Happy Lughnasadh or Lammas, lovelies. It’s a beautiful time of the year. We are still in high summer but we are beginning to wake up from our hazy lazy summer days and start preparing our homes for Autumn which will be upon us all too quickly. Lughnasadh happens on August 1st and is the first of the 3 harvesting sabbats. The very first fruits to ripen can begin to be picked, blackberries, peaches and maybe some apples if you are very lucky.
The traditional themes of this sabbat are beginning the harvest, preserving the very last drop of summer (creating jams will make the fruits of the season last longer than eating them fresh) and preparing for Autumn.
In more modern times this can look like savouring vacation time, and time spent outdoors with friends and family, baking and starting to think of and plan Autumn projects.
For me this is the beginning of baking and preserving season, I’ll put my collected jars to good use and create jams with the berries of the season, bake the hubs a blackberry crumble and also my famous (well famous in our house) Dutch apple cake. This is my favourite time of year, second to Samhain, the green grass has turned yellow, fields of corn capture the sunset as their stalks sway in the warm breeze, farmers begin bailing the hay leaving huge golden barrels row after row. I love that we begin to see the nights drawing in and adverts for horror movies start to show, it’s a time of busying the last push before we retreat inside for the darker months. This is Lughnasadh in my sleepy little town of Devon, U.K.
Alongside getting the most of the sun and preserving its luscious fruits, I’ll also read tarot. Using the wheel of the year I’ll tailor my questions to ask how I can get the most out of this season. Here is a spread I have created specifically for Lughnasadh. The theme is generally waking ourselves up from our summer stupor so that we can spend the last few weeks or days of sunshine mindfully so that we make them count. We also assess the fruits of our labours, what has worked and what didn’t so that we can go into the season of work (Autumn and the harvesting) fully prepared and motivated
The spread
1.) What hard work of mine has begun to pay off?
2.) what hard work hasn’t brought anything to fruition?
3.) How can I use the answers from 1 & 2 to aid me in the coming months?
4.) What advice do I need to remember at this time?
5.) How can I get/remain grounded in my power?
6.) What life lessons am I currently learning?
7.) What/Who do I have to be grateful for?
So this is how I intend to spend my Lughnasadh. I hope you have a very beautiful sabbat wherever you are, my lovelies
