Moon Manifestation: Lughnasadh/First Quarter Moon
Happy August and a Blessed Lughnasadh to you all! If you are following along at home, we have just finished traversing through the new moon, which we utilized the energy from to set intentions to draw more prosperity into our lives this coming month. If you missed our post for the new moon, you can catch up by following our link to it here: Moon Manifestation: New Moon in Leo.
Next on our lunar journey is the August first quarter moon and what a truly blessed one it will be as it is aligning with the beautiful energy of the sabbat of Lughnasadh.
Lughnasadh + Lunar Energy = Pure Magic
Lughnasadh (sometimes also known as Lammas) is the first sabbat of the harvest season. We have already planted any seeds in spring and have been tending to them throughout the summer months; watching them grow with pride. While most of the hard work is complete, harvest time comes with it’s own trials before we can enjoy the fruits of our labor. Even though Lughnasadh is a solar festival, in my opinion, it is truly one of the quintessential sabbats of the year to perform workings for the type of intentions we have set for ourselves during the new moon. It is a time when prosperity and abundance are all around us for the taking, if we are willing to put the work into attaining it.
This is where the harmony from the first quarter lunar energy comes into play. This moon phase is all about putting in the work to make your dreams become realities; Action is the name of the game. Now is the time to out forth a plan for how to obtain the prosperity we are seeking and then execute that plan, with help from our spell workings to give us a boost along the way.
Here are some quick, witchy tips to help you when you are looking to put extra action to your prosperity goals:
When taking part in networking opportunities, you can carry a nutmeg with you as a talisman for good luck, confidence, and prosperity.
For a lift of confidence and to help heighten your success in business ventures, enjoy a quick fruit salad containing strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, banana, mandarin orange segments and a sprinkle of toasted coconut chips.
Have a rough day ahead and need an extra boost to your people skills? Add 1/2 a tsp each of pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, clove, and ginger to your ground coffee before you brew it. Sipping on this will promote positivity while helping you maintain clear pathways of communication, especially in the realms of work or business.
Lughnasadh/First Quarter Moon Kitchen Ritual: Rich Sun-dried Tomato, Shallot, and Herb Focaccia
One of the most traditional and beloved correspondences for Lughnasadh has to be bread, especially homemade breads. There is little more alluring than the scent and taste of freshly made bread right out of the oven; it is a comforting, wholesome experience that, in my mind, is hard to beat. On top of bread-baking being a pleasure for the senses, I adore the process of taking basic ingredients and through patience and a little kitchen alchemy, transforming them into something exceptional.
Wheat and grains are classic symbols of the harvest season and as such, are also symbols of prosperity and abundance. Beyond that, the very action of bread-making perfectly encapsulates the type of spell working we must do during this moon phase; it is a process that that requires determination, labor and time, but the feeling of accomplishment upon success is something to truly celebrate.
The bread I chose for this ritual is focaccia, which has a fairly straightforward procedure for those just starting their bread baking journey or those that have baked hundreds of loaves . This is a rich bread that typically gets a good bit of it’s flavor and texture from olive oil; It has the perfect balance of crisp and chew and the versatility to accommodate a myriad of different toppings. This particular recipe features sweet sun-dried tomatoes, plenty of savory garlic and shallots, and fresh green herbs. Let’s take a quick look at why these ingredients are perfect for boosting your prosperity spell work this first quarter.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: These delightfully chewy and extra sweet version of tomatoes offer balance to the primarily savory flavors of this bread. Intentionally, we are utilizing them here to boost our prosperity spell work and dispel negativity.
Olive oil: As I said before, focaccia gains a lot of it’s rich flavor from the use of good olive oil. Olive oil is associated with the solar energy, making it a lovely addition to in your Lughnasadh ritual. Beyond that, it is a prime oil for prosperity work and allows for positive energy to to flow into your spell work.
Shallots: Shallots are a great allium to use when you are looking for a less pungent, sweeter onion flavor, which I appreciate in this type of bread. In this recipe, I am using them intentionally to help cleanse any negative energies that might hinder success in drawing prosperity.
Garlic: Garlic has to be one of the most beloved and celebrated ingredients you can find in the kitchen. While fresh garlic offers a pungent bite to dishes, the slightly roasted garlic in this bread imbues the dish with a mellow, toasty flavor. Beyond being an extremely flavorful element, we are applying garlic in this recipe to infuse us with the strength to continue working towards our goals.
Fresh Herbs: Focaccia almost always benefits from the addition of some mixture of fresh herbs and our recipe is no different. We chose to double up on the fresh parsley and thyme we used in our new moon ritual to maximize their wealth manifestation and mental clarity attributes in our continuing spell work.
Hot Tip: Self Love is Key
While this first quarter is absolutely a time to seize the day and work hard towards your goals, be sure to make time to replenish your own energy reserves. Perhaps to you this comes in the form of a long hot shower, a warm cup of tea and a book, enjoying a great meal or even sneaking in an extra nap. Whatever your version of self love looks like, it is important to take these moments to recoup your strength to keep pushing through to success!
What prosperity goals, magical or non-magical are you working towards on this lunar journey? What does prosperity look like to you? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for our full moon post!
Rich Sun-Dried Tomato, Shallot, and Herb Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (100 degrees F)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar (sweetening spellwork)
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast *see note (raising vibrations)
- 3 cups 00 flour *see note (prosperity, abundance)
- 1/2 Tbsp sea salt (purification, cleansing)
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (wealth manifestation success)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary (strength, protection)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil for dough (prosperity, positive energy flow)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil for pan (see above)
- 1 shallot, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (mental clarity, focus)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (action, banish negativity)
- 1 tsp sea salt (see above)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (banish negativity)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (see above)
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Place yeast, warm water, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to incorporate fully. Let the mixture stand for 5-8 minutes or until it looks bubbly.
- Once the yeast is activated, slowly incorporate in the flour, one cup at a time. After adding each cup, stir it in thoroughly to combine. once all the flour is in, stir the dough until it just begins to come together. The dough will be very sticky at this point.
- Add the herbs, salt, and olive oil to the dough and stir to combine. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave to proof at room temperature for 25-30 minutes or until it has risen slightly.
- After the dough has proofed, use clean, wet hands or a silicone spatula to stir the dough for about 45 seconds to begin to activate the gluten in the bread. Replace the kitchen towel or plastic wrap on the bowl and let the dough proof again at room temperature for 30 more minutes. Repeat this step twice more.
- Once you have stirred the dough 3 times and let it proof for approximately 1 1/2 hours, prepare a 10" round baking pan with cooking spray or butter and 4 Tbsp of olive oil. Place your dough into your prepared pan and let proof for 60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and prepare your toppings. Mix all topping ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine.
- Once your dough has proofed for the last time, sprinkle your topping mixture over the dough and gently poke shallow holes into the dough with your fingers, allowing the toppings to be pushed down into the dough slightly. At this point you may sprinkle the dough with more sea salt and black pepper if you desire.
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the focaccia is golden brown. Allow the bread to cool just slightly, as this is best enjoyed when still warm out of the oven.
Notes
- 00 flour is a special type of flour that is used to make pizza and other bread doughs. While I highly recommend you use this flour for the best results, if you cannot find it, you may use bread flour or all purpose flour. If you use either of those, be sure to add the flour slowly to your yeast mixture and adjust until the dough is sticky, but not liquid.
- Be sure to always check the date on your yeast to make certain it is still viable, as out of date yeast will not activate.
- You can absolutely play around with the flavor profile of this bread to suit your palette or intentional needs. Some examples of different ingredients you can use are: marinated artichokes, olives, other fresh herbs, hard cheeses, fresh tomatoes, roasted bell peppers etc.
