Lughnasa and Full Red Moon

Lughnasa (loo-na-sa) is a Celtic festival celebrated in early August, usually August 1st. It's called a cross-quarter day because it falls approximately midway between summer solstice and autumn equinox, marking the end of summer in the Celtic tradition, and the beginning of the harvesting season.

Tonight is also the full Moon, called akupiu, the end of summer moon, by the Kalapuya of our area, and the Red moon by others, because it often appears reddish as it rises through the sultry haze of late summer - and in our valley, a sultry haze is the norm! One lovely (possibly Native American) explanation for the redness is that the moon is blushing after being kissed by the sun.

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon.

Agenda for today:
1. Take a vision walk
2. Celebrate integrity

3. Take a pause to enjoy the harvest

4. Make bread
5. Paint

6. Nasad (gathering) and candle ceremony

7. Harvest Meal

1. Take a vision walk:

The full moon shines a bright light on everything, and I might experience intuitive and creative breakthroughs. I might be shocked by the clarity of my insights, and I might have some profound new understandings.

It's also Lughnasa, and all of the cross-quarter days are times of transition from one focus to another; at Lughnasa the shift is from growth to harvest. At the harvest, the grain is cut, part of it goes into bread, and part is stored away and used as seeds next spring, and so thoughts about sacrifice, transformation, death, and rebirth are pertinent at Lughnasa. This is when we take stock of what we are reaping.

The name Lughnasa comes from Lugh, the Celtic God of harvests, crafts, and the lightening flash, and nasad, which was an assembly or gathering. Lughnasad was a gathering to honor and appease Lugh, so he would hopefully not throw a summer storm temper-tantrum, and ruin the harvest.

But he is also the trickster face of God -- chaotic, disorderly, operating outside the framework of right and wrong -- sending lightning at inconvenient moments. This isn't a comfortable image, but I have to face the fact that my spiritual life isn't always comfortable; sometimes what I harvest is tough to chew.

Today I ask myself:

What have I been cultivating these first months of summer?What has been growing in my life that is ready for harvest? How is my harvest proceeding? 

 

What is the Truth that is coming into focus for me now? What is transforming in my life?

 

How do I find the passion to be persistent? How do I hold myself accountable?

How do I cope when the Trickster takes over my life?

2. Celebrate integrity:

My theme ​this month ​is Integrity, and the call to Truth. 

Today I remind myself of my intentions for the month, and then celebrate how far I've come, give thanks for the lessons learned and the blessings received, and reaffirm this theme for the next two weeks. Each month I choose a different way to celebrate the full moon, and today I am ready to celebrate integrity in these ways:

1. Bring in the harvest - cukes, squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, leeks, and dried peas. 
2. Equanimity with my grandson - a downtown adventure, and paint!
3. A gathering of my cohort to share from the heart.

3. Take a pause to enjoy the season:

Just as we celebrate Imbolc as the 'beginning of the end of winter,' so we celebrate Lughnasa as the beginning of the end of summer. This is generally a busy time in the garden! So many delicious things are ready to harvest; it's a time of joy for the first fruits, typically the start of the grain harvest, or potatoes, or blueberries, or really whatever you have a lot of!

Lughnasa is a time to take a pause, but it's not the end of the harvest. It’s a time to acknowledge all the work you've done - all the attention you've give to your garden and to your life - and pray that you will have the strength to continue to care for everything that is growing.

Also, the pause allows us to remember the cycle of the seasons; that we are rolling onwards towards autumn, and now is the time to honor and enjoy the sun and the summer.

4. Make bread:

The Anglo-Saxons called this cross-quarter day Lammas, or "loaf-mass", for the blessing of bread made from the first harvest of grain. In ancient tradition, the grains of the Earth are the body of the God, sacrificed at the harvest, ground to flour, baked into bread and then consumed to keep the circle of life turning.

Lammas is a celebration of the first grain harvest of the season. Grain has been an important crop for almost every civilization since nearly the beginning of time. It’s easy for us to forget how hard our ancestors worked when, in the modern world, we simply run to the store for a loaf of bread. For our ancestors, taking care of their crops was the difference between life and death. By baking bread today we honor our ancestors and the hard work they endured in order to survive.

I usually make bread today, in some form.

5. Paint:

Lugh is a master of all crafts, and is known for sharing his knowledge with humans. I feel a connection to Lugh-- he is the image of God as an Arts and Crafts Teacher! 

Since Lugh is the god of all crafts, all of us craftspeople, artists, and entertainers get to show off our talents today. 

Today I dived in to the spirit of chaos by painting with my grandson, who now knows how to unscrew the lids on the paint bottles, so we had plenty of paint on the paper!

6. Nasad (gathering) and candle ceremony:

The Celtic gathering at this time of year was an early thanksgiving - the first of several times to give thanks for the harvest. They celebrated for two or more weeks, beginning with a climb to the tops of mountains to present the first grain to the creator. They also held the Tailteann Games, with horse races, chariot races, footraces, and swimming races, followed by dancing, singing, story-telling, and great readings of the law. And a feast.

Tonight some of my best friends will gather in my garden to talk deeply and howl at the moon. To prepare, I made an outdoor altar of freshly harvested flowers, herbs, and veggies.

We'll end with a simple candle ceremony - we will each light a candle and send a wish to the Universe for harvests to continue to blossom in our lives.