LAMMAS - THE FIRST HARVEST

Merry Meet to All of You!

I wish you a Blessed Lammas, may your day be great and your harvest be abundant )O(.

Warm Harvest Blessings,

Ilona

THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR

Merry Meet to All of You!

As the festival of Lammas is upon us this weekend (1st of August), I thought it a good idea if today's blog post deals in general with the Wheel of the Year, as we are swiftly moving through it. So, here is a general description of the suspected origins and festivals it contains (many if you will be very familiar with the subject already, but it did not seem fair to assume everyone knows and jump straight to Lammas directly).

The idea of the wheel of the year as a representation of the changing seasonal and solar aspects of the year constitutes a very ancient common heritage of humanity, with its origins possibly reaching as far back as the neolithic era. Depictions of wheels in stone are quite common, and may as well represent the turning of the times (their intended meaning is not known to this day).

So, as part of an underlying earth-based spirituality, the idea of the wheel of the year has accompanied humanity for thousands of years.
In this context of earth-based spirituality, as in Wicca or paganism, the Wheel of the Year represents the major events in the natural year, such as the seasons, solstices and equinoxes, which are celebrated in eight Sabbats, the four Greater and four Lesser ones:

In general, the Wheel is divided in two main parts: summer/light and winter/darkness. The two major deities of paganism and Wicca, the Goddess and the God, rule superior at specific times, with the Goddess dominating the summer months (the growing season) as the goddess of fertility and abundance, while the God dominates the winter months as the god of hunting and death (with hunting having been the major source of fresh food during these times).
The eight Sabbats divide into two categories, the seasonal and solar festivals.

The four Greater Sabbats celebrate the natural shift of the seasons, with Beltaine and Samhain representing the main divisions between summer/winter, light/darkness. Imbolc and Lammas mark the midpoints in between, recognising specific occasions in the agricultural year, Lammas for example being a celebration of harvest.

The four Lesser Sabbats are solar festivals, marking the events in the solar calendar, the solstices (Litha and Yule) and equinoxes (Ostara and Mabon).

There is no singular way in which to emphasise or celebrate these Sabbats in the wiccan or pagan community. Some groups, for example, may concentrate on the seasonal (Greater) Sabbats, while others put their emphasis on the solar festivals.

As you progress on your spiritual journey, you may be intuitively drawn to certain Sabbats and decide to only celebrate those important to you, or you might choose to treat all eight with equal reverence - the choice is yours!

I hope you enjoyed this little introduction, and in tomorrow's post I will go deeper into the traditions especially linked to the festival of Lammas.

Warm Blessings,

Ilona

PS For more on the Wheel of the Year click here (Greater Sabbats) or here (all Sabbats and general info)

"CHASING THE SUN" - AN ODE TO CREATION

Merry Meet to All of You!

Today I just wanted to share with you a lovely video of one of my favourite songs, "Chasing the Sun" (lyrics underneath) by Pia Gaurangi.

It's an inspiration to wake up to the wonders of creation around us, and the wonderful song and imagery in the video speaks for itself...much better than my little words could ever describe the magnificence of the Universe we live in and our Mother Earth.

So, I hope you enjoy the video, and the next time you look at the stars, walk in the woods or even while you tend your garden, do so with open eyes and a joy-filled heart towards the wonder that is Creation/Nature, from the largest galaxy to the tiniest insect.

Let's All be chasing the sun!




Warm Sunshine Blessings,

Ilona