GROVE 4

GARRÁN IARDHEISCEART

"Southwest Grove"

DIA Greine -- Sun God

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FAERY-FAITH

Sagarts/Priests

Ard-Sagart Amergin

Sagart Garth mac Aine

Sagart Mac Gor

Sage Finn

Sagart Conn Mac Banba

Sagart Mac Coll Banba

Sagart Blaithnac Mac Banba, Champion Ciarran

Direction: Southwest -- Iardheisceart Timeline: July 22 - September 21 Primary Festival: Lughnasadh - August 1 Other festivals under Grove: An Fheile Fomhar Secondary festivals: La Baal Tinne and Samhain Seasons of Faery : Summer & Autumn Faery City : Muirius

LUGH'S LORE

FROM THE BOOK OF INVASIONS...

311. Tailltiu daughter of Mag Mor king of Spain, queen of the Fir Bolg, came after the slaughter was inflicted upon the Fir Bolg in that first battle of Mag Tuired to Coill Cuan: and the wood was cut down by her, so it was a plain under clover-flower before the end of a year. This is that Tailltiu who was wife of Eochu son of Erc king of Ireland till the Tuatha De Danann slew him, it is he who took her from her father, from Spain; and it is she who slept with Eochu Garb son of Dui Dall of the Tuatha De Danann; and Cian son of Dian Ceeht, whose other name was Seal Balb, gave her his son in fosterage, namely Lug, whose mother was Eithne daughter of Balar. So Tailltiu died in Tailltiu, and her name clavce thereto and her grave is from the Seat of Tailltiu north-eastward. Her games were performed everv year and her song of lamentation, by Lug. With gessa and feats of arms were they performed, a fortnight before Lugnasad and a fortnight after: Lugnasad, that is, the celebration or the festival of Lug. Unde Oengus post multum tempus dicebat,, "the nasad of Lug, or the nasad of : Beoan [son] of Mellan."

312. … After the death of Nuadu and of those men, LUG took the kingship of Ireland and his grandfather Balar the Strong Smiter fell at his hands, with a stone from his sling. Lug was forty years in the kingship of Ireland after the last battle of Mag Tuired, and there were twenty-seven years between the battles.

314. … Forty years had Lug, till the three sons of Cermat slew him at Coem-druim, that is, in Uisnech.

316. … Lug s. Cian s. Dian Cecht s. Esarg s. Net s. Indui s. Alldui, he is the first who brought chess-play and ball-play and horse-racing and assembling into Ireland.

LUGH OF THE LONG HAND

Now as to Nuada of the Silver Hand, he was holding a great feast at Teamhair one time, after he was back in the kingship. And there were two doorkeepers at Temhair, Gamal, son of Figal, and Camel, son of Riagall. And a young man came to the door where one of them was, and bade him bring him in to the king. "Who are you yourself?" said the doorkeeper. "I am Lugh, son of Cian of the Tuatha De Danann, and of Ethlinn, daughter of Balor, King of the Fomor," he said; "and I am foster-son of Taillte, daughter of the King of the Great Plain, and of Echaid the Rough, son of Duach." "What are you skilled in?" said the doorkeeper, "for no one without an art comes into Teamhair." "Question me," said Lugh; "I am a carpenter." "We do not want you; we have a carpenter ourselves, Luchtar, son of Luachaid." "Then I am a smith." "We have a smith ourselves, Colum Cuaillemech of the Three New Ways." "Then I am a champion." "That is no use to us; we have a champion before, Ogma, brother to the king." "Question me again," he said; "I am a Harper." "That is no use to us; we have a Harper ourselves, Abhean, son of Bicelmos, that the Men of the Three Gods brought from the hills." "I am a poet," he said then, "and a teller of tales." "That is no use to us; we have a teller of tales ourselves, Erc, son of Ethaman." "And I am a magician." "That is no use to us; we have plenty of magicians and people of power." "I am a physician," he said. "That is no use; we have Diancecht for our physician." "Let me be a cup-bearer," he said. "We do not want you; we have nine cup-bearers ourselves." "I am a good worker in brass." "We have a worker in brass ourselves, that is Credne Cerd."

Then Lugh said: "Go and ask the king if he has any one man that can do all these things, and if he has, I will not ask to come into Teamhair." The doorkeeper went into the king’s house then and told him all that. "There is a young man at the door," he said, "and his name should be the Ildánach, the Master of all Arts, for all the things the people of your house can do, he himself is able to do every one of them." "Try him with the chess-boards," said Nuada. So the chessboards were brought out, and every game that was played, Lugh won it. And when Nuada was told that, he said: "Let him in, for the like of him never came into Teamhair before."

Then the doorkeeper let him pass, and he came into the king’s house and sat down in the seat of knowledge. And there was a great flag-stone there that could hardly be moved by four times twenty yoke of oxen, and Ogma took it up and hurled it out through the house so that it lay on the outside of Teamhair, as a challenge to Lugh. But Lugh hurled it back again that it lay in the middle of the king’s house. He played the harp for them then, and he had them laughing and crying, till he put them asleep at the end with a sleepy tune. And when Nuada saw all these things Lugh could do, he began to think that by his help the country might get free of the taxes and the tyranny put on it by the Formor, and it is what he did, he came down from his throne, and he put Lugh on it in his place, for the length of thirteen days, the way they might all listen to the advice he would give.

And it was Lugh who freed Ireland of the Formors by killing his grandfather, Balor of the evil eye, and from then on Lugh became King of the De Dananns and High King of Ireland.

THE MEANING OF LUGHNASADH

Symbolically Lughnasadh is looked at as a time for becoming a Champion of Goddess, God, Spirit, Light, Good -- whatever term you relate to, and stepping forward into that persona and holding the energy as the natural energies move away from the Time of the Big Sun into the Time of the Little Sun.

Lughnasadh is a precursor to an equinox, the autumnal equinox. Lughnasadh also marks the turning point into darkness. From An Nollaig on we've been focusing and training ourselves to wield the Light, the Flame of Brigid in our hearts, our minds, to wear it as crowns so that we become the light in dark places. At Lughnasadh we are called to become that Champion, to step up to the plate and wield the light so that as the wheel turns into the darkness we carry the light with us to the equinox, the pause to regain balance.

The Autumnal Equinox is the time of balance, but balance during the dark half of the year, meaning that the light has diminished but can be recomposed before being snuffed out for the year. As the light is snuffed out in the natural world, or to be more exact as it diminishes into coldness, the internal light or spiritual solar flame we've tended to for the better part of the year should be strong.

The pause breath is used to strengthen the flame, to feed it some life so that water and earth do not put it completely out. So becoming a Champion is to know that one's Spiritual Flame will not diminish in the least in times of darkness -- not just the darkness yielded by the turning of the wheel in nature, but in the kingdom of humankind, the evils of the mind and body.

Darkness from the otherworld, darkness from our world, those Beings and people who walk with darkness all the time and who become naturally stronger during certain times of the year. As a Champion of Taillte, as the wielder of Lugh's Gae Bulga, we are equipped to stand against the advisary, enemy, demon, devil, satan, darkness, evil -- again, whatever term or concept works for you.

We celebrate Lughnasadh sometimes with mock battles of skill, to see who is strongest, while other times it is an inner challenge, one that might involve the Champion's Wheel or the Red Knight, but regardless as to how one may symbolically celebrate their Championhood, Lughnasadh is the time to triumph and prepare for darkness.

In the pagan/wiccan world, however, this is the time simply acknowledged as the first harvest, a time of celebrating that which has been gained, while releasing that which is no longer useful… sure, go ahead and celebrate this most powerful time in such a light-hearted way, but you'll be missing the splendid point that the Gae Bulga represents. Spear of Illumination, points us to the center of the Champion's Wheel; a point that is so enflamed that it can be fully submerged in the waters of the Undry and not be extinguished.

The tip of Spirit within our bodies is located where? That's right the crown chakra. Does your inner Gae Bulga burn as brightly? Have you been constantly tending your inner solar flame? Did you receive the sun's new flame into your heart at An Nollaig? Did you open your mind to Breo-Saighit at Imbolg and become illuminated with Brigid's Flame? Did you bring the light outside of yourself at the spring equinox to merge with the building natural light? What about Beltaine, did you dance the flames (inner and outer) so that they became merged and married? At Summer Solstice did you carry the torch for Aine, showing that you are a wielder of the light? If you answered no to just one of the above, then this year you've not prepared yourself to step into the role of the Champion, and in that case, I must now share with you the steps you'll need to do during the Time of the Little Sun to protect yourself from the darkness.

All the magical workings we provide our Bhairds with, the protection ointment, the incenses, the bath salts, the teas, the Caim Charm, the protection rituals, use Lughnasadh to protect yourself, while calling on the swift protection of Lugh to encompass you during the Time of the Little Sun. Light your candle of protection, hang your amulets of protection and trust that you can use this time to prepare yourself for An Nollaig and birthing into Authentic Self more efficiently. Remember, that all of our traditional ceremonies we offer the Beloved Community to perform, to join with Central Grove via the Starlight Connection has a greater meaning, perhaps, then you've attributed to them.

Perhaps, this year, as it wanes to a close, you might realize that starting with An Nollaig you're going to dedicate yourself to stepping into the Tradition in a more active spiritual way. The choice is yours. Choose and Become.