| Although technically the days are already growing shorter, July and August are undoubtedly the most summery months of year, when the weather gets really sweltering and people crave cool drinks, barbecue, playful games and sports, and lounging outside watching the stars on balmy nights. As long as the sun is shining, use it! This is the growing season for both plants and many kinds of animals, who use the strong rays of the sun to develop and thrive. Soak it in while it’s here and you too will find an abundance of positive energy you can apply to any aspect of your life. It’s also a great time to socialize and party.
Tap into real sun magic with Dorothy Morrison; she’s written a whole book on it! When the sun is in Leo (July 23-Aug. 22), she writes in Everyday Sun Magic, “It’s time to go out and play, and the Leo Sun begs us to do just that. It doesn’t have to twist our arms, though, since we know it’s time for a break. We’ve worked hard, and we deserve a little fun. But Leo beckons us way beyond that. It brings on the urge to entertain — to take center stage — and to throw one hell of a party. That being the case, we find ourselves turning outward once again, meeting new people, visiting with the neighbors and socializing more. We look up old friends and reestablish those relationships as well. It’s all about fun, festivities and impromptu celebration — and nothing achieves that better than the golden warmth of the joyful Leo Sun.”
Obviously, you’re going to need a lot of stamina to make the most of this glorious season, and what better source of extra fuel than the sun? Use a spell for physical energy from Morrison’s book on the facing page.
To create a special mood for any outdoor summer gathering, especially right around Lammas on August 1, try Lammas Incense from Timothy Roderick’s Wicca: A Year and A Day. It can be sprinkled over the coals of whatever is left of your summer bonfire, or in an appropriate censer outdoors.
Next on the menu for summer fun is … the menu! While we all love “outdoor foods” like grilled veggies, saucy barbecues and crisp salads on hot days, there are also many recipes out there especially appropriate to Lammas that you might like to try out for a change. These can be found in specialty Pagan or Wiccan cookbooks. For example, Cooking by the Seasons by Karri Ann Allrich offers a wide array of vegetarian fare, each with the major sabbats and seasonal changes in mind – check out her delicious recipe above. Whatever you decide to prepare, remember that Lammas is a time of abundance, and it celebrates the grain and grape harvests. This means that beer and wine are perfectly acceptable libations, and foods can include corn, wheat, grapes, and anything else that says “cornucopia” to you. So don’t skimp on the good stuff — be abundant under the sun and make merry!
Lammas Incense
1/2 handful of oak (wood), either powdered or chips
1/2 handful of powdered sandalwood
2 teaspoons frankincense
1 teaspoon dried oats (such as rolled oats for oatmeal)
Vegetable glycerin
5 drops patchouli essential oil
2 drops rosemary oil
In a medium-sized bowl, place your powdered sandalwood. Stir in about two tablespoons of the vegetable glycerin. Add the glycerin one tablespoon at a time and then mix with a metal whisk or a fork. You simply want to create a soft, fluffy compound. Do not add the second tablespoon of glycerin if it feels like it would be too much, causing the incense to be too wet.
Now add your essential oils and whisk. Add your other dried herbs and mix thoroughly. Wait for at least a day for the compound to settle before you sprinkle it on hot coals.
Excerpt is from Wicca: A Year and A Day by Timothy Roderick
Quartz Crystal Re-Energizing Charm
Materials
1 clear quartz crystal
Place the stone where it can catch the first rays of Sunrise, then place your hands over it and enchant it by saying something like:
Rays of Sun, now add Your power
To this stone with every hour
‘Til it’s saturated with Your light
Your energy, and all Your might
Leave the stone there until noon, then hold it in both hands and see yourself easily moving through the day without being tired. Enchant the stone further by saying something like:
Clearest energizing stone
I ask your powers to me loan
When energy begins to sway
Revitalize me through the day
Re-energize as necessary
Muscle, bone, flesh and capillary
So I may easily adjust
To handle all the things I must
Exude at once, your energy
As I will, so mote it be
Carry the stone with you.
Excerpt is from Everyday Sun Magic by Dorothy Morrison
Southwestern Polenta
Corn symbolizes the life of the land and its cycles. Here is a sunny and spicy dish for celebrating the first harvest, perfect for a feast. In celebration of the Grain God, support your local brewers and purchase a fine assortment of ales, lagers and stout. Offer red and white wines in honor of the grape harvest. Add some music and dancing and you may find Dionysus himself among your guests!
4 cups water
Sea salt
1 cup stone-ground polenta cornmeal
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 jalapeño peppers, cored, seeded, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 small sweet pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 cup good jarred marinara sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4-6 ounces feta or chèvre goat cheese, sliced
1/4 teaspoon fennel
2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, drained, rinsed
Note: I have discovered a quick-cooking polenta, sold in bulk at my local health food market, that cooks up in 10 minutes and is absolutely delicious. It may be worth your while to investigate your local markets, especially if you adore polenta as much as I do. The cooking time that follows is for the original-style polenta.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour the water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of sea salt. Measure the cornmeal in a glass measuring cup and begin to pour the polenta into the boiling water, keeping a steady stream and stirring constantly as you pour. (I like to use a whisk to keep the lumps at a minimum.) Turn the heat down to low so as not to burn the polenta and keep stirring, smoothing out any lumps. Gently cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, keeping it smooth and creamy. The polenta is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Pour this cornmeal mush out onto a clean cutting board, mounding it into a long oval shape. Or, if you prefer, pour it into a shallow, oiled baking pan. Set aside to cool.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions. Cook gently until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers, garlic and chili powder, stir and sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add in the chopped tomatoes, marinara sauce and herbs. Stir the ingredients together and remove from heat.
Set your oven to broil. Slice the cooled polenta loaf into pieces about 1-inch thick (or if you have cooled the polenta in a pan, you may cut it into triangles). Lay the slices in an oiled baking or broiling pan. Brush lightly with olive oil and gently broil the polenta until it browns at the edges. Remove the pan from the oven.
Layer your black beans over the broiled polenta slices. Next layer your tomato mixture. Top with the feta cheese slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until it is hot and bubbly.
Serves 4.
Excerpt is from Cooking by the Seasons by Karri Ann Allrich |
