Ending August with a few Health Concerns.

 It’s been a rather crazy week for me, on Monday I had 2 biopsies performed by the gynecologist and then the following day, Tuesday I go to see my Cardiologist for what I thought was a routine checkup and the EKG revealed I have Atrial Fibrillation or Afib for short. When I left the doctors office I was attached to a heart monitor. I had every symptom all spring and summer thinking it was a long bout of bronchitis for which my GP prescribed antibiotics for. As a Cardiac patient when the symptoms still bothered me weeks after the antibiotics were finished I should have called my cardiologist to check things out. Funny thing is today I was going to ask him about all those symptoms to see if they may be heart related. He already had the answer. I'm going to be attached to the little device below for 2 weeks. The good thing about the heart monitor and the Afib diagnosis, it has kept my mind off waiting for those biopsy results. You know it's always something.

It's been a very long summer dealing with what I believed to be a long bout of bronchitis, the shortness of breath started to get real bad a week before I saw the cardiologist and had I not seen the appointment on my calendar I was planning to call the office to make an appointment because things just didn't feel right.

The biopsies performed at the GYN office came about when the pap and the ultra sound revealed a few concerning things.  I had waited 10 weeks to see this doctor, my gyn retired and the office never notified anyone, so when I started having post menopausal bleeding again I thought I had another fibroid which would need to be removed.  When I passed through these doors for the first time it's what I expected to hear. Unfortunately a phone call a few days later I was in another room waiting for the magic to happen.

Now I wait for the results of the 2 biopsies, I see the GYN on the 4th of September and I am hoping to have some news by then.  Strangely enough I am not stressing about it, somehow I knew all those years of suffering and battling with endometriosis would come back and bite me in the butt someday.

Welcome August the Turn of the Wheel to Lughnasadh Lammas Time and the 1st Harvest!

August 1 is the cross-quarter day between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox, and it has always seemed to me that the cross-quarter days are the times when the light changes. At Lughnasadh/Lammas, I usually notice a change in the length of daylight hours and a slight change in the quality of light from the high Sun of Summer Solstice. Do you notice these changes too? Paying attention to such changes is part of my Walking the Wheel of the Year journey and somehow makes me feel closer to Mother Earth.

Demeter, Lady of Fruit and Grains,

of ripening suns and harvest rains

I call to you, Mother, hear my plea,

Bestow your Blessing here on me.

Lammas Ritual For Gathering In Abundance.

Perform this ritual anytime over the next few days.

You will need:

A Broom or Besom

Don’t worry if it isn’t a traditional besom, any broom will do as it is always intent that is important. The besom/broom is a potent symbol of hearth and home. It is a traditional magical tool useful for everyday charms as it has the imprint of its owner firmly on it. Sweeping is a natural gathering gesture.

Ribbons

A piece of green ribbon (for abundance), a piece of gold ribbon (for prosperity and gathering)’

A Sprig of Mint.

Take your broom and tie your ribbon around the top. Tie in your sprig of mint. Take your broom outside, place both hands on the stave and focus on your intention – gathering in your harvest for winter. Turn slowly three times in a clockwise direction then start to sweep towards your door saying:

“By one, two, three and four, sweep Lammas gifts to my door. May abundance be a constant friend, by my hearth till Winter’s end.”

Repeat this three times, then take your besom/broom back into your house and put it in its usual place. You can leave the ribbon on for as long as want to, for a lunar month, or until winter is done. The mint can be returned to the earth with thanks.

If you do not have an outside space you can sweep from your front door inwards to either your kitchen or hearth using the same ritual.