Lammas - Crafting Ideas you can use for your Gathering

Lammas is one of those seasonal changes that make me happy and sad at the same time.

Today I was outside and the sun has just crested down past the tops of the trees.  The breeze in the air was crisp and you could feel the dampness of the earlier rain in the air....  The wind was blowing through the trees and for the first time in month, I caught the hint of dryness that creates a symphony of new sounds.  "Crackle crackle"....

This makes me happy as while this is going on, the gardens are blooming with incredible growth but at the same time, I knows that fall is quickly coming to pay a visit.

Red Currents from our bushes on the south side of the Gardens

Usually I celebrate this changing of the seasons with a small ritual designed to offer thanks to the universe for the bounty (or harvest) in both my personal life, business and gardens.

Here's a few ideas you can use for your gathering:

 

If you grow herbs in your garden, this is a great time to collect and make smudge bundles.  You can use a variety of herbs such as sage, sweet grass, lavender, lemongrass etc.  If you are unsure of how to make them, you could also just collect a few herbs and make a loose incense you could burn on charcoal or use as offerings in a fall fire.  I have to say, I do most of my bundling and garden herb work during the month of August and it's a pure joy to use them in the deep of winter as a reminder of what's to come (green, fresh and lovely.. and not just snow snow snow)..

If you don't have a garden to pick from you could pick up herbs at your local market or grocery store (they often have nice plants.) Usually these plants are in the produce department and cost between $3 to $5 each OR you can buy sprigs of already cut herbs to use.  It's a nicer idea to use fresh herbs to represent that the earth is still producing its bounty.

 

Create an offering bowl - I'll post a tutorial on how to do this shortly.  You can use a quick air dry clay that can be purchased at most dollar and craft stores and add embellishments to your creation. As this is a time for thanks, its a perfect time to make something to use as well for this purpose.

Use a salt dough recipe to create a goddess figure for your ritual or just for decoration on your altar.  This is a family friendly idea and easy to do in a group setting as well.  I've also seen some amazing cinnamon dough recipes as well.

How do you celebrate this time of the year? 

Val