How to Celebrate Lammas: 6 Simple Ideas for the First Harvest

Lammas (also known as Lughnasadh) falls around August 1st and marks the beginning of harvest season. It’s a time to pause, take stock of what’s come to life this year, and prepare for the seasonal shift toward fall. It’s a great reason to slow down, reflect and reconnect with nature.

1. Bring the Season Indoors

Celebrate the shift to late summer by decorating your home or workspace with what’s growing now. That might mean:

  • A mason jar of fresh flowers like sunflowers, zinnias, or black-eyed Susans
  • A bowl of tomatoes, cucumbers, or peaches on your kitchen table
  • A few clippings of herbs from your garden

This isn’t about aesthetics—it’s about staying in touch with what’s growing around you. Adding a seasonal touch helps mark the passage of time and reminds us to appreciate the moment.
Inspired by: Tiny Rituals

2. Bake Some Carbs

The name “Lammas” literally means “loaf mass,” and it’s traditionally a time to bake bread from the year’s first grain harvest. You don’t have to be a baker. Just make something simple using grains: banana bread, muffins, canned biscuits or even a box mix!

As you bake, think about what’s “risen” in your life this year. What have you grown? What’s turned out well? Then share the food with someone as a way to enjoy what the season is offering.
Inspired by: Lancs Green Witch

3. Make a List of What’s Working

Lammas is a good time to pause and check in. Grab a piece of paper or your notes app and jot down a few things that are going well right now. What goals have you made progress on? What habits are sticking? What are you proud of? Some people like to bury the list. But you can also keep it—stick it on your fridge! The point is to recognize your effort and notice your own momentum.
Inspired by: Lancs Green Witch

4. Watch the Sunset

This time of year, the sun is still strong but starting to shift. Set aside one evening this week to watch the sunset. Let your brain go quiet for a few minutes. You can ask yourself:

  • What’s wrapping up in my life?
  • What needs my attention before fall?
  • What do I want to let go of?

Sometimes just being still and noticing the light change is enough.
Inspired by: Lancs Green Witch

5. Clean Up a Natural Space

Give something back to nature. Go to a local trail, park or garden and spend 20 minutes picking up trash or pulling invasive weeds. Bring gloves and a bag, and don’t overdo it. It’s a low-key, concrete way to show appreciation for the land you live on.
Inspired by: Tiny Rituals

6. Try a Simple Seasonal Craft

Try making a small corn husk figure, bundling dried herbs with twine or putting together a small vase arrangement with flowers from your yard.
Inspired by: The Wholesome Witch

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to be a practicing Pagan or celebrate Lammas in a spiritual way to benefit from seasonal rituals. These little check-ins with the land, the kitchen, or your own thoughts are just part of living with intention. They help us slow down in a busy world and notice what’s worth holding on to—and what we’re ready to release.

Bread Image: Wesual Click
Photo of loaves of bread on a black tabletop.

photo of two hands, one holding a small glass amber dropper and dropping essential oil onto the palm of the other hand. black background

Natural Scalp Psoriasis Treatment DIY Recipe

I’m incredibly grateful for modern medicine—it’s saved me from so many painful health issues.

That said, scalp psoriasis is tricky. A lot of the long-term medications on the market just aren’t ideal for your overall health, so I started researching more natural options to help manage symptoms. This blend isn’t a cure, but it has seriously reduced the burning, itching and pain I deal with on a regular basis.

A few notes before you dive in:

  • You can tweak the amounts, but start small and increase slowly.
  • Always do a patch test first.
  • Only buy from high-quality, trusted suppliers. Grocery store essential oils (yes, even from Whole Foods) won’t cut it. I recommend Aromatics International for essential oils and Making Cosmetics Inc. for liquid salicylic acid. Want more on why sourcing matters? Check out this post.
  • Several of the recommendations contain antifungal properties. That’s because all humans naturally have fungi and yeast on their skin. When psoriasis causes the skin to crack and triggers an immune response, it can create an environment where these organisms grow more rapidly—contributing to the intense burning and itching that often come with the condition.
  • I also use this recipe for bug bites and itchy rashes.
  • How did I pick these ingredients? I read a lot of academic studies. It was slow going but worth it!

Here’s what I use and why:

Jojoba Oil, 2 tbsp: A lightweight carrier oil that closely mimics your skin’s natural oils—so it absorbs really well without making your scalp greasy. It dilutes the essential oils to make them safe to use.

Rosemary Essential Oil, 8 drops: Soothes itching and irritation.

Turmeric Essential Oil, 5 drops: Powerful anti-inflammatory.

Salicylic Acid (liquid form), 1/4 tsp: Gently breaks down and loosens psoriasis scales.

(Optional) Tamanu Oil, 1 tbsp: Another carrier oil, rich and nutty-smelling, great for skin healing.

(Optional) Cedarwood Essential Oil, 5 drops: Thought to support skin health and calm inflammation.

(Optional) German Chamomile Essential Oil, 3 drops: Deeply calming and anti-inflammatory.

(Optional) Tea Tree Essential Oil, 4 drops: Antimicrobial and soothing for irritated skin.

(Optional) Rose & Geranium Essential Oils, 4 drops: Good anti-inflammatory, according to some studies, and adds a lovely scent.

(Optional) Neem Oil, 1 tsp: Super effective anti-fungal but has a strong smell!

Store the liquid in a glass jar in the fridge if you can. (Tinted glass is ideal if you have it, but not essential.) It melts quickly, and the cool temperature feels amazing on psoriasis flare-ups. I use a paintbrush to apply it to my scalp. Most times, I put it on before bed and rinse it out in the morning, but I also do frequent spot treatments and just keep it on until my next wash.

Image Credit: Christin Hume
Description: photo of two hands, one holding a small glass amber dropper and dropping essential oil onto the palm of the other hand. black background.

Should I Do the Hard Thing Rubric

I’m someone who’s very justice-oriented. If I see something wrong happening, I have a hard time just letting it go. Sometimes, that’s a great quality. Other times, it’s absolutely exhausting.

I constantly run into little moral quandaries. Like, when my husband and I were on vacation, we found a lost dog—an older pup, clearly confused, dehydrated, and wandering into traffic. No one stopped. Even though we were just visiting, we spent hours trying to find his owner. When animal control ghosted us, we paid for an Uber to take him to the nearest shelter. Worth it? Absolutely.

But not everything is so clear-cut. Like recently, my doctor’s office overcharged me $30 for a procedure. Do I hate that? YES. Do I think they probably do it to other people too? Also yes. Is it wrong? No question. But… should I spend 3+ hours fighting a $30 charge?

Cue the “Should I Do the Hard Thing?” Rubric!

Even though my entire being wants to go to battle, the numbers don’t lie: it’s probably not worth the soul-crushing hold music and circular phone conversations that would eat up my whole afternoon.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? How do you decide when it’s worth taking on a fight like that? LMK!

Image Credit: Glen Carrie

Jalynn Norling Autumn Therapy Review

Finding a therapist is so hard, y’all. We reached out to Jalynn Norling, who I’m sure is a well-meaning person, but unfortunately, she wasn’t accommodating. Her website specifically says she works with neurodivergent folks, but that didn’t match our experience.

My husband and I have a short list of questions we send to potential therapists to help us figure out if they’re a good fit—because like many people, we don’t have the time or resources to schedule consultations or pay for sessions only to discover it’s not a match. The questions are very standard—things like “How often do you work with neurodivergent clients?” and “What’s your therapeutic style?”

After a back-and-forth, Jalynn declined to answer our questions or continue the conversation. She responded with some vague, buzzword-heavy language and referenced that most providers are required to offer accommodations—but didn’t actually model that in her own approach. Unfortunately, this kind of response is all too familiar. As a neurodivergent person, I often hear the word accommodations used in theory, but when it comes to putting that into practice, people back away. It’s disappointing and honestly hurtful—especially when it comes from professionals who position themselves as neurodiversity-affirming.

And it felt really out of step with what her website says:

I am tired, unsure and searching—and I was hopeful this could be a good fit. But a truly responsive space includes being willing to answer questions up front. Feeling emotionally safe, especially as a neurodivergent person, often starts with clear communication and flexibility. I didn’t get that here.

I’m sharing this because the process of finding a therapist is already so exhausting. If I can save someone else from the stress, it’s worth the time it took me to write this up.

Image Credit: Leuchtterm Entertainment

Photo of a pink flower crown on the back of a brown chair.

How to Celebrate Summer Solstice

As part of my ongoing journey into learning about different religions and traditions, I’ve been especially drawn to Wicca lately. One thing I love is how closely Wiccans connect their celebrations to the natural world—recognizing that the earth’s rhythms mirror our own. Every season has something to teach us.

The Solstice is the longest day and shortest night, when the sun is at its most powerful. In Wiccan tradition, it’s a time to celebrate abundance, warmth, light and play—a big, sun-drenched “thank you” to nature before the days start slowly getting shorter again. It’s also a great moment to pause, soak in the light, and plant a little joy in our lives before the growing season begins to tip toward harvest.

We leaned hard into the sunshine theme with a yellow feast that would make the sun itself proud. The table was full of sunny treats: Twinkies, Capri Sun, Goldfish crackers, bananas, oranges, etc.

Next, we made flower crowns to honor nature in full bloom. In Wicca, flowers are often used in rituals to represent beauty, growth, and fleeting moments. Making something with your hands that you’ll wear—even just for an hour—is a lovely way to stay present.

Then came the main event: the Sun Piñata! Stuffed with candies and sparkly trinkets, it was a big, happy burst of sunshine hanging from a tree. But we added a twist: a magical piñata challenge!

To take a swing, each person rolled a die, and the number they landed on determined their “weapon”:

  • 🎲 1: Rubber chicken
  • 🎲 2: Giant foam finger
  • 🎲 3: Inflatable boxing glove
  • 🎲 4: Child-size sword
  • 🎲 5: Pool noodle
  • 🎲 6: A banana (yes, really)

Watching the kids (and adults!) try to whack the sun with a banana or bop it gently with a foam finger had everyone howling with laughter. The silliness felt just right for this holiday.

In Wicca, the sun at its peak reminds us to shine bright, to play, to be bold, and to enjoy this high point in the wheel of the year. It’s also a great time to check in with ourselves: What are we growing in our lives? What’s blooming? What light do we have to share?

Happy Summer Solstice! Shine on.

Image Credit: Jenn Vazquez

Picture of bay leaves and berries on a wood countertop

How to Celebrate Imbolc

Spring is the Maiden, full of youth, curiosity and new beginnings.

Summer and fall are the Mother, whether she’s nurturing children, ideas or community.

And winter? That’s the Crone, the wise elder who brings rest, reflection and endings.

Each phase—and each season—offers its own wisdom.This weekend, we celebrated Imbolc, a Wiccan holiday that marks the shift from winter to spring. It begins at sundown and ends at sundown the next day. Imbolc is about stirring from rest, lighting little fires of hope, and setting gentle intentions for what’s to come. It’s also full of symbolism—especially circles, to remind us of the turning wheel of the year.

We began our celebration by sweeping out the winter. The kids each grabbed a little broom and ran in a big circle around the yard, laughing and sweeping away the cold and gloom to make space for spring’s light. Circles were everywhere, reminding us of the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Next, we gathered for a moment of stillness. We spoke softly about what spells really mean in Wicca—not sparkles and potions, but setting intentions, kind of like meditation or the affirmations we whisper to ourselves when we need courage or focus. Want to fly high on the swings? Tell yourself, “I can do it.” That’s a kind of spell.

After that, we opened a few small presents and moved on to a craft—painting birdhouses—a way of welcoming back the birds and helping spring feel invited to return. Then came the intention spell.

Each child wrote one meaningful word on a bay leaf—something they hoped for in the coming season. Then, with help from the grown-ups, we burned the bay leaves and sent those hopes off into the universe, carried by the smoke like whispers on the wind.

We finished with warm cinnamon rolls—soft spirals, another nod to the circular year—and mugs of tea. The final moment was a poem, chanted together in rhythm:

Winter is a time for rest
Maiden, mother, crone
Burrow down deep in your nest
Maiden, mother, crone

Sleep and heal and patch and mend
Maiden, mother, crone
Learning that all stories end
Maiden, mother, crone

Goodbye crone, you coldest year
Maiden, mother, crone
Hello maiden, spring is near
Maiden, mother, crone

Thank yee crone, we learned your lesson
Maiden, mother, crone
Keen and ready for spring’s blessin’
Maiden, mother, crone

Finally, we gave the children a choice: collect seeds and examine them under a microscope, or keep painting. Some kids even tried writing their own little spells—tiny poems or words of power just for them.There’s something beautiful about pausing midwinter to honor the quiet wisdom of the crone, even as we turn to greet the maiden. We’re not rushing spring—we’re just giving her a warm welcome. Happy Imbolc!

Image Credit: vojtech Havlis

Courtney Parks, Water Lily Therapy Review

I have an embarrassing phobia.

Yup, it’s true. I’m not afraid of normal stuff like snakes or spiders or heights. I’m afraid of something I’ll nickname “yellow hats.” (I’m not going to name the actual phobia here because that just feels like asking to get roasted on the internet.)

I also have OCD.

A few months ago, I decided it was time to take real action. I was already seeing a therapist, but she wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about OCD or phobias. So I started the emotionally exhausting, time-consuming process of finding a new therapist.

I wrote up an email to explain myself to potential providers—my quirks, my challenges, my strengths, my OCD, and yes, my fear of “yellow hats.”

And it worked. After just one interview, I met Courtney Parks at Waterlily Therapy LLC, and I felt an immediate sense of warmth and connection. She seemed friendly and open. I was actually excited to begin therapy.

At the same time, I was nervous. I’ve been abandoned a lot in my life, and I worried I’d get attached only to have that stability pulled away. I even voiced that fear in session, and Courtney said she understood. That helped me trust her.

So I started to feel something like therapeutic love—not “love” love, but a kind of hope and gratitude. The kind of bond that makes you think, “Maybe I can finally get help.” I wish we had better language for that kind of connection.

After a few sessions, I realized that although I had talked about my “yellow hat” issue in detail, I hadn’t asked about it in direct relation to her. So I sent an email asking, somewhat awkwardly, if she planned to, um, buy a yellow hat.

She wrote back that she was considering it.

The stomach drop I felt was intense. If you’ve ever had a phobia, you probably know the feeling—your brain tells you the threat is irrational, but your body doesn’t listen. If you haven’t experienced it, this link gives a good overview.

I didn’t want to walk away from therapy with her. We had built rapport, and I genuinely liked her. Plus, I was SO overwhelmed—my mom had cancer, and the same week, my 2-year-old service dog (and best friend) was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. Emotionally, I was hanging by a thread. I knew I wasn’t in a place to go searching for someone new.

So I replied to her email, explaining that I was upset, but I just needed a little time and space. I told her that I planned to circle back after my pup had her first cancer surgery.

She responded by terminating me as a client. She said not to take it as a rejection, that she was making the decision out of ethics and kindness.

And maybe she truly felt that was the right, ethical thing to do. But from where I stood, it felt like being dropped when I was already drowning.

I know that to someone in a healthy place, this might not seem like a big deal. Maybe I would’ve ended things myself down the line. But the hardest part for me was that I didn’t get to decide. I didn’t get a conversation, or a warning—it was just over.

As someone who’s neurodivergent, I’ve often experienced people stepping in and making decisions for me—without asking how I feel or what I need. It’s a painful pattern I’ve lived through many times, and in that moment, it felt like it was happening again in therapy, where I had least expected it.

From the start, I had asked Courtney—what if I said the wrong thing, or expressed frustration? Would she leave? And she had assured me she wouldn’t. So when she did, it hit hard. I wasn’t just sad; I was disappointed in myself for believing it would be different.

And when she told me not to take it as a rejection, that it was just “ethics and kindness,” it didn’t land that way for me. Maybe that was her intent. But it still felt like a rejection. The difference is—she got to move forward and find another client. I had to sit in the waiting room of the vet’s office, waiting to hear if my dog’s cancer surgery had gone okay, and process that I’d just been let go by my therapist, too.

Now I get to start the therapist search all over again.

That’s my experience. Hopefully it won’t be yours.

I’m sharing this not to blame or accuse, but because I wish I had known what to look out for. I wish I’d seen the warning signs earlier. This is just one story—mine. Others may have had very different experiences, and that’s valid, too.

Photo Credit: Nik Shuliahin

Baby wipes, rubber duck in a purse. Blue background.

Sustainable, Eco-Friendly, Safe Baby Wipes

Please read the following post for important information on how I’ve chosen my recommendations:

TLDR: Commercial wipes aren’t good for your skin. Even the ones that are marketed for babies have some sort of chemical to keep them from molding.

Why you should care: Again, wipes aren’t good for your skin, including a baby’s skin. I think, on this one, the health impact is the most important. The environmental impact is also pretty icky: https://www.proquest.com/openview/9d58febe5e1c637f87f152d2aaa0dbf8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=5038271 

What you should buy: You actually don’t need anything for this one other than about 50 bits of cloth in wipe-sized pieces. You can use GOTS or Oeko-Tex certified cloth if you’d like. To make the spray, mix two tablespoons of castile soap and two tablespoons of olive oil and make sure they don’t separate. Boil two cups of water and let cool. Then add the mixture to it. Spray onto the cloth to create wipes. Put the soiled wipes in their own diaper pail and then launder them. (Make sure to use your handheld bidet to wash off any solids first.) These work great!

Image Credit: Natracare

Photo of a cute brown puppy on a blue dog bed with a blue blanket and a blue wall. The floor is hardwood and there is a parlor palm in a pot to the left of the dog bed.

Eco-Friendly, Zero PFAS, Safe Dog Bed

Please read the following post for important information on how I’ve chosen my recommendations:

TLDR: All the same stuff that’s bad for you is bad for your pets—only their bodies are smaller and thus toxins are more concentrated. Here’s just one study of many: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1023818/full Get them high quality stuff to help them live healthier lives.

Why you should care: They’re your best friend. ‘Nuff said.

What you should buy: https://myessentia.com/products/kingston?sscid=b1k8_z1btr

Dog beds made of plastic and full of fire retardants are bad for you AND bad for them. It’s a good idea to invest and get something good and (mostly) chemical-free. This was an expensive purchase for me, and I waited for a sale. But it could save me money on vet bills, human doctor bills AND give me more time with my beloved animals. Worth it.

I actually didn’t buy the bed that I recommended. It was too big for my dog’s crate. I ended up purchasing from The Futon. https://www.thefutonshop.com/certifications (If purchasing, make sure to get a wool filling, which is temperature-regulating and no outside coating.) I don’t recommend The Futon Shop if you’re not prepared to wait. It took a couple follow-up emails before they finally sent me a shipping confirmation. You can message the company directly to ask for a discount on the product as it and shipping are expensive. If you live in California or Seattle you can pick the beds up directly. They also ship the beds with a ridiculous amount of plastic and now I have a huge pile of the stuff that I have to repurpose somehow. It’s a huge pain and not environmentally friendly at all.

If I were to do it over, I’d get My Essentia. I wanted to use non-plastic, Oeko-Tex and/or GOTS certified materials. Several of the sites fill their beds with recycled water bottles, which is awesome but not for me. Avocado had some parts of the bed that were certified but not everything. The Rawganique looked amazing, but the price was more expensive than My Essentia.

No matter what you buy, ask the company to ship you the product without plastic.

NOTE: Bearaby and Omi mattress are both no longer available. You can still get Avocado but not through the site. You have to message customer support with exactly what you want and they’ll send you a link to buy it. (I asked but they wouldn’t tell me why it’s such an odd buying process!)

Additional Reading:
https://www.leafscore.com/eco-friendly-pet-products/best-eco-friendly-dog-beds/
https://www.petplay.com/pages/oeko-tex
https://iheartdogs.com/best-eco-friendly-dog-beds/
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/eco-friendly-dog-beds
https://www.greenmatters.com/green-matters-approved/best-dog-beds
https://www.rover.com/blog/reviews/organic-dog-beds
https://theroundup.org/what-is-natural-latex/
https://rawganique.com/products/sesame-organic-cotton-dog-cat-pet-bed?Click=140523
https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com/collections/dog-beds/products/organic-dog-bed

Photo Credit: Jamie Street

Woman with black hair in black dress putting a black flower-shaped pillow onto a black and white couch in a modernist room

Eco-Friendly Couch Cover With No PFAS

Please read the following post for important information on how I’ve chosen my recommendations:

TLDR: I haven’t found an eco-friendly couch cover.

Why you should care: A lot of parents (both for fur babies and human babies) want a couch cover to protect their sizable investment. But getting something that’s not made of natural materials will leak microplastics into the environment, which we now know ends up in our bodies.

What you should buy: I don’t have a recommendation, but I’ll tell you what NOT to buy. Molly Mutts has a couch cover that they SAY is eco friendly OEKO-TEX certified cotton and natural silicone. But it’s actually half polyester, which is plastic. I don’t mind buying thrifted polyester but I don’t believe in bringing more plastic into circulation, especially since microplastics are everywhere. 

I would like something made of OEKO-TEX or GOTS certified alpaca because it’s so good at repelling spills and odors. Otherwise, I’ll find something with a natural silicone bottom.

In the meantime, I thrifted an old quilt to put over the couch. It’s thick enough to catch any spills and old enough that many of the VOCS and initial plastics will have been washed out of it already.

Additional Reading:
https://magiclinen.com/products/linen-couch-cover-in-natural
https://www.potterybarn.com/products/relaxed-fit-slipcover
https://slashop.com/products/custard-cream-reversible-comfort-sofa-couch-cover

Image Credit: Slipcover KAS