🌻🔥 Why We Should All Love Lammas 🌻🔥
As I like to blog about often, I love to witness, celebrate, and honor the pagan holidays of the Wheel of the Year. My most favorite holidays would have to be Beltane and Samhain, but coming in close second would be Imbolc and Lammas. For me, Lammas is closely linked to sunflowers, solar plexus, and bright Leo energy. It is the ultimate Queen of Wands energy!
Photo taken by Julie Ann Fae 🤍 Deck Credit: Tarot of the Hidden Realm
Lammas is honored on the first and second days of the month of August with celebrations going on up to a week long. Its a time of harvesting, celebrating the grain and the wheat, and celebrating achievements. Interestingly, from an astrological perspective we can peg Lammas as August 7-8th when the Sun is transiting at 15 degrees of Leo, the exact midway point of the summer season. So many people cut the summer short as "end of August" but it goes on well into September...don't cut us Virgos short! haha
Here's some inspirational thoughts about Lammas from my Sabbats Almanac: "The idea of the first food harvested being sacred is shared among many cultures worldwide. It's a symbol of the promise of abundance and is treated with reverence and importance...the fruits of your labor are sweet indeed and should be recognized as important. Some create elaborate loaves shaped like the sun, or sheaves of wheat to be shared at their celebrations."
Lammas is closely linked to the harvesting of the wheat and the grain in the fields at this time in early August. "The name Lammas is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name 'hlafmaesse', which means literally 'loaf-mass'." Lammas is a wonderful time to bake a loaf of bread or simply just celebrate the grains, the fruits of harvest in beautiful and bold ways. for me, I am gluten sensitive (sadly), so bread baking is a bit more of an elusive affair.
Instead, I choose to celebrate Lammas with the energy of sunflowers. Their bright, bold energy is a reminder of solar plexus chakra lovin' and in the work of Robert Reeves Flower Therapy their message is to promote smiles and happiness 😊😊😊. Robert Reeves writes their message is: "Be happy with who you are. I'll support you in coming to terms with every aspect of yourself. You're shining as brightly as the sun, and it's time to cast that light on everyone and everything around you." You cannot get much more Leo-season approved than that!
To further embrace the energy of sunflower season and Lammas, I designed a custom oracle / tarot spread that is sunflower-approved. See below for how it works and a walkthrough of my own card pulls!
🌻 Step 1: Sunlight & Sort
Pick a sunlit spot and using an oracle/tarot deck of your choosing, carefully lay out EIGHT cards. I like to consistently reshuffle as I pick out each of these cards. The energy of 8 is very important here as it was intuitively chosen by me.
-Eight, for the 8th month of the year, August
-Three and Three, across top and bottom for equal give and take, balance and receiving
-Two, one on either side, for a representation of duality and partnership in one's life
I used my Tarot of the Hidden Realm deck for this reading.
🌻 Step 2: Conscious It Up
The top 3 cards represent conscious energy. What is it you are most present to right now? (Hint: try and reflect this question in your mind when you pull out these cards while preparing the spread.) This energy is literally "top of the mind" so it goes at the top of the reading. A three card spread here ensures we get enough depth and scope to hash it out.
I pulled Queen of Pentacles, Three of Cups, and Ten of Swords. I laughed out loud when I got the last card -- before this reading I literally said out loud "I just want to scream!!!" This is where the deck you work with can add so much more influence / nuances; here, it is literally just that, a primal scream. It represents this raw power, the culmination of frustration and the "I can't take anymore" feels. Its also the ending to make way for a new beginning.
The cards before it also align perfectly for me. I am having some new manifestations unfurl in my career and work arena of my life, and there has been news to celebrate. I have also been joining together with like minded souls in this celebration. The 10 of Swords at the end reflects my frustration about another life area that is needing healing and is raw with tension. Together, these three conscious energy cards make perfect sense to me about where in my life I am celebrating and where I am releasing/emoting.
🌻 Step 3: Subconscious It Out
Here, you can see my full spread. I ended up pulling a clarifier card in two spots, and I encourage you to do so too where you feel you need it! Funnily enough, this brought my card total to 10 which is linked to the energy of 1 and new beginnings, highly appropriate for me right now.
The next step is to read the subconscious energy. These are the three cards at the bottom of your spread. These represent your energies underneath the surface; they are literally hidden from conscious energy and therefore below.
In my case, I pulled Three of Pentacles, reversed Two of Swords, and both King of Cups and King of Wands (one was a clarifier). These also made a lot of sense to me. The manifestations I have of late are directly related to my ability to work hard and collaborate. They have come after clarity in a direction to move and making a clear decision / stopping indecision. They also represent the mastery over my emotional and empowered selves, particularly within the divine masculine components of my being.
🌻 Step 4: Honor the Context Clues
Lastly, read your adjacent cards. The one on the left side represents recent past related energies to your current reality, and the one on the adjacent right represents growth and "stretch" energies of your reality yet emerging.
I pulled Six of Pentacles for recent past which makes total sense to me, as I have had to TRULY learn the art of manifesting and only saying yes to balanced partnerships, friendships, relationships, business contacts etc. And I am growing into relationships, partnerships etc. that deepen my definition of love and give me choices to step out of chaos and conflict. We can also link the cards on adjacent right to the top, right most conscious energy card; they both reflect the same desire for moving forward with more peace and harmony in key connections.
🌻 Step 5: Love Yo' Lammas Self
Lastly, pick a single card to finish this reading and lay that on top of your sunflower / in the direct middle. This is your significator and the ultimate insight into "Lammas You" right now. Whatever card you pull here, the important thing is to own it, to lean into it deeply. Got a Three of Swords? Its ok. Let yourself emote. Let yourself cry. Got a Two of Pentacles? Its ok. Acknowledge you are juggling. Acknowledge maybe you need to juggle less.
In my case, I pulled the Queen of Wands. I had to laugh and smile when I saw this, as she has been coming up A LOT lately for me. Its a reminder I am powerful and in a manifesting flow. I am drawing what I want to me, and I am showing myself as strong and powerful such that people are drawn and magnetized to me. Its a beautiful energy and one I really needed to see. Even when things are tough and I am so aware certain life areas still reallllllyyy need healing, she is there with me, saying "Go. We've got this." 🌻🔥😊
🌻 Step 6: Step Back & Soak It In
Allow this Sunflower Spread to radiate its energy to you in all its Lammas glory. Sit with it. Journal with it. Record a voice memo about it. Honor it, seek clarity where you need to, and just take time to truly be. Lammas only comes around once a year 😉
🧚Looking for more card spreads inspo? Check out my beautifully designed by yours truly -- and super affordable -- Year Anew Spreads pdf over on my Etsy shop. Each of these reflection spreads were channeled by yours truly and can be adapted to work at any point in the year. They contain careful precision, reasons why, and spreads for newbies to tried and true card enthusiasts. You can check that out right here.🧚
Julie Ann Fae is a Professional Astrologer and Certified Angel Card Reader. She weaves together the magic of the moon, stars, and planets with fairy flair. She uses oracle cards and astrology to enliven, enlighten and inspire others. Check out more on her blog, sign up for her bi-monthly email newsletter and visit her offerings at julieannfae.com.
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