Lughnasadh | Lammas
Celebrating nature's cycles; Lughnasadh, this liminal point between the summer solstice and autumnal equinox. Then adding in the Full Moon for extra flavor!
Welcome to this edition of Liminal Walker Musings!
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Dear ones,
As many of your already know I am very passionate about tracking the seasons and following the moon cycles. Today, August 1st is a combination of the seasonal holiday, Lughnasadh and the full moon! Both together! Today, sharing with you about this sabbat and a ritual which you will find at the at the end of this post.
Welcome to Lughnasadh
Welcome to Lughnasadh, the first harvest! Or if you live in the southern hemisphere, Imbolc, the returning light of springtime. Both are being graced today by the full moon! Our ancestors’ lives were interwoven with nature and the cycles of the seasons. Earths rhythms were their own. Today, this first day of August and through the rest of this month is a potent time to honor the harvests in our lives. To recognize our connection and dependence on these significant gifts that life provides, with gratitude.
LUGHNASADH
Lughnasadh (Loo-nah-sa) is a Celtic holiday and tradition of old. It is also known as Lammas, the Christian name later given to it. August 1st marks the middle point between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. The first harvest has arrived! Fall is not quite here, but there are some initial signs. If you have a garden, you will know what I am referring to. In mine so much is happening! The squashes, tomatoes and lemon cucumbers are soooo plentiful, more than we can eat. The herbs are growing so quickly it is hard to keep up with at times. I dry them and use them fresh in many of our meals. Their aroma and taste, so satisfying and healing.
Witnessing nature’s creativity through gardening has been pure joy! Many times, I stand between the beds in awe! How these teeny tiny seeds grow so quickly into huge plants, like the sunflowers and zucchini plants! Amazing how tomato and squash vines reach out beyond the beds. Their flowering draws pollinators to them, these necessary insects that fertilize, making the resulting fruits and vegetables possible. And what this holiday signifies. The wedding of the Sun god Lugh to the Earth goddess Gaia, a pollination that causes the ripening of crops.
This time of Lughnasadh is also about harvesting grains: wheat, corn and oats. A time to gather it, mill it into flour and bake bread. The church transformed this Celtic holiday, changing its name and intent. It became Lammas, a word formed from an Old English word hlaf, “loaf,” and maesse, “mass”. Both the Celtic and Christian tradition honor this harvest. The Celtic one more in nature and the Christian one more in mass. I personally do not grow grains, nor bake a lot of breads, however in honor of this holiday, maybe zucchini bread!
The picture above is of my Lughnasadh altar from last year. All flowers, herbs, & vegetables came from my garden. Vegetables: zucchini, tomatoes, lemon cucumbers and other squashes. Herbs: sage, thyme, oregano, basil and yarrow. Harvest is mostly the same this year. Except for the tomatoes which are a couple of weeks late. And really being enjoyed by the birds this season.
ARUGULA….
Arugula is new to my garden this year. Oh my, what took me so long to try this out? My new mantra is, “everything goes good with a little arugula.”
THE MOON
The full moon comes into her completeness today, August 1st. Making this an auspicious holiday/sabbat! How wonderful to honor the first harvest at this time of the full moon! As she was waxing these past two weeks, plants were growing, maturing and ripening in our gardens. Now after the full moon, the waning as the harvesting. Love this synchronicity.
The Sun right now is in the sign of Leo and the Full Moon in Aquarius. Both are socially originated signs. Leo a bit more self-focused and Aquarius a bit more collectively focused. Right now, these heavenly bodies are in an opposing transit, which means it can be a battle between the individual and the society or it can be a time of coming together to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness and the necessary piece each plays in the collective whole. Lets make this the latter.
Celebrating
There are many ways to celebrate Lughnasadh.
Making corn dolls from corn husks.
Baking bread and sharing with others.
Harvesting vegetables and preparing a meal.
Gathering around an evening fire.
Practicing gratitude.
I personally enjoy celebrating Lughnasadh, like I do all the Celtic sabbats, by creating an altar. Calling in the directions and doing a tarot reading. For this sabbat in particular focusing on questions like:
What seeds have I planted? How have I been nurturing them? The ripening that is currently happening? What skills do I need to develop? What am I grateful for?
Wonderful questions to contemplate and dive into with the archetypes and symbols from the tarot at this sacred time of the first harvest.
RITUAL
Light a candle, or focus on the one pictured here.
You may listen to this meditation of calling in the directions, followed by a practice with gratitude.
OR
Find a comfortable position.
Bring your attention to the body and to your breathing. Staying attuned to your breath as the breathing in of the life force. The exhalation as giving back. An ongoing reciprocal flow.
Recognize and contemplate the many elements that make up life, these forms, your body and this planet.
Like the full moon, let it cast beams upon what you are grateful for today and/or this season of the first harvest.
Allow yourself to feel appreciation as a warm fire being tended to in the heart.
Fan the fire with your breath by inhaling gratitude, then exhaling as a release, opening for a deeper receptivity, a fuller gratitude.
Letting go…
PRAYER/BLESSING
In celebration of life, may I align more deeply with what it means to be a being of reciprocity. Recognizing my interdependence with this planet and all life upon it. From the deepest oceans to the tiniest microscopic organisms. Paying attention to how life moves, tending and nurturing this calling of the wilds. May I honestly see all the gifts in my life and humbly be grateful for them. Even those that are challenging and stretch me beyond what I believe I am capable of. Blessed Be!
Would love to know your thoughts. How are you celebrating Lughnasadh/Lammas? How do you honor nature and her cycles? Do you have a garden? What is your relationship with growing? Lets have a conversation…
What is coming…
The journey continues, next issue is on embodiment. Come along with me for the journey...
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I am stepping into Imbolc. The stirrings of Spring - Between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. I do love your writings. Thank you for inviting us to step beyond the here and now into something special.