Fresh Fruit Bonfires

The two celebrations most often shared outside are Litha (summer solstice) and Lammas/Lughnasagh (August 1st ish). The days are usually still warm and it is enjoyable to have a personal connection to that big ball of flame above us. Lammas is also linked to “first fruits” and in the Church of England “the feast of […]

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Part Eleven: Lammas Harvest Tea

Welcome Back! and if you followed all the posts through to today…..thank you. After some consideration and a watchful eye on the forecast, I decided that Lammas Harvest Tea could be celebrated outside, giving wriggly toes the chance to touch the Earth. In order for anything to continue living on our planet, something else must […]

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Part Ten: Red Lentil and Oatmeal Scones with dried fruit

Welcome back! We are at the last day of our preparations for Lammas Tea. The tradition of “tea” be it high or low dates from the mid 18th century. Prior to that time most people sat for two meals a day, breakfast and an evening meal around 8:00pm ish. Anna, the Duchess of Bedford is […]

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Part Nine: Apples of Avalon Cookies

Welcome back! Avalon, Glastonbury, England; Earth Mother, the Arthurian legends, the mists of Avalon (and at the right time of the year there really are mists), Katherine Maltwood and the Glastonbury Zodiac, labyrinth, the Michael and Mary aspects of a leyline, Gog and Magog, an underground entrance to the land of the Fae, the healing […]

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Part Eight: Lavender Lemon Cookies

Welcome back! The next three posts will all be in the kitchen. Wheat is a primary symbol of Lammas/Lughnasa and we have covered all the other preparations, taking a few simple steps each time. Leaving the baking to the end will keep these items fresh when stored in an air tight container and the honey […]

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Part Seven: Lughansa Skills Test

Welcome Back! The story of Lughnasa’s origins are varied. The thing that they all agree on is that Lugh was skilled in many areas and known for his craftsmanship. The games themselves began and developed as part of the celebration to honour his foster mother, Tailtui. Many of the games played required a large field […]

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Part Six: Port Truffles

Welcome back! Chocolate, where to we begin? The food of the Gods, do we really need to say more? There is evidence that the heritage of the cacao bean in South American culture goes back over 3,500 years but it was not until the mid 1800’s that what we today view as chocolate was invented […]

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Part Five: Place Cards, Truth Telling & Invisible Ink

Welcome back! Today we are going to create our magical place cards. Cards that we will use with the candles made last time to go a little deeper into the meanings of the season. On a practical level as host/ess there is a responsibility for the emotional safety of your guests. If levels of trust […]

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Part Four: Floater Candles

Welcome Back! Around the world and through recorded history, people have attempted to organize their stories. We watched and recorded to know where in the cycles of the seasons we were. How long before the first snow fall? When might the earth be ready to plant? How many more sleeps before Saint Nicholas comes? From […]

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Part Three: Strawberry & Rose Petal Jam

Welcome Back! I mentioned in my previous post that “first fruits” was one of the symbols of Lammas and in my part of the world that is strawberries. I live in the fruit growing capital of Canada and when the first local berries are available you know summer is finally here. I walked into a […]

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