August 1 is the day we recognize Lammas, also called Lughnasa, in the Wheel of the Year.  This is a celebration of the first grain harvest to be cut down.  This is the time when the God, having fulfilled his role to the Goddess in the time of Beltaine and Litha, is “cut down” undergoing death and rebirth in sacrificial mating, so that the cycle can continue.

This is an important time.  For us in the New England region, we are well into summer (and we have a limited growing season).  If you garden or are a farmer, the crops have long since been planted; sweat equity given to bring forth food for another year.  We are past harvesting early spring greens and first fruits.  Now we are beginning to bring in the grains which will be ground and stored for use in the coming year.   We also coming into the height of harvesting vegetables; zuchinis, summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and more.  Take a moment to pause and think about the volume of work our ancestors did to grow, harvest and preserve food to survive another coming winter.   There were no groceries stores.  There was no refridgeration.  Food had to be dried, smoked, salted, canned or pickled.  If the crops failed or where not brought in properly, there would be no food.

To me, Lammas is a time of celebrating that the crops have grown successfully and to begin the all consuming, daily task of harvesting that will continue now until Samhain.  Communities celebrated and worked together.  They were tied closely to the land.
We might live in more urban settings and have grocery stores, but we can still take time to honor this important time in the life cycle, the nourishment that comes from the Earth that sustains us and the good folk who grow our food.

Some ways to connect to the land and the harvest:
visit a local farm, farmer’s market or farm stand
prepare a special meal with your family or community; include foods that are grain based, seasonally appropriate
make bread and make creative shapes with the bread for your Altar or centerpiece on the dinner table(this is great activity with children)
if you pass a farmer working her/his wheat field (living in western ma it is easy to see them out there on their fields) maybe take a moment to bear witness to the day’s work

As for inner workings:
What harvest are you bringing in personally?
What is it that you are reaping as a result of your work and intentions (known or unknown) through the first half of the year?
To whom or what are you grateful for your harvest?
How will you process, prepare and make use of that which you have harvested?
How will you share your harvest with your family and community?

I think it is important to look at all these things when working an earth centered Path.  It is important to our own growth and to our families/communities that we do more than just “watch” a Ritual….we can take it deeper, become a real player, an aware, contributing player and not be just a consumer.