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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com
July 31, 1991
10:30 EDT
This file contain a transcript of the 1991 Lammas ritual held online
in the
CompuServe RELIGION forum Section 8. The participants were:
User User ID Name
---- ------------- -------------------
1 72065,425 Cygnus
2 72730,2603 gaius
3 71600,621 Jehana
4 73715,1552 Larne
7 76304,3712 HAWK
8 71640,3711 SilverHawk
10 75325,1441 Shadow Hawk
12 71510,73 Peggy
This evenings ritual was designed and led by Shadow Hawk.
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{ } denotes an edit.
Text in {} has been changed, moved or editied in some fashion AFTER
the ritual was complete.
( ) denotes action.
If you see (text) in parentheses, it indicates something you should
do.
" " denotes something to say verbally.
If you see "text" in quotes, it is something for you to repeat.
If you see text by itself, read and follow along, ok?
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Ok, you all will need bread, charcoal, a cauldron/braiser of some
kind...
that you can ignite the charcoal in.
Does everyone know what Lammas is all about?
Ok, Lammas is a ritual dedicated to the Sun God, or the Corn God
Or a variety of other Gods that are known as sacrificial gods
called because the ancients believed that the sun at it's highest
point (middle of summer) died, and that the essense went into the
food to sustain life during the long cold winter ahead. This is the
time of the Corn King, as was said, the first of the Harvest times
when the first crops were brought in.
ok, then, we begin...
LAMMAS
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* (Visualize a cloud of incense falling across
the world, cleansing and purifying, and saying,)
"By the Spirits of Air and Fire I cleanse thee."
(Visualize a rain of water and the strength of
the Earth rising up and say,)
"By the Creatures of Water and Earth I cleanse thee."
* (Everyone visualize and connect with the south,
the element of Fire.)
Ye Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,
ye Powers of Fire; Spirits of Illumination and
Desire, I do summon, stir, and call you up, to
witness our rites and to guard the Circle.
(Connect with the West and the spirit of Water, )
Ye Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,
ye Powers of Water; Spirits of Death and
Initiation, I do Summon, stir, and call upon
you to Witness our Rites and to guard the
Circle.
(Connect with the North and the spirit of Earth,)
Ye Guardians of the Watchtower of the North,
ye Powers of Earth, Keepers of the Northern
Portals, Spirits of Mountain and Plains, I do
summon, stir, and call upon you to witness our
Rites and to Guard the Circle.
(Connect with the East and the spirit of Air, )
Ye Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East,
ye Powers of Air; Spirits of Clear Will and
Knowledge, I do summon, stir, and call you up,
to witness our rites and to guard the Circle.
(Visualize the Earth Herself illuminated in
a Circle of silver Light. )
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The Circle is cast, we are between the
worlds, beyond the boundaries of time, where
Night and Day Birth and Death, Joy and Sorrow,
meet as one.
* Listen to the words of the Great Mother, she
whom of old was also called among men Artemis,
Astarte, Athena, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite,
Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Brid, and by
many other names.
Whenever you have need of any thing, once in
the month, and better it be when the Moon is
full, then shall ye assemble in some secret
place and adore the spirit of Her, who is
Queen of all witches. There shall ye
assemble, ye who are fain to learn all
sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets,
to these will She teach things that are yet
unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery,
and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall
be naked in your rites, and ye shall dance,
sing, feast, make music and love, all in Her
praise. For Her's is the secret door that
opens upon the Land of Youth, and Her's is the
cup of the wine of life, and the Cauldron of
Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of
Immortality. She is the Gracious Goddess, who
gives the gift of Joy unto the hearts of Man.
Upon Earth, She gives knowledge of the spirit
eternal, and beyond death, She gives peace,
and freedom, and reunion with those who have
gone before. Nor does She demand sacrifice,
for behold, She is the Mother of all living,
and her Love is poured out upon the Earth.
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, she in
the dust of whose feet are the hosts of
Heaven, and whose body encircles the
Universe.
She who is the beauty of the green Earth, and
the white Moon among the stars, and the
mystery of the waters, and the desire of the
hearts of man, calls unto thy soul. Arise,
and come unto Her. For She is the soul of
Nature, who gives life to the universe. From
Her all things proceed, and unto Her all
things must return, and before Her face,
beloved of Gods and of men, let thine
innermost divine self be enfolded in the
rapture of the infinite. Let Her worship be
within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold,
all act of love and pleasure are Her rituals.
And therefore let there be beauty and
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strength, power and compassion, honor and
humility, mirth and reverence within you. And
thou who thinkest to seek for Her, know thy
seeking and yearning shall avail thee not,
unless thou knowest the mystery, that if what
thou seekest thou findest not within thee,
then thou shalt never find it without thee.
For behold, She has been with thee from the
beginning, and She is that which is attained
at the end of desire.
* (Light charcoal and Take piece of bread in hand. )
now is the time to light your charcoal, and take the bread in hand.
This is the time of Lugh, the Shining One, the
Bright One, the Golden One, the Sacrificed
One. He was conceived in the depths of
Winter, was Born in the Spring, Danced and
Loved in the Summer, and now, He Dies in the
Harvest so that we may Live through the long
Winter's Night.
Corn King, Sun King, Die and Be Reborn!
(Feel the death in the bread, the grains that
grew under the Sun, feeling the wind and the
rain on their husks, the sything of the grain
so that the bread may be made, the sacrifice
of Life so that Life could live. )
(Feel the Life in the bread, that which has
given up life, yet is filled with life, with
the sustanence that it provides, contemplate
hunger, and then the filling of that need.
See enough bread to feed the world., for the
God{dess} is not stingy, but looks after all
Her Children. )
(Holding the Bread in your hand, offer it up
for Blessings. )
"Oh Mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all
fruitfulness, give us fruit and grain, flocks
and herds, and children to the tribe, that we
may mighty. By the Rose of thy love, do thou
descend upon the body of thy children."
"Behold, the Holly King is dead, he who is
also the Corn King. He has embraced the Great
Mother, and died of his love, so has it been,
year by year, since time began. But if the
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Holly King is dead, he who is the God of the
Waning Year, all is dead; all that sleeps in
Her womb of Earth would sleep forever. What
shall we do therefore, that the Holly King may
live again?"
"We Shall eat of the bread of Life. Then
shall sleep lead on to rebirth."
(Tear off part of the Bread and offer it to the
Flame. As it ignites and smokes, see the
spark of life that will be reborne in the womb
of the Earth Mother in the Winter.)
As the bread smokes, see life and death in the smoke, one lives on
the
other...
and without both, we would not be.
"Come back to us, Holly King, that the land may
be fruitful."
I am the battle-waging spear;
I am a salmon in the pool;
I am a hill of poetry;
I am a ruthless boar;
I am a threatening noise of the sea;
I am a wave of the sea;
Who but I knows the secrets of the unhewn
dolmen?
(Feel the Essense of the God, His Birth, His
Life, and His Death, Gentle tongue, endless
passion, strength of His arms, the Warmth of
His Touch, and know that Thou art God as well.)
(Eat the Bread, and feel the essense of the God
on your tongue, and filling your body with
strenth for the trials of the Harvest and
Winter.)
* {(Connect with the East and feel the Air dying
down.)
Ye Powers of the East, thanks be yours for
attending our Rites, and ere ye depart to your
Sacred realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.}
(Connect with the North and feel the Earth
sinking down)
Ye Powers of the North, thanks be yours for
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attending our Rites, and ere ye depart to your
Sacred realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.
(Connect with the West and feel the ocean
retreating.)
Ye Powers of the West, thanks be yours for
attending our Rites, and ere ye depart to your
Sacred realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.
(Connect with the South and feel the fire
subsiding.)
Ye Powers of the South, thanks be yours for
attending our Rites, and ere ye depart to your
Sacred realms, we bid you Hail and farewell.
(Visualize the Circle expanding, beyond the
earth and out into space, bringing health and
good harvest throughout the world.)
"The Circle is Open, but never Broken, Merry
Meet, and Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!"
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THIS IS THE END OF THE 1991 LAMMAS ONLINE RITUAL.
Thanks to Shadow Hawk for leading us this evening and thank you all
for
attending (past or present) and I hope you will be able to join us in
person
for our next gathering.
If you have any questions or comments, you can contact:
75325,1441 - Shadow Hawk
71600,621 - Jehana
71640,3711 - SilverHawk
On the CompuServe RELIGION forum in Section 8 (NewAge/Pagan/Occult).
Peace and prosperity to you and yours.
SilverHawk
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S
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