Lammas
Lammas In Australia: A Lamplight for the Heart of Summer
Here In Australia, as the deep heat lingers and the land leans into the fullness of summer, Lammas arrives like a hot breath of gratitude. Though many places celebrate it at the midpoint between solstice and harvest, here the feeling shifts with our seasons. Lammas asks us to slow enough to notice the first fruits of our tending—the grain in the fields, the herbs in our gardens, and the inner harvest we’ve gathered through intention and effort. It’s an invitation to honour ‘enough’, to welcome abundance, and to prepare for the quieter work of turning inward as the year ripens toward its gentle descent.
Light, Gratitude, and Growth
Lammas is the day we honour the sun’s steady glow and the seeds we’ve sown in body, mind, and spirit. It’s not just about harvest; it’s about the ritual of noticing what has matured. In the Australian context, the season is late summer—the skies may glow with heat, but the days already give a little hint at the shift to autumn’s approach. The light is the key. Sit with this paradox: abundance is present even as the cycle begins to turn. Give thanks for the nourishment you’ve cultivated—be it a project completed, a relationship nurtured, or a personal boundary that finally solidifies.
The celebration of Lammas goes back to medieval Europe, when it marked the first harvest festival of the year. Farmers would bake loaves of newly harvested wheat to be blessed in church (the word “Lammas” is a shortened form of “Loaf Mass”). Some said this blessed bread took on magical qualities afterwards. Even oday, many who follow the pagan and wiccan traditions bake and share loaves of bread to mark the occasion.
For many of us, regardless of where in the world we are located, January is a month of reflection. It’s a time to make resolutions, commitments and promises to ourselves in the hope that our lives will be better this year than they were in the last. The power of Lammas supports us in facing change and is a time to give thanks for the coming harvest, and for all of the bounty in our lives. In myth, the God’s strength wanes as the days begin to grow shorter, and the Goddess prepares to bring new life into the world.
A Ritual And Your Lammas Altar
What you’ll need:
A small loaf or a representation of grain (barley, wheat, or corn) as a symbol of harvest
Fresh flowers or leaves from your garden
A yellow, sunny looking or golden cloth or if there is no fire danger you could use a candle (at this time of the year I often use one of those fake battery powered candles so I can leave it on unattended to ‘light the way’ as my intentions go on and out - but you do you)
A personal object that represents your growth (a stone, a talisman of some kind, perhaps even a written intention)
A teaspoon or so of seeds and a cup of water
How to do it:
Set your altar in a quiet corner, outdoors if possible, where you can feel the sun on your skin and hear the bees or birds. Lay the cloth, place the seed, and the symbol, and arrange the flowers.
Light your candle and take three grounding breaths. With each inhale, imagine sunlight fuelling your roots to strengthen and ground you. With each exhalation, release what no longer serves, what you are done with.
Offer gratitude aloud (or in writing) for the abundance you’ve created. Name the tangible harvests you have enjoyed (think projects completed, meals shared, or a special skill you have learnt) and the intangible ones too (courage gained, or patience, or clarity experienced).
Place your personal object in the centre. State out loud your intention for the coming season: what you want to grow, what you’re ready to release, and how you’ll tend your inner garden.
Sip water slowly, acknowledging the life-blood of your journey. Sprinkle a few grains or seeds onto the earth if you’re outdoors, letting them rest there as a symbol of future possibilities.
A Lammas Tarot Spread
Lay out five cards in a horizontal line, from left to right.
Card 1: Seed — What has been sown this year? What needs nourishment to mature?
Card 2: Sun — Where does your radiant energy currently shine? How can you protect and share it?
Card 3: Harvest — What is ready for recognition or celebration? What abundance is present now?
Card 4: Tiller — What action will you take to tend what you’ve sown? What boundary or routine supports growth?
Card 5: Future Ear (think corn) — What is birthing in your life as this season matures? What is reminding you that your growth and expansion continue beyond this point in time?.
How to read:
Upright cards point to clear energies; reversed cards invite reflection on blocks, gaps, or a bottleneck that slows or limits the flow of the energy being shown.
Look for themes across the spread: more of one suit than the other, or all major arcana cards for example.
Consider journaling after your reading: write a short letter to your future self, describing how you’ll cultivate the harvest you glimpsed.
Actions To Deepen Your Experience
Spend time outdoors. Walk barefoot on grass or sand and feel the texture of the earth. Let your senses remind you that you are part of a larger living web.
Watch the plants around you. Identify what’s thriving and what’s asking for more water, mulch, or shade. Your garden becomes a mirror for your inner garden.
Practice mindful harvest: savour the sweetness as you bite into that strawberry or sip your herb tea slowly, noticing it all, the taste, the texture, and the aroma. Let the sensory experience anchor gratitude for the fullness of the life you are living in this moment.
Consider small, practical rituals: gift a portion of your harvest to a neighbour, plant out some seedling,s or write a note of thanks to someone who has helped you grow.
Lanterns for the Soul: A Simple Chant
To celebrate and honour this shift of the wheel, you might like to go outside into your garden, to the river, lake or ocean, or your balcony for that matter, and sing say or just repeat this gentle chant . Sunset would be the perfect time;
I give thanks for sun and soil,
For fruit and flame and striving toil.
May growth be steady, boundaries clear,
Lammas blessings, far and near.
A Note on Timing
Lammas (also called Lughnasadh) is traditionally August 1 in many Western traditions, but here in Australia, we celebrate it on February 2nd just a week after Australia Day. The calendar dates are less important than you might think. It’s your intention that is the most important thing, and tapping into what is happening with the climate in your local area and with what your own heart and intuition are dictating - thats the thing. You can celebrate late January to early February, when the season feels summery and the harvests begin to show, but the whole point is to slide into and honour the rhythm of the seasonal shift, and your own intention:s; your gratitude for growth, and the mindful tending of what you sow.
The Wrap
Lammas invites us to pause, celebrate, and prepare. It’s a ritual of abundance that doesn’t end with harvest but flows into the next season of tending, growing, and sharing. May your garden — of both soil and spirit — be rich with light, love, and the sweet knowledge that you are part of a living cycle, one that is in constant motion.
Oh, and PS: If you’d like to join me for a turn around the wheel, check out the half day retreats Im running at Orana in Wodonga. They are timed and focussed on the celtic wheel of the year and are designed to take us deeper into clear connection with self.