The Harvest

Come August, something in the air has changed.

I sit on my deck, feeling around me the profusion of colors
all the while knowing the birds are gathering,
the days of baskets of flowers, screen doors,
sunshine, and seemingly endless daylight
are nearing an end.

My flowers are blooming profusely,
the yellows and oranges particularly striking;
perhaps they also know their time is limited.

Along the fence I savor a solitary climbing rose
with a single drop of water on its petal, almost like a tear.
There under the window is one last daylily.


August 1st is Lammas, a Celtic holiday of first fruits
It reminds both to gather and to offer in gratitude.
It is a celebration of contrasts-- there are loaves of fresh baked bread,
joyous celebrations, handfasting couples, but there is also a sacrifice to be made.
This is the season of first harvest
but also of consequences--
what we sow, so shall we reap.
And no matter how I want to think otherwise,
summer will come to an end. Change will not be denied.

****

There are differing opinions on when and how to celebrate Lammas (also known as Lughnasadh or feast of the god Lugh). There are many books, as well as sites online, explaining not only about this Celtic festival but also others-- Celtic Religious Festivals.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, Beltane on May 1st is when we feel the beginning of summer. The Solstice on June 21 is summer at its height (Midsummer in Paganism). Likewise Lammas is the beginning of autumn followed by the equinox which is fall at its height. We instinctively feel this inside but nature-based religions give us a place and way to acknowledge the change that has begun.

There are, in my belief, emotional and health benefits in remembering ancient and nature-based religions which by necessity lived closer to the land than many more formal religions which have separated themselves and their followers from nature's cycles, as though nature is only to be exploited or even a threat to our spiritual welfare instead of being our nurturer.

(All photos July 31, 2007 are from the farm's gardens. I am sitting on the back deck which is actually the main entry to the house and where I might greet you if you were to come to visit.)