Today is the First Harvest Celebration for the year. This day marks the transition into the harvest season of August, September, and October (of which there is a Second Harvest and Last Harvest that correspond to these months).
This holiday is often called Lammas, Lughnasadh, or Lugh, although I usually just refer to it as the First Harvest. On my path, it celebrates the beginning of Summer’s decline and ramping up of the busy season where we begin to reap in the abundance that the bounty of summer’s energies has encouraged to grow and flourish.
Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This First Harvest, though, I’ve chosen to do the Tarotholics First Harvest Spread instead of the regular spread I usually do at this time of year.
Calves: How can I better express my needs and vulnerabilities to welcome in nurturing assistance?
Six of Swords – Tune into what is right for you, and make sure that you are rejecting those things that aren’t. When you clearly communicate what works for you and what doesn’t, others are able to more easily understand what you need and provide it for you.
Corn – How can I foster the gift of greater long-term prosperity in my life?
Nine of Discs – Gratitude is the path to abundance. When you appreciate what you have and what you have done, gratitude allows you to open yourself up to more in a healthy manner. The key here is in the “opening up” instead of pushing and pursuit.
Peridot: Where can greater focus and clarity draw out more joy in my life?
Seven of Cups – There’s always going to be more things in life that you’re interested in than there is time to explore them. By trying to explore too many of them at once, you end up overwhelmed and take the joy out of these experiences. Instead, be more judicial in picking and choosing which interests you pursue, and as a result, you will find more joy in the experience.
Golden Topaz: How can more authentic self-exploration improve how I see the world?
Judgment – When you connect not just with who you are, but with the person that you want to become, it allows you to see life as a journey of growth and experiences instead of a race or a trial to survive.
Crow: What message from beyond have I been ignoring that it’s time to acknowledge?
Queen of Discs – The stability you’re lacking (and thus crave) does not reside within resources or money, but rather it resides in the nurturing energy you feel is lacking in your life. If you want to find that stability, it is through nurturing yourself and allowing others to do the same that you will discover its source.
Basil: What risk or danger in my life is it time to take seriously?
Nine of Cups – There is danger in stagnancy and in wallowing in one’s comfort zone. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy the things that make you happy and appreciate them, but it does mean you shouldn’t linger there so long that you start to wallow and languish instead of just enjoy and recover.
Why?
Queen of Cups – It isn’t just your body and mind that need nurturing, but your emotions as well. Stagnancy in nature creates an environment for rot and decay, and this is also true for one’s body, mind, and emotions. To nurture these things in yourself there is a need to actively pursue those things that make you smile and spark joy, rather than just wallowing in comfort.
Other elements included in this reading:
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy
Twisting the Leaf 