August 1st was Lughnasadh (loo-nass-a), the first of 3 pagan harvest festivals. Lughnasadh (sometimes called Lammas) marks the beginning of the harvest and the coming autumn season. This is the time of the year when grain is harvested, leaves begin to yellow at their edges and the nights are a little cooler.
Traditional Lughnasadh activities include baking bread, drying herbs and preparing your home for autumn.
At this time, witches begin to look inwards, becoming introspective as the year ends (Samhain on October 31st marks the witch’s New Year.) Reflect upon all that you wanted to accomplish this year. In the previous months you planted ideas in your mind like a farmer plants seeds. You watched these ideas grow and come to fruition and now is the time to harvest them. By now you should be reaping the rewards of your toil and reflecting upon your success or failure. If you haven’t harvested the fruits of your labor, now is the time.
For more information this article is fantastic.
I should mention, I am not Wiccan so there is no God/Goddess symbology in my holiday celebrations. If you are Wiccan, you’ll be celebrating the mother stage of the Goddess and also, if I’m correct, the sacrifice of the God to ensure that life continues through winter. But as I said, I’m not Wiccan so I’m no expert on the cycle of the God/Goddess… to be honest, it really doesn’t make sense to me… but that’s why I’m not Wiccan.
Anyways, enjoy the end of summer and look forward to autumn!
