Happy Lughnasadh!

In last year's Lughnasadh post I spoke a little bit about the origins of this ancient Celtic holiday, shared recipes, quotes, prayers, and talked a bit about what this time of year means to me. I actually put a lot of thought into exactly what I wanted to share in a post. This year, I just finished working 2 ten hour and 1 twelve hour shift, and frankly folks... I'm Tired! lol So, I'm keeping this brief, but wanted to take the time to thank you all for the wonderful gift you give me every time you take the time to share a bit of yourself in a post, comment, artistic creation, or email; thanks for being your Self and sharing so generously of whatever matters most to you.

I came home today to as close to an empty house as I typically see... and then only rarely! Just myself and the three pups until later in the evening. Kids are all off at the Mayhem tour, feasting on music and dancing under the Sun on this auspicious day. My amazing husband is toiling away at his weekly 12 hour shift at his second job, a local restaraunt, all for the sake of tending the needs of his family. I know myself to be the luckiest of people, one who has found a true and loving helpmate.

After changing out of my work clothes, I tended to the needs of our canines, thinking with genuine longing of the moment when I could Just Sit Down. As the last dog and I stepped up onto the porch though, I noticed the tiny sproutlings planted by our family's littlest member some time ago. Shooing the last pup into the house with the rest of the pack, I pick up the shovel from where it leans against the house. Quickly, before I can talk myself out of it or think twice, I hustle myself and the plants to the sunny side of the house.

Frightening the young rabbit that favors that bit of yard into the overgrowth, I pick out spots with my shovel. Digging in a single-minded silence, the hard part is soon over and I find myself kneeling on the Earth, hands glazed with mud; a bit breathless, genuinely sore, but content. For better or worse, these younglings are planted with my honest Hope that they will thrive and feed my furred and feathered Relations who live in the neighborhood. Putting my tools away, I stand for a moment with Wisecreaks, my huge evergreen friend. We watch the Sun dip below the treeline, just hinting at closing up today. 

Inevitably, I think of loved ones who have passed on without me, and the sudden sharp tug upon my heart cuts free a fall of tears; salty as the tide, blood warm and as cleansing as a summer storm. I send them out upon the Winds, as I do all my tears, to feed the Tree upon which the People hang their fervent prayers each year. I think of all the wonderous blessings great and small that Life has showered upon me, and I am grateful, oh so very grateful... I tuck a bit of tobacco into the Earth at Wisecreaks feet, leave half a head of lettuce for my startled rabbit neighbor, and settle at last in my favorite chair to write.

Wow! About two hours have passed. Did I really need to spend two hours planting things that may never reach fruition? Perhaps not, but then again sometimes what we need most is the Hope of fruition. Sometimes we need to make room in our lives for the possibility of wonderful things blossoming before our very eyes, against all odds. Sometimes are actions aren't nearly as important as why we are choosing to take those actions, the thought behind the action... and expressions of Love, in my opinion, are never wasted. 

Wondering how to sum up those moments of inspiration, and share a little something special this Lughnasadh with my distant friends, I take a peek at last years post and remember... the more things change, the more they stay the same. lol Some things are worth saying more than once...

"Life is a dance, and we celebrate it together with each day of our lives. No matter what spiritual path you may follow, no matter what culture or race you spring from, whether you have no legs, two or more... I will honor you all as I dance beneath the Sun this year. I will eat for those whose bellies are empty, and savor sweet Water, the first Medicine, for those who wander in thirst. I will cry for those who can no longer shed tears for themselves. I will laugh for those who have forgotten how, sing for the voiceless, and glory in the sounds of Life around me for those who cannot hear.

I will show gratitude for the many gifts and moments of enlightenment I have experienced. I will hope for that same spiritually Illuminating spark to ignite in every heart, and I will revel in every amazing life-filled cell of my being for all those who have gone before us... for you are my Family and I love you. I love the World and everything in it, warts and all, for you inspire me and help me to recreate myself over and over again. Walk in Beauty, my dear ones, for you dance always within my heart."

"Oh Great Spirit,
Whose voice I hear in the winds,

And whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me!
I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes
ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand the
things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with
clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset
my spirit may come to you
without shame."
 ~Chief Yellow Lark, Lakota Tribe

Happy Lughnasadh, my Beloved Ones! May you reap a bountiful harvest and be surrounded by those you love.

Mitake Oyasin

More About Lughnasadh:

 http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977410387