Lughnassadh – Lammas – Lunasa
Lughnassadh, pronounced “loo-nas-ah,” is the first of the three harvest festivals followed by Mabon and finally Samhain. Also known as Lammas, Lunasa, and other variations, this marks another point on the sun’s trajectory in its shift from Summer to Winter as the land prepares to sleep once again. This is a celebration of the sustained power of the sun; even though it is moving further from this part of the earth, this is often the hottest month of the year. Gardens are now ripe and abundant with all the fruit of the labors of the dance. Thus begins the harvest; reaping what you have been sowing this wheel. It is also a time of sacrifice. Each fruit and vegetable is given by the plant in sacrifice (offered up freely for the sake of love and devotion) from the earth to all of us. The masculine energy at this time is symbolized in the harvest itself; all plants and animals have absorbed the power of the sun and transformed it into the bounty we are now beginning to reap. This can be seen on a physical level, with gardens and nature, and on an energetic level with events in your own life.
At Lughnassadh we find the Holly King having taken the mantle of guardian up from his brother Oak. He now appears in his aspect of the Corn King also known as John Barleycorn. He is the spirit of the harvest and through alchemy is turned into spirits of the harvest such as beer or whiskey as well as flour and cornmeal. However, to embody the harvest and take part in the alchemy of transformation, John Barleycorn must die in this reaping. The Holly King in truth is a king of the underworld, the shadow realms, and as such his mysteries are that of sacrifice, death, and transformation as well as inner (subconscious) knowledge. Part of Holly, his Corn King aspect, is sacrificed and dies at Lughnassadh.
Another aspect to consider is where we are oriented in the wheel; across from Imbolc. At Imbolc we celebrate the spark of new life being sewn, gestating, and beginning to grow as the cycle runs anew. Here, we are celebrating the beginning of the season of death; reaping and harvest as we prepare for the mound (winter). Consider how these parts of the wheel find balance with one another and begin to seek that balance in yourself. If you have not already, it is important to begin to really explore your relationship with death. If you have an aversion to it, this is a suitable time in the wheel to try exploring it, for it is truly a transformational force, not just an ending. Matter merely changes forms, it cannot be created or destroyed. For this cycle to occur, so must death, change, and transformation. Ask yourself at this time, what can you sacrifice to attain your goals? Think about weeding a garden or pruning a plant so that it will produce more fruit; clearing the way and letting go of what no longer serves your highest good frees up space and energy for new things to come in. An energetic vacuum which the innate abundance of the universe will fill. This can manifest in a variety of ways, here are a few ideas;
Summer Solstice – Midsummer – Litha – Alban Hefin
The Summer Solstice occurs around June 19-23rd when one of the Earth’s poles has achieved its maximum tilt toward the sun. This year the Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere falls on Wednesday, June 24th. It is also known as Midsummer, Litha and Alban Hefin, to name a few; it is a festival of fire and water. The fire represents the Sun at its zenith; it is at the peak of its power on the longest day and shortest night of the year. The water represents the Earth, the Goddess, pregnant with all the planted potential from earlier months preparing to birth out all that has been sown. The cauldron of the Lady is filled to the brim with the magic of abundance at this time. At this turning point of the wheel it is the longest day of the year, and thus each day thereafter is shorter and shorter until the wheel turns to Yule once more.
In the mythology of my tradition this turning point marks the transfer of power from the Oak king, who presides over the part of the wheel where the sun is waxing, to the Holly king who presides over the waning sun portion of the year. The Oak and Holly King represent aspects of light and dark, night and day, sowing and reaping. The waxing Sun has pushed its growing potential energy into the earth, with Oak serving as guardian and protector. Seeds, energetic and literal, begin to germinate, grow, and now may begin to bear fruit. The sun still has months of shining and growing to do, but the energetic polarity shifts from sowing to reaping, and this is the energy that Holly holds for us.
In the mythology of these kings, Oak and Holly vie for the role of guardian of the goddess by way of battle or contest. She is testing for a new mate; one who can guard and support her. In many species in nature, the male is tested and must impress or be selected by the female to mate; so it is here. Ultimately, the Holly king defeats the Oak king who is then sacrificed; in days of old it is believed that the human enacting the role of Oak king would be sacrificed in truth; by fire, crucifixion or other means. This was followed by a great celebratory festival as the Oak king returns in wraith form to the goddess to be reborn at Yule, and the cycle continues. Remember that to sacrifice means to make sacred; to offer something of value up freely for the sake of love and devotion. In current days this is accomplished symbolically with an effigy of some sort. Making a poppet (doll) in the image of the Oak king, and putting time, attention and love into it can be a worthy sacrifice as well.
Beltane - Bealtaine - May Day
I love the magic made visible in spring, especially that pocket of time between the spring equinox and Beltane. Whether I am walking in the mountains or in the neighborhood, every plant shows signs of waking up. Just after Ostara, trees are covered in little terminal buds, nearly invisible at the tips of their still bare branches, preparing to unfurl a new canopy of leaves for the summer. Some trees already have their leaves and catkins emerging in preparation for the mating season ahead. The quintessential spring crocuses and tulips begin emerging, delicately and bravely stepping out into the early spring sun that can still so quickly turn into rain or snow. As Beltane nears, leaves begin forming on trees – I love seeing terminal buds in various stages of bloom, watching how nature expands immensely from a single point to create new branches, leaves, and flowers. All the bushes begin to take on a brighter hue against their darker mature growth, as their new growth gets underway. One of my favorite moments is watching the clusters of flowers mature on the lilac bushes. Each day I walk past and breathe in the familiar scent that intensifies as Beltane approaches. When they finally bloom I know May Day is nigh, the scent of lilac is synonymous with this time of the wheel for me. Who needs a calendar when you have flowers, plants, and trees?
Beltane, May Day, is a festival that has been celebrated by many cultures throughout history. It is in essence a celebration of the first day of Summer, of the return of fertile, creative energy to the world after the slumber and stirrings of winter and spring. If you watch the plants all around you, you can see them waking up and preparing to expand as the sun returns. This Sabbat celebrates the tipping point of awakening of this creative energy in the Earth and ourselves. Traditionally this creative sexual energy is celebrated by some form of enactment of the Great Rite, which is a coupling of the archetypal energies of the god and goddess – or of masculine and feminine energy. We are talking about energy here, not gender, or even sex for that matter. This type of Magick occurs when any being or beings bring their power together for the sake of creation of any kind, including pleasure. So yes, that includes all types and forms of sex. It can also include a garden, a business, a community, art – anything. We already contain both energies within us – and we need them – they are the alchemical ingredients required to create the friction necessary for creation, and we all express it differently. This is where the power of authenticity comes in. When we tap into what we feel called to create and follow that flow to find others who resonate, the power of authenticity can move mountains. It can change the world. The world needs that right now.
Spring Equinox - Ostara - Alban Eiler
The Spring Equinox occurs on the day of the year when the Sun’s course is directly in line with the equator. The sun rises due East and sets due West on this day; this event occurs on or around March 20th each year in the Northern hemisphere. This is significant because the other 363 days of the year, the sun tracks either to the South or North of this point, with the other day of balance falling on the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon) in September. This point of planetary balance and stillness in the midst of constant change and movement is magically potent. We can find balance at this time between light and dark, movement and rest, masculine and feminine, conscious and unconscious; between all forms of perceived duality. This is the time to take a moment to prepare and orient yourself as the power of the sun becomes greater with each passing day, and the wheel turns toward Midsummer. We can also reorient ourselves with the Earth at this time. In the Northern hemisphere we celebrate the Spring Equinox while the Southern hemisphere is celebrating the Autumnal Equinox. Think about this connection, take a moment to remember what you were doing as the Summer ended (around September 20th -22nd) when your Southern Hemisphere counterparts were celebrating the beginning of Spring and now you stand here, while they stand there. This perspective can be taken at any Sabbat around the wheel, but there is a particular power to the Dance between the equinoxes; Ostara and Mabon.
The Equinox is celebrated by many cultures and has many names. In my personal practice I have known this sabbat as Ostara or Alban Eiler. The roots of the festival can be traced back to the 8th century to a festival for the Phrygian Goddess Cybele and the ritual self-castration, death, and resurrection of her son/lover Attis. The holy sites where this ancient ritual was celebrated would later become the sites where Christians would re-enact the story of the death and rebirth of Jesus, which leads us to modern day Easter.
Imbolc Celebration
In the spirit of ‘Learning the Turning’, I want to share how I celebrated Imbolc this year with the intention of offering inspiration to those who are building their own traditions. In January of 2025 I was working with my Goddess Temple deck during meditation, and I had pulled the Labyrinth card. As I was meditating on/with this card I began to see visions of a ritual. I saw people carrying unlit candles into the center of a labyrinth, lighting them in the center from the sacred flame of the spring goddess, and then carrying that flame, that spark of hope, back out of the labyrinth and into their life for the new wheel.
I knew at that moment that I wanted to be in Lava Hot Springs for Imbolc. I wanted to walk the labyrinth and use its sympathetic magic to be as Persephone, who descends into the darkness, embraces it, and emerges from it transformed - strong, hopeful and prepared to walk another wheel in the waking world armed with the deep knowledge of the subconscious self.
As we neared the date of Imbolc, a large winter storm loomed on the weather forecast. I smiled, thinking of the lore of the Cailleach, the divine hag of winter and wisdom through hardship in the Celtic tradition. It is said that if the day of Imbolc is sunny and warm, that the Cailleach is out gathering more firewood to prepare for more winter weather to come. If it is a snowy and blustery day it is said that she is slumbering, dreaming her wintry dream as her great cloak of white covers the land, and that the winter is nearly over.
