01/08/2026
We are arriving at the threshold of Lughnasadh / Lammas - the first harvest festival. 🌾
This summer has been a hot and dry one and harvest has come earlier than usual because of it. Which is right, as when it comes to living in tune with Nature, there is no fixed calendar. Our ancestors didn't stop to celebrate until the harvest was in. The wisest thing we can do is look out of the window and follow what Nature is actually doing, rather than what the calendar tells us we should be doing.
Even so, the shift is already here if you know how to feel for it. The light has changed, the days are shortening and something in the air has turned, even as the sun is still hot.
Lughnasadh is often overlooked due to summer holidays and then suddenly autumn arrives and we're scrambling to adjust. But this threshold deserves to be met consciously. It is the moment the wheel tips toward the harvest and we are invited to take stock, not just of what has grown in the ground, but of what has grown in us.
Here are the questions I am sitting with at this first harvest:
🌾 What has come to fruition this year, even if it looked different than I imagined?
🌾 What has the heat and intensity of this season burnt away?
🌾 What seeds within this harvest are worth carrying forward into autumn and winter?
🌾 What goes to the compost? What needs to rot down into rich ground so something new can grow?
🌾 What do I know now, at this first harvest, that I didn't know at the beginning of the year?
Gather with those you love, reflect on what has grown and celebrate what you are bringing in.
With blessings
Monika 💜
