Lughnasadh: Harvesting Your Inner Light
an off-white background with art-deco flower garlands in yellow, orange, white and green with the text: Harvesting Your Inner Light: No matter how dark the day oolong the night, the flame inside of us always burns bright.
Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO-nah-sah) is the first of the three harvest festivals in the Wheel of the Year, traditionally celebrated around August 1st. It is also called Lammas, but I believe that is in English paganism practices. It marks the halfway point between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, a time when the first fruits and grains of the season are gathered. Spiritually, Lughnasadh invites us to pause and honor both the abundance around us and the light within us that’s been growing all year.
From a healing perspective, Lughnasadh isn’t just about the actual harvest, it’s about harvesting the lessons, strength, and self-worth you’ve cultivated since the year began. It’s a powerful time to reflect on what you’ve nurtured, release what hasn’t served you, and affirm your ability to create and sustain your own inner light.
How to Celebrate Lughnasadh
You don’t need a field of wheat or a big altar to celebrate this turning of the wheel. Lughnasadh is about honoring growth, gratitude, and the sacredness of nourishment. Here are a few ways to weave it into your life:
Bake or cook with intention: Traditionally, bread and seasonal fruit & vegetables are offered in celebration. Make a simple meal or bake something using summer produce while focusing on gratitude for what you’ve harvested in life so far this year.
Spend time with friends & family: The Sun God, Lugh, who lends his name to this festival, was known for games & community. So gather some friends and/or family to eat together potluck style, play games, and even sing, dance or do crafts together. Corn dolls and weaving are very traditional here, but you could really do anything you want, it’s about the intention of community more than anything.
Take some of that fresh-baked bread or food and put them on your altar: If you have an altar space, I like to decorate it with the pagan holidays. So take some of that delicious food you made and leave some for Lugh, the Sun God, or any other deity you would like to thank for your abundance this year.
Gratitude list for your own growth: Write down what you’ve cultivated within yourself since spring or give thanks for the blessings that have come into your life. You can put this letter on your altar, burn it in a fire or candle flame, or if you’re feeling extra grateful, send it to someone who you’re grateful for.
Release what’s been draining your light: Just as farmers clear fields to prepare for the next season, you can gently let go of habits, relationships, or patterns that are no longer aligned with your highest self. Journaling is a great way to draw up what no longer feels right for you if you aren’t sure. A great releasing ritual would be to burn the paper and release the energy into the universe.
Somatic Practices to Remember Your Inner Light
Lughnasadh reminds us that the Sun’s energy lives within us too. You are your own source of warmth, illumination, and growth. Somatic work can help you reconnect to that truth on a body level.
Here are some gentle practices you can try:
1. Harvest Breath
Sit or stand comfortably.
Inhale slowly and imagine pulling golden sunlight into your chest.
Hold it for a moment, then exhale with the feeling of scattering seeds of that light through your body.
Repeat for 5–7 breaths, letting your body soften with each exhale.
2. “Gathering the Harvest” Movement
Stand with feet hip-width apart.
On an inhale, sweep your arms wide and imagine gathering the energy of the season towards your heart.
Exhale and bring your hands to your chest, pressing lightly to feel your heartbeat.
Repeat 8–10 times, moving slowly and intentionally, noticing the warmth you create.
3. Grounding in Abundance
Sit or stand and imagine roots growing from your feet deep into the Earth.
Feel the Earth holding you and offering up nourishment like a field ready to feed you.
Gently sway your body side to side, allowing your nervous system to settle into safety and abundance.
A Gentle Reflection
As you honor Lughnasadh, ask yourself: What am I ready to bring forth from within? and What light have I forgotten within myself?
This is the season to acknowledge your own growth and to remember that the same sun that ripens the fields also fuels your inner fire. By combining simple celebration with somatic awareness, you can turn this ancient festival into a deeply healing, embodied ritual.
