Welcome to this meditation to mark Lunasa,
The first of three ancient harvest festivals,
Marking time along the Celtic wheel of the year.
Usually celebrated around August 1st,
Lunasa is a cross-quarter festival sitting between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox.
This is a time when the summer crops are finishing and the fall harvest isn't quite ready,
So it's a bit of an in-between moment to say goodbye to the abundance of summer and pray for a good harvest in the fall.
It was a time for gathering,
Celebrating,
Drinking,
And dancing.
Lunasa was actually a time for sports competitions and matchmaking along with visiting holy wells.
It's actually a precursor to our modern-day late summer county fair.
In this meditation we will rest in this in-between moment,
Saying goodbye to the brightest part of the year and welcoming the waning of the Sun,
Which has only just barely begun.
We know that the days will slowly begin to get darker and colder up until the winter solstice,
So we offer our gratitude for what we have and the inner abundance in our lives.
Please take a moment to get comfortable.
This meditation could be done in any position that's comfortable for you,
Including sitting tall.
Take a few breaths,
If you like,
To settle in and really arrive here.
Acknowledge the earth beneath your body.
Take a moment to consider the land that you're on and your relationship with this land.
Settle your body into the earth,
Imagining that you could nestle into a little furrow in the earth created just for you.
Feel the energy of your body reaching down into the earth beneath you,
Stretching out like the roots of a tree.
Feel the way you are connected to everything,
To source or spirit,
Through the solid,
Beautiful,
Generative land beneath you.
Imagine the energy returning through those roots back into your body,
Through your center,
And up through the crown of your head,
Reconnecting to source above you.
Now draw a circle of protection around yourself in this moment of connection.
Set a clear intention that only energies aligned with your highest good can reach you here,
And that everything else will be filtered out.
Now take a moment to sit with gratitude.
Consider the wheel of the year since the winter solstice,
When the light was at its darkest.
What has been growing for you with the light since then?
What have you been cultivating?
What has been harvested,
Celebrated,
Released?
Take some time to think back on what lessons,
Experiences,
Or other gifts you're grateful for this year.
Now return to the present moment.
Feel your body as it is,
With what has come and what has gone.
Feel your age,
Acknowledging the river of time around you,
The wheel that turns and cycles every year,
Even as some things are gained and some things are lost.
Here you are in this moment between what was and what will be.
Now consider what it is you might want as the wheel of the year continues to turn,
As the light begins to wane towards the winter solstice again.
What would you like to be celebrating?
What would you like to spend more time enjoying?
What would you like to focus on as the harvest season begins?
Now take a moment to phrase any of those hopes or prayers in the form of gratitude.
If you would like to spend more time with your family,
For example,
You could say something like,
Thank you for my family and my ability to spend more time with them.
If you want to bring love into your life,
You could say something like,
Thank you for showing me the path towards deep,
Sustaining love.
If you are working on healing your body,
Try something like,
Thank you for showing me the way to care for myself and my healing in a way that brings me health and vitality.
Spend some time with these ideas,
Noticing how it feels to phrase your wishes in terms of gratitude.
When this practice feels complete for you,
Place your hands over top of your heart.
Take a moment to be grateful for this body,
This earth,
This land,
This breath,
This mind.
Thank yourself for spending time here on this day of harvest and celebration.
Thank you for sharing your lunasa with me.
