Grief and Gratitude
In the northern hemisphere, we have passed the summer solstice, and the days (however depressing that thought may be!) are already growing shorter and we are moving into the dark half of the year. We are approaching the festival of Lammas, First Harvest, at the start of August, and, even if we are not farmers and planning a physical harvest, it can feel good to acknowledge the hard work we have done in our lives and that we can harvest those efforts, and invite a feeling of gratitude for that abundance.
In all years and at times, whenever we have a choice to make between one thing or action, and another, we have effectively closed off the path that our life could have taken toward that thing that we did not choose. And these recent years of the pandemic have often made us, willingly or unwillingly, have to make choices to let things go, or obviously, perhaps we have had to say goodbye to loved ones because of the virus or its complications. So this time of Lammas can be an opportunity to both offer gratitude for our harvests and simultaneously allow grief for our losses to be present and acknowledged.
I send my love to you whatever the last few years have set before you, and offer you this poem, that I wrote for the Lammas Fire Ceremony at the Glastonbury Goddess Conference in 2021, when the theme was the Star Queen Goddess. We were honouring ancient tribal Celtic goddesses and the constellations associated with them.
Grief and Gratitude
Gratitude and grief:
We hold this paradox,
So huge for
This physical body of earth bones,
Blood fluid water,
Air in our lungs;
And yet
Fire in our bellies and hearts
Holds starfire,
Draco’s dragon fire.
Our feet and hearts remember
The galloping hooves and wings of Pegasus.
Heart fire is ignited by the music of Lyra.
Our brows hold the discerning divination of leaping Lepus.
Corona Borealis crowns us all as sovereigns of our domains,
And when this mortal incarnation is done
We spread our Cygnus wings to fly home.
A tribe of constellations I see in my heart ,
In all your eyes
The beauty of Cassiopeia,
In all your arms
The major bear hugs of Ursa.
If we can hold all these star constellations
In our bodies,
Memories of explosions of stars
At the beginning of the beginning,
Then yes! Two stars in the vast galaxy,
Grief and Gratitude
Can form their own constellation
Starburst paradox magic in the Lammas alchemical fire.
Star Queen Goddess Blessings!
(c) Donna Gerrard
It’s not too late to buy your tickets for this year’s at the Glastonbury Goddess Conference! Hoping to see you there.