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3 Ways to Celebrate A Modern Lughnasadh
Celebrating Lughnasadh, or Lammas, is tricky to me. I often find difficulty in practicing on the Major Sabbat days because often times, my environment does not reflect traditional Sabbat thinking.
Lughnasadh, for example, is all about the harvest. Its the beginning of the harvest season, a time where we not only reap the literal grains, but the proverbial efforts of our hard work. In theory, its a beautiful holiday that allows us to honor the ever-enduring sun and the shift into a time of quiet contemplation and relishing in the hustle of the summer.
In reality – at least in the northeast – I’m still mid-hustle and not seeing much harvest at all. I mean, we just picked the first pepper from the garden yesterday, and I don’t even have a fully grown cucumber yet!
In a modern practice, its much more important to understand the energetic principles
behind these high holy days, since the seasons don’t look the same everywhere. I may not be harvesting from my garden today, but I have been putting in lots of hard work in other areas of my life and it’s time to sit back, take a breather, and appreciate all I’ve done so far (while knowing that there’s still work to be done).
Even though I’m not sitting pretty in a heap of garden gifts, I can still spend today honoring Lugh and the always-giving, slowly fading sun in other ways.
Bake Some Bread
This one’s obvious, right? Lughnasadh is the harvest of the grain, so it makes sense to fill your feast today with grains. Bread, pasta, cakes and cookies – if you bake, fill your home with the deliciously sweet scent of baked goods. Bread can be easy (or ridiculously hard), but there’s a recipe out there for everyone. Modern tip: draw sigils and symbols of Lugh directly onto your bread maker for the blessings of Lughnasadh and the harvest all year long. And if you really, truly can’t make bread, use some jam or icing to draw on those sigils before you eat the store bought loaf!
Make A Coffee Date
Grab a friend, go to the local coffee shop, and have yourself a little midday escape. First of all, there’s bread and pastry products to indulge in, but more importantly, spend your coffee date talking about your side hustle, home renovation, novel progress – anything you’ve been dedicating significant effort to. Even if its not complete – especially if it’s not complete – now is the time to sit and reflect on all you’ve accomplished so far. You’re rocking it, and you deserve to acknowledge and celebrate that! By talking about all the work you’ve done, you honor the process (and your place in it), while also recharging you to keep going towards completion. Go you!
Clean House
Traditionally, spring is the time to clean and purge all the leftover gunk – both physically and energetically – from the winter. But spring and autumn have many parallels, and while it may not be autumn, it is just around the corner. Doing a little fall cleaning now will help clear your environment to make room for all the things you’ve been working on. It cleans up the pollen, dust, and dirt we’ve accumulated from the glorious summer days, but it also forces you to take stock of all you have (gratitude is a big theme of the harvest days), what you need, and what you can pass on to others. Plus, by making literal and energetic space for the things to come, we tell the universe we’re ready to receive them. In nature, voids need to be filled, so if you create a void, set clear intentions for how to fill it, and then sit back.
These are just a few ways I’ve celebrated Lughnasadh over the years, and there are certainly many more. How are you celebrating Lughnasadh today? I’d love to hear how you spend the day too! Join the discussion in the Modern Day Magick Circle.