It’s appropriate to be here in Scotland on the First of August. It’s Lughnassadh, the day of Lugh, when the harvests would begin. Als.o known as Lammas. It’s a good time to think about what I have grown this year.
August is the month which turns my thoughts to the approaching autumnal breezes. I enjoy the sunshine as much as I can whilst most of this part of the world are all away on holiday. Many of us are enjoying a rest from our toils before we start storing up for the Winter months. So it’s a good time to reflect. The Celtic, Gaelic or Pagan tradition (there are several definitions that boil down to mostly the same thing) about Lugh, the god who gave his name to this celebration relates to his efforts to win a good harvest for mankind. To our ancestors a good harvest of crops was certainly something to celebrate. And it could also have been hard won too. We are much less connected to the harvest in modern times because our industrial mindset means we can have all sorts of things out of season.
At noon today I went up into the forrest with my candle and crystals to be part of this first August harvest day. Doing this is a way I can reconnect with those ancestors who held the land to be a precious part of their lives.
I also wanted to acknowledge one of the meanings of Lugh – the Light. When I set out on my spiritual journey I wanted to shed light on why I was here. My search for meaning led me into dark corners as well as light spaces. I had to face my fears about life. And about myself. Being on a retreat away from the busy world for the last week I’ve been walking the paths of my past. I’m busy writing a book. Recalling my journey has brought yet more to the surface. I’ve had to consider what has worked out for me and what hasn’t. There has been some refocusing going on too. Taking my journey forward is only possible if I acknowledge where I’ve got to so far.
It’s time for me to harvest all that I have grown. And to understand those ventures that have floundered or failed. Sitting at the base of a ‘mother’ tree I lit my candle. I asked for the Light to continue to guide me forward. Then I spent some time in meditation, checking in with what I have harvested within myself. None of this would have been possible had I chosen to ignore my spiritual connections. Through my contact with the Spirit World I have discovered my deep faith in the existence of Divine. I have been fortunate enough to ‘feel’ the presence of something pure and Light.
Siting here writing a blog that is a numerological 8 I feel the connection to infinity, to the ArchAngels and to the Light. Being in the forrest today I also felt the connection to Mother Earth, to the plants, animals and people who share her with me. A beautiful harvest. So much magic in all that is ?
Day 260 of my blogging challenge.