Circle of the Hearth - Lughnasdh Ritual
Adrianne

Parts
Narrator 
Circle Caster 
God 
Goddess 
Air 
Water 
Earth 
Fire 

Props
Lugh’s spear for each person (black handle engraved with runes, golden tip and a corn kernel in the foot)
Altar decorations (corn, nuts, breads etc)
Smudge stick
Cakes (bread) and Ales (Mead)

As the circle members gather around, the narrator introduces the season:
As we stand in the season of summer
We approach the altar of Lughnasadh
To celebrate the harvest, to give thanks 
and to tread the wheel together once more

Circle members enter the circle, as they do so they are smudged by the Narrator

Circle Cast

Elemental invocations
(inspiration - not scripted)

Circle members perform the vine dance to raise energy.

Narrator:
Sit, get comfortable, become aware of your breathing as it goes in, as it goes out…

Feel yourself sinking into the earth, the deep nourishing earth, the earth that is warmed by the midsummer sun, an earth that is protected by the moon.

Feel yourself connected to that great core in the centre, a connection you share with those in your circle, a connection to the centre inside you.

You are one with the heart of the earth, mother earth,
You are one with the heart of the earth.

You now see yourself standing in a field of corn, fully grown, aged and mature.

The field is bathed in the golden light of the sun and it sways gently in the breeze.

You feel warm, content and full.

It is the time of the harvest, the time of Lughnsasadh.

Dance through the corn, dance through the fruit of the seeds you have sown.

{time to contemplate}

As you dance through the corn, you become aware of a bright figure in the distance, moving slowly through the corn.

He moves towards you, threshing the corn in his way, he is reaping and harvesting as he comes towards you. He stands in front of you and fells the corn at your feet.

You reach down and pick up some of the corn, you look at it, and see that even though it has come to the end of its cycle of life, that it needs to be harvested to fulfil the mystery of Lughnasadh:.

That which you plant you harvest
The harvest contains seeds for the future
You hold the fruit that came from the seed in the past and the fruit that contains the seed for the future

You place the corn in your pocket, a token of the mystery of the season

In your hands there is now a gift for the figure, a gift for all the guides and teachers that walk with you as you tread the path of the wheel of life, you give this gift to the figure, and he in return gives you a gift.

You now feel yourself fading from the land of corn, and you settle back into your own body, deep within the protecting earth, the earth that provides a fertile ground for the harvest. You feel yourself coming out of the earth, back into our circle, you are with us once again, and when you feel ready, you may open your eyes.

Before the circle stand both the Goddess and the God.

God and Goddess are invoked by the Narrator:
By oat and flower
By corn and grain
Earth Mother, Harvest Mother

By the suns dying strength
Lord Lugh of the Land

Narrator
We honour the harvest mother when we don’t take the easy way out, when we do what is right, when we face a fear and go ahead anyway, when we work hard at something and wait patiently for the rewards.

Lugh is the wielder of the spear that is the flash of light which pierces the darkness, he is both life and death, light and dark. He teaches us to fight for causes that are just and right. He teaches us to honour our promises and oaths.

It is now time to thank the Lord and the Lady for the harvests and bounties in your life this past season.  

Each circle member approaches the Lord and Lady to give thanks.

As each person thanks the Lord and Lady they receive a blessing from each of them.

The Lord gives each person a spear, saying:
Take this spear, symbol of strength,
Symbol of light and of death,
May it guide you in the coming months of darkness,
May it be your staff of inspiration,
May it support you in hard times ahead,
Remember that within the darkness,
My spear contains the seed of life,
Of a life and alight yet to come.

The Lord and Lady are thanked for their presence:
Harvest Mother, Light of the Earth
We thank you for attending our celebration today

Lord of the Harvest, Father of all
We thank you for attending our celebration today

We do bid you, hail and farewell!

Cakes and Ale 
(Done by circle caster)

Thank the Elements
Close Circle