The golden warmth of Lammas approaches! Also known as Lughnasadh (Loo-nah-sah), the Summer Harvest, August Eve or Loaf Mass and generally celebrated on August 1, this sacred sabbat marks the beginning of the harvest and was a time to give gratitude for the abundance of the past growing season. The first of three harvest festivals, it is followed by the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon) and the final harvest, Samhain. Grains and crops were cut down and harvested to be used to bake the first breads of the season. In earlier times, the loaves would be taken to church and placed on the altar to be blessed in a tradition called "Loaf Mass" which is where we find the roots of the Anglo-Saxon name of Lammas. This is a powerful time to express gratitude for the blessings we often take for granted-the love of family and friends, the warmth of a home, the bounty of food on our tables and the simple joys that make life meaningful!

This year, we are particularly blessed to share this sabbat with a Full Sturgeon Moon! The name "Sturgeon Moon" comes to us from Native American Tribes who named it after the sturgeon fish that were easily caught during the late Summer. These formidable fish who can sometimes live to be more than 100 years old, spend the majority of their lives at the bottom of lakes searching for food in the mud. Eventually, during the month of August, they make their way to the surface, propelling themselves out of the water in spectacular shows of acrobatic performance.

Like the sturgeon fish rising from the depths and breaking the water's surface, so too can powerful forgotten or repressed emotions and parts of ourselves. We have the support of two very powerful and juxtaposing energies helping us; the waning power of the Sun God and the peak of the Sturgeon Moon's light and power. Whatever dark energy or emotions may surface for you, greet them with compassion, gentleness and undivided attention. The time has come to let their hold on you weaken and wane and to let a new and powerful light shine forth in their place.