Petaluma, CA 2026
Beloveds, I had the opportunity to walk my sister’s and niece’s dogs this morning… (please don’t tell Dewey!) And while strolling along through the neighborhood and up past Santa Rosa Junior College/Petaluma, I began to take notice of the smell of the air.
The haunting aroma of dry grass and the smell of crunchy oak leaves littering the walkways begin to decay, and I know autumn is lurking. A sour smell wafts and I immediately know it’s not a skunk, or as my granddaughter calls them, “K-ks.” It’s a patch of sage in an herbal garden setting planted with yellow yarrow and other delights. I can taste the tang in the air, and it thrills me.
The season is changing.
Just last weekend I was in Gualala with about 35 Priestesses and of course our Grand HP Nancy-Ana came from Rhode Island to visit her heart. She leaves it here often so she can come back to visit it! We all love her and she loves us and that is one of the best things about our Lammas Harvest. Counting memories and making notches of our growth on the staff, so to speak.
I led a ritual in a lovely spiral which the Priestesses and Apprentices made for the Sabbat. It was made from newly gathered and returning abalone shells from our homes and from the original spiral at Lilith, in Anapolis. The sacred act of walking in meditation, receiving smiles and loving looks from sisters as we weave our way to the center ties us together. A tight circle of bodies and jewels, the grandeur of celebration and gratitude brought us together this past weekend and it was simply beautiful.
I handed out seeds, sweet pea seeds from my friend Jenni. She gave them to me to share and did I! I spent the week before Lammas cutting up an old blouse that had gotten a hole it in it. I loved the blouse, but it was irreparable. …and I think of the chant, She Changes and the line: in a new time, in a new way…
As our Song Siren led us in song for “Hoof and Horn,” I realized I made the best choice for that blouse. I cut it into squares and then stitched the edges so I could gather the fabric in a sort of small pouch. I added a bit of those sweet pea seeds and stitched the pouch shut.
In the center of the spiral, as each Priestess came to see me, I blessed their harvest and gave them a pouch of seeds. “Though it may be the first harvest of the year, one may plant seed of love, hope, dreams, desire, or magic any time of year. All one needs to do is be brave enough and not be lazy –Just go out and PLANT!”
So, following my own advice and soaking up the blessings that came to me for Lammas, I too, will plant. I plant seeds of hope and creativity, for engaging and sacred circles to grow our community of Priestesses thus spreading more love and light into the world where it is needed most. We remember who we are when we honor the Sacred Feminine within each of us –It is where we find that love and the courage to share it.
As these next few weeks lead us toward the descent of the year, the time when we reflect on what was, and what we hoped for, I bless you with knowing that right here, right now is all there is and it is always the right time to begin.
Blessed Be! And So it Is! Happy Lammas!