With summer days getting shorter, signs of fall are becoming more apparent. Though the weather outside might be a different story, the earth around us shows signs that autumn is near, including grains being harvested, trees dropping their fruit, and the sun setting earlier at night. 

All of this earthly excitement acts as a doorway, ushering in the pagan holiday of Lammas. 

What is Lammas? 

Lammas, sometimes referred to as Lughnasadh, is a time to celebrate the upcoming fall harvest. Depending on your spiritual practice, Lammas can also be (and traditionally is) a day to celebrate the Celtic God, Lugh. In Celtic mythology, he is portrayed as a master craftsman and skilled warrior. It’s no surprise that games and craft fairs were held in honor of his memory. In some Irish villages, members would hold a funeral feast in honor of Lugh’s mother, Tailtiu, who supposedly passed away from exhaustion after clearing Ireland’s plains for the harvest. 

Baking bread and Lammas are also tied closely together. The world Lammas itself is derived from the old English phrase hlaf-maesse, which means loaf mass. In Ireland, it was good luck to wait until August 1st to pick the first sheaves of grain. By night, the farmer’s wife would rush to cook bread with new grains and make the first loaves to honor the harvest. If you were unable to use newly harvested grain, and had to reach for your previous years’ stash, it meant bad luck for the upcoming harvesting season. 

Like many sabbats, gratitude remains at the center of any holiday. It’s important to remember that by celebrating the harvest’s abundance, we are celebrating our ancestors and their survival efforts. It’s a good time to cultivate gratitude for our food and farmland, and the blessings the land provides for sustaining humankind. 

How Can I Celebrate Lammas? 

Depending on your culture or individual practice, there are a variety of ways to celebrate Lammas. The most common ways including the following: 

Decorate your altar: Using the colors of the season is a sacred way to honor Lammas. This includes a combination of oranges, reds, and dark yellows. Additionally, symbols of the harvest season, such as sickles and scythes, are placed on altars. These are accompanied by dried grains to celebrate the start of the harvest season. If you’re ​looking to brighten up your altar, consider adding sunflowers—the patron plant of Lammas—around its exterior. 

Practice craftsmanship: Because the holiday is associated with the God Lugh, craftsmanship is a heavy theme that’s been carried on for centuries. Whether it’s painting, singing, or playing an instrument, Lammas is the perfect opportunity to learn a new craft or build on an old hobby. And don’t forget to share your new (and old) gifts with those around you to celebrate! 

Bake bread: The center of Lammas revolves around baking bread. To have an abundant holiday dinner, bread-making is common across all families honoring the holiday. It’s the perfect way to bring families together to celebrate the harvest and home. Traditional Lammas feasts include each member taking turns breaking bread around the table. Consider doing the same with your family or by yourself. If you need inspiration, try this delicious recipe to create your own herbal-infused Lammas bread! 

Create a Corn Dolly: Creating corn dollies is an old Lammas tradition that has carried into modern day. To make your own, use stalks of wheat, barley, or rye if you have access to these plants. Using yellow ribbon, lace the stalks into a corn dolly to outline the shape of a woman. During the doll creation process, express gratitude and thanks for your harvest. Place your corn dolly onto your Lammas altar as the center of celebrations. At Samhain, the pagan holiday marking the end of the harvest season, take the remains of your corn dolly from the altar and return them to the earth. This is symbolic of sowing seeds of a future harvest for the following year. 


What Herbs and Plants are Associated with Lammas? 

Like many holidays on the Wheel of the Year, certain herbs play an important role in each sabbat. For Lammas specifically, here are a few herbs that can add a little magic to your day:

Yarrow: Yarrow has taken on different meanings and symbolism throughout the centuries. It’s been known to be a herb that casts away evil spells and hexes. People believe that stringing it across the doorway will prevent evil spirits from entering their home. To use yarrow in your own Lammas practice, place it around your neck as a form of protection.

Goldenrod: The bright happiness of goldenrod has an infectious energy for anyone who practices with it. Its uplifting nature has been known to help those with depression and grief. If you’re feeling overwhelmed this holiday season, consider using goldenrod on your altar to brighten the atmosphere—and your spirits, too. 

Vervain: The use of vervain can be traced back thousands of years for its role in spiritual and ceremonial services. In the Druidic tradition, many members believed vervain had supernatural powers to assist in getting in touch with the other side. Common vervain-based traditions during Lammas include healing rituals for those who need spiritual assistance. Use vervain essential oil as a blessing for your loved ones who need an extra health boost.

Meadowsweet: Also known as Bride of the Meadow, meadowsweet is another sacred herb of the Druids. Members would wear garlands made of meadowsweet around their neck during Lammas celebrations. If a Druidic wedding was taking place on Lammas, meadowsweet would be added to the bride’s bouquet. If you feel called to it, wear meadowsweet around your neck to honor the ancient tradition. 

Mint: Another herb close to the Druids, mint is known for its healing and protection powers. During Lammas, mint was used to attract abundance into one’s life. One of the best ways to use mint during Lammas is during a tea ritual, such as making a drink that includes mint leaves. This is a great way to honor your body and bless it with seasonal health. 


Final Thoughts on Lammas:

When celebrating Lammas, remember to choose the rituals that resonate with your heart. While there are a number of ways to honor the harvest, choose whichever practice you deeply connect with. Taking time to honor our earth and her abundance is important. Whether it’s baking bread, going on a walk, or meditating in the morning, take time to recognize the earth’s abundance—and magic—on this special day.

Marissa has been drawn to the world of aromatics and plants since she was a child. Certified in aromatherapy, Reiki, and meditation, she actively changes lives using these healing practices. Additionally, she is a holistic life coach, and works towards helping others heal while simultaneously getting in touch with their spiritual side. As Herbstalk's Market Manager & Community Engagement Assistant, Marissa draws upon years of experience to oversee vendor relations, event management, and social media outreach. As a longtime attendee and member of the Herbstalk community, she is beyond thrilled to be a part of the team! ​

“The Queen has hairy legs” said my teacher Tommy Priester and he’s right. One clear identifying trait of Queen Anne’s Lace is the fine “hair” on the stem of the plant. ​

Wild Yarrow is always white, and its flower is quite similar to both Queen Anne’s Lace and Water Hemlock.  Upon closer inspection, Yarrow’s flower is typically more “dense” than Queen Anne’s Lace, and does not have a center spot so common to the Queen. ​

To identify Yarrow properly, however, it’s always best to look at the stem and leaves.  Yarrow stems are smooth, and its leaves are quite different, as one can see upon closer examination. ​
​Yarrow leaf:

Queen Anne’s Lace leaf: ​

For more information about water hemlock, we encourage you to visit these sites: 
https://www.ars.usda.gov/pacific-west-area/logan-ut/poisonous-plant-research/docs/water-hemlock-cicuta-douglasii/

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cicuta_maculata.shtml

a cautionary tale: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00026056.htm

Ultimately, the safest rule of thumb is that if you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it. If you are unsure of the soil conditions in the area, don’t harvest it. Take a photo and ask your herbal community to help you ID the plant. ​

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

by Katja Swift

​This year at Herbstalk, I'll be talking about Herbs for Psychological and Emotional First Aid. Here, I want to share a somewhat different formula: herbs for people ASSISTING people who need psychological and emotional first aid! Whether you're responding to a local disaster or supporting a friend experiencing trauma or distress in their life, you need support too, especially if you're in it for the long haul. Here's a formula I love for just this type of work:

Aid Worker’s Elixir ("keep going and keep it together")

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosis)
Eleuthero is an adaptogen, which means that it helps the body manage stress in a fairly generalized way. Recently, adaptogens are starting to be defined as herbs that have explicit action on the HPA axis or on the stress-response functions of the endocrine system as a whole. In other words - adaptogens can help you keep going. Eleuthero is stimulating, but it has a somewhat different quality than caffeine. You definitely get the uplifiting action, but it's not quite as much of a spike as caffeine can be, and it doesn't have the tendency to cause "jitters" or upset digestion. Eleuthero is fantastic when you need to keep working even in extreme conditions without enough resources - and in fact, that's how a lot of the studies on this plant were done! ​

Angelica (Angelica archangelica)
Angelica is a plant of extremes - it lives most happily up near the Arctic Circle, where it's either all day or all night. Even in the summer, though the sun is out 20+ hours a day, it's never really warm. Angelica is a tall plant with a large, heavy flower head, and yet it's stem is a strong spine that can support that weight even in forceful winds. Angelica can give you energy to last through extremes without losing your balance, and to support others even when you're feeling tossed about. ​

Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea)
Rhodiola is another Arctic Circle plant. It thrives on extreme rocky outcroppings and can hold things together. Often this plant is touted as an "anti-depressant", but traditionally it was thought of more as an endurance plant. Imagine Vikings rowing in open boats across cold seas - physically, that's a tremendous feat. When you can't see the shore (and might not for a few days), everything is grey and damp and cold, and you just have to keep moving without losing your internal compass: that's Rhodiola!

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow is a battlefield plant - traditionally it was an ally to wounded soldiers. And of course, with its strong ability to staunch bleeding, it's easy to see why. But the protective qualities of Yarrow were so strong that in naming the plant, botanists reference Achilles, who was protected (or "armored"!) against all harm except for the place on his heel where his mother held him to dip him into the magic river. Physiologically, we work with Yarrow for bleeding, and emotionally that can be true too - to prevent your own resources from bleeding out of you while you're supporting others. But the mythology behind Yarrow - though we haven't invented the microscope that can explain it yet - also plays a part: Yarrow is like "emotional armor". When you need to be strong in difficult situations, when you need to put on your armor and head out to the emotional battlefield, Yarrow has an amazing shielding quality. 

Blend a strong decoction or make a tincture of these plants in equal parts. I like to add something sweet – maple syrup would be my first choice, or molasses, because of the mineral content and nourishing aspect, though honey is also a good choice. Just like chocolate helps you recover from the emotional onslaught of the Dementors in the Harry Potter stories, there's something particularly magic about the ability of sweet things to feel soothing in difficult times!  

Consume freely as needed. And of course, once you and your community are safe, let yourself sleep for a week!

This formula is fantastic whether you're working in a first aid tent after a natural disaster, supporting a loved one through hospice care, or even "just" supporting your teenager as they navigate the pits and falls of high school!

Katja has been teaching herbalism and practicing as a clinical herbalist since 1996. For ten years she owned and worked a 150-acre certified organic farm in central Vermont. During this time she taught monthly at the local coop, and as a guest lecturer at Dartmouth Medical School and the UVM Medical School. In 2011, she and her husband Ryn Midura founded the CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism, a vitalist school with a three-year clinical training program. In addition to this program, they offer a one-year community herbalist program and community classes and workshops. Katja serves as adjunct faculty at MCPHS University and Northeastern University, teaching vitalism and Traditional Western Herbalism to 100 PharmD students each year. Katja is also trained as a street medic and Wilderness First Responder, and has run in the streets or coordinated dispatch for actions in Boston, New York, and Ferguson. Katja writes regularly for Plant Healer Magazine and the Journal of the Northeast Herbal Association, among others. She has presented at the Traditions in Western Herbalism conferences, the American Herbalists Guild symposium, IM4US, and Herbstalk. ​