Since our last visit to the Wheel, even though the days have been getting perceptually shorter, it seems that the heat has continued to rise. The grains in the fields have taken advantage of the abundance of solar energy and have utilized this gift from the Sun to finish their growth cycle. Welcome to the First Harvest. Welcome to Lammas.
Lammas is the Christianized name for the Celtic holiday of Lughnassa. Lughnassa, which takes place at the beginning of August in the Northern hemisphere, is one of the four Greater Sabbats and marks the beginning of the harvest season. Lughnassa means the games of Lugh, a Celtic warrior and solar deity. Legend has it, however, that He created the games to commemorate the passing of the his foster mother, Taillte. The games, which were contests of strength and endurance, were also referred to as the Tailltean games.
By the time Lughnassa is nigh, the grains in the field have ripened and are now ready to be threshed and stored for the months ahead. Historically this is when the abled body men of the village would head to the fields to begin the arduous task of harvesting the grain. The men had to work quickly as the stalks were cut down to ensure that the harvest was successful. Wait too long and the crop may be lost. Harvest too early and the yield will be diminished. In fact there were so many ways that the crop could be ruined that it is truly amazing that our ancestors were able to successfully harvest the grains from their fields at all.
It has been what seems like an eternity since we were forced to abandon normality in order to combat a relentless enemy. While there may be some continuance of outbreaks there is a burgeoning majority that is starting to return to their day to day activities. Activities that we took for granted just a year and a half ago. As we begin the herculean task of rebuilding our lives the energy of the God will be there to fuel our efforts.
Our ancestors believed that the Spirit of the God manifested in the grain and that by eating it they would receive a portion of his strength and energy. Scientifically, if we accept the belief that the Sun corresponds to the God as they did, their assessment is not really that farfetched. The Sun’s light is converted by the plant, through photosynthesis, into the food that it needs to grow and reproduce by forming seeds. By eating the seeds we receive a portion of that converted Sunlight. Since the grain housed the essence of the God to our ancestors, it was important to treat the harvested grains with respect. Our forebears believed that this would insure that the harvest would be a success.
Tradition has it that the last stalk would be made into a special totem, a poppet in the form of a small man like figure. The totem was believed to house the Spirit of the God. The effigy would then be brought indoors and given a place of reverence on the mantle. The name bestowed upon this yearly creation was John Barleycorn. From his lofty perch John would receive the adoration of his believers in form of toasts, poems and song.
John would remain on his perch of honor for approximately 6 months. When it was time to break the ground for next year’s planting, John would be taken down from his place on the mantle and brought back out to the fields. With great ceremony he would then be interred in the freshly exposed soil. It was thought that this would allow the essence of the God to disperse into the field once more and insure that next year’s crop would be as successful as that of the previous year.
If you live on a farm, you can perform the same rituals today. If, however you live in a more urban location, you can do a similar type of magic by modifying the procedures a little. Obtain a stalk of wheat or other grain either from a Farmers Market or from a craft store (sometimes they will carry stalks of grain for use in decoration projects.) Create your John Barleycorn poppet and place him upon your alter or other place of reverence. Over the next several months, during ritual, channel the energy of the God into your creation. When it is time to commence new projects next Spring¸ take your totem outside and bury the effigy in the ground. As you are performing the task ask that the God’s energy go forth to help you achieve your goals.
May the grains of the First Harvest bless your table with their bounty Blessed Be Balinnor
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