Celebrate the First Harvest my friends,

August 2^nd is Lammas; the first of three festivals celebrating Mother Earth’s bounty. Baking loaves from the first grains and offering them at a communal meal has always been central to these gatherings, going back to thousands of years before the common era. Traditionally, the first sheaves of grain would be ceremonially cut at dawn, winnowed, ground and baked into the Harvest Bread that was then shared by the community in gratitude. Most hand- fastings were celebrated at the Lammas Fairs where country people gathered. The custom was single folks would choose a companion for the next year and when Lammas Fair came again they wed or separated.

The Celts called this time Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-na-sa), Native Americans called it the Green Corn Festival and in Slavic Regions it is called the feast of the Big Glad Woman.

Greetings for the Summer Solstice my friends,

June 20^th is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Latitudes. Also known as Midsummer, this Solstice (meaning ‘Sun stands still’) is when the Sun is at its peak; the longest day of the year. Midsummer’s Eve is one of the three important spirit nights of the year. It is considered a spirit night because the veils are thinnest, facilitating communication with spirit.

Given the serious issues we now face, connecting with the ancestors, spirit guides, source, or whatever you name it, will benefit us all. Communicating with those unseen forces for help and guidance to find health, stability, and most importantly connection is essential. Offering love to our communities, friends and family reduces isolation.

May Day is the time when nature has truly come alive. Our ancestors joyfully embraced the fertility of Mother Earth because growth and pollination was everywhere, providing abundant harvests in the fall. The Celtic name for this period is Beltane, which means bright or sacred fire. During the festival, great bonfires were lit and animals and fields were blessed in hopes for an abundant year. Traditionally May Day began on the eve of May 1st and lasted throughout the next day. It was often celebrated with feasting, dancing, and merriment all the way through May 15th.

Beltane was a time when lovers ran off to the fields and woods together to honor the Goddess with ecstatic lovemaking. The Maypole, symbolizing the phallic energy of the season, was festooned with ribbons; dancing around it celebrated the sacred power of sexuality.

Joyous Spring Equinox my friends,

This year in the Northern Hemisphere, the Vernal Equinox is March 19^th, at almost midnight, as the Sun enters Aries. It means that day and night will be balanced at the equator. Also known as Ostara or Eostre (the origin of the name Easter), the hours of light and dark will be equal.

In ancient traditions this is known as the time of Green Fire.

Green Fire refers to the sap rising in trees and to the electrical energy pulsing through the rapidly growing plants. This is not a metaphor; green fire is literally electrical, same as our nervous system: humans and plants have the same oscillation frequency. This mutual receptivity is a survival strategy, certainly plants have offered healing for humans long before modern medicines and humans have exhaled carbon dioxide for the plants.