Bringing olden ways to modern days,
For Wiccans,
Witches,
Pagans,
And all who honor a nature-based path.
This is Desert Magic with Crow Moon.
Merry Meet,
And welcome once again to another episode of Desert Magic,
Coming to you from the beautiful and magical desert of Southern Arizona.
My name is Crow Moon,
And I'm your host.
On August 1st,
Wiccans and pagans celebrate the Sabbath of Lammas,
Or Lugnasa.
The preferred name of the Sabbath is according to one's own tradition or personal preference,
But the meaning or essence of it is the same no matter what it is called.
Much the same applies to a Nordic seasonal observance known as Sinnsommerblot,
Or simply the Norse Harvest Festival,
Which also occurs each year during the month of August.
Within the Nordic tradition,
In addition to giving thanks for the harvest,
A special emphasis is placed upon maintaining a positive relationship with the spirits of the land,
And it is this very concept that I feel is still quite important in so many ways.
As with Lammas and Lugnasa,
Sinnsommerblot is very much a celebration,
The Nordic version of it placing a special emphasis on offerings being made to deities,
Although that differs very little from Wiccan practice.
With most celebrations,
It is a time of being thankful for the harvest.
It is also a joyous time in which bonfires were lit,
And communities would gather around them.
Contemporary celebrations will typically replace the traditional bonfire with something such as a family barbecue,
But the spirit or essence of this observance remains largely unchanged.
Being thankful and making offerings to deities is still extremely important to this day.
Just as important,
In my opinion,
Are the continuation of a sense of community and the very idea of maintaining positive relationships.
The two go hand in hand,
As I see it.
It's important to note that,
From the pagan perspective,
Keeping things harmonious with both deities and land spirits,
Through such acts as offerings,
Does not equate to appeasement,
As is such in some spiritualities,
Where the divine is meant to be placated.
To us,
It is not as if divinity is looking down upon us from the sky,
Hands on hips,
Demanding a handsome gratuity,
Or else.
We seek to maintain a positive relationship,
By whatever means the practitioner feels is appropriate,
Out of a sense of goodwill,
A sense of decency,
If you prefer.
It is meant to establish or ensure the continuance of harmony.
This occurs out of a desire on our part to do so,
As opposed to it being an obligation.
In many ways,
It is akin to being courteous,
Civil,
And having common decency.
During the month of August,
We do so at this time with the continuance of nature's bounty in mind,
But anything we do to maintain our relationship with the spirit realm is not viewed by us as some sort of bartering chip.
Think of an act of compassion,
Or hospitality,
Or perhaps even a small gift you've given to someone purely out of the kindness of your heart.
That's exactly what's going on here.
Which brings me to the aspect of community.
As important as it is to keep up a positive relationship with the spirit realm,
Neglecting to do just that with all forms of life around us is nothing short of tragic,
As I see it anyway.
Thanks to both the internet and social media,
Many people are now just a tap or a click away from us.
One might think that this would do nothing but pave the way for elevating a sense of community.
In some ways,
It has.
Overall,
Though,
Immediate access to others is falling short of its potential to better relationships.
One might argue that it has failed miserably and been helpful only in elevating divisions and conflict.
This is not another rant from another old guy about how things were better before the rapid expansion of technology.
Technological advancements in ways of communicating cannot shoulder the entire blame for a lack of human decency.
The various platforms we use are just vehicles of interaction.
They cannot convey such things as compassion or kindness if the users do not possess such or their actions are anything but constructive.
In seeking harmony with either deities or land spirits,
What we are essentially setting out to do is achieve or maintain a sense of balance.
This applies to our relationship with the community at large as well.
One of the first steps we can take in order to bring this about is by establishing and nurturing balance within ourselves.
We simply cannot be of service to either divinity or those around us if we are neglecting to be of service to ourselves.
When we surround ourselves with too much of something,
Whatever that something might be,
That something becomes our axis.
It takes the helm of our first response to things,
Thereby influencing our thoughts and actions in ways that are not very positive.
The good news is that there is an easy solution to this.
All we must do is value ourselves and treat ourselves with the utmost respect.
We cannot expect or demand that others treat us with decency if we are not extending any form of courtesy to ourselves.
How we go about this is a personal matter,
But a good starting point,
Especially since some are bloat,
Might be asking the question,
Are we making any sort of offerings to ourselves?
Are we doing so on a regular basis?
If we aren't,
We're most likely cheapening all other offerings we make,
Or,
At the very least,
Not doing so with the highest degree of sincerity,
Because we haven't been truly sincere with ourselves.
I'm simply sharing this with you,
But it's something that I lecture myself about all the time.
It's just that important.
Another aspect of since some are bloat is that while our ancestors were busy storing grains for the next year,
They were at the same time recognizing the success of the growing season,
And in doing so,
They were recognizing their success,
As individuals and as a community.
This very practice offers a valuable takeaway for us.
We tend to ignore or play down our personal successes.
Everyone has many success stories,
And those should be celebrated rather than downgraded.
In fact,
Our successes occur so often that it becomes easy for us to fail to recognize each of them.
Again,
Celebrating our personal success falls under having respect for oneself.
So,
Back to land spirits.
If you would like to make an offering to them,
One way of doing so is by offering your recognition.
Think about how pleasing this is to those you either know or encounter in this realm.
By simply recognizing someone,
We are honoring them,
And when we do so with a sense of mindfulness and true presence,
That makes the gift even more valuable.
So,
I will share with you something from my personal practice that I do in this regard.
This will cost you nothing except for a few minutes of your time.
Go out into nature.
Especially a place in nature that is near your home or a place close to where you live that is dear to you.
Take with you either some leftover bread or an extra bottle of water.
Now here's the part that presents a struggle for many.
Silence your phone and don't even look at it.
Once you arrive at your chosen place,
Either crumble up the bread and scatter the crumbs around for the birds or pour the water on a plant or a tree.
Then,
For several minutes,
If not longer,
Sit in silence and listen.
Listen with the full understanding that the spirits of the land are around you.
Give them an opportunity to speak.
To speak without judgment,
Conditions,
Or interruptions.
You might not receive an audible response from them,
But if you are practicing awareness,
You will sense them as well as anything they might wish to share with you.
Bring your awareness to acknowledging their presence.
Do so with the full recognition that their footprints are forever etched upon the land.
And,
Before returning home,
Offer your thanks with one of the greatest gifts of all time.
Your smile.
Until next time,
The crow flies from me to thee,
To send the message,
Blessed Be.
