Summer’s Roses are in full bloom, some have begun to fade. Lughnasadh is approaching quickly and with it sweet berries to harvest!
It will arrive with hotter days which the Northern California Coast boasts this time of year. August and September, sometimes October, too, grace us with the best of the west coast’s weather.
With these warmer days come the whisperings of autumn. A time to consider what is best left behind, and what it is we are willing to sacrifice to attain our goals, reach our potential, and of course, walk our best life path.
This year has been a climactic year for me. Caught in a downward spiral I had to stop resisting and let go until I hit rock bottom – again. My life has offered me opportunities, and I don’t play safe. Mostly the rewards are grand, even the little ones, but sometimes the landslides bury my ass.
Today I came upon an article on Facebook. This article is so good-
I have been battling pain as I inwardly break through old patterns and disappointments. About two years ago fibromyalgia pain reared its ugly head- again- a new and bitter flare, I took a pill to mask it, I developed granuloma annular- ugly splotches in my hands, arm, chest- now I could “see” my misery, but I still ignored the root of the pain. Before I knew it, my legs crapped out on me. I could not walk very far- my ankles, hips, and back would no longer support me. STOP and fix this, silly woman. So I am. With new awareness, I gained weight (wait) so that I MUST take the proper time to heal my sadness, stress, broken heart, and recover my sanity. The pain subsides now and again, and I feel a smidge of hope. But I keep trodding along unsure of where I am headed but take comfort in knowing it’s the right path.
If you feel pain, don’t be afraid to move through it. Change and forward motion are necessary to embrace this beautiful life we have been gifted fully.
This turn of the wheel brings me to Lughnasadh and Sacrifice. Oh, such a scary word, but it is only a tool. I like to explain in my Apprencitecship that to sacrifice is to bring change, and honestly, isn’t that what life is all about?
Take the wheat which dances in the field. We come and chop it down -sacrificing the plant, then thrash it, only to destroy the berry, then we bake it – oh, but we bake it into a delicious loaf of bread. See? The poor wheat sheaf must go through an agonizing transformation, ah, but what a reward!
I feel like I am in the oven, but with the heat, I rise. And I will not come out half-baked!
Blessed be, my precious sisters, and Blessings at Lughnasadh! xoxo
CORN DOLLIES – made by the Apprentices at our Lammas Sabbat – represent the harvest of the stalk, the griding of the kernel into a meal, and the feasting of its fruit. The Corn Dolly will sit on our altars until Imbolc. (Feb 1, when they will be burned in bonfires and used to fertilize Mother Earth.)