“It’s not just about celebrating what has gone well, but it’s also looking at what hasn’t. What am I really harvesting right now? And what needs to go back to the earth.”

Embracing the Power of Lammas: Rituals, Reflections, and Real-Life Harvests for Modern Witches

The turning of the seasons is never just a matter of sunlight and shifting leaves—it’s a deeply personal journey mirrored in the cycles of our lives. Nowhere is this more apparent than at Lammas (also known as Lughnasadh), the first harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year, typically falling on August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere. While we often visualise golden wheat and freshly baked loaves, this sacred time offers far more than bucolic imagery. Lammas calls us not only to honour our tangible harvests but to meet our own inner landscapes with honesty, courage, and grace.

Lammas: More Than Just Bread and Feasting

The Old English origin of “Lammas” is “loaf mass,” a festival acknowledging the first loaves baked from the new season’s grain, traditionally offered back to the land in reverence and gratitude. In Celtic tradition, Lughnasadh celebrates the god Lugh through feasting, games, and heartfelt rites of gratitude. Both roots intertwine around the idea of harvest—what has flourished, what has faded, and what asks to be returned to the earth.

But beneath the practical rituals—baking bread, lighting candles, making offerings—is a unique opportunity to tune inward. Lammas isn’t only about what’s growing robust in the fields. It’s a powerful checkpoint asking: Where have you been investing your energy? What does your real harvest look like this year?

Reflections on Real-Life Growth

Not every seed we plant—whether in the soil, our work, or our relationships—bears fruit. Some ideas or connections may wither. Others, which seemed vigorous at first, may quietly unravel. Each of us faces projects abandoned mid-journey, plans that lost their appeal, or people who have gently drifted away. Recognising what hasn’t yielded is just as necessary as celebrating what has.

For me, this year brought profound growth—launching a new studio, hosting retreats, and weaving community—but it also carried the weight of burnout. Lammas asks us to pause, not with the drive to “achieve” another task on the to-do list, but with space to genuinely celebrate, gently grieve, and consciously release.

It’s not the soft kind of leafy kind of growth, but the kind that stretches you at the roots. Honouring both achievement and exhaustion becomes central. Sometimes, the magick lies in letting go—of old patterns, beliefs, or burdens that have silently overstayed their welcome.

Rituals Rooted in Reality

So, how can we as modern witches or soulful seekers approach Lammas with authenticity? I suggest keeping things beautifully simple — especially if, like me, you’re already feeling “full” or overcommitted. Ritual needn’t be elaborate or forced.

The Fire Ritual: Write down what you are ready to release. Don’t rush. Sit with each item or pattern, considering how it’s still alive in your life and why you might be holding on. Only then offer it to the flames—perhaps with a pinch of mugwort to amplify clarity—allowing smoke to carry your intentions skyward.

Altar-Crafting: There’s no need for perfection. Perhaps your altar includes calendula, a few wheat stalks, crystals like amber or citrine, or a simple found object from a recent walk. These tokens represent what’s come full circle for you this year.

Baking and Offerings: Baking bread or a seasonal treat grounds you in the abundance of now. Offering the first slice back to the land—shared with garden birds or quietly placed in a wild space—honours both seen and unseen connections.

Nature Walks: Take a slow, mindful walk. Notice the hedgerows, ripening berries, or the gentle decay marking nature’s transitions. Often, insight arises not from structured ritual but from immersion in the living landscape.

Questions for Honest Harvest

Self-reflection is at the heart of this sabbat. I invite you to journal or meditate on the following questions:

What am I actually harvesting right now—physically, emotionally, energetically?

What have I given my time and energy to this year, and was it worth it?

Where do I feel full? Where do I feel drained?

What is ready to be released, even if part of me still clings to it?

There’s no need for neat answers or polished conclusions. The willingness to ask—gently, honestly—might be the greatest act of magic you perform this Lammas.

Ritual Ideas for a Personal Celebration

Make an offering—herbs from your garden, foraged berries, or home-baked bread. Let your gratitude be tangible.

Tie a knot or braid—use red thread or grasses to symbolise release. Burn, bury, or hang it to mark endings.

Create a harvest altar or grid—be as minimal or elaborate as calls to you. Let the objects hold your stories.

Simply light a candle and eat something from the earth—even the smallest act, paired with gratitude, is enough.

Embracing Simplicity and Presence

The truest Lammas ritual is one rooted in authentic presence. If all you do this Lammas is light a candle and eat something from the earth and say thank you, that is enough. Honour yourself, your journey, and the cycles that turn within and around you.

Are you ready to discover your own harvest—of blessings and lessons—and to celebrate what wants to be kept, and release what needs to return to the earth?

Watch the full video on The Wild and Untamed Way YouTube Channel: “Lammas Magick for the Modern Witch – Rituals, Reflections, and Real-Life Harvests,” for rituals, reflections, and personal stories that will deepen your sabbat in the most authentic way.