Tag: magic

#wiccawednesday coming your way on this beautiful summer day. My post will focus on a weird topic. Read on!

Today is the 1^st Aug. It is Lughnasadh:

Lughnasadh /lu’nasa/ is one of the four major season holidays in Celtic calendar and is one marking the beginning of the harvest season. Variations in spelling go from Lugnasad in Old Irish to Lunasa in Modern Irish and to Lunastal in Modern Scottish Gaelic. However you spell it, the meaning stays.

It celebrates the first crop and reminds us that the hot days of summer will soon be over. Of course, the festival is so festive due to the great feast accompanying it.

Depending on the culture, the festival food may differ from blueberry to apples, grain and bread.

This time is seen as very favourable for handfasting. The ceremony is a charming one. It is a trial marriage that lasts a year and one day. A boy and a girl, not seeing each other, stand on both sides of a wooden gate in a high wall where only a hole big enough to take a hand is open. They put their hands in the hole and get them fasted by a piece of cord. From then on, they are married and go on living together. In a year and a day, they decide if they want to stay married. If not, they get unfasted by another ceremony. The couple stand back to back and walk away from each other. Convenient, isn’t it?

Wiccans like the aloe, rose and sandalwood as flavours on this festival. They would go dancing and celebrating along rivers, creeks and brooks.

Don’t forget to make some of the special food for the holiday. Here is a recipe:

Basil Pesto

Basil represents protection and love, so why not whip up a batch of magical pesto? Harvest fresh basil from your garden, add a bit of oil, and serve it over pasta — or just eat it with a spoon!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 Cups fresh basil, washed and packed
• 1 C Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 C olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 C toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds (optional)
• 1 Tbs, lemon juice
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Put all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor or blender. Mix until all the basil leaves are finely chopped. Serve pesto ladled over pasta, or as a dip for cheese and crackers. This recipe makes about two cups, and will last up to a week in your refrigerator — if you don’t eat it all before then!

And here is how you can prepare your own Rebirth Incense:

You’ll need:

• 1 part basil
• 1/2 part cinnamon bark
• 1 part coriander
• 2 parts goldenrod
• 1 part heather
• 1/2 part rosemary
• 2 parts Sweet Annie (you can use dried apple blossoms if you don’t have Sweet Annie)
• 1 part yarrow

Add your ingredients to your mixing bowl one at a time. Measure carefully, and if the leaves or blossoms need to be crushed, use your mortar and pestle to do so.

Store your incense in a tightly sealed jar. Make sure you label it with its intent and name, as well as the date you created it. Use within three months, so that it remains charged and fresh.

Carefully selected and mixed to your taste by:

© forestlove, 2012

Enjoy more curious info at these sites:

http://www.chalicecentre.net/lughnasadh.htm

http://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/lammas.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lughnasadh

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/lammas/a/AllAboutLammas.htm