harvest bounty

The halfway point between summer solstice and autumn equinox is Lammastide. Christians hold church processions to bakeries, where bakers and their crew are blessed by clergy. 

Lammas is the first day of the harvest season, August 2 - and Lunar Lammas on August 9. Ending with the full moon in Aquarius - traditionally called the “Sturgeon Moon.”

the 1st Harvest in the Wheel of the Year

A time to celebrate the earth's bounty and give thanks. It's also a timely reminder to plan for the autumn and winter as it marks the end of the summer season and a return to less sunshine hours. 

tropic of cancer

The Tropic of Cancer lies at 23d 26' 22" (23.4394 degrees) north of the Equator and marks the most northerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon. 

This event occurs at the June solstice, when the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun to its maximum extent. 

1934 first edition of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer illustrated by Maurice Kahane

The Earth's tropical zone ("the tropics") includes everything between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. 

breaking bread

Lammas Day celebrated every August 1 is the first of three autumn harvest festivals that falls between summer solstice and autumn equinox. It is known as Loaf Mass Day to Christians and Lughnasadh which is the name used for one of the eight sabbats in the Neopagan Wheel of the Year. 

The other two harvest festivals are Mabon and Samhain. Lammas was historically a festival that celebrated the first wheat harvest of the year.

Lunar Lammas 2023

It was a time of gratitude and celebration for the abundance of the land and the fruits of agricultural labor. Communities would come together to harvest the crops and bake the first loaves of bread using the newly harvested grain.

moon feast

When it comes to Mid-Autumn Festival, Asians celebrate the mystical animal - the Jade Rabbit, also called the Moon Rabbit - a character in oriental folklore that lives on the moon with Chang’e, the Moon Goddess. 

the myth of the Moon Goddess & the Jade Rabbit

Also known as the Moon or Mooncake Festival, it is the second most important Asian festival, next to the Lunar New Year. It is mainly celebrated in China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines - though many Asian communities around the world have grown to enjoy its festivities too. 

a traditional mid-autumn festival spread

On the day of the festival, the moon is said to be the brightest, roundest and most beautiful. Folks are encouraged to gather and celebrate together in families and communities. 

May memorial mantra

This month’s full moon is the first total lunar eclipse in about two and a half years, according to NASA. 

over Hongkong by Anthony Wallace - AFP via Getty Images

The event gets each part of its name from a different source: “flower” comes from this being the full moon in May, when many flowers are blooming. 

Ormond Beach, Florida - Greg Diesel Walck

capturing the moon

Taking pictures of the moon is a special obsession with wonder | wander | women, like many amateur photographers. There's a rush and a reward when we manage to catch that celestial body in a way that approaches how it makes us feel.

Spring, Tuscany, 2013

lune time | loon time

wonder | wander | women love our moon. We get positively looney over it.

Original Art by Jocelyn Allen

Waxing and waning through its phases. Weaving waves of wonder through its moonbeams.

divine inspiration

OMG late post. . . . again. . . .for shame. 

Manhattanhenge Summer Solstice
Grand Central Station NYC - July 13

wonder | wander | women had a good reason though. We were in the throes of packing Mahala's stuff for her return back to the UK after a glorious month of togetherness in the US. 

Last day at our NYC apartment, July 16

OK ok - on with the show then. Let us get on with the next highlight of our lives. 

spring cleansing

The day after a blizzard is not the most hopeful day to look forward to Spring, eager as we all are for its imminent arrival.

It helps to be cocooned in a warm home with savory scents of an oven roast wafting over us as we snuggle up cozily around the fireplace, looking out at an expansive view.

times they are a'changin

For Light by John O'Donohue

Light cannot see inside things.

That is what the dark is for:

Minding the interior,

Nurturing the draw of growth

Through places where death

In its own way turns into life. 

Illumination of Earth by the Sun on the day of an equinox. 

Once again March marks yet another flaming cosmic story in 2016 - a year marred and mired in explosive surprises. 

This year's vernal equinox heralds the earliest spring since 1896.