Lughnasadh is upon us

Lughnasadh - 2nd February

We are weaving our way through the summer months and although it has been quite a cool and wet summer we are yet to feel its intense heat.  As I've mentioned a million times before I am not a fan of summer and the heat that it brings so when Lughnasadh arrives I am reminded that we are in the decent into the cooler months of the year.  
 
Lughnasadh is traditionally known as the first of three harvests, a time where we begin to reap all that will sustain us throughout the winter months, both a physical and metaphysical harvest.  It is wonderful time to acknowledge what you have achieved since the initial thoughts of your intentions at Winter Solstice and initiated or sewn at the Lammas through to Spring Equinox. 

I have taken the time to look through my intentions and I have achieved a few things but if I am to be honest, not as much as what I had hoped, it’s been quite a tricky time.  But that's OK.  I will continue to work towards my goals, maybe tweak some the intentions that I'd previously thought of and with this first harvest I will also create some magick to keep the abundant energy flowing to help sustain me over the winter months.  I will be creating a corn husk dolly for protection and to ensure the fertile energy stays with me to assist in my creations and I will also be baking a harvest sheaf decoration as an offering to the ancestors to place upon my altar.

​I don’t grow corn...  Yet !!  (note to self - grow some for next year), so this morning I have purchase some to use the husks to create this dolly.  I hadn’t thought about it before, however I will make a video when I create my corn husk dolly to show you how to do but in the interim, there are plenty on YouTube to show you.  
 
You will see from the photos above, I have taken the husks off my corn, cut each end and flattened them out as much as I can.   I will leave them to dry for a couple days before I begin.  The other materials I will be using is some string I already have aswell as a little bit of scrap material that I will roll up to create the shape of a head when placing a husk over it.

Side note:  my magick is becoming more and more simplistic.  When I am thinking about my magick and what I will be working on I am reminded of the amount of waste that is created within our everyday lives, even in ritual and magick.  So, I always take note of what I will be working with to ensure it is simplistic and produces the least amount of waste. I encourage you to do the same and just work magick with what you have and what you accumulate over the years of your practice.
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When I complete my corn husk dolly, on the day of Lughnasadh I will place it upon my altar with the intention of assisting me in my life by keeping the creative energy flowing towards my intentions and to protect against what may stand in my way.

Finally I will be making a decorative harvest sheaf.   I create these each year and I absolutely adore the process.  It takes quite some time, it is extremely fiddly but I find it very meditative and gives me time to slow down and infuse the sheaf with gratitude for all that I have and for what I am yet to achieve.  After all, this is an offering I leave to the ancestors so what wonderful energy to give them.

I have a wonderful baking book that I purchased when I was younger and I came across this recipe.  I would say that was about 15 years ago and I have been making it for Lughnasadh since.  It is wonderful and as I mentioned very time consuming so I feel such a sense of achievement when it is completed.  I usually make a large one as per the recipe however, last year I divided the dough into 3 to create little ones for friends. (the first photo on the left is a little one)  I encourage you to try it and if you cannot save the photo from here shoot me an email and I will send you a larger photo or I am sure there will be a recipe on the internet somewhere. (Note to self : create a recipe section within me website).  I would also like to add that I do bake it at a lower temperature and for a longer time as I use it for decoration it has to be hard as a rock and have all the moisture cooked out of it so it will not mould.  (noted in the 'cook's tips' on the recipe.)

If you choose to create either a corn husk dolly or a decorative sheaf share it on your social media and tag me so I can see your creation.

Wishing you a blessed Lughnasadh.
​Niki