Nature Notebook: Lammas
Get your thoughts and drawings in your journal!
This Tuesday it was Lammas, or Lughnassadh, a festival which falls on 1st August, about halfway between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. I was lucky enough to spend Lammas back in Beckenham Place Park, picnicking with some wonderful people from the Aligned Community. We walked through the ancient woodland, reflecting on how it made us feel (thanks to Leila’s prompts), before breaking bread and enjoying a nature journaling workshop run by Ellie from Surrey Art School. I started the day feeling tired and overwhelmed, not entirely sure an afternoon filled with people was what I needed… but I ended it feeling restored, inspired and hopeful. Jen had (as usual) brought together a truly wonderful group of people and it felt like such a privilege to spend the day with them. I left with a glowing feeling in my chest and a fire in my belly. Often the times you tell yourself you “don’t have time” to go for a walk or chat to a friend are the times you need to do those things the most.
So today, I’d like to encourage you to learn more about Lammas…
Fellow Substacker Lia Leendertz has a great video you can watch:
Now grab your nature journal or a notebook and fill a spread!
Here are some prompts to get you started, whether you are writing, drawing or both:
How could celebrating Lammas or Lughnassadh, and other dates on the Wheel of the Year help you connect with nature?
What ways do you feel drawn to celebrate Lammas/Lughnassadh?
What have been some of your nature highlights since Summer Solstice (20th-21st June)? What have you seen or discovered? Where have you been? How did it make you feel?
What are you looking forward to ahead of the Autumn Equinox? (22-23 September)
Go for a walk and notice what catches your eye. Take a photo or some notes (or, if it’s a plant that is growing in public and in abundance, pick some if it’s safe to do so and take it home). Open up your sketchbook and draw what you saw. Try not to worry too much about the final result, just lose yourself in the drawing. I find that using the ‘wrong’ colours, or drawing with my ‘wrong’ hand helps me loosen up a bit!
If you want to, research the thing you’ve just drawn and write down some facts about it in your journal too.
If you have any other prompts for the community please share them in the comments! Do you celebrate Lammas or Lughnassadh? If so, how?
Ahhh it was such a wonderful day! Thank you so much for being there and guiding us round, Ranger Zabby 😁 And I totally agree about how we can put those nourishing things off like chats and walks and creativity because we feel stressed and - exactly as you say - that's the we need it most! I also felt so tired when I arrived and so blissful and glowy when I left.