How to celebrate Lughnasadh with your Shamanic Drum
The celebration of Lughnasadh marks the start of the harvest season, a time of gratitude and fruition,
Lughnasadh often falls on or around the 1st August, or when the grains in the field turn from green to gold. Unlike last year, which saw the driest July in over a century, this year has been unprecedently wet, which delayed planting, and so the harvest will likely be delayed and smaller. Therefore, it is vital that we weave our ceremonies to honour the land at this time when so much is changing.
The origins of Lughnasadh are connected with the Celtic god Lugh, who held a feast in memory of his foster mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion after clearing the fields for the harvest. Lugh is associated with the harvest, where in tales he rescued the grain and gave it to the people, and defeated another being that represented blight.
The other name for this festival, Lammas, has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon word “Hlaf Maesse”,or “Loaf Mass”, also celebrating the start of the harvest season, and the newly fresh grain, ground and baked into a special offering of thanks. Many who continue this festival will offer the first serving of bread back to the Earth in thanks..
Old traditions in these isles to celebrate this time of year include festivals or gatherings filled with dancing, singing, storytelling and sport, and also pilgrimage to sacred sites. In modern times, with Christian influence, this has included travel to sites such as Croagh Patrick, Ireland, though older traditions show that people would visit sacred wells and springs to give offerings.
As this festival also marks the transition from summer towards autumn, as we move into the time of harvesting, it is the first doorway back into the dark half of the year. It is where all the energy of the year ripens into the fruits and nuts on the trees, and we can celebrate and express our gratitude for all that the Earth provides.
We can also relate this to those seeds of our dreams and goals, that we nurtured at the start of the year, coming to fruition, and on that level, Lughnasadh is a time where we can reflect on and be grateful for how far we have come on that path, and what fruits of our success we can enjoy, and what seeds of wisdom we can take from the journey.
We have been sharing ways that we can work with our Shamanic Drums to connect with the magic and wisdom of the seasons and festivals, and this month, we continue with three ways that we can connect with Lughnasadh. In our regular drumming circles, we drum to connect and attune ourselves to the seasonal changes in the land, to remain connected and in tune with the wisdom and medicine each season brings.
You can join us for our regular drum circles in Ashford, where we work with the drum to help reattune and connect us with the spirit of the season. Click here for more information.
How to use our Shamanic Drums to connect with the season:
1. Drum for gratitude
The act of drumming itself can help give us a different perspective and allow us to reflect on our lives. When we play these healing tools, we do so with an intention, prayer, or focus, giving direction to the powerful energy that drumming creates.
At this time of Lughnasadh, take some time to drum for Gratitude, sitting first in silent to bring to mind, speak aloud, or write down all the things that you are grateful for, and let the magical rhythms of the drum carry that gratitude far and wide.
2. Journey to connect with the Spirit of the Season
The Shamanic Journey is a practice where the rhythm of the Drum guides you into an inner visionary landscape, for guidance and healing. We often journey with an intention or a question, with the hope of meeting a spiritual being in this landscape to give us the answer or guidance that we need.
Call on the spirit of the season, and journey within, supported by your guides and allies. If you are familiar with the practice of journeying, you can use the sound recording below to help you with your journey.
If you would like to learn more about journeying, and how you can develop this practice for guidance and healing, take a look at our Shamanic Journeying online course, with recorded lessons that you can work through in your own time.
3. Drum for the land
As we regularly discuss, the beat of the drum can be a powerful tool to raise energy in a space, and is a great way to give back to the land. At this time of year, because of the harvest, we are very aware of all that the Earth provides for us, and our important relationship with her.
At the start of the harvest season, it can be a great opportunity to “give back” in advance, and venture outdoors to drum for the land, whether that be out to the fields where crops will be harvested, or out in the hedgerows and trees where you might, yourself, find some blackberries and nuts to forage. You may also want to take an offering to give back to the Earth, or give the first mouthful of bread, or fruit to the fields or trees.
We hope you find this guide useful! Please share your experiences celebrating Lughnasadh with us either in the comment section below or on our social media @HeronDrumsUK.