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A Time of Harvest and Gratitude

August

This month marks a period of transition and abundance as summer starts to wind down and autumn approaches. This month, often seen as the bridge between seasons, carries the themes of harvest, reflection, and preparation for the colder months ahead. Central to these themes is the celebration of Lammas, an ancient festival that marks the first harvest of the year.

The Significance of August

Named after Augustus Caesar, August is historically a time for various agricultural activities, as many crops reach their peak and are ready to be harvested. This month is associated with abundance, fulfillment, and the fruits of labor, both literally and metaphorically.

In the northern hemisphere, August is when communities come together to celebrate the bounty of the earth. Farmers’ markets are packed with fresh produce, and gardens are in full bloom. It is a month that invites us to enjoy the last days of summer and start thinking about the changes that autumn will bring.

The Celebration of Lammas

Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, is celebrated at the beginning of August and is one of the four major Celtic festivals, alongside Samhain, Imbolc, and Beltane. The word “Lammas” comes from the Old English “hlaf-mas,” meaning “loaf mass,” reflecting the custom of baking bread from the first harvested grain and offering it in thanks.

Historical Roots

Lammas has deep roots in agrarian societies, where the first harvest of grain was a critical time. This festival was an occasion to give thanks for the abundance of the earth, ensure the continuing fertility of the fields, and prepare for the upcoming winter. Communities would gather to share food, stories, and music, reinforcing social bonds and collective gratitude.

Modern Celebrations

Today, Lammas is celebrated by various groups, including those with an interest in ancient traditions. The themes of Lammas remain relevant: gratitude for the harvest, recognition of the cyclical nature of life, and preparation for future challenges.

Common Practices:

  1. Baking Bread: One of the most cherished traditions is baking a loaf of bread from the first grain harvested. This act symbolizes the transformation of the earth’s bounty into sustenance.
  2. Feasting: Lammas feasts often include fresh fruits, vegetables, and other seasonal foods. It is a time to enjoy the abundance of the harvest and to share it with others.
  3. Crafting Corn Dollies: Creating corn dollies from the last sheaf of grain is a traditional craft. These dolls are often kept until the next planting season as a symbol of hope and fertility.
  4. Nature Walks: Connecting with nature through walks or hikes is a common way to celebrate Lammas. Observing the changes in the landscape and gathering wildflowers or herbs can deepen one’s connection to the natural world.
  5. Community Gatherings: Whether through festivals, fairs, or small community events, coming together to celebrate Lammas reinforces the bonds between people and highlights the importance of community support.

Reflections and Intentions

Lammas is a time for reflection on personal growth and achievements. Just as farmers assess their crops, individuals can take stock of their own lives, celebrating successes and learning from challenges. It is a moment to set intentions for the rest of the year, focusing on what needs to be nurtured and what can be released.

Themes of Gratitude and Abundance

The themes of Lammas are universal and timeless. Gratitude for the abundance in our lives, whether it is in the form of food, relationships, or personal accomplishments, is central to the celebration. Recognizing and appreciating what we have harvested in our own lives encourages a positive outlook and a sense of fulfillment.

Preparation for Change

August and Lammas remind us that change is constant and that we must prepare for it. As farmers prepare their fields for the next planting season, we too must prepare for the transitions in our own lives. This preparation can be practical, such as planning for future projects, or emotional, such as letting go of past grievances.

For Your Consideration:

August, with its rich mix of warmth, abundance, and impending change, is beautifully captured in the celebration of Lammas. This festival invites us to pause, give thanks, and prepare for the future.

  1. Set aside 15 minutes to reflect and journal on what has come into your “harvest” since the start of the year.
  2. Give thanks in humble gratitude for what has come into your life this year, and recognize all the bounty that surrounds you.
  3. Prepare for your future, by celebrating in a practical way that which you would like to continue harvesting – – Some ideas: make an altar; create a bird feeder; collect something of value that you have brought into “3D” and place it in front of you to see daily between now and the next harvest.

Consider how life and love appear all the sweeter when you take stock of all that you have, instead of what may seem to be lacking.

Okay, your turn:

Where in your life do you feel most abundant? Would you like to receive even more in that area? Or, perhaps you would like to harvest a greater abundance in a different area? Which will you choose?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2024 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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Coming in from the fields

Coming in from the fields

In agrarian societies such as rural Ireland, the harvest time was and is a time of bringing in from the fields all that’s been growing there. You truly reap what you sow.

Some prefer the word Autumn to describe this season. I like to call it Autumn. For some reason, I love saying autumnal. Saying the word aloud sounds as it is…full and rich. Another term in even more common parlance for this season (Fall) refers to the falling of the leaves from the trees. And, you may have heard the phrase “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

On a recent road trip to go apple picking, I visited a small (9-acre) farm and walked their orchard. An abundance of apples were scattered on the ground beneath each tree. Nature naturally (pun intended) knows when to release the fruit once the stems gradually loosen their grip, and the fruit becomes too heavy for the stem to bear. Gently, the tree releases its ripened fruit. So, somewhat to my surprise, I found the apple picking excursion to be more of an apple collecting venture. I did reach up and nudge a few apples from some of the trees into my basket. What stood out for me most, however, was the subtle, refreshing fragrance of the apples wafting in the air as I walked the paths between and among the trees. I felt a certain kinship with the apples and the trees, and thanked them for their gifts.

Whilst in a poetic mood, I leave you with a poem by John Keats that so lovingly captures the splendor of the season:

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
    Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
    With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
    And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
        To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
    With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
        For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
    Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
    Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
    Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
        Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
    Steady thy laden head across a brook;
    Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
        Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
    Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
    And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
    Among the river sallows, borne aloft
        Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
    Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
    The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
        And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

For your consideration:

As is often a theme here on Soul Notes, I ask you to take a moment to consider the lessons that nature teaches us, with each passing season. This Autumn, what are you releasing this season from your proverbial tree?  What are you collecting in your basket?  Any surprises?

Okay, your turn:

Share what are you harvesting. What are you bringing in from the fields? What is your bounty?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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Thankful for the bounty

Thankful for the bounty and all the riches

Stemming from the Latin bonitas, meaning “good,” bounty refers to all the goodness that one harvests. This week is an ideal time to consider the bountiful riches in our lives.  Take a moment to reflect on the abundance all around. There’s richness in all the planet provides, naturally.  There’s richness in personal connections, and love. There’s richness in faith, spirit, and confidence in the greater good, and in everlasting beauty. Even in those moments when we may feel less than bountiful, consider the pearl that emerges honed, smooth, and polished by enduring the repeated friction against it.

Let us give thanks for all that mother gaia provides us, and all that sustains us.  Let us give thanks for our daily practices AND our daily bread. Let us give thanks for each other, and our resolve to see the light shine against every darkness.

And, let us trust that more is yet to come. That’s faith: Faith in the unseen. Faith in the seeds planted below ground that they will reach the surface. Faith in the sun and the moon rising and setting and rising again. Faith in yourself rising, experiencing setbacks, and rising again.

For your consideration:

In what ways have you incorporated thankfulness in your life?

I still send in the mail handwritten Thank You cards, in business and personally. I suppose they stand out even more in this digital age. I hope so. I like envisioning that, even if but for a brief moment, the recipient stops to read the handwritten message and knows that I send along kindness and my gratefulness to them.

So whether it’s this Thursday, or at some other time during the next few weeks, I invite you to:

Say grace

Offer grace

Receive grace

Be grace.

Be heartfelt

Be genuine

Be sincere

Be thankful

Be true.

Count your blessings.

Make them count.

 

Okay, your turn:

What traditions, if any, resonate most with you during this time of year?  Is giving thanks a regular part of your daily life, or do you tend to focus on it only on certain occasions?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2019 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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Let’s talk about richness

There’s so much to be savored in the richness

In this new moon’s edition of Soul Notes, let’s talk about richness.  I’m not talking about financial riches. I’m not talking about material wealth.

I’m talking about a richness of life and living.  I’m talking about a depth of flavors and sensory pleasures, not unlike a savory pot of wildly aromatic boeuf bourguignon simmering on the stove on a cool autumn evening. Or, the richness of sipping ever so slowly from a cup of hot cocoa.

No, this hasn’t turned into a culinary blog.  Don’t worry –This is still Soul Notes. : )

For purposes of this article, though, again, I’m referring to a richness of being.  Living a rich life is akin to an acquired taste — something that you build up to, and appreciate, like dry red wine and strong black coffee.

Is there ‘such a thing’ as ‘too much of a good thing’?

“Oh, but, there’s always the risk of there being TOO much richness,” you may be exclaiming.  Maybe that’s true when it comes to food and beverages.  It’s not so true, though, when it comes to living a full and enriching life. A well-lived life means having a depth of experiences. It’s not best lived at the surface level.  A shallowly lived life is as bland as a soup without salt or pepper.

For your consideration:

I invite you to set aside a few moments to get quiet and listen for insights on where you’d like to bring in more richness, more fullness of flavor, into your life.

Take a stand. Claim it.

Finish this sentence for yourself:  “I’m choosing to call in more richness in my….”

Then, consider:

What would enhance your day-to-day experiences in that area?  What would it mean to you if you were to add more layers of depth to those experiences?  What one inspired action can you take, starting today, to bring more richness into that area of your life?

For me, I’m welcoming in more richness in my relationships, both in business and personally.  The one action I’m taking in that direction is by publicly proclaiming it here on this blog, with you!

Okay, your turn

What area of your life, would you say, holds the most richness for you right now?  In what ways has that served you, and those with whom you have been interacting?  How would you define a richly lived life?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2018 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

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