Lughnasadh Blessings

Once again the wheel has turned and it is time for the first harvest celebration.... Lughnasadh (Loo-NAHS-ah) which is named for the Celtic Sun God, Lugh. We celebrate because we are beginning to reap the fruits of our labor. The seeds that we planted in the spring have grown and are now beginning to produce vegetables.... the berries are ripening... and the fruit trees are bearing fruit.... the grains in the fields are ready to harvest. The body of the Mother Earth is full and abundant.... and will become even more so as the seeds within her continue to grow.

Lughnasadh falls midway between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox therefore it is a cross-quarter holiday. While the hottest part of the summer is still to come.... have you noticed yet that it's getting dark just a tiny bit earlier each day? The days are already getting shorter and the nights longer... but just a lil bit at this time. But it will become more and more noticeable as the dark time gets nearer.

Lughnasadh is primarily a grain harvest (corn, wheat, barley).... and is known as the celebration of bread. Bread was one of the main staples of our ancestors and the ripening of the grain was cause for great celebration.... it meant that there would be food to eat for the coming winter months. The threshing of precious grain was once seen as a sacred act. Fruits, vegetables and berries which ripen in late summer are also a part of the traditional feast.

Lughnasadh is also a time of personal reflection and a harvest of our own actions and deeds. It's a time to reflect on events and experiences and the lessons that we have learned from them. Maybe you've reaped trial, tribulation and loss..... or joy, love and abundance. Remember that the seeds that we plant are the seeds that will grow.... thoughts are seeds... just as deeds are seeds.

You can celebrate this harvest by baking fresh bread. Take your lil ones berry picking.... have the fresh berries with your bread or put them in your bread. Show your lil ones how to make a corn dolly. Take your lil ones into the garden and show them how to pick the vegetables growing there.... and then share your abundance with someone else who may be in need.

I plan to celebrate Lughnasadh on the hill that I love with my spiritual family... honoring the Mother and Father.... singing and dancing... laughing and crying... and sharing a wonderful feast :)

Lughnasadh Blessings To All....

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~