Baking the Lammas Loaf

This year, I volunteered to bake the Lammas bread for our Lughnasadh/Lammas Ritual and Festival.  Because of my passion for baking fresh, hearty homemade bread, it felt like the right way for me to participate as fully as possible in the ritual.  I started by finding a good recipe for whole wheat bread and then gathered all of the ingredients that I did not have, including sprouted wheat flour, Red Wheat, Flax and Barley (to add fresh sprouted grains to the loaf), and a ground 10 grain blend.  Last night, I performed a blessing ritual, placing the whole and ground grains and salt that I will be using in the load on my Alter, giving thanks to each and the Goddess for providing me with the nutrients, both spiritually and physically, that these grains would provide us with.

This morning, I placed the whole grains in a glass jar with some purified water so they can begin the sprouting process, which should take about 4 days.  I’ve returned the grains to the alter with several gemstones, chosen to lend their energies to the final loaf.  They are:

Carnelian: Energy Infusion. Aids in digestion and strengthens community spirit.

Tree Agate: Tree Agate is deeply connected to nature and can help bring one into contact with nature spirits when used during ritual. Tree Agate can also can assist those who need to recognize the importance and influence of cycles in one’s life.  Since this is the first time I am actively contributing to a Sabbat celebration, I felt it important to include some Tree Agate.

Serpantine: Serpentine can be used to attract/manifest what you want into your life–abundance on all levels, prosperity, love, healing, etc.It aligns your intent with the Heart Chakra and Source energy.

Chalcopyrite: Chalcopyrite strengthens contact with the ancient cultures of the universe. Chalcopyrite does this by acting as a bridge, a connective force, between the physical and other cultures.  I felt this would allow me to tap into the energies of Lammas rituals from ages past.  Chalcopyrite also removes all types of energy blockages, and since I am a bit nervous with this being my first time making a Lammas loaf, felt it would be a good addition to the alter.

Note that the vessels holding the salt and 10 grain blend are also natural stone;  Jasper for the salt (which includes a quartz point to focus cleansing energies) and  Obsidian for the grains. Obsidian is a very grounding and protective stone.  It is used as a great cleanser of negative energies and is often used for healing and releasing energy blockages.  Likewise. Brecciated Jasper is a nice grounding stone, promoting health and organization. Brecciated Jasper can help one in developing creativity and with finding adequate outlets for the expression of this creativity.  I’m a firm believer that every ritual should inspire, and be inspired by, a bit of creativity.

What Being a Witch Means

Despite living in the “information age”, there is still a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding about what being a Witch really is.  Although it’s no longer illegal, or worse, a practice that will result in being beheaded or burned alive, there is still a great deal of fear and judgment projected onto our giving and compassionate religion.  As a personal anecdote, my own Mother-in-Law at first refused to attend her only son’s wedding because her religion teaches that Wicca is a heathen religion.  Because we were married by a High Priestess, outdoors, and with a ceremony based in Wiccan tradition, she first told my husband she would be unable to attend. After speaking with her in great detail about what the ceremony would be like, how many of the traditions would be familiar to her (as they were adopted by the Christian church centuries ago) and that there would be no blood sacrifices, black robes or nudity (all of which were concerns of hers), she agreed to attend.  After the ceremony, she pulled me aside and told me how beautiful and touching it had been and thanked me for convincing her to come. Though I know she still wishes that we followed in her faith, she has a new respect and understanding of our faith and what it means to us.

One of the greatest perpetrators of modern misinformation about Wicca is in fact amplified by it’s current popularity, at least in pop culture.   Whether it’s on television in shows like Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, on the big screen in Oz, the Great and Powerful, or at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hollywood paints a very colorful and fantastic view of what it means to be a Witch.   Do I have a wand?  Sure.  Does it levitate things and summon a Patroness?  Nope!  Do I cast spells?  Sure!  Do my spells often result in a colorful display of pyrotechnics?  Nope.  But at least they, for the most part, are now portraying Witches as a force for good.  Even the Broadway play “Wicked” shows that the infamous Wicked Witch of the West was simply misunderstood.  *wink*

But of course, there is still the overall notion in our culture that any Witch is a bad Witch. Just last week, someone who was not too thrilled with me called me a Witch.  I thanked him.  Puzzled, he asked why I had thanked him for insulting me.  I told him that I didn’t take being called a Witch as an insult.  In fact, if he was calling me a Witch, than he must feel that the action I had taken, the one that had upset him, was for the greater good, as that is the code we Witches live by.  Needless to say, he was not very happy that his “insult” had not received the reaction he thought it would. 🙂

 Until next time, Blessed Be.