Lughnasadh 2026

Merry Meet and Welcome to you magickal souls!!!!

It's almost Lughnasadh!! This is the first of three harvest celebrations within the Wheel of the Year and is usually celebrated around 1st August in the northern hemisphere or 1st February in the southern hemisphere.

It is named for a Celtic god of grain, craftsmanship and the sun.

According to the medieval Irish tale Tochmarc Emire, which translates to “The Wooing of Emer” and is part of the Ulster Cycle of medieval Irish heroic legends. Within this tale, the Irish hero is Cú Chulainn and he is courting Emer, the daughter of a nobleman. Emer sets challenges for him with one being that he must go without sleep for a whole year. As he does this, Emer points out the four major points of the Irish-Celtic year and highlights Lughnasadh as a time whe the Sun begins to descend into the darkness of winter.

Lughnasadh as the marker for the start of autumn and the year's first harvest is celebrated. It is symbolically seen as a time for reaping what has been sowed and planted.

Ideas of transformation, death and rebirth are prevalent at this time. This may be linked to the Green Man, closely associated with John Barleycorn who is believed to sacrifice himself every year to enable human life on earth. Poppies and cornflowers may be used to decorate homes to lament his death as well as corn dolls which would usually be made from the last sheaf of corn to be cut in the fields as it was seen to be sacred due to it embodying the spirit of the corn. The corn dolls could also represent the Earth Mother and be hung above the domestic hearth through the winter to bring in abundance.

Some plants associated with Lughnasadh are:

Lavender - seen by some as a vital ingredient in love spells and sachets; it could e rubbed onto a love letter to attract a partner; it can also help with sleep if kept under/in a pillow or used in an incense mix

Meadowsweet - can be used dried in incense and spells or fresh blooms for attracting love

Yarrow - can be used to increase psychic power and to attract potential romantic partners

Some crystals that can be used at this time (although all crystals can be used at any time):

Peridot - a cheerful crystal filled with warmth and aids wellbeing; valued for being able to drive away darkness; can be used for energetic cleansing or to help banish negative emotions and behavious; can also help to give confidence a boost

Sardonyx - associated with courage and protection; good to ave around if nervous or anxious; can calm and ground while strengthening a person's purpose and willpower

Golden Topaz - associated with generosity and joy, as well as the Sun; useful for recharging if a person is feeling spiritually or physically depleted; can also help to manifest elusive desires, and inspire creativity; can be kept nearby during meditation

Moss Agate - associated with nature spirits; can help to attune to the energies of a garden area or houseplants; can help to honour Mother Earth, as well as rebuild connections with nature through growing, gardening, animals and appreciating the natural world; also useful in spells to attract abundance and prosperity

To help my own journey, I put this spread together and pulled cards from the Earth Magic oracle deck by Steven D Farmer.

How can I continue to grow?

Whale - Breach

At first, I was a bit confused by this card but then I realised I need to break out of my comfort zone in order to grow.

I haven't volunteered myself to do much in the last few months because of my health but there are still things I could do.

It's either that or I need to break out of the thinking that I always need to be doing in order to grow. Seeds don't grow immediately into sprouts poking out of the ground as their growth occurs first below what is visible before I can see anything.

This card could also be saying that the hidden growth I've been through will break through and be visible to others soon.

Have the seeds I planted back in Spring fully bloomed?

Tsunami - Wake-Up Call

It seems as if the breach hasn't ended as this card comes to give me a wake-up call.

The problem is that this card could also be applied to a whole plethora of situations and areas of my life. From my health to my finances, from my diet to my sense of self. It genuinely could be anything. It's hard to know for certain what this is about.

It could be that what I have experienced since the Spring has been building up to a wake-up call or that it is one. Growth takes many forms but I think this card is saying there's still more to come.

Are there any sacrifices I need to make in the approach to winter?

Dragonfly - Emergence

With this card, I feel as if the message is that I need to sacrifice my sense of privacy and properly emerge into the world to be seen, noticed and maybe even admired. (I admire the beauty of all things, even dragonflies.)

Perhaps it is time for me to stop being such a wallflower but emerging out of my comfort zone is challenging as I'm not familiar with it. It could also be that I've done enough internal, likely emotional, growth to emerge into the world and spread my wings - just like the dragonfly grows from the aquatic nymph, which lives predominantly in water (emotions) before leaving it to fly.

What abundance can I celebrate now?

Winter Solstice - Reflection

With this card, it seems as if I can reflect on where I used to be and see where I am now, who I used to be and who I am now, how I used to live and how I live now, and just generally see how life and I have changed, especially since the Spring.

I know that I have changed, and so my life has changed. But without actually looking back and reflecting on everything, I can't see any growth.

I am healthier, more capable, willing to try/cook new foods/dishes. I feel more like an adult who has most of their life together and can deal with almost anything that is thrown their way.

Upon reflection, I have grown a lot.

To follow on from that last card, I know that there is plenty that I can still work on. It's just good to see where growth has already occurred or is occurring to know and see that not all change is bad.

These cards were certainly interesting and not what I thought I'd pull either. I also wasn't sure whether I'd use this deck for this but I'm glad I did as it really made me think and look back on everything that has happened in the last few months.

This is usually the time whe I start to feel like I'm coming back to myself as I don't enjoy the hot weather very much and this is when the Sun starts to set earlier and earlier, the days get shorter, and winter, my favourite season, is approaching.

I hope this inspires you to look at this time within your own lives. If you'd like your own Lughnasadh reading, my inbox and diary are open.

Peace and love to all!!!!