Dear Doves,
 
      Lughnasadh/Lammas is celebrated on month 8, days 1 or 2. It marks the First Harvest of Autumn, the wheat harvest, beginning of the noticeable descent of the Sun into the darkness of Winter. It occurs at the  exact middle of Summer ( Cross Quarter Sabbat)) and is symbolic of the beginning of the conclusion of the annual harvest cycle, part 1 of 3 occasions.  Associated with it centuries ago were bonfires, joy, merriment, hard work, working in pairs, COMPANY IN THE FIELDS, and a spirit of celebratory play. As the Master said, "two will be working in a field. One will be taken and one left." This year it is just before the harvest day of Tu B'Av, Av 15 on 8-2 to 3, which is also associated with the same themes during the wheat harvest. We can ponder The Book of Ruth. At the British Isles of old, bonfires were lit to add strength to the waning and weakening Sun. Charred fire branches were kept in homes during the coming Autumn and Winter for protection against storms, lightening, and fires. For farmers in centuries past, north of the equator, Lammas was one of the most important times of the year. Now is when the sun is declining in power and warmth, with the golden harvest days ahead. With grain stores growing low, the First Harvest was eagerly awaited. There were craft festivals, parades, ceremonial plays and dances. Again, this seems very like T B'Av  themes!
      When Christianity came to Britain, pagan rituals were replaced by church services in which the first harvested grains of wheat were milled and then baked into loaves of bread. These were taken to houses of worship and offered with thanksgiving to God. For Britain, from Saxon times until the medieval times, Lammas Day was a Christian holy day. In service, the bread from the first harvest was blessed and offered in a ceremony called the "loaf mass." It was then shared among the congregation as a communal symbol of thanksgiving for the first harvest, the harvest success. "Lammas" is from the Old English "half loaf" and "maesse" meaning feast. Lughnasadh is a more Gaelic (Celtic) rendering of these themes.
      What else was Lammas called? In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, where it is often mentioned, it was called "the feast of first fruits" associated with the date of 8-1 to 2, or 8-6, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ! What will the resurrected of the dead and the living become? We will be like Messiah/Christ, the FIRST of THE FIRST FRUITS! In terms of planetary significance, the Sun is near the midpoint of the Constellation of Leo, associated with Messiah/Christ as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Yahuda). The strength of Leo.
      Several more details about days ahead include the meaningful complete 7 year anniversary of the expulsions from The Gaza and certain communities in the West Bank. This will be Av 18. The (666) of Av will be like the symbolic end of the 7 full years of fullness in the times of Joseph, just before the next 7 full years of no rain, drought, famine, leanness, deprivation, suffering, and starvation. This year Av 18 will be 8-5 to 6, 2012 which will be the FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION! Come quickly, Lord...
 
With Love and Shalom,
Jean