On the first day of the Harvest, I seek to renew my vow to be productive and create space for myself. I praise Lugh and ask him for a bountiful harvest season. I worked with a coven to perform this rite and enchant spell bottles for protection and prosperity. Lugh is the god of skills, smithing, and harvesting, so I wanted to ask him for a prosperous season and his protection from adversaries. I also invoked the other greater gods of the Irish pantheon for their aid.
To do this, I performed the following rite:
Ritual Ingredients:
- Cauldron
- Sage
- Brown candle
- Red candle
- Orange candle
- Yellow candle
- Green candle
- Black candle
- White candle
- Wheat, barley, and/or corn (I used freshly harvested hops)
- Meadowsweet
- Heather
- Hollyhock (I used dried rosebuds because I could not find hollyhocks)
- Sunflower
- Sandalwood
- Frankincense
- Cinnamon
- Irish moss
- Corn dolly
- Paper
- Bread
- Berries
- Beer, wine, or other libations
Preparation
To prepare for this rite, each participant should write down what skills they excel at and those they want to grow in. I also took a long shower and scrubbed my skin really well. (I would have taken a ritual bath, but my tub was too dirty.) I also made a corn dolly out of tamale husks.
The Ritual
Light the sage and walk around the circle clockwise. Circle the head of each participant with the sage.
Face the East and raise your hands. Say:
“Guardians of the watchtower of the East, we do summon, stir, and call you up to protect us in our rite. Breathe into us the spirit of the pure joy of life.”
Turn clockwise to face South. Say:
“Guardians of the watchtower of the South, we do summon, stir, and call you up to protect us in our rite. Kindle within us the flame of spiritual awakening.”
Turn to face West. Say:
“Guardians of the watchtower of the West, we do summon, stir, and call you up to protect us in my rite. Water our deepest roots so that we may find peace of mind.”
Turn to face North. Say:
“Guardians of the watchtower of the North, we do summon, stir, and call you up to protect us in our rite. Nourish us so that our hopes may grow to fruition.”
Face the statue of Hecate. Say:
“We conceive this Circle as a place of contemplation and protection. Blessed by the goddess, Hecate. So mote it be!”
Light the brown candle, and say, “We light this candle in honor of Lugh and the coming harvest. May we be stable and secure through the waning days.”
Light the red candle, and say, “We light this candle in honor of Brighid. May we have the willpower to stay true to ourselves even through adversity.”
Light the orange candle, and say, “We light this candle in honor of Tailtiu and her sacrifice. May we experience prosperity and success this harvest.”
Light the yellow candle, and say, “We light this candle in honor of the sun and the changing of the season. May we grow in ourselves and have clarity in the coming dark days.”
Light the green candle, and say, “We light this candle in honor of The Horned God. May we find bounty and abundance this harvest season and beyond.”
Light the black candle, and say, “We light this candle in honor of the Morrigan. May we be granted protection from those who seek to harm or destroy us or our loved ones.”
Light the white candle, and say, “We light this candle in honor of Danu and Dagda. May we remain grateful for what we have and always remain vigilant in the darkness.”
In the cauldron, light the charcoal disc.
Add the hops (or wheat, corn, etc.), and say, “Grain for the harvest.”
Add the meadowsweet, and say, “Meadowsweet for harmony.”
Add the heather, and say, “Heather for good luck.”
Add the rose, and say, “Rose for growth.”
Add the sunflower, and say, “Sunflower for hope.”
Add the cinnamon, and say, “Cinnamon for prosperity.”
Add the sandalwood, and say, “Sandalwood for purification.”
Add the frankincense, and say, “Frankincense for the divine.”
Add the Irish moss, and say, “Irish moss for the homeland.”
Prop the corn dolly, food, and wine up on the altar, and say, “Mighty Lugh, the many-skilled god, he who is a patron of the arts, a master of trades, and a silver-tongued bard. Today, we honor you, for we are skilled as well.”
Go around the circle and share what you are skilled at, then state where you’d like to grow.
Then say, “Lugh, many-skilled one, we ask you to shine upon us. Share your gifts with us, and make us strong in skill.”
Break the bread, smash some berries, and pour wine or beer into the earth, and say, “We thank you, mighty Lugh, for hearing our words tonight. We thank you for blessing us with the skills we have. We make this offering of bread, berries, and libations to you as a small token of honor.”
Face North, hold up your hands and say, “Guardians of the watchtower of the North. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!”
Face West, and say, “Guardians of the watchtower of the West. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!”
Face South, and say, “Guardians of the watchtower of the South. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!”
Face East, and say, “Guardians of the watchtower of the East. Take with you our blessings and thanks. Hail and farewell!”
Face each other, and say, “We undo this Circle and leave this place as it was before.”
Spell Bottles
Other practitioners expressed interest in working on spell bottles for protection and prosperity, so after the ritual, we created some.
Ingredients:
- Spell bottles
- Wax
- Aventurine
- Citrine
- Tiger’s eye
- Carnelian
- Black obsidian
- Black tourmaline
- Clear quartz
- Heather
- Black salt
- Graveyard dirt
- Rosemary
- Palo Santo flakes
- Orange peel
- Red roses
- Hops
- Basil
I decided to use Lughnasadh-specific stones in mine so that I would bring bounty into my life and use the energy behind the holiday to bind my spell (aventurine, citrine, tiger’s eye, and carnelian). I also added ingredients from my ritual to encourage prosperity (heather, orange peel, red roses, hops, and basil). Then, I added anti-curse ingredients (graveyard dirt, black salt, black obsidian, and black tourmaline) to protect me from magical attacks. Lastly, I put in pro-magic and divine ingredients to bind the spell (quartz, palo santo, and rosemary). I corked the bottle, held it in my hands, closed my eyes, and imbued it with my intentions. Then, I sealed it with green, black, and gold wax.
The Satyr Witch 