Sacred Grove - Summer

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Lughnasadh/Lammas Ritual

I performed my first Core Order of Ritual (COoR) this morning in honor of Lughnasadh.  I had originally planned to celebrate this high day out in my woods, but the forecast was calling for rain, so I played it safe and set everything up on my small indoor altar.

Here are a few thoughts on the experience:

1.  For my next High Day, I am going to memorize the entire ritual.  I don't like having to shuffle papers and reading from a ritual "script" felt clumsy and awkward.  I would want it there in case I got lost or needed to use it as a memory prompt, but I was so busy concentrating on reading the words and trying to find creative ways to free up my hands so I could light the candles and make offerings, that a great deal of the ritual's meaning and emotion got lost.

2.  I need to bring more offerings.  What I gave didn't feel like it was enough.  (Offerings were homemade baked bread, herbs, flowers, and greens from my gardens, and an alcoholic beverage I made from the strawberries I picked at a local farm this past June). 

3.  I didn't draw an omen because I haven't decided upon a divination system yet.

4.  I forgot to wear my ritual shawl.

5  Although my altar was beautiful, it's small and I would have preferred to be outside.  It's a perfect place for my morning and evening devotionals, but for a High Day ritual, it began to feel claustrophobic...I prefer to have enough room to stretch my wings.  

      It may sound like I'm only focusing on the negative, when in fact there was a great deal of positive things that came out of it.  I learned what I need to change and improve upon for my next ritual, but more importantly, I realized how much I actually enjoy doing it.  I get to be an active participant instead of someone stuck sitting in the pews and bored to death.  I feel like I've crossed a major hurdle. 

Second High Day Explanation - Lammas/Lughnasadh