Lughnasád – Forgiveness and Justice

The solitary witch knows there are times when she must reweave her world to ready it and strengthen it for the times ahead. She cannot do this all alone, for her interactions matter and her reactions and her peace depend, to a degree, on the peace she makes with others.

This is the time of Lughnasád, and in many ways, this is a time about righting wrongs, healing conflicts, mending relationships, and preparing for a tougher time ahead by ensuring homes are safe and ready. It also prompts us to look within and see that whatever can be fixed ought to be. We can reach out to make peace, or let something go if it cannot be brought to a place of safety and health. We also learn to listen to our deepest selves to know what we may need to make amends for and take action to bring our lives back to a place of balance.

The dark soon shall lengthen, we shall reap what we have sown, and we can take this moment to be grateful for what we have created that is good and nourishing and creative. And, too, we can observe what we may have contributed to that is not so. We forgive, we make amends, we let go, and we prepare ourselves for the winter of the soul and of the hearth dwelling ahead of us. We can speak with Lugh, the great Celtic god of the sun, of smithcraft, of many skills and talents, and ask for assistance in doing what must be done.

Put what you need no longer away for the winter, but first, cleanse it, repair it, or let it go. Be free as you walk into the winter darkness, and share what you have created with others so that that bounty can bless the entire community.

Forgiveness of self and others. Restorative actions to reweave balance and good feelings between people who matter to you. Willingness to let go, give away, or transmute what is no longer in any way useful or good within your life. Opportunity to harvest and clear the field. Giving thanks, saying farewell, and knowing it is possible to do both simultaneously.

Refusal to say sorry, feeling that a relationship or situation is beyond repair. Denial of the cyclic nature of time. Making no attempt to restore what was damaged. A sense that you have little to say thank you for, that forgiveness may be beyond your capacity. A neglect of planning and preparing for what will come.