Author: Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato

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.

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

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