Monday, August 13, 2012

Lughnasadh Celebrations

And July becomes August. Summer slips away with the twilight on Lughnasadh, the eve of August and the Celtic autumn. Summer meets its moment of truth - seed becomes fruit - and fruit becomes the harvest of Lughnasadh. ~ C. Austin

August 1st marked the celtic/pagan sabbath of Lughnasadh or Lammas and with it the celebrations of this years first harvest.  Though I was a bit under the weather this year I took a few hours out of my crazy schedule to gather with friends, pausing from the breakneck pace of this life to give acknowledged yet again the turning of the wheel.  It is important not only that I remember to give thanks to mother earth as she cycles through the very seasons that bring us life, but also to make sure my daughter knows to recognize the changes of energy and bounty that each turn of the wheel brings.  It is so simple to light a candle and tell again the story of how each sabbath has been celebrated since, what seems to me, the dawn of time, to sing and sway to a rhythm that emits from the earth and centers in each soul that stops to truly listen.  I want to make sure that Raine "feels" the changes of each season throughout this life and is able to tie them to the changes of her body as she grows and moves through the seasons of her life, to know that we are all connected with everyone and everything around us, and to gather her strength from that knowledge and her connection to self and spirit. 

As part of this celebration it is custom for everyone to bring a dish created from spoils of the first harvest, corn, bread, squash, fresh fruit and herbs are just a few of the things that can be found in abundance this time of year.  It is a way to not only acknowledge what we have to be grateful for but to really experience and find joy in this time of year and all that the summer has to offer.  I chose to make two dishes, one savory and one sweet as I believe there should be balance in all things, life especially.  My first dish was as basic as you can get, a roasted corn bathed in a sauce of rosemary, orange and lime(zest & juice), butter, salt and pepper, which is bright and bold and while still keeping the base flavor of the corn, adds an entirely unexpected and delightful difference.

For my sweet addition I wanted a more decedent and complex dish, with a full and heavy flavor, that when served at the end of the evening could settle depply into the palate and drift it's partakers off into vivid dreams of places and times long past.  I chose a simple Scottish cheesecake, rich in cream and eggs, and cheese, full bodied on its' own but swoon worthy when stuffed and topped with fresh raspberries and a homemade raspberry sauce.  It was my first attempt at a cheesecake of any kind and I must say it was good!

The evening was filled with magick and a sense of remembrance and peace and I am lucky to have shared it with like minded friends and a lovely daughter that I shall most certainly keep :)

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