Merry Meet!
Welcome to The Rabbit’s Haven, the official newsletter of Rabbit Stew! We are delighted that you’ve joined us. |
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The First Harvest—we are surrounded by boundless blessings and recognize the richness of our lives.
Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO-nuh-suh) is a traditional Gaelic festival marking the start of the harvest season. Celebrated on August 1st—or halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox—the holiday honors the Celtic god Lugh and is historically associated with first fruits, feasting, athletic games, and community gatherings.
The festival gets its name from Lugh, a prominent deity in Celtic mythology known as a master craftsman, warrior, and sun god. According to myth, Lugh established the festival as a funeral feast and athletic competition in honor of his foster mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for farming.
Historically, the festival marked the beginning of autumn and was considered a critical time to secure food for the approaching winter.
Every witch’s path is unique, but here are a few suggestions for your Lughnasadh activities: make a corn dolly or a wheat weaving bake bread make and wear a wheat crown feast on seasonal food take a walk in nature to connect with the season. Look for signs of the harvest, such as ripe berries, golden fields, haystacks, and early fallen leaves. make a harvest wreath for your door reflect and plan play indoor and outdoor games refresh your altar with sunflowers, poppies, sweet corn, wheat and other grain, and yellow, brown and white candles
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LUGHNASADH CORRESPONDENCES |
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DEITIES Danu (Anu) Demeter/Ceres Hermes/Mercury Hestia/Vesta Lugh Osirus Tailtiu
SYMBOLS COLORS Brown: the earth, harvested grains Burnt Orange: celebration, the turn towards autumn Green: height of abundance Red: strength and energy Yellow-Gold: solar energy, peak of warmth
ANIMALS/CREATURES Bee: community, productivity Butterflies: celebration, end of summer, transformation Fox: resilience and innovation Grasshoppers: preparation for winter Horse: strength, hard work, dedication Livestock: sustenance and security Rooster: Lugh, vigilance, awakening, and renewal Squirrels: taking stock of blessings
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HERBS/PLANTS Barley: abundance, success and prosperity Chamomile: calm, comfort, healing, purification Goldenrod: good fortune, prosperity, and hidden wisdom Hops: celebration Marigolds: solar energy, ancestral connection, and protection Poppies: remembrance, death and rebirth, flower of Demeter Sunflower: happiness and vitality Sweet Corn: sweetness of summer Wheat: sustenance and security Yarrow: intuition, boundary-setting, and healing
TREES Hazel: divination and magic, associated with Hermes Oak: abundance, strength, success, confidence, longevity Rowan: courage & protection
STONES/CRYSTALS Amber: protection Bronzite: grounding, shielding, balance Carnelian: action, vitality, and motivation Citrine: abundance Garnet: life force Sunstone: solar vitality Tiger’s Eye: grounding
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Please enjoy this beautiful Lughnasadh poem by Kevin McManus:
LUGHNASADH
An assembly for the sun god Lugh, son of earth and sky. The fruits of the conjugal have ripened and matured. Climbing to the higher ground closer to the heavens, to a mountain reek. A celebration of the battle won for the harvest against Balor’s blight. An offering of the first fruits, a sheaf of corn, buried in the earth at the summit, the sacrifice of the bull and the green man to provide new life in Spring. Walking sunwise at the well, east to the west to the sun. Tying clooties to the hawthorn branch for healing and to honour the spirit. Halfway between the solstice and the equinox, a festival of life and bounty, the final of the four. Summer is growing old, the sun is sinking slowly in the sky days are shortening, the light is weakening, moving closer to the darkness. —Kevin McManus
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Oatmeal Cherry Bars
Ingredients: • 1-1/4 cup flour • 1-1/2 cup quick oats • 1/2 cup rolled oats • 1 cup brown sugar • 1 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp kosher salt • 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
For the Cherry Filling: • 5 cups sweet cherries fresh or frozen; stemmed and pitted; see notes. • 6 Tbsp water • 1/2 cup white sugar • 3 Tbsp cornstarch • 6 Tbsp lemon juice
Directions: 1. Prepare the cherry filling in advance as it needs to cool. Place cherry filling ingredients in medium sauce pan and stir well. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. If you want the filling to be smoother and less chunky, use a hand blender to slightly break the cherries into smaller pieces. 2. Preheat the oven to 350º F. 3. Line a 9 x 12 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. 4. Next prepare the base and the top dry layers. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter to form a crumbly mixture. 5. Spread 2/3 of the oat mixture and pat firmly and evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. 6. Spread the cherry filling evenly over the base. 7. Crumble the rest of the oat mixture evenly over the cherry filling. 8. Bake at 350º F until light golden brown, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before cutting.
NOTE: If using sour cherries, bump the sugar by two tablespoons and lower the amount of lemon juice to two tablespoons. This will account for the natural tartness of sour cherries and balance it out. |
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NOW AVAILABLE FROM RABBIT STEW
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Magical paper ephemera to use in your journal, book of shadows, grimoire, art journal, commonplace book, and more.
Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, and Lughnasadh are available online and in-store! |
We hope you enjoyed our Lughnasadh edition of The Rabbit’s Haven and we look forward to joining you for Mabon! |
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