Lughnasa – Rituals and Tarot Spread

Posted July 29, 2018 by Hazellie Wong in Festivals & Events, Tarot Spreads / 2 Comments

Lughnasa

Lughnasa falls on August 1st, about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. It is one of the four Celtic “Fire Festivals”; the other three being Imbolc, Beltane, and Samhain, and it marks the beginning of harvest season. It is traditionally the First Harvest of three – the Grain Harvest, with Mabon as the Second Harvest – the Fruit Harvest, and Samhain as the Third and Final Harvest – the Nuts and Berries Harvest.

It is also known by the names Lughnassadh, Lugnasad, Lunastal, Luanistyn, Frey Fest, and Lammas. The word “lammas” comes from the words loaf mass and is representative of the first loafs of bread baked from the First Grain Harvest. Lughnasa also gets its name from Lugh, the Celtic god of light, and the Sun King. Lughnasa is a festival that celebrates athletic competition and the funeral feast of the god Lugh, who gives his life by transferring his power into the grain so that the people can live.

Lughnasa is a time for celebrating the first fruits of harvest, our hard work and the results of our labor. It is an observation of life/death/rebirth as the grain that has been grown is now cut down, and reborn again as seeds for the next year.

Rituals

If you would like to observe Lughnasa with a ritual, here are a few simple ones you can perform:

Bake a loaf of bread, or a “lammas” to celebrate the Grain Harvest.
Take a walk in nature, or even better, hike up a hill or mountain if you have those in your area, and collect seeds to be planted for future harvest.
Set up an altar for Lughnasa, and decorate it with yellows and golds – flowers like marigolds and sunflowers, grain like corn, yellow or red ribbons and candles.
Make a corn dolly.
Arrange for a huge gathering and have a feast with family and friends.
And finally, perform a divination ritual with this Lughnasa Tarot Spread below.

The Spread

The Questions

1. Harvest: What will I harvest during this time?
2. Sacrifice: What do I need to let go in order to receive?
3. Vanquish: What challenges do I need to overcome?
4. Feast: What feeds and nourishes my soul?
5. Seeds: What seeds shall I plant for future harvest?

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I hope that you enjoyed this spread and that you have a wonderful Lughnasa celebration this year.

You can also purchase the complete Wheel of the Year Tarot Spreads which includes this spread and all the other spreads in the Wheel of the Year series in one convenient 40-page ebook in the shop.

As always, I would love to hear back from you about how it worked for you if you use it. Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me at mynasmoon@gmail.com.

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Hazellie Wong

Hazellie Wong is a professional tarot diviner, numerologist, and spiritual coach. She is also the founder of MynasMoon.com and a certified Master Herbalist. She is a third-generation healer, and is passionate about helping people achieve optimum spiritual and emotional health through spiritual guidance.