Lammas has come and gone, and John Barleycorn has been cut down at the knee. The three men from the west have taken him on their cart; he has been threshed and now waits to be transformed into flour, beer, and whisky. It is always a bittersweet festival for me as it represents the height of Summer, but also the first harvest, and thus the bringer of Autumn.
Now September has arrived, and the Autumn Equinox is only a few weeks away. I look back at a Spring and Summer that have seemingly flown by in the blink of an eye, but the truth is that they've been filled with live concerts, album creation, rituals, BBQs, and time with friends. A scorcher of a summer, too, that has warmed this Sun worshipper to the core. Now the rain has arrived, and there is that slight autumnal smell in the air in the early morning and late evening. It's not a smell that I would normally savour, but I can already feel that this year is different, and there is even a part of this Geminian lizard who is quite looking forward to the longer nights and the time to reflect, heal, even hibernate, if that were an option.
Here in England, September was known as Hāliġmōnaþ - Holy Month. A name recorded by the Venerable Bede, along with other Old English month names. A Holy Month because of the harvest? That was another name for September - Harvest Month. The final month of Summer before the Winter Full Moon (Winterfylleþ), the old name for October (a name I absolutely love), and the beginning of Winter, the gateway to November, Blōtmōnaþ (Blood Month), the time when cattle were slaughtered and salted for winter supplies. The similarities between Winterfylleþ and Samhain are obvious to this Druid who has walked this path for decades. Different cultures give them different names, but they are ultimately about a human relationship with the turning seasons, and right now my eyes are caught by the berries in the bushes, by the apples, sloes, haws and pears in the trees. The Earth Mother is fit to burst with gifts of the harvest season. A Hāliġmōnaþ - a Holy Month indeed.
And as that bounty is revealed, so the Green Man's face will turn from green to russet, amber, browns, and gold. Then to fall to the ground, as John Barleycorn fell in the fields. In my heart I feel thankfulness, love and wonder for our magical and wondrous home. Nature continues to do what nature does, and as I look out at the night sky, at all those countless stars, and wonder if there really is another sphere with life somewhere out there, I feel blessed and thankful to be alive here, now.
Blessings of the Holy Month, my friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment