It’s nearly August.
Almost before we know it, the year has ripened, come to its zenith and
now arrives the harvesting season. The Native
Americans called the first part of August, the Ripening Time and then, as it
slides into September, the Harvesting Time.
In the countryside these names come to life - the fields bustle with
activity, combine harvesters lumber like dinosaurs through the golden acres,
big bales of corn balance on tractors which rumble slowly along the high-hedged
lanes.
In the garden the pure blues and pinks of early summer
are shifting into warmer tones - deep reds and yellows, the purple of
Michaelmas daisies and the overindulgent overblown deep blue of morning glory
clambering through the trees. Rose bay
willow herb flashes purple in the hedgerows.
Despite the activity in the fields August is somehow a
lazy month. Nothing can get any bigger,
any fuller so for a brief moment you just luxuriate and enjoy. It's a time of sensuality - a sense of ease should
hopefully pervade the body and the emotions.
Properly speaking, with the festival of Lammas looming, it's also a time
of thanksgiving, a time to think about your life with a sense of gratitude. A time to ponder on what you take from life
and what you can possibly give back in return.
August is a gathering month in all senses of the
word. While the corn is being gathered
from the fields it's also a time maybe to gather your thoughts in readiness for
the next big shift of the year (Autumn, the season of mind and will); a time to
start thinking about what you ask from life, from your body, from the people
around you, from your self - and what you give back. Maybe it's also a time to start to consider
what you need to do to change? If, indeed, you want to change.
The festival of Lammas which falls on August 1st is the
festival of Harvest. In the Celtic
tradition it’s known as Lughnasadh.
Lammas is a Saxon name which comes from Loafmas, the first loaf of the
harvest, made from the new corn. The old
traditions suggest that – at this time of year - we think about what we take
from life. In order to live we all take
other lives every day - even if we are vegetarians. There's nothing wrong in this and no guilt
implied - it's simply that this is a good time to give thanks for our life and
the lives that are given to nourish us.
It's a little like a major version of a blessing before eating.
Blessing your food before mealtimes is a
lovely ritual that keeps this festival alive throughout the year. Offering thanks for our ‘daily bread’ is a
ceremony that is carried out throughout the world, in almost all
religions. It doesn't have to be a
standard blessing - in fact it's probably better to avoid simply galloping
through ‘For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful’
which has become pretty much meaningless to most of us. Take it in turns to say thank-you in whatever
way you like. Children might like to
find a short poem; adults might simply like a few seconds silence or a quiet
thank you. Extend your thanks to the
cook as well. But keep it short and
sweet - no-one wants a cold supper.
Equally, give back to nature, to the special places you love. There are certain places I visit which are
very magical for me - small spots which always seem to recharge my batteries
and give me a shot of love and courage.
It may sound silly or fanciful but they really do make a difference to
the way I feel. And I always take
something with me - a daisy chain to lay on the water of a natural spring; a
beautiful leaf or a speckled stone to set in the middle of a copse. If you’re
of a more prosaic bent, you might like to clear some rubbish or do a bit of
judicious weeding if appropriate.
The above is adapted from my book The Natural Year – a Seasonal Guide to Holistic Health and Beauty, in which I talk about my belief that we
can all live more balanced lives if we work with the forces of nature, rather
than pitting ourselves against them. I
wrote the book fifteen years ago and it was originally published by Bantam in
the UK and Avon in the US. Checking on
Amazon, you can buy the original for $30 or so. Ouch. But recently I regained the
rights and, thanks to Kim Jewell who formatted it, it’s now available as a
Kindle ebook for around £2 or $3. I took
the opportunity to update the text and to add in quite a lot of material that
had to be cut from the original.
The book has, over the years, had a lot of loyal fans
and many people still write to me about it.
Its reviews are lovely too. This is the one I think I love the best…
“You hear so
often that a book changed someone's life... this book really has changed mine!
Reading Jane Alexander is like sitting at the kitchen table having coffee with
a friend.
The book is laid out by season, with readings and 'homework' for each month. It's all about living your life aligned with the seasons. For example: we all make resolutions for New Years Day, but really in the middle of winter instinctively we would like to curl up and 'comfort' ourselves and 'ponder' our lives. In spring, however our natural instinct is to clean up our homes, 'detox' our bodies and make some changes. We naturally become more active as it warms up outside and have a brighter outlook and are ready for a challenge (resolution)!
I have always felt most 'spiritual' when connecting with nature and living my life aligned to the seasons makes total sense! Reading this book has led me down the path my body and soul have been searching for - physical and spiritual alignment with Nature!
I re-read each month year after year and highly recommend this book!”
The book is laid out by season, with readings and 'homework' for each month. It's all about living your life aligned with the seasons. For example: we all make resolutions for New Years Day, but really in the middle of winter instinctively we would like to curl up and 'comfort' ourselves and 'ponder' our lives. In spring, however our natural instinct is to clean up our homes, 'detox' our bodies and make some changes. We naturally become more active as it warms up outside and have a brighter outlook and are ready for a challenge (resolution)!
I have always felt most 'spiritual' when connecting with nature and living my life aligned to the seasons makes total sense! Reading this book has led me down the path my body and soul have been searching for - physical and spiritual alignment with Nature!
I re-read each month year after year and highly recommend this book!”
Yeah, that made me smile a lot…
