*some of this post is taken from last year's Lammas* August 2 is Lammas, an ancient Celtic holy day that heralds the beginning of harvest time. Crops ripen, life abounds, and our hearts and homes are full as we head deeper into the dark half of the year. Lammas means "loaf-mass" in Old English and is both a fire festival and a harvest celebration of the the first grain harvest. It is also known as Lughnasadh, the Celtic holy day named for the Sun God Lugh. For many of us that honor the wheel of the year, Lammas is the first of three harvest festivals, a time to bake bread and offer thanks. It actually occurs at fifteen degrees of Leo, which is the midpoint between summer solstice and autumnal equinox, so this year we can celebrate from August 1 through August 7.
You can bake corn bread, scones, loaves of bread, or make preserves and share them. You may literally light the fires (candles) or more symbolically light the Lammas bonfires. Take some time to contemplate and release what is passing out of your life, letting go. Throw regrets into the fire. Think about what your harvest has brought forth, what you are reaping.
Genuine creativity is at its peak. This is a good time to focus on creative projects, make art, and allow your talents to be felt as gifts from the Shakti. Be clear as you vision your life, and what your fiery will directs you towards. Create a work of art that illustrates or crystalizes into a form your intentions.
May our hearts dance in exuberant fulfillment to celebrate the last days of summertime! May we live each moment to the fullest, and savor the miraculousness and preciousness of this embodied experience.
Let us seek the magic of this upcoming full moon, while we roar our gratitude with beautiful ferocity like Leo.