Happy Lughnasadh

At Lughnasadh, (also known to some as Lammas) the Wheel of the Year begins to shift from growing time to harvest time.

Although temperatures can still be high, the mood and sensation of the year most decidedly changes. This is a time to celebrate the earth and all that it gives us. In our fast food age we don't often think about harvest time and all that goes into the making of the foods that we eat. Corn, grains and fruits are grown somewhere and then processed into the foods we can buy on the grocery shelf.

Has anyone ever thought about why religious people bless their food? Eating is basic to all animals, so why take a moment to stop and give thanks before we eat? I believe this simple act raises us from our basic instincts. I am reminded of this on this Pagan holiday.

Blessing food is not just a Christian tradition. The concept is actually found in every religion, and every form of spiritual thought. Whether we are giving thanks to God for his provision, or calling upon the energy of the universe to cleanse the food we are about to eat, or calling upon higher powers to make the food nursing and our bodies receptive to the nutrients, it occurred to me that in our culture, our relationship to food has become really dysfunctional, and perhaps implementing the idea of blessing food could help us to begin to heal our relationship with it. Do you savor your food or is it just something you do out of habit? We eat to satisfy cravings that have nothing to do with food. We eat to relieve boredom, to dull sadness, or to appease stress. This is a bad relationship with food. Instead, we ought to enjoy the food itself. Enjoy the scent, the texture, the flavor. Be grateful for the nutrition. Be conscious of the life energy that the food is delivering to our bodies.

Join with me today in remembering all that the earth gives us!
Happy Lughnasadh and Blessed Be!