Meditations for July 2000
by Pythia Peay

LAMMAS: HARVEST FESTIVAL

The New Moon in Leo arrives just two days before the August 1st "Quarter Day" known as Lammas - one of the four seasonal festivals that fall midway between the Equinox and Solstice. An agricultural "first fruits" holiday, Lammas was celebrated on the eve of harvest as the late summer sun blazed overhead before beginning its descent from the midsummer heights. The Celts' celebration of Lammas, for instance, was called Lughanasdh, after Lugh, the god of light. Connected as they were to the cycles of growth, our ancestors honored the vital energy that flows down to us from the sun - without which there would be no life. Thus with both the sun and moon in the creative fire sign of Leo, it is a time to contemplate the solar mysteries and the sacred element of fire.

THE ARTIST-SUN HERO

A few days ago my friend Harriet, an organic farmer, stopped by my house with some ruby-red tomatoes and giant green zuchinis. As we sat and admired the bounty from her summer garden, I shared with her insights from an article I was just finishing up after months of work. Together, my friend and I were doing just what our long-ago ancestors did in a ritual way: pausing to admire the "first fruits" of our creative labor. 

Farmers, of course, were among the first artists: they worked tirelessly over a long time with little to show when suddenly, out of the dark canvas of the earth, plants began to blossom forth. Both artists and farmers share in the myth of the quintessential Leonine solar hero, Hercules, who is typically clothed in a lion skin. Hercules achieved immortality through his legendary 12 labors, which are said to symbolize the sun's passage through the 12 houses of the zodiac. What we learn from Hercules is that any act of creation is the combination of both heroic vision and human labor. Of all the signs in the Zodiac, Leo represents the archetype of the creative artist - royal, sunlike pride in one's accomplishments; passionate commitment to the process; and the strength to sustain one's work as a labor of love. 

MEDITATION: Lammas, therefore, is a time for artists to pause and meditate upon the solar-powered mystery of creation. If you have an altar, perhaps you would like to begin your meditation by lighting a candle, then observing its flame for a few minutes. Next, place beside the candle the "first fruits" of whatever work it is you have been involved in over the past year: the page of a book, an article of clothing representing a child, a flower from a garden, a business ledger, musical instrument, or even a tool representing a computer. Then, think back over the last year: like the solar hero Hercules, what were the labors that you endured? What stormy weather in the form of dark days of doubt or disbeliefs did you suffer through? As you contemplate your heroic labors, you may begin to see the ways in which your efforts are beginning to bear fruit. If you are a parent, you may see a subtle maturing in your child; as a writer, you may see how an abstract idea took root to become a fully-formed project; or, if you are a businessperson you may notice how your company is beginning to prosper. 

After reflecting on your creative "labors," you may wish to contemplate the sun that shines overhead, as well as the inner sun that lights your creative process. For a few moments, let yourself be like the innocent sunflower, emblem of the sun on earth, basking in the steady, nurturing warmth of the sun. Feel it's heat on your skin; it's light burning your eyes; it's energy empowering your soul. Feel the solar glory of this force of nature, without which life would end. Then bless the sun, bless the light, and bless the work of the creative hero who works magic through your life. 

HESTIA, SYMBOL THE HEARTH-FIRE

As the legend goes, Hestia was among the most modest of the Olympian gods and goddesses. Indeed, she could not be found on Mt. Olympus, but in the homes below tending to the hearth-fires. But her modesty was deceptive: without her steady warmth and life-giving presence, the light of a home would be extinguished. So, too, would the city, who maintained a hearth dedicated to Hestia. Thus in ancient Greece, everyday life was organized around the circular hearth - tending it represented both a personal and public sacred duty. Like the hearth-fire, Hestia represents the archetype of the fixed and immoveable center: the spark of life within the heart; the hearth at the center of our home; the soulful center of a city or country.

MEDITATION: To begin to attune to the goddess Hestia and the image of the hearth fire, begin by centering within your heart. Sense its emotional condition - are you shut down from fear and worry? Hardened from distrust and anger? Though there may be reasons for this that call for psychological introspection, we can also call upon our spiritual imagination to spark the inner heart-hearth fire.

 To do this, imagine the goddess Hestia as she manifests in people you know - men or women who, no matter life's hardships, radiate a steady goodness, warmth, and faith in life. Or, think of the great saints and mystics who enlivened those around them - like a fire that heats on a cold winter's day, most holy figures manifested a maternally protecting, life-giving vitality. Now imagine that something of that energy has been kindled within your own heart. You may think of a warm and crackling fire blazing with warmth, heating the house of your spirit. Bask in the light of this fire; relax in its loving warmth. Here you are contained, safe, and sheltered from life's storms. Allow this feeling to spread throughout the layers of your self - healing your physical, emotional, and mental bodies. Wholly centered within, you carry this hearth-fire-within-your-heart  - emanating love and light wherever life takes you.