Lammas and the Full Moon 2023
As the wheel turns this year we are blessed with a full moon on August 1st. In the Pacific Northwest that full moon is at 11:31 am PST. Some people celebrate these static holidays on the calendar day and some people celebrate these holidays on the astrological day and there is another group that celebrates these cross-quarter holidays on the eve of the date. I would love to recommend that this year you celebrate Lammas on July 31st.
Why? You might ask me. I like to work with magic of the moons from an astrological stand point. That means that you would celebrate or do magic on the eve of a full moon as the magic is still building, rowing and becoming whole. Once the moon has passed its threshold of full then it begins its decline or waning as it descends into darkness again. When we are doing magic with the growth of the full moon you want to celebrate or perform your magical workings before the crest of the full moon to capture the building force of the moon's increased illumination.
Back to Lammas, because Lammas is traditionally celebrated on the first day of August and this happens to coincide with a full moon there is a little extra magic available. This holiday carries the energy of gratitude. We live ina time when the harvest is all year round. We have access to lots of foods all of the time. Some people may remember a time when we waited for the strawberry harvest. These days you can find strawberries year round. Since we are not as connected to the seasonal aspects of food, you can deepen your experience of this holiday by eating only food you have personally grown or eating food from local farmers. I realize not all people have access to local foods and many people live in food desserts. So do your best. Maybe you use your mindfulness skills to deepen you connection to this first harvest if fresh local foods are not possible. Even one in-season food can provide a focus towards seasonal foods.
There are many traditions that associate Lammas with bread. Making fresh bread for your family can be a celebration in itself. Cooking a homemade meal or inviting friends for a potluck can be ways of honoring foods and harvests in this time of year. Enjoying the juicy watermelon, the ripe peach and the tart berries bring us into earthly connection with our foods. Sharing food with friends brings an extra appreciation to the abundance of our times. We use this time of year to connection people that we do not get a chance to see during the other seasons of the year. We host a game night with a potluck so that we can spend the evening laughing, playing and reconnecting with dear friends.
Preserving foods might be another way to celebrate this holiday. My grandmother made jellies and jams and I have taken on the role of jam-maker for my extended family. Pickles were another favorite canning project of my grandmother. She made the best crunchy pickles. Preserving your own harvest or that of local farmers is a great way to celebrate Lammas. Dehydrating foods and making fruit leather are beloved tasks. Some other fruits to consider would be sliced apples, apricots, pears, and peaches. These dried fruits sometimes are part of gift packages we share in Winter Solstice, adding a little summer sunshine to the cold dark winters of the Pacific Northwest.
Considering the astrological events of the Full Moon Lammas of 2023, the full moon is in Aquarius and this is Leo season as well. So look at your astrological chart and see where Leo shows up for you? You can work with the energies of Leo since we are in Leo season (July 23-August 22). Consider a gratitude ritual that is associated with Leo. If Leo is your sun sign like me, then maybe you want to give yourself some credit for the advances and changes you have overcome in the last few years. Write out a list of the ways you have stepped up your game in your relationships, job, home or spiritually? Make your ritual a celebration of your hard work and effort in creating a better life for you and the people you love. We spend a lot of time thinking of all the ways we need to improve, use this time to celebrate you. That is a very Leo ritual! Leo is all about self-love, especially with Leo in Venus this summer.
Whatever you choose to do, big or small, take a pause to enjoy the present moment and honor the earth’s beloved abundance and all of the gifts she shares with us regularly. Please share below your favorite summer recipe!
Karin Olsen is a healer, a seer, and a teacher. She has been studying plants for more than 20 years and owned an herb shop and metaphysical store for 15 years. She has been a massage therapist/healer for almost 30 years.
Karin learned her psychic medium skills from her mother and sees clients via Zoom. She teaches classes and is a spiritual coach with a focus on earth-based spirituality through Moonhill Mystery School in the Salish Sea area. In 2021, she earned a Masters of Ecopsychology from Naropa University
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