Season of Lughnasadh: Part 1
A cross quarter day is the time between an equinox and solstice (or solstice and equinox). Lughnasadh is one of these days. When marked on the calendar it’s often celebrated on August 1st, but if we were to look at the exact time astrologically it would be August 7th.
Often called The First Harvest because it’s time to start beginning to reap what we have sown. Lughnasadh is often associated with the harvest of grains like wheat, barley, and oats in the British Isles. In Kentucky, I had harvested the wheat and barley I planted in my backyard (two little 3x3 foot patches) a month ago.
Right now I’ve been observing a prolific emergence of butterflies, tomatoes finally ripening on the vine, poison ivy rashes blooming on skin, sunflowers showing out in a big way, and, curiously, a very marked drop in temperature.
I believe in listening to tradition - knowing what the ancient Celts were observing and harvesting when the sun was in this part of their cycle is fascinating and inspiring. But to me it’s also important to witness what is happening in the here and now - in a time of a rapidly changing climate, I’m trying to stay grounded in the realities of today.
Divination for the season:
I pulled a card from The Mundane Magick Tarot by The 8th House to see what to think about and look out for from now until the autumnal equinox, Mabon. As dawn was turning the sky from black to blue, the 10th major arcana card, The Wheel of Fortune, fell out. The card’s imagery has a calendar open to January connected to two threads coming in and out of the card. It reads:
“TECTONIC PLATES
SHIFTING
UNEXPECTED MONEY
FOUND INSIDE
AN OLD COAT POCKET
WE’RE TRAINED TO
SLICE OUR LIVES
INTO NEATLY ORGANIZED
SCHEDULED COMPARTMENTS
BUT DON’T FOR GET TO
LEAVE
SPACE
FOR MAGICK
FOR THE UNEXPECTED
FOR THE LAWS OF NATURE
REGARDLESS OF OUR PLANNING
THE ONLY CONSTANT IN LIFE
IS CHANGE”
The interpretation:
Arcing, breaking, the Wheel of Time turns,
The first harvest of the season
Butterflies break out of the chrysalis
Poison ivy blooms on the flesh
The edges of touching ecosystems are the most diverse.
Epoch to epoch.
Now is the time we will see many new lives and systems.
Starting and proliferating possibilities - infinite timelines of possibilities.
What will you lend your energy to?
What do you dream of in the new age?
Change is inevitable, but free will is not.
Make your choice, and then lean in.
A little spell for you:
When the sun touches you. That’s energy, vital life force, the inception, the torch of life. Petition the Sun to set a light to your mind’s energy. If the mind is of air and is the oxygen, then ask the Sun to be the spark and light your fuel!
In the full glory of the Sun, ground your body with the Earth. Gather your thought with intention and concentration to create the fuel for the magic to come to your life. Move the fuel from the Earth through your body to a single point at the tip of your pointer finger. See the fuel burn like butane on a lighter. Ask the Sun to light it - and watch your intention burn with action. Place the flame in your body - wherever it may keep burning best: your heart, your mind, your belly, your feet, your hands. Tend to the flame and witness the magic. And if the flame gets weak simply wait for the Day and bid the Sun to light your flame again.
I’ll be back again with more ways to celebrate the Lughnasadh season!