Before the Harvest

Lammas, the first of the three Harvest Sabbats, is celebrated on August 1 and marks the halfway point between the Summer Solstice (Litha) and the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon). Traditionally, this celebration focuses around wheat and grain as the bounty of the first harvest of the year.

So how do we relate to agrarian festivals when we live in urban/suburban areas? Well, one of the other focuses of Lammas is that of sacrifice, particularly through the symbol of the Breadman.

Sacrifice. The connotation of that word is heavy, but the nuance of it is broad. Generally speaking, to sacrifice something is to give it up willingly. It’s easy to think about big, hard sacrifices, but if we think about the fruits of the harvest, it takes a different kind of sacrifice to make it happen, through hard work and giving time to the effort.

The same holds true to our non-agrarian lives.  When we have earned something it is very often the case that we actually gave something up to obtain it, be it opportunities, choices, or even—and especially—time.

As we move into the Harvest season, take time to reflect on what sacrifices you have had to make in order to get to where you are today.

Our Sunlight Is Not For Franchise

Shortly before Litha, a seeker with whom we'd previously met, reached out to get the details on attending our Litha ritual. We resent her the link to our Partiful invitation, and upon seeing that it included a Pride aspect she wrote back, saying she'd be skipping this ritual, as she was hoping for a more "traditional" celebration of the summer solstice. We reached out to clarify for her that our ritual was absolutely about the light and abundance of the longest day, but that for all our rituals we consider the needs of our community alongside the meanings and themes of the sabbat. She replied that she was looking for a group that celebrated the sabbats "as they are," without "bringing politics into it."

It is true that not all witches are Wiccan. However, all Wiccans practice witchcraft. It's built into the religion. Witchcraft is a tool of the oppressed; it is inherently political. Our practice is one we live everyday beyond the confines of formal ritual spaces. As such it must acknowledge and honor the realities of day to day life. Every member of our coven, and every one of our regular guests is a member of one or more minorities whose rights are currently under threat. It would be a disservice to all of us to celebrate abundance and vitality without acknowledging the long road our community has walked (and is still walking) to partake in that joy

We don't bring politics into our practice, but neither do we scrub them out to present a sanitized, fairy tale version of our religion.

This year we took inspiration from an old Italian folk song, adapted and adopted by the Italian resistance during WWII. The translation we pulled from, performed by Chumbawamba, uses sunlight as a metaphor for freedom and other inalienable human rights. In addition to "keeping the darkness" (a counterpoint to keeping a flame lit through the longest night), and our now-traditional pride flag of candles, we blessed candles for everyone to take home with them.

"May the sunlight wake us to what must be done, and light the path we tread on our journey–real or metaphorical–to shake the doors of congress–or the gates of hell.  May those who would attempt to franchise the light of the sun be burned by its heat.  May the fires of the sun pull us toward joy, even as we struggle. May Loki inspire us to good trouble. May Dionysus inspire us to revelry."

The world is waking outside my window

Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

It pulls my senses into the sunlgiht

For there are things that I must do

Wish me luck now, I have to leave you

Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

With my friends now up to the city

We're going to shake the gates of hell

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And I will tell them--we will tell them

Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

That our sunlight is not for franchise

And wish the bastards drop down dead

Next time you see me I may be smiling

Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao

I'll be in prison or on the TV

I'll say "the sunlight dragged me here"

A Little Pride at Litha

Every incarnation of Haven Song—from the tiny study group it started out as, to the small coven it currently is, and every step in between—has always been overwhelmingly queer. While we've never excluded cis/het witches from our practice, we've always attracted members of the LGBTQIA family, and their allies. A few years back, we were lamenting our busy schedules, and how difficult it was to squeeze in Pride events each June. That's when we realized we host an event of our own every June, so why not make it a Pride event?

Litha, or the Summer Solstice, is the longest day of the year, and a time to celebrate abundance. What sort of abundance, and what the celebration looks like can vary quite a lot depending on the people celebrating, and the ups and downs of the previous year. In Haven Song, our choice to weave Pride into Litha means that the abundance we celebrate is not just the abundance of sunlight, and the abundance brought to us by nature, but the abundance of sexuality, life, healing, art, and serenity that our community and chosen family bring our way.

The original Pride flag, designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 at the request of Harvey Milk, featured 2 colors (hot pink and turquoise) that are no longer seen in most modern Pride flags.

However, just as we honor the light at the Winter Solstice, we do not shy away from the dark at the Summer Solstice. Roughly a month ago the dangerous narcissist in the white House and his administration released a "Counterterrorism Strategy." Among other things, this report identifies anti-fascists and anyone who is "radically pro-transgender" as being "anti-American." The report closes with a comment straight from the 47th President of the United States. "We will find you and we will kill you."

No matter how long the sun is out each day, these are dark times. And that makes it all the more important that we shine our light as bright and as hot as we possibly can. We must be the loudest, biggest, most authentic versions of ourselves. Let our light burn away false accusations, and ignorance, and create a world that is safe for all our brothers and sisters and non-binary siblings.

The first Pride was a riot.