Lughnasadh : Liberating Sacrifice
Celebrated on August 1st, Lughnasadh is a festival of gratitude for the ‘first fruits’ of the harvest season {particularly the life-giving power of grain}. This is a time to honor the abundance of the Earth and reap the fruits of our labor : in both our crops and the gardens of our lives.
Lughnasadh is named for the Celtic god Lugh, a multifaceted deity known as Samildánach (the Many-Skilled). Lugh is a master craftsman, warrior, and artist. The festival of Lughnasadh is traditionally celebrated with athletic contests and games that showcase skill and prowess.
Lughnasadh’s alternative name, Lammas, derives from the Anglo-Saxon Hlaf Maesse, or ‘Loaf Mass,’ a day when the first loaves of bread baked from the new wheat were blessed.
Lughnasadh instructs us in the value of sacrifice. The grain god, sometimes known as John Barleycorn or the Green Man, willingly sacrifices himself to be cut down so that his body can be transformed into bread to feed the people. His seed is saved to be planted again in the spring, ensuring the cycle of rebirth. This narrative of noble sacrifice for the sake of the community encourages contemplation on the necessity of descent and the dignity of sacrifice as prerequisites for new life and sustenance.
The concept of sacrifice at Lughnasadh is not one of tragic loss, but of profound, generative transformation. This is the physical realization of the alchemical principle where one form of energy is willingly released to create another, more nourishing form. The grain god {John Barleycorn or the Green Man} represents the sun’s power, which was at its peak at the summer Solstice, June 21, and is now beginning its descent. The Green Man is cut down not in defeat, but in fulfillment. The sacrifice of the Green Man’s physical form is a conscious act of giving that allows his body to be transformed into the bread that sustains the community through the darker months. This is the ultimate act of communal care, a model for how personal transformation can nourish the collective.
This myth provides a powerful frame for healing work in that the patterns of trauma that become ‘frozen’ in the body are, in essence, survival strategies that have outlived their usefulness. They were created to protect us, but now they constrict us. The Lughnasadh sacrifice can be an invitation to consciously ‘harvest’ these patterns. We are not violently ripping them out, but lovingly cutting them down, thanking them for their service, incorporating their wisdom, and offering them to the fire of transformation so their bound energy can be liberated for more constructive, life-affirming pursuits. This is not a sacrifice born of lack or self-flagellation. It is a sacrifice of abundance – releasing what is no longer needed to make space for a greater harvest of joy, presence, and connection. We cultivate our intuitive interoception and personal will when we rely on our inner knowing to consciously choose what to release and what to cultivate.
The Inner Harvest : Invitations for Reflection and Journaling
Self Harvest :
Wisdom comes from the harvest of gathering scattered knowledge together into a grouping and reading the patterns. How have you developed the craft of interoceptive and intuitive communications of your body? How can you deepen your knowledge of this idiosyncratic language? How can you create spaces and practices to listen more deeply to this voice?
Harvesting Your Fruits :
Lughnasadh is a time of gratitude for what has come to fruition. What are you harvesting in your life right now? This isn’t just about external accomplishments – consider the internal skills you’ve cultivated, the healing you’ve undertaken, the compassion you’ve grown. Make a list of everything you are proud of, no matter how small. As you write, feel the pride and gratitude in your body. Where does it live? What is its texture and temperature?
The Liberating Sacrifice :
Every harvest requires the cutting of the plant. The grain god, John Barleycorn, must lay his body down so the people can have bread. What old patterns, limiting beliefs, or parts of your story are you ready to lovingly sacrifice to the scythe of transformation? What must you release to nourish the person you are becoming? What old story about yourself must be sacrificed for your new, desired narrative to take root? What will you be re-patterning into the space you create?
The Harvested Bread :
The sacrificed grain god becomes bread that nourishes the community. How will the energy liberated from your personal sacrifice feed your life and the lives of those around you? If you release a pattern of self-criticism, what nourishment (perhaps compassion or creativity) will you be able to offer others?
Saving the Seed :
From every harvest, seeds are saved for the next planting. This is an act of trust in the future. What wisdom, insight, or single truth from your current harvest do you want to carry with you into the darker, more introspective half of the year? This is the seed of your integration, the core lesson that will sustain you through winter.
Animate Reciprocity :
The Earth is not a resource to be extracted from – it is a living being with whom we are in relationship. As you enjoy the bounty of this season, how can you practice reciprocity? Meditate on the journey of the food you eat. Thank the sun, the water, the soil, the pollinators, and the hands that tended and harvested it. What is one tangible act of gratitude you can offer back to the land that sustains you? This could be planting native flowers, cleaning up a local park, or creating a work of art, such as singing a song to a being that shelters and supports you.
The Waning Sun :
The power of the sun god Lugh begins its graceful descent at Lughnasadh. What in your life is naturally and cyclically coming to a close? What project, role, or season of your life is reaching its fulfillment? How can you honor its peak and allow it to wane with gratitude, rather than clinging to it? What wisdom is there in this joyful surrender?
Symbols of Lughnasadh for Altar Making :
Colors : gold, yellow, orange, and green.
Symbols : first harvest – sheaf of wheat, other grains, sunflowers, early apples
Animal Representations :
The Bull and Calf :
The bull is a powerful symbol of strength, virility, and the land’s abundance. Historically, a bull was sometimes sacrificed as part of the festival. Calves, often weaned around this time, represent new life and the continuation of the herd’s wealth.
The Rooster :
As a solar creature, the rooster’s crow at dawn symbolizes the light of the sun god Lugh, essential for the growth of crops.
The Horse :
Horses were celebrated at Lammas, and their inclusion honors deities like Epona, the Goddess of Horses.
Bees :
Representing the late summer honey harvest, bees symbolize the rewards of hard work, community, and cooperation.
Earth Body Church will be honoring Lughnasadh in the Berkeley Hills August 1st – please send us a message if you would like to join!