Wheel of the YearOn August 7, 2022 by Priestess Dawn

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August 7, 2022 @ 5:30am PDT
(commonly assigned to Aug 1)

WHEEL OF THE YEAR
The King is Dead, Long Live the King!

With Sun in Leo and Earth in Aquarius, Lughnasadh is the energetic opposite of Imbolg.  Traditionally, this is described as Imbolg marking the first of the fertility festivals, and Lughnasadh the first of the harvest festivals.  Metaphysically, this means these two Sabbats initiate the integration of solar and earthly energies.  The solstices are purely solar – the birth of light (Midwinter) or the birth of shadow (Midsummer).  The three Sabbats between the solstices bring those energies progressively down to earth: growth and life for the fertility festivals (Imbolg, Ostara, Beltaine), decay and death for the harvest festivals (Lughnasadh, Mabon, Samhain). 

The God at Lughnasadh
With the sun at home in Leo, Lughnasadh is a powerful time.  Leo is the sign of self-expression, personal experience, and nobility.  Leo the lion fed by the pride; the Sun King adored and honoured by the people.  However, as with all things in life, there is a price.  The lion must sacrifice himself to ensure the pride survives, just as the Sun King must sacrifice himself to ensure his people survive.  The shadowy energies of the God descend to earth where he is slain to feed the populace, and the seeds are gathered for the next cycle. 

The personal power of the God (sun in Leo) is released, where it is gathered by the Goddess (earth in Aquarius) to benefit the group – death & harvest. 

The Goddess at Lughnasadh
Where the God represents the king, the Goddess represents the kingdom.  Or, where the God is the lion, the Goddess is the pride.  With the earth moving from Capricorn into Aquarius, the Goddess as queen expands to become the Goddess as queendom.  Her focus shifts to the needs of the realm, gathering the sacrifice of the God to benefit the people.

GIRDLE OF THE GODDESS
In the language of Theodomy, the 12 signs of the zodiac are further divided into 36 primordial energies of the divine feminine, called the Girdle of the Goddess.  At the time of Lughnasadh, the sun is in the 14^th primordial energy activating Bast, the Goddess of life, vitality, health, joy, and celebration.

See my BAST post for more information.

May the Dog Days and the first harvest bring blessings.