Greetings dear ones,
And welcome to another step on our cycle of the Wheel of the Year.
Here we journey into the golden season of Lammas or Lunasa as we tip over into August.
Lammas is derived from Saxon words that mean loaf or bread,
And Lunasa is drawn from the Celtic god of the sun.
So surrounding this time is this idea of abundance,
Of great fields of wheat and corn swaying under a warm summer sun.
Here in August we reach the peak of summer.
We give thanks to the goddesses of the harvest,
Cur and Ceres,
The beautiful deities that hold swathes of abundant food in their arms,
The beautiful earth goddesses of harvest time.
So let's bask in a little bit of that golden energy today.
Take your time to find your restful place for meditation and reflection.
You may wish to lay down or be seated.
Make sure that you feel warm and comfortable,
A place you feel restful and safe to be for the next 20 minutes or so.
You may wish to close the eyes or let the gaze be soft.
If you may be somewhere that you can gaze out of a window or up towards the sky and absorb a little bit of that sunlight,
Feel free to do that too.
As we sink and settle into our place of meditation today,
Allowing the body to soften and relax.
We'll envisage that we are basking under a great bright sunshine that is warming our body,
Soothing our muscles.
So as we settle and relax into our meditation,
We simply bask in the light,
Allowing it to warm us.
As we bathe in this light,
We cast aside busy thoughts.
We cast aside any tension within the body or the mind,
Finding a little peaceful calm under the sun.
And in our mind's eye,
We envisage ourselves gazing across a beautiful golden field of corn,
The great strands waving and moving in a gentle breeze,
Causing ripples that look like gentle waves or swaying hair.
You have such a sense of the movement of the goddess as she dances in this beautiful harvest form,
Catching the golden light of the sun,
Moving and swaying to her own rhythm.
Come.
And in the centre of this beautiful golden field is a long wooden table laid out for a banquet.
Golden plates run along the table.
Tall stands are decorated with bunches of shining grapes,
Bright coloured fruits scattered like gems shining in the golden sun.
And around this beautiful table sit all your most favourite people.
Friends and family,
Loved ones,
They are all here in this beautiful field,
This feast of abundance.
Candles flicker in jars along the centre of the table.
And golden stalks are scattered through the centre,
Catch the light of the candles and the sun.
You feel almost as though the goddess has her arms wrapped around this party of joy and celebration.
And as you take a seat,
Someone you love pours you a glass of your favourite drink.
And someone else nearby breaks open a beautiful crusty loaf of bread and the smell fills the air.
Little golden bowls of butter and shining honey,
Olive oil and beautiful dips and dressings.
And together this merry group feasts on the harvest of the season amongst the golden fields and under a golden sun.
You feel a glow,
A light of love and warmth drawn from your surroundings and your company.
And from within as you take in this nourishment from the goddess,
A gift for us and others.
You you you you you you you you you you you you you you as always I thank you for coming and wish you a very joyful and abundant Lammas.
