ben-white-ReEqHw2GyeI-unsplash
RETURN TO BLOG

Harvesting Abundance: The Power of Unity and Trust at Lughnasadh

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”
Helen Keller

I can’t resist starting this newsletter with shameless bragging because my book, published last year, is now available on Audible too.  I had enormous fun recording The Nurtured Nest earlier in the year – whoever would have thought I’d find myself in a recording studio!  Huge shout out to Janita and Carl at The Hampshire Studios, for their professionalism and making the experience so enjoyable, and to Joey at Legacy Creative for reconfiguring the book’s front cover at short notice – why, oh why, does Audible need the cover to be square when book covers are traditionally rectangular?!  Presumably it’s a hangover from the days of CDs rather than downloads. Ho hum …

Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah)) is a Gaelic Festival marking the beginning of the harvest season and historically celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man at the end of July, beginning of August. The Church Christianised the name to Lammas (meaning “loaf Mass”) but the original Lughnasadh is named after the Celtic deity, Lugh, also associated with grain. In the Middle Ages it was a time of big gatherings for ceremonies, athletic contests, horse-racing, feasting, matchmaking and trading.
Today Lughnasadh is a time of harvest and transformation. It is seen as an opportunity to celebrate abundance with baking bread (sometimes specially shaped into figures), drinking wine, collecting seeds for future sowing and harvesting, and practicing gratitude, reflecting on our prosperity and letting go of anything that no longer serves us. The colours of Lughnasadh are yellow and green, symbolising the sun and plants. Sunflowers, rye, oats, corn, yarrow, dill, wheat and hazelnuts are all associated with this time as are essential oils of frankincense, heather, sandalwood and copal.

Lughnasadh coincides with the moment when the Sun passes through Human Design Gate 7, the Gate of Uniformity, or finding common intent. “Moving forward in life is made possible through establishing common consent and promoting shared interests among those involved” (Chetan Parkyn). How perfect that this is the beginning of the harvest season when traditionally you’d need everyone to gather in the crops, indeed that’s the origin of the long summer school holiday to allow children to help with the harvest.

The original I-Ching describes hexagram 7 in military terms with each line showing a different approach:

  1. Being disciplined

  2. Being balanced

  3. Being disordered

  4. Retreating when appropriate

  5. Delegating appropriately 

  6. Assigning responsibility appropriately; developing meritocracy

Looking at this list, it seems to offer another way of looking at the school summer holidays.  The first three lines maybe suggest that the discipline of term time can be more relaxed and balanced without becoming entirely disordered!  To me the remaining lines invite recognition that our children are growing too and may be there’s an opportunity for them to step up more, for us to delegate more and for them to take more responsibility both for themselves and in their contribution to the home.  One summer my mum invited me to take over responsibility for feeding us for a week within a given budget – all went well until the last day, when she was disappointed to find that the fish supper she’d been promised was a tin of pilchards from the cupboard and some left over vegetables!
Whilst Lughnasadh and the Human Design Gate of Uniformity sit comfortably together at a time of harvest, Colour Mirrors Bottle 7 is turquoise over deep turquoise representing Neptune. The I-Ching offers a connection in that hexagram 7 shows Earth above Water – water in the earth expresses a source of power that literally springs forth and is necessary for crops to grow.
The Colour Mirror words for Bottle 7 are: – “Neptune was the Roman god of the sea, ruling spirituality and the depths of the unconscious. The colour turquoise relates to mystery, illusion, miracles and faith. If this is your bottle, you are always able to hear others’ troubles. You are perceptive, intuitive and a great peace-bringer to those suffering difficulties, yet you tend to carry your burdens alone and may find it difficult to share your secrets with others. This is a time to trust that miracles can happen and that you are on the brink of something wonderful. Trust the process – it works.”

In Numerology the Number 7 is all about trust and openness. We need to harvest crops not only for food but also for sufficient seed for next year. It seems to me that this time of the year is all about trusting – that the crop is enough to see us through the winter; that there is enough sunshine and water for that crop and for its seed in the spring. The cycle of life is very present in these concerns so no wonder it was also a time of coming together in celebration and trade.

Kyle Gray’s Angel Numbers has this to say about the Number 7 “The energy of magic is surrounding you. Align your thoughts with the highest.” There is something magical about taking a seed and watching it grow into a fully-fledged plant and expressing our gratitude to Mother Earth for her bounty seems only right!

With love and all good wishes,

Share This Post:

Are you not sure where to start?

Are you who you truly want to be? Or are you struggling with finding direction while chasing goals that belong to society and don’t resonate with your heart? 

If your quiet voice whispers to you that you can do more, be more, and live more, let me guide you on a journey of taking charge of your own happiness and turning your life into a living masterpiece.

If you’re not sure where to start, book a complimentary call with me to take the first steps to living by design.

Book A Call

CONTACT

Facebook Linkedin

The Blog

Copyright 2025 | Dagaz Ltd | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | All Rights Reserved
Architected & Designed by Legacy Creative
Facebook Linkedin
Scroll to Top