In this #grimoirezine, we take a look at #Lughnasadh, also known as #Lammas.
Practical Info
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I regularly attend zine festivals and will always make sure to announce when I will be tabling at the next event!
link:
https://www.darkhabits.net/post/lughnasadh-grimoire-zine
My oven is broken and I was dying for a pumpkin spiced something. I have a big counter top turkey roaster so I figured.. ha! I also wanted to make it so my daughter could eat it so I created a gluten and dairy free cake using certified gluten free rolled oats:
Dry:
4 cups of freshly pulverized oats into flour (measure after you take it out of the blender)
2 cups unrefined organic cane sugar
1 tsp each of cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp each of whole allspice smashed in a mortar and pestle, and salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Wet:
2 cups of pumpkin puree (from the freezer from last year's jack o' lantern)
1 pint of home canned applesauce (trying to use up last year's)
1/2 cup of oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
Mix all together really well then let sit for a few minutes to hydrate the oat flour.
I put this into an angel food pan because it fit well on the rack inside my turkey roaster but wow, did it take a long time to bake, at least an hour and a half or longer. I was testing it every 10 minutes for the last 40 minutes or so at 350 degrees. Next time, I will bake it in a 9 x 13 instead, which also fits in the turkey roaster. It makes a very soft, moist, crumbly cake. We have been devouring it this afternoon. It would be amazing with cream cheese icing... but dairy... so it is unadorned.
Happy #Lughnasadh!
May your harvest be plentiful and your belly full!
#MythologyMonday: `Chariot and horse racing were the main events for a while, although jockeys and charioteers weren't held in high regard, and this part of the festival was held near to where the Curragh racetrack can be found today. As well as horse races of various sorts, hurling was important, although the teams could be as large as one hundred and fifty young lads to a side! There were also artificial lakes dug and water sports were held upon them.
As well as those events the games featured long jumps, high jumps, spear throwing, contests of strength, sword fighting, archery, swimming, rowing, wrestling, boxing, staged battles and slinging.` #Celtic #Lughnasadh
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games
That changes depending on the year… Weekly Recap 8/4/2025
My idea of a “daily carry” has changed over the years. Let’s leave out the obvious answers here like “cell phone” and “wallet” or anything related to money.
For some years of my life, it was important to always have a lighter in my pocket. Even after I quit smoking, I still carried a lighter for quite some time. I know it sounds strange, but I kept it with me in case someone else nearby needed to use it.
That was actually part of a book I read once, Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges. The challenge for that particular section was to carry something with you specifically for other people to use. I think I may have mentioned it before. It was a curious book.
At other times in my life, it’s been necessary to carry a pen at all times. Of course, I ruined many pairs of pants with the ink leaking through the pocket, so I stopped doing that.
And at other times still, I’ve made sure to keep a guitar pick somewhere on my person. You never know when someone is just going to hand you a guitar and expect you to start playing, right? Yes, it happens. So it’s important to have a pick…
But those are all fairly mundane objects. The things I constantly keep with me now are mostly of personal or spiritual significance — a ring on my right middle finger, a necklace around my neck, and a bracelet on my left wrist. I’ve had them on for years and they rarely come off. Actually, I think it’s been more than a year since I last removed the bracelet.
There is one thing, though, that I haven’t left the house without wearing for the longest amount of time…
My wedding ring 🙂
And I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to not have it on!
Daily writing prompt What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time? View all responsesGood morning and happy Monday, friends! Happy start to August!
I hope everyone had a lovely Lammas… or Lughnasad… or whatever you choose to call it!
I’ve got some big news! My book’s cover has finally been released… and with that little bit of information, I can also tell you that Christopher Penczak wrote the foreword.
I talked about this in a Facebook post yesterday, but I’ll share it again here. At the beginning of this year, I was running some errands… honestly, it was in a reasonably familiar area that’s fairly close to our house. I got an email alert on my phone and all I could see was that it was from Christopher and said “Attachment: Foreword to…”
In my excitement, I managed to make several wrong turns and then proceeded to get lost for about 15 minutes.
It is truly an honor for me to have someone like Christopher Penczak not only just read my work, but also to “lend their name” so to speak and write the foreword!
So… yeah, I’ve been sitting on that detail for about 6 months now and I’m happy to finally be able to make it public.
I realize I’m posting a little bit later than usual. That’s only because it was such a ridiculously busy morning! I just finished up a wonderful conversation with Jessica Howard, author of The Art of Lithomancy. She answered all of my lithomancy-related questions and even demonstrated how to do a full lithomancy reading with her own personal set. You can catch all of this in a future episode of M3, of course.
In other news, we’re back from Texas. My sister’s wedding was a success! I’ve got tons of pictures, but they’re mostly family-oriented, so I’ll pass on sharing them. Instead, settle for this picture of me and my beautiful wife.
It’s kind of weird to get back from a trip in the middle of the week. Since it was a short week for us, I skipped on doing a new book review (which, yes, bothers me that I broke the cycle). With the time I did have to work on things, all of my content was pretty rune-centered… as you can probably see from the links at the top.
On Friday night we had our coven Lughnasadh celebration. Check out this cool altar.
The ritual was led by two of our students and we all had a great evening. And yes, there was bread!
In the world of food aside from bread, Selene and I found a brand new Indian restaurant that’s very close to our house.
It was tasty! Although I can’t say it’s the best in the area… it is the closest — so there’s that.
I do have one more big thing to admit to everyone…
We went to Olive Garden.
And we enjoyed it.
These next few weeks are going to be pretty crazy. We’ll all be getting back into the swing of things with school starting…
Oh, and I don’t just mean for the kids. Selene and I are both furthering our education.
Anyway, that’s all for now! Stay tuned for more…
Hello friends. I linked to two books on this page. Those are both Amazon referral links. If you use one of those links to make a purchase, then Amazon will pay me a tiny commission. You totally should buy them, though, because they’re both very interesting books. Have I ever linked to a book that isn’t interesting? I don’t think so.
#altar #bread #carry #dailyprompt #dailyprompt2025 #food #lammas #lughnasadh #school #texas #updates
#MythologyMonday: `Each Tailteann festival was in three parts – giving honour to the dead, the proclamation of laws, and the funerary games and festivities which followed. There was a universal truce throughout the games, with severe penalties for breaking it, and all blood feuds and vengeance-taking would be left aside.
The Druids chanted dark Guba songs and ceapógs, memorial songs for those who had died, joined by the friends and families of the fallen, for up to three days, after which the dead would be burnt on a single enormous funeral pyre until they were turned to ash.
After this began the official business of the land, and the Masters of Ireland, those most skilled in the sciences and arts, would convene with the bards and druids and tell the people of any new laws that had been decided upon. This was ended with the lighting of another enormous bonfire.
And then, last but far from least, began what most saw as the main event, the Cuiteach Fuait! These were games and shows that tested the skill and power of the people of Ireland.` #Celtic #Lughnasadh
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games
#MythologyMonday: `The Áenach Tailteann, or Tailteann festival, was convened by the High King and held from the July fortnight to #Lughnasadh, sometimes spanning the whole month, being the most important event of the year. People would come from near and far, and the festival symbolised the High King's magnificence. The fertility festival of Carmun was held at the same time, once every three years.
The mound of Rathdhú (https://voicesfromthedawn.com/teltown/), or the Black Rath, was ringed by a “low earthen rampart, on which, the country-people say, the spectators sat while games were celebrated on the circular green sward before their feet” and this would have been about eighty five meters across.` #Celtic
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games
#MythologyMonday: `The Tailteann games became the greatest spectacle of the ancient world, renowned throughout all the lands for their grandeur and energy. For almost three thousand years they were held without pause or break in the tradition, until the coming of the Normans around 1171, when they were suppressed for some time. #Fionn MacCumhaill himself was said to have joined them to find warriors for his Fianna, as well as Cú Chulainn and most of the ancient heroes of Ireland.` #Celtic #Lughnasadh
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games
#MythologyMonday: `A thousand years before the Olympic games were founded, the Tuatha De Dannan had arrived in Ireland and defeated the Fir Bolg, establishing their place on the Emerald Isle. The mighty queen Tailtiu had married Eochaid mac Eirc of the Fir Bolg, but he was killed during the invasion of Ireland by the Tuatha, so the leader of the invaders took her for his own wife.
This was Eochaidh Garbh, the father of the infamous hero Lugh Lámhfhada, the Ollamh Éireann or grand master of the arts and sciences, and so she became the foster mother of Lugh. She laboured long and hard for her new family – too hard in fact, for after she had cleared the plains of wood and stones so they could be planted she died of exhaustion!
“She told them in her sickness
(Feeble she was but not speechless)
That they should hold funeral games to lament her –
Zealous the deed.
About the Calends of August she died,
On a Monday, on the Lugnasad of Lug;
Round her grave from that Monday forth
Is held the chief Fair of noble Erin.
White-sided Tailtiu uttered in her land a true prophecy,
That so long as every prince should accept her,
Erin should not be without perfect song.”
In great grief at the loss of such a powerful queen, Lugh declared that games should be held in her honour at least every three years, although usually more often, and she was buried under the mounds at the place we today know as Telltown in County Meath.` #Celtic #Lughnasadh
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games
Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa
Today, Monday 4th August 2024, being the first Monday in August, is a Bank Holiday in Ireland. This holiday was created by the Bank Holiday Act of 1871 when Ireland was under British rule. While the August Bank holiday was subsequently moved to the end of August in England and Wales, it has remained at the start of August in Ireland.
We have had some proper Bank Holiday weather, in the form of Storm Floris. Although the worst of this passed to the West of Maynooth, the winds were powerful enough to blow one of my wheelie bins over.
As I mentioned last week, the first day of August marks the old pagan festival of Lughnasadh, named after the God Lugh, on which is celebrated the beginning of the harvest season. This coincides with the English Lammas Day, one of many Christian festivals with pagan origins. Traditionally this is the start of the harvest season and is celebrated accordingly, with rites involving the first fruit and bread baked from flour obtained from the first corn. It is also one of the cross-quarter days, lying roughly half-way between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere).
I’m reminded that this time last year I was still on sabbatical. That seems like ages ago. When I resumed teaching last September I had to teach two modules I’d never taught before: a fourth-year Mathematical physics course on Differential Equations and Complex Analysis and a second-year Engineering Mathematics course. This time should be a bit easier as I get to do both of these again. Over the year I also had a final-year undergraduate project student and an MSc student. Both have been a pleasure to work with. The Masters course lasts a calendar year so that one isn’t quite finished, but the deadline for handing in their dissertation is close, next Monday (11th) in fact.
After I return to work tomorrow the next big item on the agenda is the repeat examination period, which starts on Wednesday August 6th. The fates have conspired to require me to be “on call” for four papers next Saturday (two of my own and two covering for a colleague): three of these are scheduled at 12.30 and the other one at 15.30 so I’l have to be by the phone all afternoon in case any matters arise. I also have three others scattered through the approximately ten days of the examination period.
After the repeat examinations are done, the marks uploaded, and the Examination Board has done its work, the next job will be to prepare for the new intake of students. This year’s Leaving Certificate results will be announced on Friday 22nd August, at which point we’ll see how many students (if any) we have studying Physics next academic year which, if all goes to plan, will be my antepenultimate…
#LáSaoireIMíLúnasa #Lugh #Lughnasadh #MaynoothUniversity #StormFloris
Me, @jdekg, and @MattyCakes had a darn fine time at the #Lughnasadh / #Lammas ritual. We got wheat!
#FolkloreSunday: `At the time of #harvest, that aspect of the goddess of the land associated with the grain dies or is carried away, and her death is honored with funeral games.` #Lughnasadh #Celtic
Source: Ronald Hicks `Dún Aillinne’s Role in Folklore, Myth, And The Sacred Landscape`
Set off some #Lughnasadh fireworks. Spouse told me I'm crazy, nobody knows it's a holiday. Are August fireworks a thing?
Happy Lughnasadh to those who celebrate it. In 2023, I made this mixed-media artwork inspired by the Pagan tradition.
#AnimalArt #Animal #Animals #Art #Artwork #Avian #Bird #Birds #Boline #FediArt #Handmade #Heather #Holiday #Lughnasadh #MastoArt #MixedMedia #Otherkin #Pagan #Raven #Rosemary #Sickle #Spiritual #Spirituality #Therian #TraditionalArt #Tree #WheelOfTheYear #Wand #Wheat #Yarrow
...is the crow, greeting the early Autumn morning.
