Tuesday, August 1 is the next holy day on the modern Pagan Wheel of the Year. For me and many others it’s called Lughnasadh, named for the Irish God Lugh and celebrated in honor of His foster mother Tailtiu. For some it’s called Lammas, from the Anglo-Saxon “hlaef-mass” or “loaf mass.” Whatever you call it, it’s the first of three harvest festivals, a tradition that began in ancient times and continued into the modern era with county fairs and such.
This is not the most popular Pagan festival. When Jason Mankey ranked the sabbats in 2019, Lammas came in at #6. When I did a similar analysis, it came in #8 out of 8. It’s the middle of summer and people are out doing things before returning to school and other routines in September. More importantly, Lughnasadh has no mainstream correspondence, like Halloween with Samhain or Christmas with the Winter Solstice.
Still, as I sometimes say, it’s the Wheel of the Year, not the Wheel of the Sabbats We Like. The first harvest is worth celebrating. Lugh and Tailtiu are worth recognizing and honoring.
And there’s some modern Pagan lore around this time that’s worth remembering.
Operation Cone of Power
The Battle of Britain was fought from July through October of 1940. It was an air battle, as Nazi Germany attempted to bomb Britain into submission. At the time, many thought Hitler was trying to “soften up” Britain for a land invasion.
If your home is under attack you defend it with all the tools at your disposal. The witches and occultists of Britain responded with an on-going magical working to protect Britain from invasion and to convince Hitler he could not successfully invade Britain. Gerald Gardner called this Operation Cone of Power – the idea was to create and maintain a protective cone of power over the island of Britain. In 2012 I listened as Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki talked about how the Fraternity of the Inner Light built astral Guardians in defense of Britain. Dolores was too young to take part (she was 11 at the time) but her mother and her grandmother were active participants.
Did the magic of witches and occultists prevent Hitler from invading Britain? The pilots of the RAF certainly deserve most of the credit. Their heroic performance during the Battle of Britain inspired Winston Churchill’s famous quote “never was so much owed by so many to so few.” The Royal Navy made sending an invasion force across the English Channel a high-risk proposition, and all those who supported the war effort made the military success possible.
But many times, magic is not a matter of making things happen. It’s a matter of improving the odds that something will happen. Or in this case, that they won’t happen.
We know one thing with certainty: Hitler never attempted an invasion of Britain.
Lammas Night
Whenever someone asks which Pagan or magical book I’d like to see turned into a movie, my answer is always Lammas Night. It’s a 1983 novel by Katherine Kurtz that fictionalizes the events of Operation Cone of Power. It’s quite good. In addition to the World War II material, it has a fairly accurate portrayal of Wiccan and proto-Wiccan beliefs and practices from that era. Its divination scenes could almost be teaching examples, and its initiation scene is just a few oath-bound elements away from being complete. I don’t know Kurtz’s involvement with witchcraft (if any), but when you read the acknowledgements you understand why it’s so good. Her advisors included Doreen Valiente, John and Caitlin Matthews, and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki.
Its main character is a British Intelligence officer who finds himself caught up in an occult battle with Nazi magicians. As the story progresses, the primary characters come to understand they’re not just trying to magically influence Hitler to keep him from invading Britain. They’re also battling against Nazis who are trying to magically turn the tide in their favor. Much of what passes for “Nazi occultism” is sensational speculation that borders on conspiracy theory, but there is some historical truth behind it.
Lammas Night was out of print for many years, but it was finally republished in 2018. There are used copies available at reasonable prices. If you haven’t read it yet, there’s no better time than now.
Recent attempts to duplicate Operation Cone of Power
When our countries are threatened, those of us with a magical background are often inspired to try something along the lines of Operation Cone of Power. I didn’t participate in the mass binding of Donald Trump, but many did. Was it successful? I think it’s too early to say. Trump was largely ineffective as President (which is a good thing) but he did great harm with the courts – especially the Supreme Court. However, much of that blame belongs to Mitch McConnell. His damage began in 2015 when Republicans took the Senate and blocked most of Barack Obama’s nominations, including Merrick Garland.
One of the most important elements of any magical working is selecting the proper target.
While societal crises often require magical responses, we must take care not to make the classic military blunder of always planning to refight the last war. There are many ways we can use our skills to protect ourselves, our communities, and our nations. The method used in Operation Cone of Power is only one of them.
Worshipping Lugh at Lughnasadh
When we commune with the Gods – in prayer, in meditation, and in worship – some of Their divine nature returns to us. We do not become Gods, but we do become more God-like – we take on a small but meaningful portion of Their values and virtues.
When Lugh first came to Tara to take His place among His father’s people, the guard tried to refuse Him entry because He did not possess a skill They did not already have. But Lugh showed that He was skilled in many arts. One of His titles is Samildánach, which means Master of All Arts.
None of us are the Master of All Arts. But all of us have skills and abilities with which we make a living, and with which we make a life. And we all have the ability to learn new skills.
What skills do you have that can help you through these difficult and challenging times?
What skills would you learn that would help you do what must be done, for yourself and your community?
Choose – and then ask the Master of All Arts to add His magic to yours, so that you can learn and grow in strength and skill.
Lammas Night 2023
At the first harvest, the grain is cut down to feed the people. John Barleycorn must die. Lughnasadh celebrates Tailtiu, who cleared the land of Ireland for planting and then died from exhaustion. Sacrifice is a key theme of this holy day.
When Gerald Gardner told the story of Operation Cone of Power, he said that two of his coven mates died as a result of the working. On one hand, they were old and likely overexerted themselves. On the other hand, they knew that powerful magic often requires sacrifice. This theme is explored from a slightly different perspective in Lammas Night the novel.
I do not believe our current situation requires a death. I am certain it requires a life. It requires many lives. Not lives ended in some needless bloody slaughter, but lives lived in service toward the greater good, in whole or in part.
As we celebrate Lughnasadh, let us remember the sacrifice of Tailtiu, the sacrifice of those who fought the Battle of Britain, and the sacrifice of the witches whose workings tipped the scales toward victory.
What sacrifices – of time, treasure, effort, convenience, or more – will you make to help build the kind of world you want to see?
Because while we live in a hi-tech, post-modern world, some ancient truths remain.
Sacrifice is necessary.
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