Lammas
Lammas is the grain harvest. Our ancestors, after gathering in, would celebrate their harvest. This is a time to revere our Grain Mother, the Great Provider, the abundance of nature. We may have felt ourselves carried away and swept up by the vibrancy of the ascending summer energy and now we start to notice changes in ourself and in nature, that indicate the slow descent is coming.
Reflect on your own personal harvest so far, and take stock.
Set aside some time to journal
What have I harvested so far this year, and what more is there to do?
What am I grateful for?
What am I proud of that I have achieved this year?
Which seeds did I plant which haven’t flourished? What now?
Go out for a walk in nature and notice what’s changing.
When working with the Wheel of the Year I like to do something crafty or with my hands, in a prayerful way to mark the moment. On this page you will find a list of suggestions of handiwork associated with this time of year. There are lots of fun and crafty ways to work with grain and grasses. Something as simple as plaiting some grasses, baking bread or a cake, or you could try your hand at basket weaving. You could go and collect a posy of wild flowers and grasses and as you collect them, you can gather in and count your own personal harvest.
Our minds can be so noisy, I find that doing simple crafts with my hands can become an active form of meditation. For those of us who sometimes to struggle to focus during meditation, working with our hands can bring us into a quiet inner place.
Pausing and marking this time of year is PUNK and rebellious. Technology constantly tries to steal our focus and attention, reclaiming it to craft and journal is an act of personal and collective power.
You might like to celebrate with friends or family. Make a feast for someone you love and share what you are grateful for at this time of year.
Below this you will find a list of suggested crafts and celebration ideas, and some images of my crafts from previous years.
Energy
Gathering, Gratitude, Assessment
Associated Gods, Goddesses and Folklore Figures
The Grain Mother
Lugh, The Sun King
John Barleycorn
Craft Ideas
Basket Weaving - https://youtu.be/1GhQ9ySbw4o?si=WNMj6acj7tyG8Nsh
Bake Bread - Be creative and make a Lammas loaf
Plait Grasses - Try out your own designs or google traditional corn dollies
Weave a Grain Mother from Grasses
Make a posy collected from Wild Flowers and Grasses
Lammas 2021 - Wildflower and grass posy
As you collect the flowers and grasses, collect and count your own personal harvest
Lammas 2021 - Grain mother altar
Craft a Grain mother from sticks and found grasses and flowers
Lammas 2022 - Nature Mandala
Create your own temporary art made from what you find at this time of year. Notice the flower petals and unripe berries in the centre and last year's autumnal leaves in the outer. A hint of what to come as we start the descent
Lammas 2024 - Medicinal and Edible Posy
There is so much to learn about the natural world and plants! This posy is made of (left to right) clovers, lavender and meadowsweet.
Clovers can be added to salads and have a bean/pea type flavour.
Sew a little pillow with lavender to place under your pillow for good sleep.
Meadowsweet is a wildflower known for its sweet, almond-like fragrance and fluffy, creamy-white flowers. It's a member of the rose family and typically found in damp meadows, ditches, and riverbanks.
Lammas 2025 -Prayer Basket
Made from reeds from the River Bourne collected over Lammas. This prayer basket was made during winter.
Lammas 2025 -Meadowsweet Garland
Made from reeds and Meadowsweet.
Traditionally, Meadosweet garlands were worn for Lammas.
"it's heady perfume expands the psyche, and builds inner strength. It enhances connection to the inner levels" Sacred Earth Celebrations, Glennie Kindred
Lammas 2025 -Demeter and John Barleycorn Brioche
Bake some Lammas bread! Here's the recipe for this delicious brioche. Decorate with raisins.
Ingredients
400g strong white bread flour
5g powdered dried yeast
10g salt
90ml warm milk
1 tbsp Truvia (or 2 tbsp caster sugar)
100g butter, softened
4 eggs, beaten
Method
Mix and knead all the ingredients to form a dough
Cover and leave to rise for a few hours until it's doubled in size
Put in the fridge overnight to prove
Shape your loaves, decorate with raisins
Bake until golden brown
Eat with gratitude for the harvest and the grain!
