Posts Tagged ‘Lughnassadh’

Corn Dollies

Friday, October 20th, 2006

Harvest Queen, Kern baby, Old Wife, Mutter Sheaf. These are all nicknames for Corn dolls. Corn dollies are the last sheaf of the harvest. Dressed in a woman’s dress or woven into an intricate shape and then decked with ribbons, these symbols of the harvest are regarded as the embodiment of the spirit of the crop…the spirit of the growing grain itself. The safe-keeping of this corn dolly over the winter insures fertility for the following harvest…provided that some portion of it is given to cattle and horses to eat, a portion of it strewn in the field, or mixed with the seeds for the next crop.

This practice of saving the spirit of the harvest is extensive throughout Europe. In Northumberland, the corn dolly is attached to a long pole and carried home to be set up in the barn. In some communities it goes home on the last load. Sometimes it is fairly small. In parts of Germany, the heavier it is, the better. On the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, the corn dolly’s apron is filled with bread, cheese and a sickle. In other parts of Scotland, the reapers hold races. The man who finishes reaping first designates his last sheaf the corn maiden; the one who finishes last makes his last sheaf into a hag.

In some localities, the corn dolly is made by the first farmer who finishes his harvest and then passed from farm to farm as each farmer finishes his harvest, ending up with the farmer who finishes last. In this case, no one wants the dolly as it is a sign of procrastination.

In Wales, others try to snatch the dolly from the reaper who carries it from the field. If he gets home safe, he gets to keep it on his farm for the rest of the year.

French, Slavonic, and some Germanic regions use the last sheaf to create a Kornwolf, believed to hold a wolf-like spirit that resides in the last sheaf and provides the same life force for the next season. This is a fiercer version of the corn dolly and is sometimes used to scare children.

Today, corn dollies are seen as emblems of abundance.

Historically the word corn was applied to the small hard grain or fruit of a plant. It was used generically to refer to the leading crop of the district. In England, corn was wheat; in Scotland, oats; in the U.S., maize.

Now, let’s make a corn dolly, in order to weave abundance into our lives. Gather a good bit of straw or wheat that is 2-4 feet long. You will also need some ribbon for this project or maybe some string if you don’t have ribbon.

Dry straw must be soaked flat in cold water for about 15 minutes and then stood upright to drain before working with it. Or, after soaking, you can lay it on a damp towel to keep it a little wet.

Many corn dolly designs are not actually dolls or people figures. They are complex patterns and intricate designs that wouldn’t be a good idea to tackle first. We are going to make a simple doll-like figure.

Divide the straw into two groups. Recombined the two groups with the bunches of seeds pointing away from each other.

Then, fold the straw in the center, but do not crease it. You want it to be rounded, like a head.

Tie a piece of ribbon around the base of the head…around the neck of the doll…to secure the head.

You are almost done at this point. You can leave the doll like this, or braid some of what is now the dress of the doll. You can braid in more ribbon, herbs, or other items. Get creative and see what you come up with.

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Fall Foods and Feasting

Tuesday, September 19th, 2006

Whether you’ve got a group ritual you are attending, or a family gathering, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite fall foods.

Served with dinner or with the simple feast, apple cider is a thirst-quenching, undeniably autumnal drink. If you like cinnamon, find a packet of mulling spices at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. I don’t like a strong cinnamon taste, so I usually put in part of the spices, shake, and taste…until I get a good mixture of cider and spices.

Mugwort is a herb used to induce visions and is added to some Witches’ Flying Ointments to aid astral travel. Mugwort can be drank as a tea or wine. Tea is easy to make. Just put some mugwort in a tea strainer and let it soak in hot water. It is quite bitter, so you may want to mix it with a more pleasant flavor. Mugwort wine is made by putting mugwort in a bottle of wine, and letting it soak in for about 3 weeks. You can put the herb in a strainable sachet…or let it float around freely…which would require you to strain it out of the wine with a colander.

For a main course, turkey is the traditional American fall dish. But ham, and chicken work just as well. For those who wish to stay away from meat, a vegetarian lasagna is a good choice.

The Lasagna recipe that I use calls for 12 whole grain lasagna noodles. You really only need 9, but some of mine always get messed up, so I make 12.
3 cups of mozzarella cheese,
½ cup of parmesan,
32 ounces of ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten,
½ cup of fresh parsley
And 1 to 2 containers of pasta sauce. I use an organic basil sauce from Wegman’s.
The above ingredients will give you a fine cheese lasagna, but pick out two or three of your favorite veggies…such as green squash, yellow squash, eggplant, broccoli, peppers, or even usually spinach…when you can find it.

Cook and drain the noodles. Set oven to 350 degrees

Then, mix together the lightly beaten egg, ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese, and parsley until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Chop up your veggies, if you are going to use them.

In a 12 by 9 dish, spoon sauce onto the bottom of the pan, until it is covered. Lay out three of the noodles on the bottom of the pan. Scoop out ½ of the mixture onto that layer. Add a layer of veggies. Cover with sauce. Then, put down 3 more noodles. Spoon the rest of the mixture onto the creation before you. Add another layer of veggies. Put 3 more noodles on top. Cover with sauce. Make sure that you get all of the edges of the pasta with sauce. If you don’t, and you cook it, those ends will get crusty. I don’t like crusty lasagna ends. Ew.

Top it with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Put it in the oven for 45 minutes. Let it stand for a little bit before you serve it.

Squash and eggplant are fantastic fall vegetables. After slicing them up, sauté them in a pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper for a delicious side dish. Olive oil is also great source of good fat.

Serve some corn on the cob…or off the cob.

Apples, pomegranates, and cranberries are choice fall fruits. For a simple apple nut stuffing, you will need:
6 cups of toasted bread cubes, 3 cups of diced and peeled apples. 1/4 cup butter…I prefer Smart Balance, made with soy 1 cup of chopped chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup apple cider or juice 1 tsp sage 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper
Preheat your oven to 350F. Melt butter in a pan, and saute the onion and celery until just soft. Combine with the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Bake in a covered dish for an hour and a halfl
Whole Wheat, Whole honey wheat, and whole rye breads are good sources of whole grains and dietary fiber.

And for desert…I can’t resist pumpkin pie with whip cream. But my favorite is crescent cookies. Adapting from a recipe in Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner…

You’ll need:
1 ¼ cups of flour
1 cup of powdered sugar
½ cup of softened butter
1 egg yolk
1 cup of ground almonds
2 drops of almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease 1 or 2 cookie sheets. In a large bowl, combine flour, ½ cup of powdered sugar, almonds, and almond extract. Work in butter and egg yolk. Shape small pieces of dough into crescent moons and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool and roll in the remaining ½ cup of powdered sugar.

If you didn’t catch all of that…don’t worry…go to fireflyacademy.org…and scroll down the page. I have put a link to these recipes on the righthand side.

Samhain…known as Halloween…is a time to remember our ancestors, as well as those who has passed before us. The veil between the worlds is the thinnest on this night. The harvest over, and being the witches’ new year, it is traditionally celebrated with a great feast. Many choose to have a potluck. Some are held at midnight. Called the dum supper, a place is set and left empty for our ancestors to join us. During the meal, participants are asked to put food on the plate and drink in the glass. At the end of the evening, this becomes the offering.

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Wheel of the Year

Thursday, August 10th, 2006

The Wheel of the Year refers to the pagan calendar year. It follows the cycle of the sun as the earth revolves around it in 365 days. It mirrors the cycle of life as the seasons turn, always coming and going, forever ebbing and flowing. It begins on October 31st and its four minor and four major sabbats tell the story of the Goddess and the God, their cycle of love, lust, death, and rebirth. Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnassdh are major sabbats. Yule, Ostara, Midsummer, and Mabon are minor sabbats, because they mark seasonal changes.

Wiccans seek awareness of not only themselves, but of the earth. One of the best ways to becoming more aware of the earth is to pay attention to her cycles. Watching the seasons turn and taking part in celebrating the changes the land undergoes undeniably helps us become more familiar with the change going on in our own lives as well.

What looks like Sam-hane is actually Souw-in, the Witches New Year. This is October 31st, also known as Halloween. This marks the time when the God descends into the Underworld. The veil between the worlds is the thinnest and the living dance with the spirits of the dead. It is a time to remember our ancestors and those who have passed before us.

Near December 21st is Yule, the shortest day and the longest night. It is also the first day of winter. This is the time when the Goddess give birth to the God and it marks the rebirth of the Sun. From this point on, the days will grow longer and the return of spring is anticipated, though the cold months are just beginning.

February 2nd is Imbolc, known in mainstream society as Groundhog’s Day. The days get longer and the Goddess awakens from her rest. The growing light fertilizes the earth, sprouting seeds. The young God is growing into adolescence, and his sexual desires are rousing.

…which leads into Ostara. March 21st is the Spring/Vernal Equinox. It is one of two days when the amount of daylight is equal with the night. It marks the first day of true spring, for as the God matures, the Goddess covers the earth with fertility.

April 30th is known as Beltane or May Day. The God has matured and the God and the Goddess fall in love. They express their passions as they unite. From this union, she is impregnated with the young God. The fruits of passion are seen more and more as the seasons move towards summer. Animals begin to come out of their winter homes and plants begin to sprout.

June 21st or Summer Solstice is the most fertile time of the year. The reproductive cycles of the earth are exploding all around. It marks the first day of summer and is the longest day of the year. It is a turning point, for from this point on, the days will grow shorter.

August 1st marks the beginning of the harvest, Lughnassdh, for the days continue to get shorter, and the God is losing his strength. As the child grows within Her, the Goddess sees the old God dying.

September 21st heralds the Autumnal Equinox and marks the end of the harvest and the anticipation of winter begins. The days grow even shorter, and the God grows weaker yet. He will return to the underworld at Samhain.

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Lughnassadh

Saturday, August 5th, 2006

August 1st was a Tuesday… and came and went just as any other day. But… those who live by the land know that it is the first day of the harvest season. The Earth Mother has given us much abundance… and we will now reap what we have sown. Lughnassadh is a major sabbat… because we are affected by the harvests of farmers around the world. Globalization has created societies that forget about this important time… because we receive food from all over the earth. It is always growing season somewhere… which is similar to the saying that it is always 5 o’clock somewhere. Anyways…

In pagan mythology… the God has grown old… and he begins to die. The Goddess is pregnant with his child… and mourns as he prepares to descend into the Underworld.

Greek mythology explains the seasons by telling the story of Persephone and her mother… Demeter. Stolen away by Hades… the God of the Underworld… Persephone is held captive and the Earth Goddess… Demeter… is stricken with grief. Her pain is evident… because the earth becomes dark and cold. The leaves fall off the trees… and the crops die. A deal is eventually struck and Persephone is permitted to return to the earth for half of each year. Every time Persephone joins Hades in the Underworld… Demeter becomes sad… and the earth falls dark and cold again. Hence… the seasons.

A small way to celebrate Lughnassadh… as well as increase your awareness… is by taking notice in the small changes in the earth and seasons that happen as the years circle round.

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