Lammas Lughnasadh reflections and journal prompts
A Lammas or Lughnasadh playlist with journal prompts for celebrating abundance, gratitude and the first harvest
Lammas, or Lughnasadh, marks the turning of the wheel into the first harvest. This is the moment when the summer fruits and vegetables we’ve been tending are finally ripe, ready to be picked and shared. The word Lammas means “loaf mass” and it’s thought that our ancestors would have celebrated this festival by baking bread from the very first grain harvested and breaking it together in ritual and gratitude. It is a festival of nourishment, of both body and spirit, and a reminder that our labours, intentions and seeds sown earlier in the year are now bearing fruit.
f you’re new here, I’m Laura, a counsellor, nature therapist, somatic therapist, meditation teacher and space holder. My work centres on gently guiding people back into relationship with themselves, with their bodies and with the wider natural world. My offerings weave together counselling psychology, embodiment, nature connection and ritual to support deeper alignment with our inner and outer cycles.
One way I do this is through music and reflection, including curating playlists around the Celtic Pagan Wheel of the Year. Each season I return to my earlier playlists, refresh them and notice how my own patterns and cycles are mirrored in the turning of the year. You can find an overview of the Wheel of the Year in this post if you’d like and overview of how the festivals connect and flow.
Lammas / Lughnasdh reminds us of the fleeting nature of light and growth. Every season is ephemeral.
For me, Lammas has always felt bittersweet. Just like the Summer Solstice, it reminds us of the fleeting nature of light and growth. Every season is ephemeral. No matter how abundant things feel in the moment, the wheel always turns.
This feels especially less true this year. We’ve had a long, hot summer so far and some challenges in my own life mean that I’m actually looking forward to the quiet energy of winter. I usually love long summer nights but this year I’ve found myself missing dark starry skies and the opportunity to go inwards. Last year, as I wrote about Lammas, I asked the question: How can we sit with our own light and darkness, accepting that both are equally part of us? That question feels even more alive this year.
The first harvest is more than just a seasonal marker; it is an invitation to reflect on what we are reaping individually and collectively and how we might sow seeds for the future with more consciousness.
That question feels even more poignant this year. As a collective, we are navigating what many describe as a “polycrisis”; a web of overlapping global challenges that show the shadows of humanity as well as our incredible capacity for resilience, creativity and care. In this context, the first harvest is more than just a seasonal marker; it is an invitation to reflect on what we are reaping individually and collectively and how we might sow seeds for the future with more consciousness.
This is something to reflect upon as you explore the prompts below. What does each prompt mean for you as an individual and what does it mean for the collective? And how can you turn your reflections into aligned actions, however small?
You can use this Lammas,or Lughnasadh playlist below to support your reflections and it can also be used for movement-based practice or as a tool to accompany breathwork. You can find some guidance about how to practice breathwork here.
Journal Prompts for Lammas / Lughnasadh
What are the qualities you see or experience as “light”?
What are the qualities you see or experience as “darkness”?
What does abundance mean to you in this moment?
What are you harvesting right now—tangibly or metaphorically?
What are you most grateful for?
How do you express your gratitude, in both small and larger ways?
Where in your life might you need to let go, in order to create space for what’s next?
How can you share the fruits of your own “harvest” with others?
