Lughnasadh is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Traditionally it is held on August 1st, or about halfway between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. In recent centuries some of the celebrations have shifted to the Sunday nearest this date. Lughnasadh is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. It corresponds to the Welsh Gŵyl Awst and the English Lammas.
Lammas (from Old English hlāfmæsse, "loaf-mass"), also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated in some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere on 1 August. The name originates from the word "loaf" in reference to bread and "Mass" in reference to the Eucharist. It is a festival in the liturgical calendar to mark the blessing of the First Fruits of harvest, with a loaf of bread being brought to the church for this purpose. Lammastide falls at the halfway point between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox.
While Lammas is traditionally a Christian holy day, some neopagans have adopted the name and date for one of their harvest festivals in their Wheel of the Year. It is also the same date as the Gaelic harvest festival Lughnasadh.
Lughnasadh has pagan origins. The festival is named after the god Lugh. In Modern Irish the spelling is Lúnasa, which is also the name for the month of August. In the Middle Ages it involved gatherings that included ceremonies, athletic contests (most notably the Tailteann Games), horse racing, feasting, matchmaking, and trading. The religious rites included an offering of the First Fruits, a feast of the new food, the sacrifice of a bull, and a ritual dance-play. In recent centuries, Lughnasadh gatherings were typically held on top of hills and mountains, and included many of the same activities.
The festival persisted widely until the 20th century, with the event being variously named Garland Sunday, Bilberry Sunday, Mountain Sunday and Crom Dubh Sunday. The tradition of climbing hills and mountains at Lughnasadh has survived in some areas and re-cast as a Christian pilgrimage. The best known is the Reek Sunday pilgrimage to the top of Croagh Patrick on the last Sunday in July. A number of fairs are also believed to be survivals of Lughnasadh, for example, the Puck Fair. Since the late 20th century, Celtic neopagans have observed Lughnasadh, or something based on it, as a religious holiday. In some places, elements of the festival have been revived as a cultural event.
Neopagans usually celebrate Lughnasadh on August 1 in the Northern Hemisphere and February 1 in the Southern Hemisphere, often beginning their festivities at sunset the evening before. Some celebrate it at the astronomical midpoint between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, call cross-quarter day, or the full moon nearest this point. Summer is when the Sun reaches 90 degrees of longitude, and fall begins when the Sun reaches 180 degrees longitude. The midpoint, therefore, comes when the Sun reaches 135 degrees longitude and, in 2024, this occurs on August 6.
Lion’s Gate Portal
The Lionsgate Portal is the opening of a galactic gate that delivers high-frequency energy into our beings, allowing us to rebirth our spirit energy and the spirit energy of Mother Earth. This high-frequency energy can be used to open our energy centers, inspire new ideas, raise our consciousness, and enhance our ability to receive psychic downloads.
The Lionsgate Portal is activated by the the rising of the star Sirius, this takes place from the end of July all through the middle of August, however the numerology of 8/8, and the Sun reaching the halfway point or 15 degrees of the Leo zodiac at this time (the peak of Lion energy), has made August 8, the day we celebrate the portal. The Rising of Sirius occurs right in the heart of Leo Season, which is ruled by the Lion.
Sirius is considered our Spiritual Sun, so the rising and return of Sirius was seen by ancient astrologers as the rebirth of our spirit energy and the spirit energy of the planet. The rising of Sirius also corresponded with the rainy season and the flooding of the Nile, further supporting this idea of rebirth through the nourishing rain. Some cultures also used the rising of Sirius to signify the start of the new year.
Sirius is one of the brightest stars in the sky. While our earthly Sun illuminates our physical world, our Spiritual Sun illuminates the truth of our timeless soul. The ancients were very in tune with the star Sirus, as they believed it was the gateway to heaven and the home of higher vibrational beings. They believed the energy of Sirius carried highly advanced wisdom that we could tap into and utilize whenever Sirius was strong in the sky.
While our Sun is responsible for beaming down life for our physical bodies, Sirius is responsible for beaming down life for our spiritual bodies. This is why the opening of the Lionsgate Portal can bring awakenings and lift our consciousness to new heights.
In modern astrology, Sirius is associated with freedom and advanced technology.
The number 88 in numerology represents infinity and DNA activation, allowing us to take this Sirius energy and infuse into the core of our being. We can also unlock and upgrade the memory of our cells allowing us to bring more healing, peace, and love into our being.
A few things we can set an intention to experience under Lionsgate:
- The Lionsgate portal activates the heart chakra. Old or even current wounds of the heart may rise up for healing. We may finally feel free from any grief or sadness that has burdened our hearts.
- The Lionsgate portal also activates the third eye chakra. We may feel more intuitive or learn something new about the way our intuition speaks to us. Our intuition is likely to be strong and if this is something we want to work with more, the Lionsgate portal is a great time to begin.
- While we have seven main chakras or energy centers in our body, we also have hundreds of smaller, more sensitive chakras that can be activated and awakened during the Lionsgate Portal. This helps us to tap into new wisdom and higher spiritual knowledge.
- With the high vibrational energy from Sirus beaming our way, we are more likely to receive psychic downloads. These can come through our dreams, visions, spirit guides and angels, or just through hearing things while in a state of relaxation. Meditation and automatic writing are great ways to open up to this energy and receive guidance.
- Under the Lionsgate Portal energy, we are more likely to receive messages, dreams, signs, and visits from our loved ones who have passed and from our spirit guides and guardian angels. Encountering alien beings may also be more likely, too.
- Sirius has very peaceful vibrations, so spending time in nature and meditation is a great way to tap into this peaceful energy and use it for healing and restoring your mind, body, and soul.
- Sirius is also associated with highly advanced technology. If you have a new tech innovation or would like to start a website, blog, app, or anything else related to technology, this would be great energy to use to your advantage.
- Lionsgate is a highly creative time and the perfect opportunity to try a new creative project or to take action on a creative project you have been looking to get off the ground.
The energy of Lionsgate can connect us with the cosmic skies, galactic frequencies, higher dimensional beings, and our own intuition. It can also activate heart healings, the expansion of spiritual wisdom, and help us awaken to our true potential. On August 8, set an intention of how you wish to use this energy, and then create a ritual or practice that allows you to harness and work with it.
Astrological Overview for August
On August 4th, the New Moon occurs in Leo. This lunation prompts us to begin anew, particularly with our creative, romantic, and self-expressive goals. This is a time to uncover and share the things that make us special– our unique and creative powers. We might commit to plans related to games, sports, recreation, speculation, hobbies, children, romance, and dating. This moon harmonizes with Mars and Jupiter as these planets approach alignment in the sign of Gemini. We’re enterprising and confident with our new plans. It is a great time to get enthusiastic about new endeavors and go after them with confidence. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish just about anything.
On August 5th, Mercury turns retrograde in the signs of Virgo and Leo from August 5th to 28th. This retrograde cycle is good for reviewing our work, health, routines, and creative or recreational pursuits. We see projects, items, situations, problems, and people in new ways. There can be information clogs that push this new perspective.
On the 14th, retrograde Mercury returns to Leo. A moment of retrograde clarity comes on Aug. 18, when Mercury meets the sun to form a Mercury cazimi. The Sun and Mercury meet, allowing the Sun to catch up with Mercury as Mercury was ahead of the Sun by degree since mid-June. Symbolically, we may have been overthinking and getting ahead of ourselves, but we’re beginning to feel caught up now. Whatever lessons the retrograde has been teaching you will make more sense under this transit, and you’ll have a better idea of how you want to move forward once the retrograde slow-downs let up toward the end of the month when Mercury turns direct on the 28th and information begins to flow.
A series of tough square aspects stir up some challenges in a sky full of planets, which can bring challenges mid-month, but also allow everyone to problem-solve and move past some difficult barriers.
Just after the new moon, Venus enters Virgo, inspiring us to be more thoughtful in the way we conduct relationships and more observant of our habits around love. With Venus in Virgo, selfless acts of service can be a real turn-on, but overly indulgent or sloppy behavior will have the opposite effect. Clean up any messes in your love life now, but try not to get too critical of yourself or others.
On Aug. 15, Mars clashes with Saturn, throwing some frustrating roadblocks in your path and forcing you to take a longer route toward your goals.
A few days later, on August 19, Jupiter will conflict with Saturn for the first time in more than eight years, pushing everyone to limit their indulgences and accept some delayed gratification.
Amidst all these cosmic clashes, the full Sturgeon Moon in Aquarius on Aug. 19 brings out everyone’s inner rebel and awakening us to the need for others or the need to answer humanitarian impulses. This lunation reminds us of our needs for friendship and community as well as impartiality and objectivity. We cannot lose sight of our larger goals and our need to give back to the community that supports us.
At the time of this lunation, the sun and moon are forming a perfect T-square with unpredictable planet Uranus, promising some unexpected twists and turns that could pave an entirely new path for us. Having your plans shaken up isn’t easy, but eventually, you’ll be grateful that you left your comfort zone to explore new parts of yourself.
Also on August 19th, Jupiter forms a square with Saturn, and circumstances present us with an opportunity for personal or professional growth. However, the rewards may be delayed. We must restructure our lives or plans in accordance with rules, laws, limits, and the demands of reality. Ultimately, this process can lead to a stronger, more resilient version of ourselves or our projects.
This can be a time of fluctuating finances, increased personal commitments, sudden obstacles to our goals, energy dips, or ups and downs with our faith/outlook. There can be a sense that we’re not in the right place at the right time during this phase. It is better to breathe new life into old plans rather than strike out with a new plan altogether. We may need to make sacrifices in one area of our lives to grow in another. It’s important not to overextend ourselves now and avoid easy fixes or shortcuts. Adjusting our expectations is a natural part of the process. With patience and perseverance, we can confidently navigate obstacles and challenges.
Virgo season starts on Aug. 22, inspiring everyone to get their lives in order as summer comes to an end. It’s a fabulous time to embrace productivity, organization, and some mind-body-spirit wellness. This attentive and analytical zodiac energy is great for cleaning up messy parts of your life and refining your daily routine to be more functional and healthy.
Finally, Venus shifts into its home sign of Libra on Aug. 29, giving relationships a boost of harmony as the month wraps up. With Venus shining in one of her cosmic domiciles, it’ll be easier to create harmony in your relationships and have diplomatic conversations to clear up any Mercury retrograde drama that may have muddied up your love life over the past few weeks.