August Musings
Bumblebees enjoying one of our Squash blossoms.
It's hard for me to believe that most of our local school systems are starting back this week seemingly heralding an abrupt end of summer. June and July seem to have blown by. However, August 1st (which also happens to be a full moon) has been celebrated as the middle point between the summer solstice and the fall equinox since ancient times. Considered one of the first of three harvest festivals and one of the four fire festivals in the wheel of the year, Lughnasadh (Scotland/Ireland) or Lammas (English) celebrations included expressing gratitude for the harvested grain and other produce as well as baking bread, feasting, playing games and reflecting on what actions need to be taken in order to be ready for the darker seasons ahead.
The August 1st Full Moon, also known as the sturgeon moon, will be the first of two to occur in the month of August with the second Full Moon, a rare blue moon, occurring on August 30th. The second moon will also be the closest supermoon of the year! This means that this August is full of strong energy to finish up any loose ends or take actions toward intentions that you want to manifest before the fall arrives. So actually, there is still half of summer left!
As for me, this second half of summer, I am embracing the harvest by enjoying numerous peaches and peach recipes. I am also enjoying cooking with all the fresh vegetables available this time of year. In our own garden, we are harvesting squash, cucumbers and baby tomatoes - with an occasional sweet pepper. We underestimated the space needed for squash, and it has basically choked out our pepper plants. Lesson learned for next year's garden! We will be spending a lot of time by the pool, and I will be doing a lot of reading and writing to finish out the season. What will you do with the rest of your summer?
Book Talk
This July, the book I enjoyed reading the most was Letting Magic In by Maia Toll. It’s a beautifully written memoir on her journey to find and become her most authentic self and let the magic around her in. My favorite quote was when she defines what magic is to her: “It’s the word I use to mark those moments when I allow myself to lean into my intuition, to revel in synchronicity, to be in awe of the mystery, and to sink into the cycles that exist outside myself.” And that’s exactly how I would describe magic in my life. Check out the book here: https://a.co/d/39nAktF