Today the Harvest season begins, as an abundance of sun-ripened fruits and grains begin to become available in garden, field and hedgerow. Traditionally it was a time of hard work (cutting, gathering in and processing the harvest), but also a time of community, co-operation and ultimately celebration once all the work was done and people knew they had enough food stored away to see them through the coming winter.
Yet the season is also tinged with sadness. One recurrent theme in harvest folklore is that of sacrifice - the notion that the spirit of the corn is sacrificed when the grain is cut. Many customs are ways to honour this sacrifice, or they provide the spirit of the harvest a safe place to reside over the winter months until next year's seeds are planted and the cycle begins anew.
And of course, the culmination of summer inevitably means that autumn is beginning to edge in. Just as at the festival directly opposite Lughnasadh on the Wheel of the Year, Imbolg, one can feel the pulse of the land beginning to stir even though (apart from snowdrops) there is little visual evidence, at Lughnasadh if you drop your consciousness down and feel into the land you can sense it beginning to relax and make itself ready for the coming season of rest.
How will you be celebrating Lughnasadh this year? I will make some bread, pick some blackberries and give thanks for all that I have so far harvested this year - after all, it's still just the beginning of the harvest and many blessings still await us.
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Glad you're back
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