A little bit about……

It is:

• Midpoint between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox
• Traditionally a festival of the first harvests.
•  Celebrating the Ancient Irish deity Lugh
• Celebration or feasts begin the Eve before the first of August, beginning at sunset.
• Green Man (also known as John Barleycorn) sacrifices himself at this time every year in order to enable human life on Earth.
• Begins the decent of the Sun into the time of Winter.

Lugh: 

• Lugh is an ancient Irish deity belonging to the Thuatha Dé Danann.
• Son of Cian and Ethliu, foster son of Tailtiu.
• Possessed many skills allowing him to join the Thuatha Dé Dannan including:smithcraft, poetry, music, sorcery, craftsmanship, warrior, champion, historian.
• After Lugh spared the life of Bres, a promise of a harvest was made, with the peoples of Ireland being taught by Bres on when to plough,sow and reap the lands.

John Barleycorn: 

• Symbolic figure with roots dating back to ancient paganistic beliefs
• Earliest written recording can be found on the Bannatyne Manuscript found in the National Library of Scotland, and dates to around 1568.
• Has roots in the early pagan practice of sacrifices made to the Earth Goddess.
• Corn dollies made from remnants of the harvest are representative of these sacrifices. Each one kept within the home from this time and then buried in the soil the following Spring, when the earth was toiled again, prior to sowing in the hope it brings fertility and bountiful harvest to the new crops
• Possesses elements from the Sun God dying and going back to the Earth Mother, ready to be reborn again in Spring.

Correspondences:

• Keywords: Abundance, Joy, Hope, Happiness, Transformation, Prosperity, Change, Birth
• Deities: Lugh, Isis, Ceres,
• Colours: Gold, Orange, Yellow, Red, Green
• Crystals: Citrine, Sunstone, Tigers Eye, Moss Agate
• Herbs: Yarrow, Calendula (Marigold), Sunflower, Rose, Blackberries
• Altar: Summer flowers, bread, corn, berries, corn dollies, wine, anything you have crafted, drawn or written yourself

Gratitude Ritual - although things may not have gone 100% your way, there are many things to be thankful for. Use this Eve to just give a little thanks to yourself for being an awesome human, for what you have in your life now, the lessons you have learnt and for the abundant days to come. Remember; abundance takes many forms and does not necessarily mean the possession of material things or money. Use this time to meditate upon the following things and what you want to see happen in the future.

Light one red candle for the personal sacrifices you have made, light a yellow/gold/orange (whichever one you have at your disposal) candle to honour the Sun for the joy it brings and for future success, light a green candle for Earth Goddess and all the good things you have and are yet to receive.