Lughnasadh — Time To Reflect On Our Harvest

Lughnasadh or Lammas also known as Bread Mass (Loaf Mass Day) to Christians is only a few short days away. As you may know, it is the first of three harvest festivals. The second is Mabon or Alban Elfed in Druidic known to mudanes only as the Autumn Equinox; the last Samhain.

Additionally, Lughnasadh is one of the four fire festivals celebrated by the Celts which include Samhain, Imbolc and Bealtaine. Although it is a fire festival, fire or light does not play a big role as with the others.

For the Irish, Lughnasdadh is in remembrance of the funeral rites for Lugh’s foster mother Tailitiu. She made agriculture in Ireland feasible. The funeral games can still be seen playing out in Ireland and Scotland predominantly. They connect harvesting the land and the holiday together.

So, this is the holiday of the first harvest of wheat, corn and other grains. Corn dollies are made because our ancestors feared long winters. The following spring the dollies are plowed into the first plowing symbolizing rebirth and fertility.

We give thanks for the nutrients we received from our gardens and fields. In my rituals marking Lughnasadh I ask participants to reflect on what they have planted — or started — at Imbolc. I ask to think about what is growing in their life right now. In the spring, with the planting of seeds we planted our intentions for the coming year. As our gardens grow physically we also should be growing mentally and even spiritually.

Reflection is necessary in our lives, it helps us see what we need to work on. Sometimes changes are small and not noticeable to us. Others may see it before we do. This is when it’s best to sit in reflection. Meditate on yourself and the time frame from Imbolc to Lughnasadh.

See what you need to do to make those “planted” intentions happen. Just like our gardens need special, tender loving care to flourish and grow, so do we. We need water and sunlight just like plants do. Fertilize both your garden and your intentions.

Make it a ritual habit. Actually, start it off next Imbolc and plant your intentions as well as seeds. Help them grow and then assess them during Lughnasadh. Make new year’s resolutions at Samhain and check your progress at Ostara.

It makes me laugh though when I think about others’ reactions. Some people say that because we are Pagan that we just wave our hands and magic happens. They tease us about it, thinking that we believe this notion. Sure, we do a ritual, maybe a spell perhaps, but then we put work into getting the result. We get off our bum and do whatever it takes to make it happen. We do not sit there waiting for the results to flop into our laps. Though, that would be great.

No one should just expect something to happen without putting any work into it. This is laziness. Laura Kushner reminded us of the old tale “The Drowning Man” at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, NJ. The parable is about a man stuck on his rooftop during a flood. Three times help arrived in different ways. First a rowboat, then a motorboat and lastly a helicopter. Each time he turns down the help and says he is praying for his God to rescue him. We know how his story ends – fatally!

There’s a reason for the phrase “God helps those who help themselves.” It’s far more pertinent for Pagans than those who “just” pray for help. My elders, the Rev. Foxxy (Sher) Pullen and her late husband Hermotimus “Herm,” taught us the importance of clear intentions. Affirmations work. I am proof of that. In the time frame that I have studied with them in Three Fires Grove I have grown. Each year my intentions I plant change. I am sleeping very well at nights, I am leading two groups and the AV Tech Team at my congregation. And much to my surprise I was asked to be on the congregation’s Board of Trustees.

And yes, help others grow too. Water them with positive affirmations. Let them see what they can do. Teach them from your own experience. After all, you only get what you give.
So, yes, ask Mother Goddess/Father God or other deity for help, then get up off your butt and do the work. Go back to school, look for that job, or aim for a higher position at work. Go to the library and start reading up on your chosen path. Make time for little rituals like speaking to the moon as she rises, or thanking deity for an accident that didn’t happen.

Sometimes growing hurts and is a bit scary but no one ever said growth is easy. Anything worthwhile is not always simple to achieve. The harder you work for it, the more worthwhile it will feel.

Whatever you want, you can make it happen. Don’t be the drowning man, make your story a positive one. Sit in your garden and meditate for a bit, but then take a deep breath and go do. Then don’t forget to tell your story and help others achieve their goals.