Lughnasadh Special: Celtic Gods And Fairies

Greetings friends and welcome.

Welcome to this beautiful season of summer and blue skies.

Here in the season of light we may celebrate the festival of Lunasa.

This is a festival of the harvest of celebrating the light and is also connected to the Celtic or Gaelic god Lu who to some is a deity of light,

Of wisdom,

Of skill.

So Lunasa literally means Lu's gathering.

It is his party and feast and time for merriment under the summer sun.

But depending on the myths and tales and the sources we use,

This can also be a time of sorrow,

Of letting go.

One story tells that the festival that Lu is hosting is in fact a funeral feast,

A time of rituals and games to commemorate his mother,

The earth goddess.

And she has sacrificed herself to allow the ground and the flowers and the fruits and the harvest to grow.

And in a way that duality of the season is something we can all connect to.

We've already gone past the longest day of the year so while the days are bright and long and beautiful,

The days are getting shorter and it will at some time grow cold and dark and we'll move into winter.

But not yet.

So for our joyful meditation today we will journey with the god Lu but also the joys of summer,

The festival of Lunasa and this time as many ancient festivals were considered a little time for a little magic,

Mischief and fairy folk.

So as always take your time.

Within our meditation we can take our time to relax and get settled,

Bring in support,

Maybe close your eyes and take time to breathe,

To let go of perhaps any busyness or rushing of our day.

To let ourselves settle and calm and just enjoy a little pause if nothing else just to acknowledge this time,

This season.

Each point in the wheel of the year or the season wheel,

The calendar,

However we like to mark our days and months.

There are little points just to pause to see where we are,

To reflect perhaps on what we've harvested,

The seeds we've sown and the abundance that is around us.

And as we pause and settle we can just take a little time in the warmth of summer to breathe and to be.

And now perhaps in our minds eye we envisage before us a beautiful green hill.

The grass is beautifully lush and green and perhaps there are wild flowers in beautiful colours sprouting and decorating this hill.

Beautiful yellows,

Pinks and blues.

And the hill shines under a beautiful blue sky and bright sunlight.

The beams of light shine upon the hill as if Lou himself is welcoming you,

And maybe he is.

You might see before you beams of light and warmth that represent him welcoming you to this season and to this hill of green grass.

Or maybe you see him as a figure before you,

Smiling and joyful with the season.

However you envisage this God,

He welcomes you to this space.

He bids you come,

Enjoy the sunshine and enjoy the merriment of my dear friends.

And as though waiting for this invitation,

The fairies who are well known to inhabit hills and mounds of grass,

They rise up from the flowers.

They have been waiting for this party all year.

Some might have little tiny instruments and strike up a little tune.

Some simply enjoy flying and dancing around you.

A feast is brought out of fresh baked bread,

Honey and fruits.

And you feel so joyful,

So blessed to be part of this amazing celebration.

And there is laughter and song and dance.

But in time,

Lou holds up his hand perhaps and calls your attention.

All the dancing fairy folk calls.

He invites you to sit in circle atop the hill and place your hands upon the earth.

Here is our mother,

Beneath us,

Nourishing us.

Let us be grateful with this light and warmth and harvest.

This is a time for joy,

But also of respect and gratitude for the great earth mother beneath us.

She truly holds the magic of all things.

And there is laughter and song and dance.

And there is joy,

But also of respect and gratitude for the great earth mother beneath us.

And with feelings of love and gratitude,

The group rises from the earth and almost at once the fairies begin playing their little instruments once more and dancing about.

They can't stay serious for too long.

And indeed little trails of fairies begin to parade off in little lines.

And you know they are heading to the nearest villages and towns and fear some townsfolk may be fairy led tonight as the celebration continues.

And the sun hangs just a little lower in the sky and you feel that it may be time for you to take your leave.

Hopeful that even as autumn and the setting sun approach,

We've taken the time to be grateful and enjoy the light and the warmth and the harvest that we have now.

Every moment of celebration,

Both the time to be present and celebrate,

But also reflect on what we are letting go for truly to step into a new season,

A new time,

A new era involves walking away from other things.

The god Lou can see that you are pondering this conundrum and he lays a warm hand upon your shoulder.

He says nothing but you know what his message is.

That there is light,

Sun and earth and air around you.

This is all you need.

Everything else is just part of that grand fairy dance.

That beautiful chaotic adventure that is life and the years and months that we walk through.

The warmth of Lou's hand feels nourishing upon your shoulder and you see him gently dissipate back into beams of sunlight as he disappears but is also everywhere.

All at the same time you are surrounded always by Lou's light of summer.

And so,

My dearest ones,

Whenever you feel ready to do so,

Take your time to stretch and move and unravel as we return to our space as we return to this day.

I hope that you have a lunsa,

A summer season that is beautiful and abundant and keep an eye out for those little bands of fairy revelers.

You never know when they might pop up between the flowers.

So until next time,

I wish you well and I thank you for joining me on the journey.