Gathering In - The First Harvest
On 1st August, our ancestors traditionally celebrated Lammas or Lughnasadh, one of the four fire festivals, marking the first harvest that spans for six weeks until the Autumn Equinox. Seen as a time of abundance, we gather the generous gifts from the Earth, the first fruits and fields of wheat warmed by the summer sun. At this time, the energy and hours of light begin to recede as we, too, gather the parts of ourselves that have become scattered in the outward momentum of the expansive summer months.Like many, I honour these energy rhythms with seasonal observations and personal reflections.
While these 'pivots' consciously anchor us in a constantly changing world, we do often navigate the wheel of the year with a little more certainty than this! It has been a tender summer with a great deal of topsy-turvy weather in the UK, from moments of golden sun cloaked by grey clouds to pouring rain in a heartbeat. In truth, I don't feel abundant this harvest... although the days have held a 'fullness' to them, this year has felt less about plentitude and profusion but rather endurance, adaptability and resilience. Everything from personal life upheavals and planetary retrogrades to unseasonably inclement weather, it feels like this summer has been a fallow year - preparing for the sun-ripened days to come.
And so my 'gathering in' this harvest comes to refocus my intention, directing my energy towards the work I love and those where my heart feels most at home.I will be holding spaces for the next two weeks for you to find what is sweet, rich and ripe in you... harvesting the fruits of our practice before I take a short break to drink in the final echoes of summer.