Most Pagans celebrate Lughnasadh with offerings of grain and bread. The harvest is coming in and sacrifice is in the air. But the festival takes it's name from the god Lugh, who was often celebrated with games of skill, as he was a renowned craftsman and skilled spear thrower.
Dedicating games of skill to the deities is not a new thing, and our foremost sporting event (the Olympic games) started as a series of competitions held in honor of Zeus. What many people may not know is that the Olympic games were just one of a set of four sports festivals, each devoted to different deities in the Greek pantheon.
Many cultures believed that great skill at anything was a gift of the gods, but it was also sometimes seen as a dangerous gift. If you were too good, they might wish to claim you as their own, or if you didn't show proper humility (by giving the gods proper praise and gratitude for your skill), they might get jealous and send sorrows your way.
We see remnants of this idea today, when athletes thank God for their victories or credit Jesus with their success. I always thought this was a bit funny, as it made it seem like a popularity contest....I won because the divine likes me best! Strangely it makes more sense in my mind in a Pagan world view, because our gods are often quite opinionated and petty...they aren't above picking sides and favoring whomever they like (or changing their mind at the last minute, if you say forget to give the right offering before your contest).
But devoting time to using or learning a skill is something that can be done, not only to honor Lugh for Lughnasadh, but as an act of worship and communion with any number of deities, throughout the year. Even the word devote is rooted in the same word as devotion, so by devoting your time, you are pacing this activity (and any associated deities) in a pace of honor.
Around Lughnasadh, you might think about what skills or talents you have that you feel serve the community best. This Sabbat is about harvest, sacrifices made for the future, and community. So consider what you are good at that helps others. Set aside some time to mindfully do things that can give back.
The ways we serve our community are not always obvious. You may think that you don't do much for the greater world around you, but remember that our actions are like pebbles dropping into a pond..the ripples reach the very furthest banks. Maybe you are a great cook, and mostly cook for your own family, but you know one of your kid's friends doesn't get many home cooked meals, so you invite them over for dinner one night. Or maybe you like painting, and donate one of your pictures to a hospital, to help bring a little joy to people who are having a rough time.
Skills don't always have to be practical either. Maybe there is a game you are really good at, and you want to see if any newer players need help. Or you might love to sing, and you decide to create a few videos and share them online for anyone who wants to enjoy them. There are a million things we can be good at and just as many ways to share them.
Learning a new skill might not seem to be very community oriented, but consider that you might be learning from someone (who now has the joy of sharing their wisdom and talent), or that someday you may teach what you have learned to someone else. Plus, learning a new skill means there is one more person in the world who is able to do that particular thing, which gives you chances to use your skill throughout the rest of your life.
Thinking a bit broader, anytime you are practicing or learning a skill you can think about what deity might relate to that skill. It might be an obvious one, such as how a deity of weaving would be linked to learning to weave, but other times it might be less of a direct connection. To stay with the idea of learning to weave, you might also be drawn to honor a deity of the home (where we keep our clothes and blankets), of travel (as a sturdy blanket or cloak would be a great boon on the road), of children (who need lots of new clothes as they grow), of sheep (from whom your wool came), or of patterns (weaving involves following a pattern to create a design in the final product).
How you honor the deity you choose can be as simple or complicated as feels right. You might want to do a formal ritual, to invite the deity into your practice, to inform them that every time you work on your skill you are devoting that time and energy to them. You might simply say a small prayer when you start to work. You might bless your final product in their name.
The lovely thing about devoting a skill to one of your deities is that it is a way of entwining your spiritual practice with the activities you are passionate about. It is a way to get closer to a deity and to deepen your enjoyment of a skill at the same time. You may find that the deity you honor with your work stays in that part of your life, or they may end up becoming a bigger part of your practice. You might find that other deities that you work with in other ways become interested in the skills you are honing. Be open to the opportunities and see what grows from them!
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