(Have a fire lit on one side of the circle. Near it, a table with ear of popcorn, other stuff)
Priest:
"Once upon a Lammas Night
When corn rigs are bonny,
Beneath the Moon's unclouded light,
I held awhile to Annie...

The time went by with careless heed
Between the late and early,
With small persuasion she agreed
to see me through the barley...

Corn rigs and barley rigs,
Corn rigs are bonny!
I'll not forget that happy night
Among the rigs with Annie!"

Priestess:
"We have come together here on this August Eve, to celebrate Lammas, the First Harvest, and the first day of the harvesting season. In these more modern times it may be hard for some of us to relate to the old ways of farming, planting and harvesting crops. Of deciding what seeds to keep for future planting. The work of the harvest, the chopping away and turning under of the chafe. Even though most of us no longer farm, Lammas is still a time when we should stop and consider what has happened in the past seasons of our lives and what we expect to take place in the seasons to come. This is a time to be aware of the things we have for which we are grateful and decide what things we need to let go of and let pass away from us."

Priest:
"What will be is. What was will be again.
The Wheel of the Year turns forever.
Dark to light, light to dark,
each day passes, shorter than the last
and with the passing of the seasons
we are reminded of the lessons we have learned.
We plant with love, and tend with respect,
and at Harvest time our hearths reflect,
The bounty of our Mother Earth, ripened by our Father Sun."

Priestess:
"Lammas was the medieval Christian name for the Celtic holiday of Lughnasadh. Lammas literally translates 'loaf-mass' and is the Feast of Bread in August. Lammas is a time of appreciation for nature, for Mother Earth and her gifts. In ancient times on this day loaves were baked from the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as offerings. At this time the best of the first fruits of the harvest were sacrificed in order to ensure that future crops would be even better and more bountiful. Our Ancestors understood that we must first give in order to receive."

Priest:
"All things have their season.
Again the wheel has turned and brought us
To the season of the First Harvest.
A time when we think about sacrifices and reborn hope,
A time when we reflect on what we have sown by what we reap,
A time when we gather our memories,
And from those lessons that we have learned,
We plan for the future."

Priestess:
"And as we begin to plan for our future, we must first remove the chafe from our lives. I invite each of you to think of one thing that you would like to see gone from your life. That thing that is a barrier to your growth, that thing that holds you back from having a bountiful harvest. Find one word that represents that which you want let go of in order to grow and prosper."

(Priestess holds up popcorn)

Priestess:
"Everyone speak the word that represents the chafe in their life, be it fear, anger, lack, whatever you want to remove. Keep repeating that word and send it to this ear of corn. Keep repeating the word until you can feel it being transferred to the corn."

(Everyone should be chanting word -- then throw the corn in the fire)

Priestess:
"And so we have cleaned away the chafe, and turned under the weeds from our lives and so we are ready to plant and begin again.

Now we plant the seed word for that which we wish to see grow and manifest in our lives. Find a word that represents one thing you want to bring into your life and begin to repeat it,

again,
and again,
louder,
and louder"

(When everyone is chanting loudly - have them their hands up to send the seed words to the universe)

Priest:
"So we have asked it, so mote it be!!!"

IT IS DONE!