Hello Delriece...
A woman a at work (she's Christian, studying to be a minister) asked me
if there was "something going on in August". She felt like things
seemed so oppressive, she had been running into natural deaths, a suicide,
and a couple terminal illnesses in her life. I told her she was taking
things maybe a bit too personally. But the question had more of a
"what are those pagans up to" feel.
Since I'm not a Christian and my reading tends to lean towards things
like past lives I'm her expert on pagan issues (go figure). I blew her
off with "I dunno. Lughnasa is a harvest time, I guess." I felt really
defensive and protective of the information. It just wasn't a "pure"
question of one seeking knowledge for knowledge's sake. More like her
sorrow HAD to be caused by folks praying in a circle. Still, the
question got ME wondering.
A couple weeks before “the question” I had run into a friend who has
psychic gifts. She had mentioned that around August her senses become
heightened, and increase until or after Halloween. She sees more
spirits of those who have passed, and the general “weirdness” (her term) of
her life is bumped up a notch. She accepts her gifts with humor and
grace, and I wish I had half her strength.
The only book I have to go on is “The Celtic Druid’s Year” by John
King. It is SO dry I can’t get through it. A blurb on the back says that
Lughnasa is a time of “funeral processions, solemnization of the new
king, women’s mysteries, and marriage”
I feel like I’ve lost sight of my own question. Is there a connection
with the time of year and sensitivity to death? I’ve always heard that
Halloween/Samhain was a time when “the veil is lifted”, but August? Am
I making any sense? And could you explain “women’s mysteries” to me,
I’d appreciate that too. As a woman I feel like I should “know”, but
the phrase remains...ahem...a mystery.
Thanks for your time, Delrice.
Love and laughter,
Wordy Question in Pittsburgh PA
I can add another observation that many romantic relationships I have seen end in August. You accurately told her that Lugnasadh (also called Lammas and First Harrvest) is in August as it is celebrated on the first in the month. This is connected to death in one Pagan myth through its position at the first harvest time. In this myth, the Sun God dies so that his body may be harvested as food to keep the people alive during the hard winter ahead. We take a step deeper into the dark half of the year that began on the Summer Solstice. August can also be thought of as a Pagan Thanksgiving. We give thanks to what things have died so that we may live. As we move towards Halloween you know that the "veil" between the living and the dead is at it's thinnest as this time of year is used to celebrate our ancestors.
For the second part of your question I will explain Women's Mysteries. This is a catch-all term for all the wonderful things that we should be celebrating as women. You know; childbirth, menstruation, intuition, listening to the wise-woman grandmother tell stories. People celebrate the Women's mysteries by holding individual or group women-only rituals to honor the Mother Goddess.