#lugnasad

Lúnasa is said "Loo-na-sa"

Or Lugnasad in old Irish

Date NH: July 31-Aug 1 | SH: Jan 31-Feb 1

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Irish Paganism for Beginners - Irish Pagan School

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I spend a lot of brain energy on incorporating zodiac and symbolic detail into my headcanons. Discovering Saint Seiya only made my problem worse.

For years I've held the headcanon that Yue was created on the winter solstice. It's canon that he and Yukito have different birthdays, but we only know for sure that Yukito's birthday is Christmas, December 25.

Does he have a Capricorn personality? I can believe him as an earth element.

But Yue, earth? Earthy is under Kero's jurisdiction and is one of the Cards that unseals the lion's powers. However, none of the water or air signs' personality traits in the Western zodiac match Yue at all. Clow's magic blends East and West, so I think it is important to look at temperaments and associated elements, as well as relative celestial movement through the year and cultural significance of times of year.

Left with earth signs to choose from, I believe Yue is a Virgo, not a Capricorn. Compare Yue to Virgo Shaka from Saint Seiya: powerful, beautiful, proud, dangerous, and certain of himself (at first). Virgos are exacting amd picky. They are -- I say this as an Aries -- the most difficult of people to bear. (But like Aries Mu loves Shaka, I love Yue with all my enduring love.)

Further, there is a significant moon festival during the Virgo date range. This year 2024, we have a super moon (and a partial lunar eclipse) on September 17. To me it's very believable that Yue could have been created during the autumn moon festival during a similar lunar eclipse.

During a rabbit (Eastern zodiac) year, of course!

In my deity guide for him, I mentioned that Lugh, amongst other things, is the god of oaths and vows

Recently someone messaged me and asked:

Hi there. I found your Lugh post from back in January. Thank you for posting such a wonderfully thorough discussion on Lugh. I was wondering in your research, upg, or general knowledge if you knew of any myths regarding Lugh renewing his vows or something to that extent and thus why the renewal of vows and/or the making of oaths is done at Lughnasadh?

So I did some digging.

During the festival of Lughnasadh legal matters were discussed, an óenach was held and trial marriages began.

There are plenty of sources that state that Lugh is associated with oaths and promises, though not all of them explain why.

Some suggest that that the names given to the god throughout the Gaelic-Celtic cultures gives us clues indicating that Lugh is the god of oaths.

Such examples being:

The welsh name for the god, Llew, likely comes from the Welsh word “llw” which means “an oath”.

As well, the Irish name for the god, Lug or Lugh, may come from the Old Irish word “luige” or “luge” which means “oath” or “swearing”. If this is the case, then the name Lugus, another name given to the god, might mean “God of Vows”/“God of Oaths”.

The best source I’ve found for this information is in the book The Gods of the Celts and Indo-Europeans by Garrett Olmsted (particularly page 110); Olmsted also has quite a few sources in his book.

As you mentioned, I have read a few sources stating that some people believe that the story behind the holiday of Lughnasadh is one of Lugh renewing his vows to his wives. I haven’t, however, been able to find any evidence of this in the history of the holiday.

It could be that because legal dealings are held on Lughnasadh, the mythos sort of picked that up through time.

I know witchy fellas, it’s boiling hot & sunny out there. But we gotta put it in the effort. All together. Till the end. Till Lammas.

Briefly explained, Lammas or ‎Lughnasadh opens the harvest season around August 1st and our ancestors would know the perfect timing of it by watching the rise of the star Sirius at the dawn after a long while not showing. This sabbat originated by the Celts whom used to propitiate Lugh to ensure sunny weather and a fruitful harvest. He was their god of Light, excellently proficient in all arts & protector of thieves, travelers and merchants.  Moving to the southern areas, this celebration was still existing in a more earthy practical variant: mother Earth, plants, fresh produce, seeds and grains were the actual focus. These other people couldn’t care less about Lugh. They only cared about showing gratitude to Nature as a whole, often by baking the first LOAF MASS of the season (Lammas, a bread loaf) after months of summer break - we should stop baking at home from Beltane day till Lammas day, unless we’re home-based bakers and do that for a living;)

So, as usual, in this post I’m going to give you tips & ideas to prep for august 1st. Which means these are not things you should do on the very day, but BEFORE. Don’t rush last minute darlings. We can do this. 

Let’s get readayyyy. ✽

1. Local farmers’ markets should become a routine. Ok, hands down we all need the supermarket to survive on a daily basis but you can surely minimize your shopping list, so you can go buy fresh produce at some farmers’ market. Buy organic stuff there, not at the mall. This is a good easy way to re-establish a direct contact with Earth and welcome earthy energies into your life. Plus, it’s going to be a refreshing walk every time.

2. Improve the lighting in your house/room. Besides Samhain, this is by far the best time of the year to purchase new lamps, led lights, lanterns; fix bulbs that are out, remove useless/broken curtains, buy candles, add fairy lights everywhere etc... Being a metaphor of the sunny weather, daylight and artificial lighting in general must be of primary importance in your environment. Enhance natural lighting during the day, set up a nice and diffused lowlight illumination system at night. Don’t forget your backyard ‘cause...

3. You should take good care of your garden. I don’t care how busy you are, we all have at least 5 spare minutes to trim out dead leaves from our plants. If you own a piece of land or have a rather big veg garden, please don’t forget about it. Pay special attention to your plants/trees, do a little bit of cleaning every day, pick what’s ripe, cut out dead leaves, get creative with your lawn mower, water the vases, work the ground... The goal is to have a beautiful, curated garden by august 1st. But if you don’t have a garden or similar...

3.2. Buy your fav aromatic plant & look after it. Choose herbs that you prefer adding to your meals (if you’re a diy pro or make your own soaps etc.. feel free to use that fragrant plant in your products), so that you’ll be able to use it quite often without forcing yourself. I personally do it with basil. Basil is my daily go-to, I love its smell and taste. Again, the goal is to buy a plant in July and prove to Mother Nature that you can nurture it properly until at least august 1st. Get in touch with the “green world” and upgrade your basic skills. In other words...

4. Try to excel in every project/activity you start. Remember what you read earlier? Blame Lugh for this one. Lammas day is like a test: if you want Nature to be by your side during harvest time, you must earn its trust through proving that you’re able to achieve great results - because you’re a hard worker.  July is about learning, attending classes, practicing, studying. My advice would be to not start a bunch of random projects now: be picky and commit to only one or a few. Be honest with yourself, modest with timing and consistent in everyday practice so that in august you’ll be skilled enough to unleash your best potential. This is your time to shine!

5. Do your research on baking bread. Yes, exactly. Read recipes, articles, books etc... On Lammas day you want to have fun baking your first bread loaf of the season, so you’d better be prepared. It’s a fun experience even if you’re not a pro baker, at least you can try a new hobby to fill your free morning/evening. But baking a beautifully decorated, tasty, fragrant bread loaf would take Lammas to the next level though.

If you don’t own an oven, purchase a small electric one for less than 50$. It’ll be useful to cook other foods in the future without stressing the hell out of your microwave. 

*for our celiac fellas*: grains and gluten are clearly off-limits for you. However, Lammas’ celebration involves CORN as well. Try to make your gluten-free dough with corn flour, rice flour or other ingredients that are suitable for you. Focaccia, polenta and pizza doughs are also suitable for the occasion.

6. Include apples, grapes and corn in you cosmetics or in your diet. Since these fruits are in season, why not take heed of their benefits? Simply buy things like apple shampoo, grape lip balm, apple snacks, grape masks... A BAG OF CRISPY POP CORN...These are valid examples. You have a wide range of choice, you’ve got the powahhh.

7. Grab a book and a glass of Albariño/Pinot Noir/Rosé. That’s how you pamper yourself before Lammas. A rocking chair in the garden, proper lighting for reading, a cushion, your fav book and a glass of fine wine. 

Alternatively, you can elegantly snack on grapes or sip some super refreshing apple juice from a chic crystal goblet!

8. Develop a grounding routine. For those who are new to the grounding concept, I’ll break it down real quick. We’re always moving, on the go, running, rushing, driving, working out, traveling, walking, cleaning, fidgeting, passively entertained, distracted by screens or social media etc... The practice of grounding promotes the exact opposite to reach inner balance and fulfillment. Basically, it’s very good to be swift and active, but being incapable of sitting still while quietly dealing with ourselves is a huge, major problem. Imagine rooting yourself into the soil: you can lay down or sit comfortably on the ground without a mat and really feel the Earth underneath. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, choose a meditation method that you like, visualize yourself being as static and peaceful as a tree... Or simply be. You’ll find a way to contemplate these OFFLINE moments away from photos, screens, sounds, people... This routine should take 10-20 minutes of your day. Make sure it takes place in nature, or alternatively in places where there’s actual grass, ground or nearby your (aromatic) plants so you can touch them if you need to.

9. Get creative with corn magic and corn art. Lammas has a solid tradition of corn use for various purposes. As you’re prepping for the big day, start featuring corn kernel/cobs in your magic. If you don’t practice - which is totally fine - carry a small amulet bag with corn inside with you. If you’re an artist or crafter, paint the kornel or use cobs for artwork!

10. Be out in the sunlight, sun bathe or simply breathe fresh air, get outside, enjoy all things outdoors :)

Hope this was helpful and inspirational fo you all, good luck and happy Lammas darlings.