The air is decidedly more Autumnal as each day passes and the days becoming noticeably shorter. With everlasting consistency the wheel of the year turns and Lughnasadh returned to me like an old friend. I love this time of year and always have done….. The air of anticipation is palpable and my bubbling excitement brings a smile when I to see natures kitchen bursting with its colourful fruits and golden grains.
In my reflective mood I remember childhood days on the Farm watching the ripened crops being harvested. Harvest Time - This time of year was always such a busy but exciting time to be a part of, as trailer after trailer returned from the fields from early in the morning until very late at night. Trailers full of Mother Nature’s sunny grains that had been nurtured by our good earth and those working on the land until they were bursting with pure goodness. I would lie in bed late at night during harvest time, strangely comforted by the sound of the combine humming in the fields still and then the tractors and their heavily laden trailers returning to the grain store. I would watch the tractor lights dancing on the dark bedroom wall as it turned the corner and the drone of the diesel engine as it changed down the gears, whilst feeling a quiet contentment. I would listen intently, trying to guess whether they would make just one more journey back to the fields for the night. Then I remember the Blackberry picking, my sisters and me walking home with purple stained lips and tongues; a tell tale sign that we had been munching our way through the hedgerows! Lovely memories of freedom and closeness to nature and all that she gave us. I long for that free spirit to return to me so I can run again though long grass with wild abandon, without fear of being watched, being judged!
Life is so complicated and busy all the time nowadays and space to “just be” almost has to be diarised, but back then in my childhood I never gave it a thought and took so much of it for granted. One day though, I promise myself that I will return to that inner peace I felt back then in my heart, with a renewed grown-up connection with my beloved Gaia.
Still in a reflective mood, thoughts turn to my own personal harvest this year! I have at last sown the seeds to a more harmonious life, weeding out the things that needed to change in order to feel more at one with my world. Though some of this did not meet with the approval of some and I felt the wrath of some people who I had trusted, I now feel at peace as I move forward without them. I have been so busy since February carefully sowing seeds of freedom in my life; selling my house earlier in the year and renting a smaller home so that I could reduce my working hours to become more creative. Having achieved the reduced hours of working I am still working out how exactly this will be afforded…. that will come though with determination!
A few weeks ago I went back “home” to see my family. I discovered that our dear Mum could drum out a pretty good rhythm on my Djembe which was very special indeed and a total gift to us all. We also enjoyed the most wonderful party that fed my soul with all the love that I needed to feel whole again. My gratitude to Dad and his Wife for hosting such a family get-together is beyond words because it was so memorable for all. The “Clooties” we all tied on the Apple tree continue to blow in the breeze; all of them tied with love, hopes and dreams, and will serve as a reminder of that beautiful day. Family is an important part of who I am and I am eternally grateful to them for always being there. I can confidently say that this year my harvest is beautiful and bountiful and for that I give thanks to the Universe.
Harvesting is not finished by any means though, as there is still plenty to be found both outside and within. So until my next blog I will look forward to Blackberry and Sloe picking in the next few weeks which should keep us in good supply for the darker half of the year….. Plus I will again be searching for inspiration amongst the hedgerows and fields to get creative again for Yule. Oh, how I love this time of year!
