Thursday, February 3, 2011

Lammas

Lammas has been and gone, and I've really not bothered too much acknowledging this sabbat :(

This is the time of first harvest; the turn from summer to autumn. The period of growth and abundance begins to slow and withdraw; as the strength of the Sun begins to wane, the Elderly Lord slowly prepares to be one with the earth again.
(Interestingly, this coincides with 'back-to-school' which to me usually seems like the end of summer and fun holiday time, where everyone falls back into the hum-drum routine of daily life. )

But I'm just not feeling it.

I guess it doesn't help that we have been experiencing gorgeous 38+ degree days, and the plants around me are literally growing before my eyes. Seeds are still sprouting like crazy and as I type this from my back verandah I am deafened by the sound of rain on the roof, which I'm certain is only going to spur the garden onward and upward.
It probably doesn't help that my kids don't go to school either, so we just keep on keeping on with the 'swim until 10:30 at night' holiday lifestyle!

BUT MOST OF ALL, I think I'm just realising that the traditional northern hemisphere Wheel of the Year just doesn't quite sit with our wicked Australian climate.
I've spent the last few months quietly trawling the online world for more info about the indigenous seasons (probably not the best way to find it, I know) and spending that bit of time up in Tropical Queensland last year was really really informative and inspiring.
I just feel like there is something missing ... something deeper in this great southern land that I'm not connecting with ...

So I'm not saying goodbye to the ancient ways, just looking for a deeper and more relevant path to follow :)

4 comments:

Yeshe said...

Is it because the weather is all wonky? This time of year is usually hot and dry with that awesome smell of grass drying out, it's humid and weird here and I feel a bit weirded out because of it. I am so jealous of your pool! Must hit the local pool tomorrow!

Kel said...

Shame you don't live closer Yeshe; Indi and CK would have a ball swimming together :) Indi could only do backward flips too, until 11pm Tuesday night when she figured out how to do forward ones (lucky we homeschool, or she might never have worked it out; peak 'learning new stuff' time is never before 8pm LOL)

I've gotta say, I'm LOVING this weather at the moment. Sweltering heat suits me.
Maybe I'm just taking the turning dates too literally? I found this tonight

http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/indigenous/calendar2.htm

which kind of validates what I've been feeling, seasonal-wise; We're more in the middle of the hot season, as opposed to the turning point toward the cooling time.

Cords said...

Thats a great link Kel, thanks for sharing. I find I am only drawn to a few of the 'official' sabbats, namely Samhain and Beltane and sometimes Imbolc. Though, I really enjoy watching the weather change and I always [quietly] acknowledge the solstices and exquinoxes, but maybe just from and astrological point of view as I find I don't always have deities or rituals in mind at these times, and like you say, am just feeling when the turns of the wheel are happenning not neccessarily checking the dates on the, calendar. Australia certainly is in a league of its own when it comes to weather. ;)

Cords said...

sorry about the horrendous typos, I'm sure your proofreading brain is exploding

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