Lammas (Lughnasadh)
August 1st.
Lammas (Lughnasadh) — August 1 — is the celebration of the harvest, a farewell to summer, when the strength of the young god goes forth to be tested in the outer world.
The period from the Summer Solstice, Kupala, to the next transitional point, Lammas, is the time when all the elements are at their peak. It is the most favorable time for the growth of young power — the time of the god’s healthy childhood. There is no need for anything; all the Forces are full and harmonized with each other. But everything eventually comes to an end, and childhood too must pass. The young god enters the period of maturity and formation, which means that the time for trials has come.
The first trial that the young force faces, and along with it the people who bear this force, begins on the day and hour when the power of the Air element begins to depart from the realm of primal forces.
August 1st — Lammas, or Lughnasadh — marks the time when Air begins to fall into slumber, exactly six months after its awakening at Imbolc. The reverse processes begin, and from this day forward, all the other elements are forced to take on the functions that Air once performed in the magical currents of forces — direction and control. Will they manage this task?
In a sense, this day becomes a time of reckoning. But the results for each individual are determined by the tasks, hopes, and needs that were set earlier. It is like a young person, who, upon stepping into adulthood, may not yet be able to answer the question, “What have I done in this life?” — but is already fully capable of answering: “What do I want to do?” Therefore, for people, Lammas is justifiably a festival of the harvest, for the harvest is the result, the conclusion of the sowing done long ago, which reveals the quality of the seed. Now it is important to preserve it, not destroy it, and to protect it. It is crucial to properly distribute the harvest so that it lasts through the long winter and for the future sowings.
Although the harvest is still ongoing, it is on the day when Air begins to fade that the mages of old would lead people in a “farewell to summer” ritual. Standing atop a hill, each participant would thank Mother Earth for the gifts received and accepted. Each person, sensing the inevitable approach of winter, would understand on this day and hour: soon it will be time to reap the fruits of their work. For until the return of Air’s power to the visible world at Imbolc, there will be no opportunity to change the already-formed future: what has been done, is done.
The power of the young god faces trials.
The power of the young god faces a trial from the external world. He must engage in conflict with other gods, battle the chthonic forces — not out of enmity, but solely to toughen himself, to become better. If he can endure all the ritual tests, his transformation and metamorphosis will be complete, and he will become that Mighty God of All, who will be called upon by Mother Earth in the spring of the coming year, on the Night of Beltane, on the Night of a Thousand Fires.
The people who bear within them the fire of He-Who-Is-Destined-To-Be, sensed the trials ahead. This day was momentous for them, like a day of coming of age. In the midst of nature still bustling with life and an abundance of fruit, they acutely realized the inevitability of their Path, understanding that Orlog — this was not just a word, Orlog truly exists.
Standing on top of a hill under the bright sun, shoulder to shoulder, embracing the vastness of their native land as far as the eye could see, all the members of the tribe, community, or family acutely felt that they stood on the threshold of change. The childhood of the mind had ended, just as the childhood of the god had ended, whose fate was now entwined with theirs, like ears of grain in a sheaf of wheat, standing as a symbol at the edge of the field. Men and women, young and old, knew that the trials set before them by fate were trials for the god. But it was from how each individual faced these trials that the fate of the god would be shaped; his victory would be their triumph, the success and strength of each person would be like a single grain within a great sheaf of bread. It would be the support that would help them endure the “dark times” — the time when one type of force transforms into another. And this other type of force is called “right.”
Of course, with the passing of time, the sacred meaning of the first sheaf and the ritual ascent to the hill at 3 PM was forgotten. Only the memory of the necessity of this action remained. One must stand at the threshold. One must lift their eyes to the sky and gaze upon the sun. One must thank the Mother for her gifts, strength, and life. This is like a blessing from her before the long road of trials. And this blessing must be received.
According to the Legend, the young god set out on a journey — “he walked with the wind,” following the departing air. Translating this from the language of legend, we see that from this moment begins the journey for knowledge, for experience. Experience cannot be gained sitting by the hearth, and the realization of one’s Orlog serves as the guiding thread, the magical ball of yarn, leading youth along the path of trials.
The druids and volhvs, seeing the departure of the element of Air, observed how the veil between the world of humans and the world of spirits grew thicker. In that moment, the seers clearly saw the Orlog of the entire people, the path of the god, and they saw the trials that each person must face to ensure that the force sustaining the tribe would not diminish and would inevitably return. To help all the people not only survive the harsh time of trials, but also to protect the tribe from their own human weaknesses, the volhv looked at them as a bound sheaf of grain, where it could fall apart, where the ears of grain were loosely gathered together — he saw the vulnerabilities. Therefore, during the Lammas festivity, ritual marriages were held to strengthen the bonds between people; oaths were made, vows were sworn — all to strengthen the inner power of the tribe. It was wise not to argue with the volhv, for everyone knew that he could see farther.
The Slavic people did not mark this transition with separate rites, as the harvest was still in full swing on Slavic lands. However, at the beginning of August, the volhv would divine the future by reading the departing winds, sending words with the wind, calling upon the god of winds, Stribog. Through him, the volhv would listen to the breath of the world, converse with the gods. The Rus’ people called themselves “descendants of Stribog” and believed that the strength of Stribog’s winds fortified the spirit of the Russian warriors, the protectors of the land.
The magical meaning of the day of transition into Lammas is the understanding of one’s own strength and the conscious refusal of any outside help. It is the need not to let in the “foreign wind,” but to wait for one’s own. A foreign wind may lead one off the path, confuse the roads, make one forget their dream, and betray their faith. From this moment, there will be a test of resilience and understanding: from now on, it will only get harder.
Excerpt from the book “Health through the Power of the Elements” by Ksenia Menshikova.
Other pagan holidays of the Weel of the Year:
1 Imbolc 2 Ostara 3 Beltane 4 Litha (Kupala) 5 Lughnasadh (Lammas) 6 Mabon 7 Samhain 8 Yule
FORUM “MAGIC UNITED”: Festivities and Mysteries, the Wheel of the Year: Lammas
THE MAGAZINE: “THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR”