It’s the 7th August. A new day, a new dawn.
Today is the midpoint between the solstice and equinox (yes the traditional dates were earlier, but that is no longer the case). In the southern hemisphere it’s ‘Imbolc’ on the Celtic calendar marking the transition into Spring, and in the north its Lughnasadh, the entrance to Autumn. And I reflect on the importance of honouring where we are at (for me currently it is the birth into Spring), but in the greater scheme of things, Lughnasadh, the first fruits of harvest is also occurring. There is a greater whole always at play. And actually, as I come to ponder on it, they are not so different these two seemingly opposing sabbats. Like all opposites they simply reflect two sides of the same coin.
While Imbolc is the birth into Spring, the return of the light, the sprouting of the seeds from the underground, the birth of Bride – the Spring maiden who oversees springs (another metaphor of things coming from the depths and into the surface); Lughnasadh is the first harvest celebration, the first reaping of past tending, of sharing gifts and wares and crafts, of showing off our showmanship, of markets and exchange.
Yet isn’t birth a harvest of the inner gestation?
Isn’t harvest a birthing of the previous growth into a new form? The first reaping of our creations of the previous cycle.
We could go deeper and look at Bride, the sacred maiden of Imbolc who is guardian and overseer of fire, light, crafting of all forms from blacksmithing to weaving to midwifing and children, of springs and waters and all things earthy and fertile. And then there’s Lugh for whom Lughnasadh is named, who is a male divinity, likewise of light, of crafts, of workmanship and skills of all types.
Lughnasadh was the old handfasting time – when the lovers who jumped over the fires at Beltaine may decide to commit to each other for a year and a day. An older form of marriage. Then we have Bride, whose name is still used in this ritual for the woman.
The world is a whole that contains two hemispheres, dark and light, in and out, high and low. What if we began to weave together these opposites, to bring both into our awareness and hold them with care much more. To honour where we sit in the landscape we are in, but to realise that there is always another side and that both together create a wholeness and fullness. Imagine what could change if we found more ease in embracing duality.
On a personal level, I’m super excited to announce the birth of The Flower Codes: Plant Spirit Teachings for your Soul to Blossom (Book 1: Sacred Birth). The harvest of years of deep listening and teachings with the flowers. It is as summarised and concise as I could make it so as to make it easily absorbable, yet it has come from months and years of teachings received directly from the flowers, the embodied learning and transitions I went through as I was being schooled by each of these sacred birth flowers, along with witnessing hundreds of students work through the plant teachings in the Flower Codes Training. My beautiful friend and wonderful herbalist Pam Scott, wrote the herbal introductions.
Now you can harvest the rewards (Happy Lughnasadh) with the birth of the first book in the series (Happy Imbolc)!
Ebooks are out now at all your favourite online stores: https://books2read.com/TheFlowerCodes-Book1
Paperbacks are a few weeks away. Preorders can be made here.
Giveaway
To celebrate, I’m giving away one place in the yearlong Level 1 Flower Codes Training*
To enter – Preorder your paperback copy now. (It must be a preorder, before paperback is available.)
Winner announced in September. Good luck!
*Prize must be used within the next round of training.
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