First Harvest 2020
/The beginning of August has traditionally been celebrated as the midpoint of Summer. There are two celebrations that mark an important moment in the year. The Gaelic tradition of Lughnasa, which marks the halfway point between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox, as well as the Christian holiday Lammas, which honors and blesses the loaves baked with the first crop of corn. The two similar holidays celebrate the first harvest of the season in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a time of long days, hard work, reaping what has been sown and preparing for what lies ahead.
As we continue through this journey of liminal space in the pandemic, I find it so important to pause and mark the ways the wheel of the year is still turning. Inspired by Lughnasa and Lammas, we decided to spend some intentional time this past weekend journaling and collaging our first harvest. I found this to be especially important because our brains can get stuck in loops of negativity and gloom. Heard of doomscrolling? Its a thing! We invite you to take an arts break. It’s so important to shift gears and consciously look at what’s going well. What are our current assets and how have we been growing through the challenges? It’s not too late to join us!
Here’s what you’ll need to begin:
paper or small piece of cardboard - get creative and use the inside of a cereal box or something out of the paper recycle bin.
a collection of images or magazines
pen/pencil or markers
scissors
glue stick
not necessary but fun: a snack - we made blueberry zucchini bread! Thanks, Mom. <3
Gather all of your supplies and set yourself up in a comfortable spot. Take some time to settle and breathe so you can get fully present in your space. 2020 has been a wild year and so much has happened since January 1st. As you allow yourself to walk through the memories and experiences of the last 8 months, what bounty are you harvesting? What is ripe for the picking? What small thing has shifted? This could be a time to think about things like you did for those job interviews in the 90’s where everyone’s fault was being a perfectionist. Which is also kind of great for a job, right? 2020 is asking us to look closely for what has been going well. Let’s get creative with our harvest!
As you think of items you want to gather, write a word or phrase down on your piece of paper.
Gather as many items as you like.
Take some time to absorb your list. This is the beginning of your first harvest!
Circle or jot down on the back of your piece of paper any that really speak to you.
The next step is to gather images that resonate with the items you’ve written down. Think of them as visual anchors for the first harvest.
Gather your visual anchors and begin to make a collage over the words you wrote down. You can collage around the words if you really want to save them. Remember you also have the words and phrases you wanted to save on the back of your collage.
This could a perfect time for a snack break!
Cut, rip, paste and collage your harvest.
Once all the images have been pasted down, you can choose to add additional phrases on top of the collaged images.
You did it! Your first harvest of 2020 is complete. Now that you have your finished collage, take some time to really look at what you have created. We were struck by new discoveries in the collages and the clarification of what we might want to incorporate in the rest of the year. For example, in looking at Erika’s I felt a sense of grounding and embodiment that I think could be helpful for me. Likewise, Erika felt a sense of spaciousness in my collage that she wanted to bring into her experience for the rest of the year. We have placed our collages on our mantle and spend some time with them daily. It’s a visual anchor that reminds me that even if I’m struggling, stressed or sad there are strengths and beauty that have been gathered this season.
Here are a few things we are harvesting:
savoring a slower pace
expanding our ability to be in discomfort
closer relationships with family
a deeper alignment and understanding of our values and how we embody them
Here’s what we created! We invite you to place your completed work in an area you will frequent to help serve as a visual reminder for you as well. We would love to see your collages!
Many blessings on this first harvest. May this be the first of many in an abundant season of unexpected bounty.