This weekend brings one of the cross-quarter days of the Sun’s cycle, marking the halfway point between the Solstice and the Equinox. Known as Lammas in the Southern Hemisphere and Imbolc in the North.
Many Moon’s ago, I got introduced to these festivals that honour the cycle of the Sun. As a young budding astrologer, I loved how they tied in with what my very first astrology teacher taught me in her living room in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
In the Southern half of the Globe, the nights will begin to slowly creep up on the days. If you’re a gardener like me, some plants will begin to show signs of decay, while those that thrive in colder months will come to life.
In Brisbane, and in many parts of Australia, we don’t have defined seasons like they do in the North, which is why I personally find it helpful to take note of these festivals and what they represent.
Lammas is the awareness that Winter is coming (sorry, I had to take the pun) and to give thanks for the Summer bounty. The Christmas holidays are over and life begins to return to its normal rhythms. You might be feeling grateful for the Summer months, long evenings and time spent with your favourite people. There is also and awareness that the pace needs to pick up and return to being more productive.
Lammas is the grain harvest, where the first bounty from the Summer crop is made into bread and offered up to the alter. The seeds from the harvest are resewn for Winter. If you’ve ever watched Vikings, you’ll notice how they celebrate the seasons by feasting. With an acute awareness of the land, the sea and the seasons they had an understanding of when to wait and when to push forward.
Lammas in the South, occurs while the Sun is in mid Aquarius and in the North, mid Leo. The fixed signs correlate to the height of the seasons, so it can be hard to imagine Winter while in the height of Summer, but the time rolls around quickly.
The fixed signs represent stillness. As Autumn approaches, sit in stillness and reflection of your Summer. Was it all you hoped it would be? If not, before Winter comes, gather the people, tools, knowledge or whatever it is you require to ensure your next Summer crop yields what you desire.
From a practical standpoint, I find Lammas has a ‘knuckle down and get work done’ feel to it. Christmas and the holidays are in the past, it’s time to work, plan and prepare.
I find each of these traditional turning points of the Sun to be a time where you can reflect and focus on your goals. With one month of 2018 already gone, how are your resolutions for the New Year holding up?
