This week marks astrological Lughnasadh, the festival of the first harvest. It is traditionally celebrated on the first of August, but it is the midway point between Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox, so the date should vary. This year it falls on Wednesday the 8th.
Back in December, I wrote a blog post recommending people take a fresh look at the seasonal wheel, and celebrating the seasons and harvests at times more appropriate to their environment. The whole point of the pagan celebratory calendar is to bring people closer to nature, so shouldn’t we be celebrating harvest when they actually occur in our own areas?
I see the point of marking astrological events, such as Solstice and Equinox, as well as Moon cycles and eclipses. If you’re going to use that schedule for connecting to the forces around you, it still makes sense to figure out what that means for you, rather than some folks up in the British Isles. Personal relevance goes a long way towards creating a usable connection.
Regardless of what the weather and plants are doing in your neck of the woods, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, we are all at that midway point in between the longest day (Summer Solstice) and the balance of day and night (autumnal Equinox). The midway point in any journey is a good time to take a moment and assess how that journey is going. Hopefully, you did some looking back and tying up of loose ends during out recent Mercury Retrograde, but if you didn’t, this is the time.
Sunlight still outweighs darkness, we are in the time of the Big Sun. It is a time of action, a time to be social, a time for teamwork, a time to use the strengths of the greater community to get things done. How are you doing with that? What improvements have you made along those lines? Are there any milestones that can be celebrated?
Looking forward, we are moving towards the balance of light and dark. What plans can you make to help you create more balance in your life? What can you let go of in the time of light, so that the shadows do not overwhelm you later in the year? What strengths can be honored, what weaknesses can be transformed?
As I pointed out this morning on my Facebook page, there are some interesting things going on with solar energy right now. We are overdue by about a year for a magnetic flip of the sun’s energy, and NASA is anticipating it will happen in the next few months. At the same time, solar activity, which was anticipated to be very high, is instead very quiet, and some scientists worry that this means there will be even more solar activity going forward. North Point Astrology pointed out last year that the currently unbalanced solar flip indicates that this might be a good time to let go of our karma, which prompted today’s message of the day:
“Now is the time to release karmic debt, rather than creating more. Let me let you in on a little secret: karma is a choice, a choice to hold on to something that has happened. Choose instead to STOP carrying around the past like some sort of cross, and to REFRAIN from holding on to new events.
How? You do this by understanding that we are all fumbling, bumbling humans, even you. We all make mistakes. We all think we’re doing the right thing. And our actions are never so much about anyone else as they are a reflection of what is going on, internally, for ourselves. When you understand this, it becomes a lot easier to stop taking things personally and to let them go.”
I offer you this suggestion: take all of this information; look at what the weather and the animals and the plants are doing in your area; and create a personal ritual or exercise that helps you mark this midway point in a way that is meaningful to you. If you’re up for sharing, let me know what you come up with. I love to see what people do with the information they’re given.
Blessings to you,
Ayamanatara