As someone born on 31st July, at 6.12 pm, I was always proud of my birthday as a Leo Sun having a Pagan festival birthday. However, as they say, pride comes before a fall. It was only once I learned that the modern-day beginning of the festival, celebrated from 6 pm on the 31st of July through 6 pm on the 1st of August, is not the same as the astrological point.
Lammas, or Lughnasadh, like all the cross-quarter festivals, happens at 15° of the fixed Fire sign of Leo, and not at 8° as is my birthday! This is the midpoint between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. It is now noticeable that the light is just starting to lose the battle to darkness in the Northern Hemisphere. As we have discussed in previous articles, the cross-quarter markers are all at 15° of the fixed signs, which brings the opposite season into our consciousness through the 12th parts, as 15° Leo is the 12th part of Aquarius. The heart of summer opposes the depths of midwinter.
Leo has the Sun as its ruler, the light and heart of the solar system, and this contrasts Aquarius's ruler Saturn, the dimmest and most distant of the visible planets. It should be no surprise that Saturn was traditionally depicted holding the scythe and was connected to old age, death, and time. The scythe is an implement used in days gone by to bring in the harvest by literally cutting the gold bounty of the fields down while in its prime. Everything needs its opposite to complete the cycle, and it is now in the centre of the summer months that preparation for the long winter is most important.
Corn dollies are part of the celebration altar for those following a Pagan path, signifying a plentiful harvest. The tradition goes back many years. As the last of the grain was taken in, the elder women of the village would create a large corn dolly, representing the spirit of the grain. It is a good luck emblem for the following year's harvest. The dolly would then take centre stage at the harvest festival banquet table and decorate the farmer's home through the winter, in hope of another successful bounty the following year.
The connection between grain, the Sun, and the sign of Leo is clearly the colour gold which is reflected in fields of corn, wheat, barley, rye, and sunflowers. To obtain the hidden treasure within the grain, it needs to be cut down, ripped apart, and ground into its useful form of flour. It's no surprise that Virgo follows on from Leo where all the separating of wheat and chaff begins.
In rural communities, combine harvesters will be a common sight for a few weeks as farmers desperately try to dodge the rain and bring in their crops. In some parts of the world, many will not be as lucky as to have a harvest to bring in after this year’s wildfires and conflicts. Here in the UK, it is definitely the rain that has created worry for many farmers trying to find a dry day to reap the rewards of a season’s worth of hard labour.
In our Lammas chart, I believe that food is going to be a big topic leading up to the Equinox. Capricorn's ruler Saturn may not be able to offer a warm shoulder to cry on, but at least in Pisces, may be a little more malleable. Saturn is the planet of agriculture and the land. When in a water sign, does that foretell of a soggy harvest season? Will all the toil of the spring and summer bear fruit?
The Moon, exalted in Taurus, will also be very interested in what pleases the senses and fills the belly. Her first partile aspect is the trine to Mercury, exalted and at home in Virgo, which bodes well for common sense to prevail. The intelligence of Mercury combined with the Moon’s memory collects experiences as emotional intelligence. This gives me a picture of local community and neighbourhood projects, and people of all ages passing on information to make use of little pockets of available land.
The trine aspect between Mars/Mercury in Virgo in the 9th house and the creative Jupiter/Moon co-presence in Taurus in the 5th house could bring some cooperation worldwide for supporting food production, helping those not just at home but abroad, too. The Mars/Mercury combination could bring some heated discussion around the topic of food production, agriculture, fishing, and animal welfare. As Mars enters Libra on 27th August, talks could start to turn a little heated as it becomes more obvious that the balance is tipped one way too far.
Venus turns direct on 4th September as Jupiter stations retrograde in her Earth sign of Taurus. They will square each other closely. The needs of many will come to the fore, and Jupiter will be looking to collect and distribute the wealth of the harvest. Resource prices have been a big topic going on now for many months, and it looks like we will be brought back for further discussion in our news headlines as winter begins to draw closer. Jupiter is co-present with Uranus and the need for inspirational new ideas is just what we are looking for, rather than further shocks or surprise price-hikes. Certainly, at its best, Saturn in a Water sign, co-present with Neptune could get hydroponics on the political agenda as a way to produce our food en masse in a clean and sustainable way.
Mercury stations retrograde on the 24th of August, happy to extend his stay in his favourite sign of the zodiac. This could assist dialogue with clever innovations and disseminating ideas, figuratively separating the wheat from the chaff and creating some new solutions to old problems.
Venus, the host of the Jupiter/Moon conjunction, is going through the combustion stage of her cycle, and she is going to be ailing up to the 13th when she reaches the cazimi. Once past that stage and coming out from under the beams, she will be better able to assist in areas of joint finance and legacies, as well as the topics in the 10th house that she rules through Libra. I find it most apt that the dwarf planet Ceres, the goddess of the grains, is right at the top of the chart making a sextile aspect to her host Venus, who is currently playing out the role of Persephone descending into the underworld. Ceres is demanding her daughter’s return; another sign that the food and resources issue is one that will be dominant.
It does make me wonder what new revelations to banking and finance will come out after Venus has recovered from her combustion. Inflation is a word bandied about in all the news headlines, which is no wonder with a debilitated Venus ruling Jupiter in her Earth sign. Maybe her reset and recovery will see some reduction in the over-inflated pricing of staple goods.
Saturn retrograde as the Ascendant ruler, sat in the 3rd house opposite the Mercury/Mars duo, could throw up roadblocks, obstacles, and red tape. For some of us, that may be our own minds getting the best of us and hampering our own efforts. Or it could be environmental, within our community or neighbourhood. This is where the Earth trine of the planets in Taurus and Virgo can really put pressure on the establishment and demand a better deal for the people. These constant delays and frustrations could create strife or anxiety as the mind is a place that can create any scenario it wishes. Saturn can also be an ally as the boundary of time, hard work, and dedication could be our own push to get back on track and finish the work to bring in our own harvest.