The High Priestess Lughnasadh Address

At each of the four major Witchcraft holidays, which we refer to as Sabbats, it is customary for me to address the Coven. I do not do these at the Solstices and Equinoxes, mainly because I do not want to convey an aura of self-importance. I try to make a habit of speaking only when I have something relevant and enlightening to say. It seemed to me a good idea to post an excerpt of these Sabbat musings for the Online Spells members. After all, you are a part of our extended family. I hope you will enjoy them and find them of some use as you celebrate the special days of Witchcraft.SOWING AND REAPING As we welcome the beginning of the harvest with the Lughnasadh Sabbat, it is very appropriate that we revisit discussions of sowing and reaping and how this important concept affects our Magickal work. Sowing and reaping is the natural way of man. Our earliest ancestors understood this at a much more basic level than we do today. For them, to sow and reap was essential to survival. They planted crops and brought in harvests, and with the passing of time they began to learn a very valuable lesson. I doubt if many of them even realized the mystical importance of it as they learned. Such is the way of life. We gather most of our wisdom from the trial and error of others. We know from history that different societies and cultures shared among themselves certain crops. On a smaller scale, the inhabitants of a single tribe or region would also share among one another. From this was born the celebration of the harvest as we understand it today. Thanksgiving remains one of the most popular holidays the world over. Think for a few moments about the harvest celebrations you have participated in. It is almost certain that one of the first associations you experience will be related to food. More specifically, you'll probably associate the celebration with special foods. Some of these are foods you only enjoy at these special gatherings. Before you begin to think I am turning this address into a culinary exploration, stop. Ask yourself how you were exposed to those foods. Is it because of something someone shared with the gathering? Of course it is, because harvest time is about sharing. It is that time of the year when we take something we have and offer it to others. Dear Ones, the greatest mystical secrets of life are wrapped up in the simplest things. When we share with others at the harvest, we also partake in what they have to offer. This simple tribal ritual, observed for centuries and remaining until the present day, demonstrates to us one of nature's core laws: "That which you sow, you will also reap." When a seed is planted in the ground, it is the nature of that seed to germinate and become a plant. With proper care, the plant will bear fruit. All of this brings me to the central topic of my address.WHAT SEEDS ARE YOU PLANTING? Each member of the 7witches Coven knows firsthand the heartbreak and suffering present in the world today. Each day we receive numerous letters from people all across the globe. Many of these letters seek our assistance in some matter which has caused the writer distress. In so many cases, I wish that I could sit with the person and ask them about the seeds they have planted in life's garden. That is precisely the question I am asking all of you at this Lughnasadh Sabbat. As you go about the business of your life, are you sowing happiness or sorrow? Harmony or discord? What are you bringing to the harvest feast? Please take time to think about this, and use a portion of your Lughnasadh celebration to consider the areas of your life which would benefit from better choices.