Lughnasadh Blessings
Friday, February 5, 2010
Today is Lughnasadh – in the southern hemisphere anyway – the first day of autumn and the first harvest festival, a day of celebrating the things we have metaphorically harvested, the things we've achieved, the gifts we’ve received, the experiences we’ve had, the talents we've developed and the things we've learned...
I am so grateful for all the many blessings in my life. For my beautiful husband, who supports me and encourages me and helps me so much, from making me endless cups of tea when I'm working to drawing the illustrations for my books, and sharing all the beautiful moments of our life together – feeding the ducks in our favourite park, cuddling up on the couch and sharing our days, walking hand in hand into town, gazing at the moon, striving to make our dreams come true and helping each other more than anyone has before, for either of us... I am grateful to for my wonderful friends, especially, in this moment, to Lucy, because creating this book together has been such a joy, and I am amazed every day how well we work together, how wonderfully supportive she is, how we are able to solve potential issues in such a considerate, warm and wonderful way. I was nervous about a collaboration, but it has been so wonderful... And I am grateful for my health (after some terrifying visits to the neurologist, weird scans and the possibility of brain surgery due to my migraines), and a part-time job that allows me time to write books, and for the first slight autumn chill in the air after a very hot summer...
Lughnasadh, or Lammas, which is celebrated in the first week of February in the southern hemisphere and August in the north, is a cross-quarter day marking the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. It’s the first harvest festival, traditionally a time of feasting and of thanksgiving for the life-giving properties of the grain, as well as a recognition of the cycle of sowing and reaping of the crops – and of the symbolic things you grow and create in your life.
It’s a day of harvesting the fruits of your labours and acknowledging your successes and what you’ve achieved in the past year. Celebrate the goals you’ve reached and have your own festival of gratitude, in whatever form that takes. Toast your success, throw a party or do something special to mark the occasion. Make a list of all the things you’ve gained over the past year – the gifts you’ve been given, the new talents you’ve developed, the friends you’ve made, the experiences you’ve had, the healings you’ve received – and give thanks for it all.
Then, out of gratitude and in the spirit of the ancestors who shared the bounty of their harvest with those less well off, pass on some of your good fortune. Make a donation to a local charity, lend money to a business in the developing world or give your time to help someone, ensuring the energy of abundance continues and is strengthened. Give out of grace and for joy, not with the expectation of receiving anything in return. Work out small ways you can make a difference to the world and the people around you all year.
Now too, as the energy begins to subtly slow, it’s a time to be patient and to trust that everything is as it should be, because there are still harvests to come. Not everything has to be achieved right now – some things take longer to manifest. The lesson of the Wheel of the Year is that everything continues, everything happens when it should and everything is eternal.
From Seven Sacred Sites: Magical Journeys That Will Change Your Life.
To return to the Blog homepage, click here.
The Book of Faery Magic, Seven Sacred Sites and A Magical Journey are available from bookstores across Australia, distributed by Brumby Books, and through this website.
Send Serene an email.
