Mind, Body, Spirit – Page 13

First Harvest – Blessed Lammas

August 1 – Blessed Lughnasadh has arrived. The wheel of the year moves on with the first harvest celebration on the old Gaelic calendar.

Pause and enjoy what the garden has grown. Remember Ceres, Demeter, Pachamama, or good old Mother Earth. She gives us the corn, beans, squash and tomato. The raspberry and blueberry are abundant now. In the Northeast, hollyhock, purple coneflower, Queen Anne’s lace, day lilies and phlox are in bloom. July has been too dry causing many shrubs and grasses to go into dormancy.

Pray to Goldberry asking the blessings of cooling, refreshing rains to fall. She may be a character from the Tolkien legends, nevertheless, a goddess to many. Her gentle care is most called upon now. Make an offering and pledge to conserve water daily. A promise to her is returned to all.

Call it Lammas if you will and weave a sun wheel from wheat stalks. Bake a loaf of fresh bread and remember our oldest friend. Gaia, the great mother of all. Hail the first harvest. Give thanks to a simple meal at the end of each day. Share the crumbs with the birds and critters. Build good karma with all living beings on the earth. Celebrate Lughnasadh and the abundance of first harvest.

Full July Hay Moon

The wheel of the year rolls on to the Full Moon in July. This moon is sometimes called the hay moon. Fields are fragrant with the first cut. Barns and lofts fill with fresh baled timothy and alfalfa in preparation for the long winter months to come. Also called the Thunder Moon, the strong sun and humid days can rouse up the thunder beings to let go a deluge on the land.

The gardens are growing strong now. The goddess Pomona walks among us as the melons, corn and beans ripen. Purple cone-flower welcome the gentle touch of butterflies. Hollyhock and day lilies are in full bloom. Blueberries and raspberries are ready for picking.

The full moon in Capricorn invites our spirits to rise to the occasion and explore our boundaries. Can we go a little farther? Can we try a little more? The summer season is at its height. Enjoy the blessings of a cool swim in a lake. Merge with the water, sun and wind. Feel the forces of nature all around. Be with them and remember we all come from the same good old mother Earth. Cherish her everyday.

Summer Solstice ~ Full Rose Moon

A rare celestial event occurs today. The Summer Solstice rolls in with a Full June Moon. In the northern hemisphere, the Earth looks eagerly toward the rising sun taking as much solar power as can be absorbed. The gardens, farms and fields are in their most vigorous growth cycle.

The strawberry patch is at harvest in Massachusetts. Rose gardens are bursting with fragrant, velvety petals. The honeybees are gathering nectar. The moon in Sagittarius points the wheel of the year into summertime. Time to grow, plant, nourish and be in the sun.

Hail the Summer! Hail the Honey Moon!