jams, especially from fruits you grew. Share your harvest with friends and family. Donate canned food. Infuse oils and vinegars. Make a corn dolly. Experiment with twisting corn husks into other fun shapes. Save stale bread to feed the birds. Share a bag of sunflower seeds with a friend or loved one. If you don’t have a garden, pick up a few small potted plants such as herbs and small pepper plants to fill a large clay pot.
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Fete & Feast
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Corn Recipes Mexican Grilled Corn Summer Corn Soup Cornbread Muffins Homemade Corn Dogs
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Mexican Grilled Corn Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com 3/4 cup Mexican crema or mayonnaise 1/2 lb queso cotija, shredded, or feta, crumbled Cayenne to taste Lime wedges Spread grilled corn with a thin layer of crema, then roll in cheese to coat. Sprinkle with cayenne. Squeeze lime juice from wedges to taste.
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Summer Corn Soup Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com 3 cups whole milk 3 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs broken in half and reserved 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 1 large onion, chopped 1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, pressed 2 cups water 2 large fresh thyme sprigs 2 fresh rosemary sprigs 1 bay leaf Ground white pepper Bring milk and corncob halves (not kernels) just to boil in heavy medium pot. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while sautĂŠing vegetables. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and sautĂŠ until translucent, about 5 minutes (do not let onion brown). Add corn kernels, carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups water, herb sprigs, bay leaf, and milk with corncobs. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cover partially, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.
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Discard corncobs, herb sprigs, and bay leaf. Cool soup slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Strain into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Season soup to taste with salt and white pepper. Garnish with crispy bacon and green onions.
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Cornbread Muffins 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup cornmeal 1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup white sugar 1 egg 1 Ÿ cups milk 3 ½ tablespoons vegetable shortening 3 teaspoons dried sage Combine ingredients in a large bowl, then mix using a hand beater (no longer than 1 minute) Pour into 12 large muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
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Homemade Corn Dogs Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com 8 hot dogs 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided About 8 cups vegetable oil, divided 1 1/2 cups cornmeal 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 2 large eggs 1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk Oil grill pan, then grill hot dogs over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and cool slightly, then insert a wooden stick into each hot dog. Put 3 tablespoons flour on another plate and roll hot dogs in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat 3 inches oil to 350째F in a deep 3-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, whisk together cornmeal, remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, cayenne, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in buttermilk.
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Transfer some of batter to a tall glass, filling it almost to the top. Working in batches of 2 or 3, dip hot dogs, 1 at a time, into glass of batter to coat (add more batter to glass if necessary), then fry, turning occasionally, until batter is cooked through and golden-brown all over, about 3 minutes. Transfer corn dogs to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 350째F and refill glass with batter between batches.
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