Lammas Ritual

Laura Tempest Zakroff

When folks talk about celebrating a good harvest, we are often thinking about what we’re receiving from that harvest: fruits, vegetables, grains, and other food to get us through the winter. We may also be remembering the months of our own labor of tending to the land. All those hours watering, weeding, tending, and protecting our crops has paid off. We may also offer thanks to a particular deity for blessing our harvest.

As I look out at my yard and around my neighborhood in the late summer, I see plants that are starting to show the wear of producing and the effects of long exposure to sun and thunderstorms. There’s a sense of urgency to get those last flowers out and bear that fruit before the first kiss of autumn arrives. The land itself feels tired but persistent and determined. It has put in as much labor as we have, working alongside and with us to nurture our gardens.

Giving Back Gratitude

It’s good to celebrate the harvest, but it’s just as important to honor our relationship with the land as well. Consider what we can give back to it in appreciation for its efforts. This act of giving back can not only strengthen our bond with the land, it can also provide physical and metaphysical sustenance for the year to come.

It’s very easy to give back to the land and show it some gratitude beyond the daily maintenance. Just taking a little time out of your day to collect an offering, present it to the land, and show it some respect can make a big difference. You can do it just once on a specific day or offer several kinds of offerings over the course of a week, month, or season. My favorite time to make an offering is early morning or at sunset—those liminal times where the world around us is transitioning. I do them as I feel inspired by the land.

Offerings

Here are just a few ideas of different kinds of offerings you can make for the land:

• Compost replenishes the nutrients in the soil. I keep a small compost can in my kitchen to collect eggshells, coffee grounds, peels, and other greens. Then I deposit those in my larger bin outside and distribute the compost when it’s ready. Easy to do if you have a yard and the space to work with, but not ideal for apartments, small spaces, and city-living, though many cities now offer compost pick-up as well, so you can contribute that way if your city participates.
• Water is a precious resource, so even though it seems ordinary, to offer water to the land still has a lot of power. Be careful not to overwater, pay attention to the needs of the land.
• Milk and honey are traditional and very effective. Be careful how and where you leave these gifts so as not to attract unwanted pests. You might want to have consecrated bowls or plates just for this task that you can tend to regularly.
• Offerings from the harvest. Many gardeners I know always leave a portion of their harvest for the land and the wildlife to enjoy. If you didn’t grow the food yourself but got it from a local farmstand or market, then you can make an offering from that instead.
• Performing dance, poetry, or song for the land is perfect for creative folks; our own talents are beautiful gifts that give nourishing energy to the land. You can incorporate these into a larger ritual as well.
• Biodegradable art. I love to make dolls from what’s in my garden, collecting sticks, big leaves, seed pods, and flowers to make a simple doll that I leave in certain spots of the yard that feel right. You can also gather bouquets locally and make offerings of them.
• Plant indigenous and native plants. Making the effort to work with plants that are native to the land when possible often helps bring balance to the garden.
• Giving of our own bodies—saliva, hair, breath, blood—is not only a powerful way to connect with the land, but also can add back vital nutrients to the earth. (If your hair is chemically treated, I’d skip this one.) Also, I suggest burying blood versus leaving it on the surface. Taking time to talk with the land is a gift of breath.
• Locally produced beverages: tea, wine, beer, cider, mead, etc. If you make your own spirits or support a local business that does, this is another traditional offering that tends to be well received by the land spirits. Tea is perfect if you don’t want to use an alcoholic beverage.
• Cleaning up and clearing trash and debris, or removing invasive plants, etc. can show deep appreciation for the land. Be sure not to disturb habitats and ecosystems though—keep some areas of fallen leaves for insects and other animals to weather the winter in.
• Beautifying the landscape with sustainable art and sculpture. Adding a bird fountain and a pond to our yard created new habitats and opportunities for the wildlife in our area. Rocks, ceramics, and concrete sculptures can also do the same while beautifying the space.
• Donate to local organizations. Short on time, don’t have the space to grow things, or a good spot where you can leave offerings? Consider donating (if you have money) or volunteering (if you have time) to local groups who work with the land. Near where I live, there is a city-farm program that helps inner-city children learn about nature and how to grow sustainably. There is also a weekly summer plant meetup that raises money for charity while sharing plant wisdom. Just a quick online search should yield several options for nearly any area, or you can donate to a favorite sacred site, even if it’s not local.

  Conclusion

  You don’t have to come up with elaborate or complex rituals to do any of these things. Sometimes the most simple and unassuming gestures can be the most profound and powerful. Follow your intuition, be emotionally open to the land as you make your offering, and give yourself some time to listen in return. A few quiet moments of reflection can yield a definitive response or bestow wisdom to help foster the relationship further.

  If you feel you must say something as you make your offering, here is a simple rhyme:

  To the keepers of the land, spirits of earth

  Please accept this offering that I give forth.