This is one of the widely celebrated Pagan festivals that I don't really connect with. I honour the solstices, Beltain and Samhain. I find equinoxes perplexing. I've never found Imbolc or Lugnasadh especially relevant.
During the years when I was part of several ritual groups, I celebrated the usual eight festivals because I had people to celebrate with. For me, community has always been an important aspect of ritual. I'm more drawn to doing ritual as a community endeavor than I am to celebrating the seasons in this way on my own.
My ideal act of celebration for this time of year is to walk somewhere the grain crops are ripening in the fields. This isn't always possible and mostly happens by chance - use of land being somewhat unpredictable, and not having been able to go out by car in search of grain fields. This year it's incredibly wet, and while I haven't had any close encounters with grain at this point, I can't imagine those crops are doing well.
I don't have the immediacy of connection with the land and the seasons that mean my prospects for the winter are shaped by what's in the fields right now. I think that's part of why Imbolc and Lugnasadh don't resonate with me - they're much more about active participation in farming. At Beltain I can connect with the exuberance of May blossom and bluebells. At Samhain I can draw on the folk traditions about ancestry and the dead, those things can be part of my life.
I will not be scything the wheat. I don't even know where my nearest wheat field is this year. It's not an easy thing to find out from where I live, and I think that's likely true for most people living in the UK. I don't have a good relationship with wheat at this point as I can only eat small amounts without getting ill. When it comes to eating, oats are a much more important food for me. Not that I know where my nearest oats are growing either. There's a lovely, delicate quality to oats and I've enjoyed encountering them in the past.
There's no reason to think that ancient Pagans all celebrated all eight festivals anyway. So, if like me you find there are some that don't really do it for you, that's fine.
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