I find it a little bizarre the way life has worked out for me this Lammas.
I am off to a work colleagues stag do. None of them are pagan, or at least, if they are they are keeping it just as quiet as I am. I doubt any of them knew the significance of this day when they chose this date.
Because we wanted to give him a good send off from work, this do is un-traditional. Respectable ladies never used to go to stag parties. There certainly would be no couples.
We will dress him up with pink horns (with a veil), an L-plate and a wand. I added things to them and posted them on my other blog. It was Mel that pointed out that they were very, very pagan being horns and a belled wand.
So I am off out to eat, drink and be merry to celebrate losing a man to marriage who will be dressed in horns and have a belled wand. On Lammas. Oh and we shall drink mead as well, and I like elderberry and blackberry best. How pagan is all of this? What synchronicity...
Fantastic stuff surely? There is just a slight odd feeling for me. The sacrificial king sits there in the back of my head for surely this is what we are crowning him? A slight feeling of unease.
I would love some thoughts on this from you folk out there...
Of course I shall celebrate and feast but something has to come after the feast. May it only be more joy!
The New Cottagesmallholder HQ
4 months ago
*grin* VERY synchronous indeed!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it that (traditionally) men have always seen marriage as The Great Sacrifice? Often stag parties here have the groom outfitted with a (plastic) ball and chain that he has to drag around the pub for the whole evening...wonderful symbolism there. And there's great mourning for the loss of Freedom and Independence and Passing Wind Whenever The Mood Strikes....;)
I guess we have to keep in mind that this is all part of the wheel turning....yes, the God is sacrificed, but he is also reborn...and with his sacrifice we are able to reap the bounty of the harvest...and it serves a gentle reminder that we are all at the mercy of the Earth's generosity....
It's hard for me to connect with Lammas this year-- because of our weird weather patterns, our particular 'harvest' is quite late -- the corn we are usually enjoying in abundance at this time of the year isn't ready yet although our little garden at my mom's is blessing us with some lovely zucchini (courgettes)...I suppose it's a calendar vs. land ties thing....
Well...this was rambling and completely incoherent..but you did ask for our thoughts....*grin*
I'll be thinking of you at your deliciously pagan celebration.....all hail the king!
xo
Merry make this Lammas, witchy-sister! I had actually forgotten about it completely. I'm shocked and amazed. My head has truly been in other places lately.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mel! I guess there are just still some parts of the God part of the cycle that just make me a little uncomfy still... It was a good evening and I had fun and much mead... *grin*
ReplyDeleteSam, I hope your head has been in lovely, happy fun places since last I heard from you then! *hug*
Happy Lammas everyone