A Word from the Circle

At Lammas, the first harvest, the Wheel turns toward both gratitude and reckoning. We reap what was planted with intent, and we begin to ask: what of our own growth is now ready to be offered?

This is the time of the Sun King who lays down his crown to feed the people. In doing so, he does not lose his power; he becomes part of something greater. May this Lammas find you rising in your own sacred offering.

The Grain King Walks to the Blade

A Story of Sacrifice, Fire, and the God in the Grain

At the turning of Lammas, the Wheel brings us to the first harvest, the gathering-in of grain, fruit, and seed. Yet behind every sheaf and sweet, there is a story soaked in sunlight and shadow: the old mystery of the Grain King, the sovereign who walks willingly into the blade.

He is the breath of the Sun in the field. The golden power ripening under July’s fire. The body of promise born from seed and rain. And now, as the sickle rises, he bows, not in fear, but in fulfillment.

His body becomes bread. His spirit is poured into ale. We, those who walk the path between root and star, eat of him not in mourning, but in reverence.

This is no passive death. It is transformation. The Sovereign who falls is not undone; he becomes the feast. He rises in the warmth of the oven, in the joy of the gathering, in the flame of shared strength.

In ancient times, sacred loaves were shaped in his image, round as the sun, marked with spiral or sigil, kissed by fire. To eat that bread was to take in the Sun itself. To remember: what we consume has been given.

This is the Lammas lesson.
We are not apart from the cycle.
We are the reapers, and sometimes, we are the cut.

So this first harvest, break your bread with mindfulness. Whisper gratitude into the crust. Offer back what you have grown. And remember the Sovereign who walks to the blade, so that the folk may live.

The Grain Gives: On Sacrifice, Service, and Sovereignty

A Lammas Meditation for the Witch Who Offers

There comes a moment in every witch’s journey when the desire for knowledge transforms into a call to serve. We begin with the sacred hunger: What can I learn? What can I gain? But at Lammas, a deeper voice emerges:
​What can I give? What have I ripened that now belongs to the world?

The first harvest is not only of wheat and fruit. It is the harvest of the soul.
What you have grown in silence, through challenge, devotion, or fire, is now ready to be offered.

The Grain King does not fall in despair. He walks willingly into the blade, because he knows: to serve is not to lose power, but to fulfill it. The fire that bakes the bread is the same fire that once lit the sun.

As witches, we are not called to serve from martyrdom. We are called to sovereign service, to give the best of ourselves freely and fiercely, from the strength we’ve cultivated. This may look like a spell, a song, a shield raised in protection. It may be soft. It may be thunderous. But it will be true.

To serve is to live in rhythm with the land.
To offer is to align with the sacred.
To walk the spiral path is to know when to cut, and when to give.

So ask yourself:

At Lammas, the Goddess raises her blade not in wrath, but in love. The Sovereign bows, not to end, but to begin again. And the Witch stands between them, whispering a vow to serve with strength and grace.

Lammas Ritual: The Blade and the Bread

You Will Need:

• A small round loaf or slice of bread (homemade or blessed)
• A candle or fire
• A knife or symbolic blade
• A quiet space to reflect

Ritual Steps:

1. “I come to the hearth of sacrifice and grace.
   I honor the one who falls, that I may rise.”
2. Hold the bread in your hands. Whisper into it what you are willing to release or offer, something you’ve grown and are now ready to share.
3. “As the blade falls, the grain gives.
   May my offering feed the world.”
4. Eat the bread slowly and mindfully. Let its warmth carry your intention.
5. “The seed has grown. The loaf is made.
   I carry the harvest into the world.”

Symbols of the First Harvest

“At Lammas, the Earth gives her early gifts, grains for the bread, berries for the sweetness, and seeds to carry forward. Each is a lesson: feed, savor, and save.”

• Grain – The body of the god, and the staff of life. Bake into sacred loaves or offer to the land.
• Berries – Ripened sweetness, soon to fade. Eat mindfully or include in ritual offerings.
• Nuts – The seed of wisdom and future strength. Gather for magical use or meditation.

Seasonal Chant

“Hoof and Horn” + Grain Verse

Use the first couplet alone (the classic) or add the second for a wheat-field cadence during baking, drumming, or circle processions.

Seasonal Kitchen Witchery

Lammas Harvest Bread: “The Loaf of the Sun”

A simple, rustic round bread made for offering and sharing. You can shape it into a sun, a knot, or a spiral—whatever symbol speaks to your tradition.

Magical Correspondences:

• Wheat/Flour – Abundance, the body of the Sun
• Honey – Blessing, joy, divine touch
• Yeast – Rising, transformation, breath of life
• Salt – Protection, sacred boundary

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread flour (or all-purpose)
• 1 cup warm water
• 2¼ tsp dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
• Optional: herbs (rosemary, thyme) for added flavor and magic

Instructions:

1. Awaken the yeast: In a small bowl, mix warm water, honey, and yeast. Let it sit until bubbly (about 5–10 min). Whisper your intention into the rising foam.
2. Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and herbs (if using). Add in the yeast mixture and oil/butter. Stir, then knead until smooth (10–15 minutes). Knead in your prayers, your power, your offering.
3. Rise: Place in a warm, covered bowl and let it rise 1 hour or until doubled.
4. Shape and second rise: Punch it down, shape into a spiral, braid, or round loaf. Place on a floured tray, cover, and let it rise again for 30–45 minutes.
5. Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding.
6. Cool and bless: Let cool on a rack. You can anoint it with honey or sprinkle with herbs. Bless it before breaking.

Blackberry Elixir: “The Hedgewitch’s Cup”

A cooling, dark-sweet drink made with berries, honey, and optional herbs. Can be served chilled, warm, or even fermented lightly into a mead base.

Magical Correspondences:

• Blackberries – Threshold fruit, fae-aligned, sweet with edge
• Mint – Clarity, cooling, protection
• Honey – Solar blessing and preservation
• Lemon – Purification, brightness
• Water – Life, flow, emotional renewal

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups fresh or frozen blackberries
• 3 - 4 tbsp honey (to taste)
• 1 small bunch fresh mint (or 1 tsp dried)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 4 cups water (hot or cold)
• Optional: splash of ginger, lavender, or a cinnamon stick for a spiced version

Instructions:

1. Create the base: In a pot or heatproof bowl, muddle the berries and mint together. Add honey and lemon juice.
2. Infuse: Pour hot (not boiling) water over the mixture and let steep 10–15 minutes. For a cold version, muddle and refrigerate in water overnight.
3. Strain: Press through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. You may chant or hum while straining to charge the drink.
4. Serve: Pour over ice, or warm gently for a nighttime offering. Garnish with fresh mint or a single berry.

What I’m Listening To

I always love this time of year, not just for the scent of grain and fire in the air, but for the incredible music our pagan artists have gifted us over the years. Lammas is a sabbat of rhythm and reverence, and nothing captures that balance quite like this song.

This year, I’d like to spotlight an oldie but ever-golden favorite from Damh the Bard:
“Lughnasadh” – Listen here​

It’s joyful and worshipful all at once, a song that calls us into celebration, into offering, and into the spirit of the Grain King’s gift. I return to it every year around this time, and it never fails to stir something deep in me.

Light a candle, pour a cup of berry elixir, and let the music carry you.

Blackthorn Academy - Priory of the Thorne

First Session: Friday, August 2nd at 7 PM (Eastern)​
Where: Discord + Email + Ritual Packet

This class marks the beginning of the Seekers path in the Wild Blackthorn Tradition. Come join us with open hearts, ready hands, and a willing spirit. Invitations and reminders will go out July 30th.

Information: Seeker's Class Information | wildblackthorn​

Elsewhere in the Circle

Instagram → ritual snippets, moon musings, and altar stills
🔗 @thewildblackthorn​

Facebook / Threads → sacred rants and magical questions
🔗 Join the Conversation → The Wild Blackthorn Page​

Website​ → the magick starts here 🔗www.thewildblackthorn.com​

Newsletter → If you have not already subscribed.
🔗 Tween the Shadows & the Stars​

Youtube → playlists, chants, rare interviews and something coming soon 🔗 @thewildblackthorn949

From the Blog: Witchcraft at the Edge

Over the last moon cycle, many of you have been walking the spiral with us through myth, magic, and reckoning. If you missed any of it, or want to revisit the fire, here are a few of the most-read reflections from the Wild Blackthorn blog:

• The Edge and the Spiral: A Witch’s First Reckoning with Power​
  The opening thread in our Walking the Edge series—where power begins, and where it burns.
• The Time of Apophis – A Witch’s Warning​
  Myth meets modern crisis. How the ancient serpent mirrors our present unraveling.
• What Witches Can Do Now​
  A call to presence, purpose, and practice in times of fear and flame.
• Walking the Edge – Part II: The Fire Beneath the Thorn​
  The path of power deepens: restraint, shadow, and the cost of becoming.

You can read the full series and join the conversation here:
🔗 www.thewildblackthorn.com/blog​

Final Blessing: At the First Harvest

May the blade fall with grace, and the grain rise in glory.​
​May what you offer be received, and what you keep be worthy.​
​May the bread of your labor feed not just your body, but your soul.​
​May the fire transform what is ready, and protect what must remain.

In this season of cutting and keeping, of sweetness and sorrow,
may you walk in power, give in truth, and rise like the sun reborn.

Blessed Lammas, Wild Ones.​
May your hands be full, and your heart be free.