Yeah yeah yeah, I know, Lammas was four days ago. I'm a little late to the party as far as voicing my opinion on Lammas/Lughnasadh and how it is typically observed. There's a reason for that, though! I had originally shared a blog post from Patheos about almost exactly what I am going to be talking about but for reasons not entirely related to the subject matter ended up taking it down. I was then encouraged by a few friends to make my own offering on the subject; something I was reticent to do at first lest I appear to be doing nothing more than parroting this other author's opinion. But, in the end, I decided to say fuck it! It was my opinion before I read the blog, it's my opinion now, so why not share it? It's not like I'm going to force anyone to read it. Well...not everyone, anyway.
I'm not gonna lie, the Sabbats were perhaps the most challenging part of walking a pagan path for me when I first started down the road of Witchcraft and Paganism (and for some time after, too!) lo those many years ago. To start, a good portion of it didn't make sense. Yes, I understood it on a comprehension level, I'm not a complete fucking moron, but so much of it didn't make sense when it came to the how and the why and don't even get me started on the mythos of the Lord and Lady and how they move around the wheel! (Okay, get me started, but on another post!) So much of the time I was left with such a sense of "What the f...? Why the f...?" that for quite some time I avoided Sabbat observances all together. It just didn't make any damn sense to me and I have never been the type to do something "because that's how its always been done" so I just stopped. But that sucked, too.
I wanted to celebrate the Pagan holidays, I enjoy the sense of community the Sabbats provide when you know that most pagans, regardless of tradition or origins, are observing the same day no matter how it might differ from your own rites. But I just couldn't do it the way "they" wanted me to. August 1st is not the start of Autumn, not where I live. Yeah, its obvious the days are slowly getting shorter, but the temperature is perhaps at the highest its been all Summer and the crisp Autumn air is still a far off dream no matter what the calendar says. It makes not a damn bit of sense to try to celebrate August 1st as the first harvest when harvest in my neck of the woods isn't going to start for another month at the very least. It didn't feel right, for me at least, and over time I began to hear from others that they felt much the same way.
So why keep doing it? Because Gerald Gardner said so? I'm gonna need a better reason than that! Because that's how they used to do it in England? Okay, fine, but our modern practices hold very little resemblance to those practiced in the way back by those we would consider English/British witches so why cling to them? Especially when they make no damn sense?
The short answer is...I'm not gonna. If you have found your way to this blog you may have already picked up on the fact that I have started a new tradition based on practices and ideologies that make sense for me/us. Not drastically different but different just the same. For us Lammas (Permanent name within our tradition to be determined!) is not the First Harvest of Autumn but rather the Last Hurrah of Summer! Summer may be in its decline but Summer it still is! It isn't about cutting down the first crops of the harvest but rather of celebrating the final days of the season of vitality, passion, and exuberance! The last few carefree days (as carefree as an adult can be these days, at any rate) before the rigors of the true harvest sets in with the cold of winter to follow.
For us it is more important to honor the seasonal cycles of the land we live on; to honor the genius loci of our region rather than to force ourselves into a cyclical wheel that we have no true connection with. It is more about working with the Spirits of Place over clinging to the spirit of old British traditions simply because they ARE old.
I get it. Don't get me wrong. I really do. It's nice to have tradition. It's nice feeling as if your actions and rituals stretch back into the ages, beyond the modern era that tends to marginalize such beliefs and practices. And honestly, if observing Lammas as the First Harvest and the Beginning of Autumn speaks to your spirit and makes total sense as far as your practices go, more power to you! For every witch/pagan that finds no connection in the standard Lammas traditions there are as many, if not more, witches/pagans that do. They love the shit out of them! And that's cool! Do you, boo boo!
I'm not saying you shouldn't observe Lammas/Lughnasadh with the standard, well-known, practices. I'm just saying you don't have to.
*Originally published on August 4th, 2016, on my now defunct Wordpress site.
Commentaires