Lammastide

Hello August!

Today is the first day of August heralding in the season of Lammastide.

As the wheel of the year  begins its turn away from the summer  solstice and moves towards autumn, there's a noticeable change in the air and in the plants. Are you experiencing it too?

It's precisely that moment in summer when the light of the sun and the heat of summer have coalesced and reached their peak, where they rest for a moment together before they begin to withdraw. With this dance of light and warmth comes the Grain Mother clad in her golden cloak spreading an abundance of grain for the people and animals of the earth. This is Lammastide, the bountiful harvest of the grain. Also know as the Feast of Bread  or Lughnasadh in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

This is a celebration of bounty, of gratitude for all that is, and particularly of the grain. The Grain Mother in her golden cloak has brought wheat, oats, barley, corn and rye, grains that will be put up to sustain people through the cold and dark days of winter. Sunflowers and nettles are ripe with seeds for the birds to eat over the winter.

In olden times and in parts of northern Europe today, this season of year is known as Lammastide, the time of the harvest of the grains, a time of abundance and gratitude.

A few simple ways for you to celebrate during Lammastide:

• Notice the plants that grow wild by the roadside.
• Notice the feeling in the air.
• Notice what is coming to fruition in your life.
• Look for the golden in nature, in yourself and in others.

A few simple ways to celebrate Lammastide with children:

• Bake a Lammas loaf of bread by adding a handful of mixed grains to your favorite bread recipe. Or top it with seeds.
• Incorporate wheat, spelt and rye berries, whole barley and oats into your diet. Try eating them in simple ways. Try making polenta topped with a stew of fresh tomatoes and summer squashes.
• Make corn dollies with corn husks.
• Pick mint leaves as soon as the dew dries in the morning and dry it for winter tea.
• Harvest catmint and dry it for your favorite kitties.
• Watch for the light of fireflies in the dark of night.

May your harvest be abundant and may the sun shine warm upon your face!

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