The First Harvest: July 2020
Dear ,
In this July 2020 newsletter I share with you my musings about the upcoming holiday of Lughnasdh, also called Lammas, and what it means for us all. Lughnasdh is the first of the three Celtic harvest celebrations and honors the Celtic god Lugh and the harvesting of grain. It also honors the Mother goddesses in their aspect of bringers of life. In the Christian tradition, the holiday is called Lammas, which means “Loaf Mass.”
In the northern hemisphere, it is celebrated on August 1 and 2, and in the southern hemisphere on February 1 and 2.
For millennia, the reaping of grain was indeed cause for celebration (and still is in some parts of the world). A bountiful harvest meant starvation could be held at bay during the cold winter months. The grain was turned into bread and drink and bartered or sold for goods. Harvest time also was a time of bringing people together – to harvest, winnow, to grind, to cook, and to make merry. It also was a time to carefully store the seeds for next year’s crops.
There have been rituals for centuries around the first and last cut of the harvest, the careful collecting and storing of seeds, and rituals honoring Lugh, the sun god, the god of light, who created this harvest festival in homage to his mother, Tailtiu. However, Lughnasdh also reminded these country folk of old that the strength of the sun was beginning to wane. The days are growing shorter, and the dark days of winter are approaching.
Lughnasdh is such a powerful spoke in the Wheel of the Year for me. It reminds me that what I have sown, I shall reap. It reminds me to store up not only food, but what really matters – laughter and joy and love – for the coming dark times of winter. The grain and bread of this holiday are metaphors in my life for what I cherish and the people around me who feed my soul and sustain me during difficult times. I approach Lughnasdh with deep gratitude.
You’re invited to a Lughnasdh ritual that will air on Friday, July 31 beginning at 8 pm eastern time on Deb & Friends Quest for Connection Facebook page. I offer this to you a day in advance of the holiday so that you may feel free to use whatever parts of it resonate for you in your own celebration. I hope you’ll join me for this pre-recorded event! Here’s the link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/debandfriendsquestforconnection/
Remember to click on the link below for your FREE monthly meditation recording! Here’s the link to the “The First Harvest” MP3 meditation I’ve recorded for July.
I want this newsletter to be informative and helpful to you, so please let me know how I’m doing! I’m so grateful that you have taken a course or workshop with me, listen to my podcasts, have emailed me, had a reading with me, or subscribe to my blog. I’m so excited to connect with you!
If you missed my last newsletter, you can read it here. http://eepurl.com/g6EfW9
Upcoming Courses – All Live on Zoom Video!
Searching for Yourself with the Gift of the Grail
Three-Session Course
Tuesdays- August 11, 18, & 25
8:00-9:30pm EASTERN
You know the stories – the Holy Grail as the cup from which Jesus drank wine at His last supper, the symbol of the holy vessel who is Mary Magdalene, the quest for the Grail by the Knights of the Round Table, and so many more. BUT do you know how this powerful symbol works in YOUR life? How does the Grail serve you? How do you serve the Grail? What lessons can you learn about yourself from the Grail that guide you along your spiritual path?
Click here for details and registration:
https://debbowen.com/product/searching-for-yourself-with-the-gift-of-the-grail-in-august-on-zoom-video/
How To Create Altars and Rituals
Tuesday, September 15
8:00-9:30 pm EASTERN
You’ll learn in this information-packed workshop how to clarify and set intentions for your altars; how to work with symbols from nature, world beliefs, deities, and your personal story; how to work with the elements and compass directions; how to create rituals that enhance your life – and more!
Click here for details and registration:
https://debbowen.com/product/how-to-create-altars-and-rituals-in-september-on-zoom-video/
Working with Candle Magic
Tuesday, September 29
8:00-9:30 pm EASTERN
This workshop covers setting intentions and the ethics of candle work; using candles to help you see your own aura; working with daily correspondents, planetary hours, color and chakras, herbs and essential oils and more!
Click here for details and registration:
https://debbowen.com/product/working-with-candle-magic-september-2020-on-zoom-video/
Unlocking the Mysteries of Tarot
Three-Session Course
Tuesdays- October 13, 20, & 27
8:00-9:30pm EASTERN
If you long to begin your journey into the depth and symbolism of Tarot, this introductory course is for you! We focus on the tried and true meaning of the cards from antiquity. I’ve been reading and teaching Tarot for nearly 40 years, and have taught hundreds to read Tarot. In Unlocking the Mysteries of Tarot you’ll learn to work with symbols from many world beliefs, mythologies, and cultures, and how to lay the groundwork for your work with your intuition in future courses.
Click here for details and registration:
https://debbowen.com/product/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-tarot-october-2020-on-zoom-video/
Crystal for the Month: Herkimer Diamond
One of the most important tasks we have right now on this planet is to raise our own vibration and the vibration of Mother Earth herself. Herkimer Diamond aids in that endeavor, and does so much more.
Herkimer Diamond can be used to raise the vibration of an elixir which, in turn, raises the vibration of the user. I’ve written about this is several blog posts on my website, and here is a link to one of them. The recipe for the elixir is included.
https://debbowen.com/lesson-6-from-mary-magdalene-raising-your-vibrations/
According to Melody in her Love Is in the Earth encyclopedia, Herkimer Diamond brings both internal harmony and harmony with others to the user. It is known as the Stone of Attunement, in which one can attune oneself to the energy of another person, an Animal person, a place, or universal energy. It is an excellent stone to use when doing grid work when three people are working together for a common goal because it vibrates to the number 3.
Herkimer Diamond also stimulates both clairaudient and clairvoyant abilities.
Real Herkimer Diamonds are only found in Herkimer County, New York. There are many other variations on the name, and other names purporting to be Herkimers. Buyer beware.
Book Suggestion of the Month
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants offers a deeply personal look into Robin Wall Kimmerer’s life as a woman who honors and strives to preserve her First Peoples heritage and her work as a scientist.
Kimmerer shares her connection to nature and her journey from childhood to academia and motherhood with us, recounting stories from her childhood, from motherhood, and from experiences with her students. She gently nudging us to spend more time paying attention – really paying attention – to the natural world around us.
This lovely book is a plea for us to connect with all that is, and a call to action for stewardship of the planet.
I admit there were moments in the book when the scientific information Kimmerer presents was over my head, and not very interesting to me, but she softly brought me back to an understanding on a soul level of why the information is important, and how it can be used to help us protect and preserve what matters – Mother Earth and all her children.
If you’ve ever savored the fragrance of sweetgrass, you intuitively already know the gifts this lovely book gives us. Kimmerer goes a step further and invites us to join her in community with sweetgrass and all that is sacred on the planet. Highly recommended.
Deb’s Podcasts
Our PsychicTeachers podcast outlets continue to grow, and our Android listeners can now hear us on Podcast Addict. We’re also on Google Play, iTunes, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Spreaker and almost all podcast apps and outlets! Remember listening is FREE!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychicteachers/id361910564
NEW!! Deb & Friends: Quest for Connection podcast is working on adding video-casting (or maybe replacing podcasting with videos!). I’m working on equipment and recording upgrades to make this
happen, so watch for announcements here and on my Facebook pages. Remember that Quest focuses on the intersection of culture, spirituality, and science, so please join us for thought-provoking and interesting episodes.
This podcast also is broadcast FREE! Don’t miss a single episode by checking out both our archives and upcoming offerings on many podcast outlets, including iTunes here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/deb-and-friends-quest-for-connection/id1330237467?mt=2
Another way you and I can connect is through my Facebook pages. I’d be honored if you’d follow my pages. They are a great way to see up-to-the-minute news!
PsychicTeachers Deb & Friends: Quest for Connection Witches of the Shore
JUST ONE MORE THING BEFORE YOU GO:
We are living in unprecedented times. It is easy, I think, to sink into despair and fear, which often manifest themselves as anger. It’s difficult to know what information is true, who to believe, what to do, and what not to do. There are no easy answers as we navigate a new reality.
But here’s something that is a truth for me: we are deeply, cosmically connected on a soul level we can’t begin to comprehend. This isn’t an easy answer or a platitude for me. It is an abiding truth that I try to make my guiding principle in life.
I find that on the days I can keep the concept of connection at the forefront of my thoughts, my day and my interactions with others are better, kinder, more gentle, and more spirit-filled.
This newsletter, my courses, my podcasts, and Facebook pages are my attempt to connect with you on that soul level, and I am eternally grateful for you connecting with me. Deep gratitude to you!
BLESS YOU, , for reading my newsletter!
