Lughnasadh

 

First harvest, and the cereal fields are now empty bar stubble, John Barleycorn has been and gone. With Lughnasadh upon us the wheel appears to turn ever faster; or is that just me? Celebrate the harvest, soak it all in, it's been a hell of a summer, soon enough our attention will be drawn to Autumns' approach, already some mornings you can feel its' tendrils reaching out. The wheel keeps on turning. Lughnasadh blessings /|\

Lughnasadh

The wheel turns through Lughnasadh, the first of our three harvest festivals is upon us, hasn't it come around fast. The Green Man who only laid with the Goddess at Beltane has reached the end of his road, and now symbolised as John Barleycorn has been returned to the earth. The harvest season has begun. May it be fruitful. Lughnasadh blessings of bounty to all. /|\ 

Lughnasadh

 

I swear the wheel of the year's accelerating, or maybe it's just the requirements and pace of modern life. Whatever. The blessing of Lughnasadh and first harvest is upon us. Raise a toast, the energy of the green man is spent, his time at an end (for now), his sacrifice will feed the tribes. I'd like to hope that folks literal and metaphorical seeds have born fruit, though a cursory glance about reality indicates that in both natural and human realms it's clear things aren't quite right, and they might not have. Still, we're always grateful for any bounties the fates bestow. Lughnasadh blessings to all. /|\ 

Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh blessings /|\

Lughnasadh

The eternal wheel continues to turn and Lughnasadh, first harvest, is upon us. Across the land the fecundity of the earth merged with the potency of the suns energy is reflected in every golden ear of grain ready for harvesting; John Barley Corn's time has come, and his sacrifice will help to feed us all. Though life's harvest isn't restricted to the land, it also manifests in the ambitions and desires of our physical and spiritual worlds; hopefully those plans laid out in spring are advancing too, or coming to fruition if it's their time to; I hope so. Beyond our personal microcosms, world events have highlighted the importance of the grain harvest in people's diets and the dire straights we'd find ourselves in if those harvests were to fail; the earth's fragile climate too has also been highlighted in the erratic nature of what were once, for the most part, predictable seasonal conditions. Both need giving thought to whilst we give thanks. Lughnasadh blessings y'all /|\

Lughnasadh

 

Although we continue to live through these thin times, I hope your first harvest was bountiful and satisfying. Lughnasadh blessings y'all

Lughnasadh

The wheel turns, a season matures and the world around us changes. With Lughnasadh's golden carpet and the burgeoning of first harvest upon us, it's easy to see the manifest fruits nature has afforded us. This year she's being particularly generous. Lughnasadh blessings y'all /|\

Beer and bread

We walked through acre upon acre of beer and bread on our wander this morning. Well, the genesis of beer and bread anyway. As we approach Lughnasadh (still a few weeks away) the landscape of this part of the Chase is taking on it's seasonal golden hue, at the moment it's a deep and rich colour, though as we getter closer it'll fade to a more sandy colour. The land above 'The Tarrants' is a patchwork of mainly cereal crops and pockets of woodland, it's rather pleasant walking, we did just shy of 10 miles this morning, and beyond farmers in distant tractors and the odd passing vehicle on the few road sections, we only saw two people.....nice.   

A blessed Lughnasadh

So, first harvest is upon us, how fast the wheel turns. I hope that the seeds you sowed in spring fell on fertile ground, and that you are now beginning to reap the rewards.  Lughnasadh blessings y'all.

Misty mornings

These dawn perambulates really are quite uplifting on a fine morning such as this, and at Lughnasadh too. This year is going so fast, isn't it, or is it that just me. Harvest time already, wow. Whatever. Lughnasadh's blessings y'all, I hope first harvest finds you beginning to reap what you have sown and nurtured. Flags, Flax, Fodder and Frigg.

Lughnasadh

The wheel appears to turn at lightening speed these days, the seasons rushing past, it's quite alarming really, and now Lughnasadh is with us, already! It's astounding, it only seems like yesterday we stood on the cusp of spring. Now is the time of first harvest, the grain harvest, when we begin to gather in the fruits of our labours, as our plans sown as seeds in spring start to come to fruition (if we're lucky). Some of my plans have come to fruition, others are yet to bear fruit, while others came to nought. This has been a good year on the land, at the allotment the crops keep coming, tomatoes, potatoes, shallots, beans, greens, peppers, fruits and of course courgettes, so many courgettes.  Out in nature the first blackberries are out, apples are bowing their boughs, the nuts are swelling, mushrooms are poking through, and across the countryside the fields of grain stand golden. Fingers crossed, our harvest bounties continue. Lughnasadh blessings y'all.

Lughnasadh

A bumper wheat and barley harvest's here, 

                 and with it fresh bread and beer.                  

And still there are two harvests yet to come, 

before the growing year is done.

Lughnasadh blessings y'all.

Lughnasadh

John Barleycorn his head hung low,
he knows it's time for goodbyes.

John Barleycorn has done his job,
he's grown strong and reached for the skies.

John Barleycorn goes willingly to sacrifice,

so that we will all survive.
John Barleycorn is in our world dead,
though in the otherworld alive.

John Barleycorn we'll see again,

with the rise of the Beltain Sun.

John Barleycorn must leave us now,
for his journeys just begun.

 Lughnasadh blessings y'all.