Why I’m Boycotting Lughnasadh.
via The Allergic Pagan.
As a person who currently lives in the Southwestern desert, I connected with what this author has to say. I live in a small military town at the base of the Huachuca mountain range – we have Cold, Hot, Monsoon, and Windy. We also have two Springs – between Cold and Hot (usually around mid-March to late April) and during to about a month after Monsoon. It takes a lot of effort to grow food in this area, especially since the dirt is sad, red, and dry. Living here for a total of about 7-8 years, I’ve tried to celebrate the traditional Pagan holy days – but it just doesn’t work.
I always wondered why I never seemed to be able to focus on the Sabbats or the traditional Wheel of the Year – this article sort of put it into perspective for me, and really made apparent the problem I have been having.
Don’t get me wrong, I love celebrating Ostara, Litha, Samhain, and Yule – but Lammas, Imbolc, Beltane, and Mabon are not really a part of my practice. I don’t see a point in celebrating harvest festivals as primary holy days, however I do see a point in making mention of them as a way of honoring our ancestors and the hardships they faced. But as a modern American, in regards to harvest, Thanksgiving is our harvest festival. I believe that we should not only celebrate those days that speak to us, but also the culturally significant dates we have been raised with. Thankfully, Yule and Christmas are incredibly close so that makes it easy. Ostara falls near my birthday, Litha is the high point of summer, and Samhain is Halloween.
I think, for the next year, I am going to focus on the four holy days that truly mean something to my practice – I am going to research them in detail, and create a solid practice for each holy day that resonates with my spiritual path. I’ll be posting my thoughts and findings here, of course. Hope you will join me on this adventure!
~Tori~
(Image Credit: spydermurp@freeimages.com)
Lost in the woods 
I live in southern California (8 years now) and I have to say, I totally get what you’re saying. Our summer peaks in late September / early October and it’s brutally hot and dry. I just doesn’t feel like harvest; not like when I lived in New England.
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Unfortunately, I’ve never lived somewhere that actually has Autumn, you know, that harvest season that just carries that energy. I felt it in central Cali (born and raised in Monterey) when I was a homeless kid with my parents-we lived at this campground and all the grass was this golden color, and during September and October it totally felt like I was walking through fields of wheat ready for harvest. But it was only at that campground, nowhere else. It is interesting to see how even in the same state, just in different parts, how the energies differ and interact with people. 😀
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