Lughnasadh Celebrations + Leo Season
Late Summer Vibes & First Harvest Mind
Hey there my beloveds,
Welcome to August and Happy Lughnasadh! Today we have entered into our next High Holidaze, our next Sacred Sabbat. Lughnasadh, pronounced Loo-na-saah is our first of three harvest festivals that we start to celebrate as we turn into the next phase of the Wheel of the Year.
Personally, it feels as though Summer has flown by. It has be a wet, lush thunderstorm season up in Ely for the past few months. Thankfully the mosquitoes are starting to calm down…those damn little vampires. There’s only so much we can keep out of our cabin while playing in the forest. And we have ended up with mini crime scenes around the home - a bloody outcome but also a satisfying kill. Don’t get me wrong! I love all animals and vampires! Except for the mosquitos…
The lakes up here have become the perfect temp for swimming. My favorite pastime as a watery Scorpio is to soak in a float while hollering at the little painted turtles, who are sun bathing next to me on their rocks.
Our grill is still in storage as we continue to settle into our new home but that hasn’t stopped us! We have been enjoying the open flame of our bonfire, grilling as much as we can. Potatoes wrapped in tinfoil and baked to perfection by the coals. Fresh chimichurri over everything. And Ely just had their annual Blueberry Festival, where we devoured blueberry pie sent from the gods.
It’s a summer dream to sleep with all the windows open. Seeing stars from my bedside while listening to the chatter of the trees, talking to each other from both sides of our home.
The sunrises, sunsets, and moonrises that crest over our lake view. And the Loons… Oh the Loons! I can’t get enough. They sing throughout the night, calling to each other and praising the Moon. If you are a bird enthusiast, which I am dramatically turning into - download the Merlin App!
All these love summer notes have been quick moments this season. They have been rare but sacred, as I’ve also been so nonstop with travel & work these past few months - it’s a whirlwind to already find ourselves nearing summer’s end. Hence why you’re receiving another museletter instead of a podcast episode. “It’s ok to do the capacity of only one person” my therapist told me, and she’s right. I am shifting into slow mode for August & September. I can feel this warm daze settling into my bones. And I’m here for it.
I feel like everyone has been having a unique summer of their own.
A BRAT girl summer. A hot, wet summer. A bog summer anyone? A sad girl summer or a winter summer. A lazy summer. A juggling act summer. A work-your-ass-off-where-is-summer? summer. A communal celebration summer. An abundant summer. A heart-of-the-matter summer. A somatic summer. A summer of boundaries. A summer of romanticism. A summer of activism. An anxious summer turned into a hopeful summer. (GO KAMALA!)
Let me know what kind of summer you have been having my friend - it’s unique to you but you’re also not alone in it either!
The Herstory of Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh (Loo-na-saah) or Lammas starts on the eve of July 31st and goes through August 1st. It is considered the midpoint between the Summer Solstice (Litha) and the Fall Equinox (Mabon).
A Gaelic festival with pagan origins, Lughnasadh celebrations used to span over 4 weeks (the last 2 weeks of July and the first 2 weeks of August). This Irish tradition is named after the Celtic deity Lugh, a God of Sun & Light. He wanted to honor is foster mother, Tailtiu, a goddess who sacrificed herself clearing the plains of Ireland so the people had space to grow & cultivate crops.
The Angle Saxon (old English/semi-Catholic) calling for this time of the year is Lammas - which literally means ‘loaf mass’. It’s all about the bread baby! We are harvesting grain, wheat, corn. We are giving thanks for all the blessing in the abundance of our first harvest!
In the days of old because of Tailtiu’s sacrifice, they observed this time with not just any feast but a funeral feast. This was honoring the goddess, a feast of sweetness like berries & stone fruit, of hearty grain like wheat & corn (and beer too!), all the while surrounded by gorgeous sunflowers & poppies & marigolds.
With these festivities also came athletic competition & sporting contests known as the funeral games. It was all to honor the first wave of death of the Earth Goddess, as we inch closer to fall & winter. And the fact that the Summer Olympics are continuing to happen in this season just shows that ancient traditions continue on y’all! It’s been fun & inspiring to watch - being able to come together globally in a positive, passionate, humanistic nature which calls in a hopeful energy that we all need.
Mystic Musings of Lughnasadh
Symbolism for Lughnasdah
Colors: Hues of Deep Gold, Warm Yellows, Light Browns, Earthy Greens.
Choose an above color that resonates deeply with you this season. Wear it, visualize it, burn that color candle, cook with it. Color magic is powerful!
Tools:
Scythe or Sickle: To harvest & reap. To clearly cut & change something forever. To release & let go. It can feel sudden and swift. It can be a relief or painful. It can be a breakthrough or a boundary. A cord cutting ritual is great during this time, or a bonfire ritual to call all your energy back home to self.
Baking Bread: Using your hands to honor the abundance you have witnessed this season. Whether it’s herb loaf, braided bread, artful focaccia, blueberry pie, corn bread - make it! Not only can you & your loved ones enjoy the blessings of your kitchen magic, but you can also serve it up as an offering to your altar as well.
Corn Dollies: A jubilant earthy creation of grain that can harness the Spirit of Harvest. While making one you can focus on your intention for the upcoming months as you weave your art together.
Herbs & Incense: Basil, mint, hops, lavender, chamomile, marigold, elderberry, sandalwood, frankincense, cedar, rose, rosemary.
Working with any of these herbs & incense - whether it be cooking, burning, researching, planting, drawing, showering with, or adding to your altar - can deepen your connection to the season.
This is a time of duality. A time of savoring these last summer days, as we also are now expanding enough to hold space for what’s to come too. This Sabbat asks us to lean into the ‘both and’. A paradigm of complexities that we all know so well as this point I imagine! But still - it’s an important time to reflect & to ask ourselves the following questions:
What do I want to realign my heart towards?
What can I offer up & release, so I can continue to make more space, as a new cycle is starting to come in?
Am I having the summer that I intended to have? If not - can I bring compassion around the reality of what these past few months have taught me instead?
What victories can I celebrate regardless? Big & small
What learnings have helped me grow? Both hard & soft
Lughnasadh Cosmic Forecast
Huzzah Leo season! I am a lion hear me ROAR! I felt the needed energetic shift a few weeks ago - did you?
We are in fixed fire Leo Season until August 22nd. Then we shift into mutable earth Virgo Season until September 22nd, which is also our next High Holidaze - Mabon aka the Fall Equinox.
For these next few months of August & September, it’s important for us to pay attention to slowing down where we can. To feel into our needs & recommit to our desires. We are being asked to listen, to face our fears with courage & vulnerability in order to expand our foundations & sense of self. To dial in on our passions & share with community, so we can witness & be witnessed.
This may sound like repetitive themes and it’s because they HAVE BEEN repeating all year. Collectively the Year 2024 is our Strength Year in Tarot. And the Strength card, is also connected to the zodiac sign Leo. So we are doubling down in this energy during August.
The usual depiction of the Strength card features a woman & her Lion. She is usually seen in a relaxed state, either taming or comforting her animal partner.
This Leo lion is a part of us. Whether it be our deepest desires or hidden creative strengths. Whether it be an internal fear or a challenge we must take on & overcome. When we witness these pieces of ourselves we are able to reinforce our self love & hold more compassion for others. The more we show up in Leo Season, the more Virgo Season will bring us clarity & healthy structure in our lives.
The Great Cosmos is cheering us on to honor ourselves this Lughnasadh!
This weekend on August 3rd we have a New Moon in Leo, which is the perfect time to set new intentions for this next moon cycle. Following right after is a Mercury Retrograde on August 4th till August 27th. Merc Rx are periods of time where we need to get intentional, slow down & stay present in our hearts in order to honor our truths.
I love you fam. Please share this post with friends & family who would enjoy! We’ll see you next on Mabon, the Autumn Equinox on September 22nd.
8 High Holidaze ~ 8 podcast episodes
Ostara // Spring Equinox, March 19th
Beltane & Witches Night, April 30th to May 1st May Day
Litha // Summer Solstice, June 20th
Lughnasadh or Lammas, August 1st
Mabon // Autumn Equinox, September 22nd
Samhain, October 31st - November 1st
Yule // Winter Solstice, December 21st - January 1st, 2025
Imbolc, February 1st 2025
As above so below. As within so without. As the Universe so the Soul.
So mote it be.
XO
Joh
A beautiful message Joh! 💕💕💕
Mahalo for all of your beautiful thoughts and words! Love you! ❤️