Musings before the upcoming festival.
(Image description: A photo of a road through a wooded area during early fall. The trees on both sides of the road have either green or autumn colors in their leaves. Leaves have fallen on the ground on either side and on the road.) Credit: Photo by Eric Muhr on Unsplash
In a couple weeks, the next festival will be here. Lùnastal/Lúnasa is one of those holidays that has mixed feelings for me. While Lugh is the namesake for it, I relate to it more as a time to honor Brighid as the Harvest Maiden.
Also, it’s technically the beginning of autumn. However, August is typically very hot, sometimes dangerously so. It’s difficult to get into a festive mood when the heat index might be in the triple digits. It seems like every year the heat increases, and I suppose it could reflect a time of mourning even as a time of abundance approaches. This factor could be reflected in Lùnasa’s older name Brón Trogain, but this has less to do with Tailtiu’s agricultural sacrifice and more to do with environmental grief.
An additional aspect of the holiday for me is the straddling of practices. On one hand, I still focus on Brighid’s Gaelic connections, but I also want to honor Her as Brigantia during this season. Depending on which branch is followed, Imbolc has its Brythonic and Gaulish equivalents in Brigantica and Iwos Brigantiâ.
Branching off of that, I remember reading about a minor tradition of St. Brigid opposing Crom Dubh around Lúnasa. No surviving lore exists about this encounter with the goddess. However, if Brigantia returns from the Otherworld after fighting the anguipeds (snake-legged giants) in February, why not have a focus to reflect the contrast with the onslaught of summer and the beginning of the harvest?
A spiritual connection between protecting crops from severe weather and Brigantia opposing chaotic forces that threaten communities and their resources feels like an appropriate balance to Her return at the beginning of the year.
There is an alternative name for the festival happening around August 1st, which is called Kalann Agustos. It shares similar aspects of community, food, gratitude, and gathering together with Lúnasa. The name is general enough that many deities could be honored, and the themes link with each well enough.
Looking back at the connection between St. Brigid and Crom Dubh, the same book mentioned a link between the conflict and the practice of saying “bless you” when someone sneezes. I wonder if this could also relate to preparing for seasonal infections that commonly happen in the colder months. Could Brigantia begin Her patrols against the anguipeds who might be starting to stir? That’s something to consider for the unfolding season.
A concern of mine related to the last festival’s divination is that I don’t feel like I have been able to keep up with the indication to strengthen my spiritual practices. I have been working on them, but it hasn’t felt like enough. However, that could simply be my personal criticisms. Development is an ongoing process, so I know I shouldn’t be overly harsh on myself. Putting in the continued effort is what matters more.
Depending on what the next ogam reading reveals, the same themes may carry over into the coming season. Time will tell, and I still have a couple weeks to figure out the different aspects I want to honor during that time.
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