A Look into my Lammas-Leo Season Art Journal

an example of how making stuff is soul satisfying

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Every tradition, belief, celebration, and ritual was once new. Even things we think have been around forever had a beginning, a time when they were revolutionary, seemed strange and unfamiliar, were likely resisted by some, and took a while to catch on.

Take, for example, the Christmas Tree. That’s always been a part of Christmas, right? Nope. Christmas trees didn't become popular in America as a regular part of our festivities until the mid-1850s. Even the celebration of Christmas itself didn’t become a thing until 336AD, over three centuries into the history of the Church.

Some new ideas and celebrations are relevant, stick around for a long time, and become “official,” while others live on in the margins as part of folk tradition.

At this time last year, I wrote to you about the Lion’s Gate Portal, its recent emergence, and its new-age roots. I don’t put a lot of stock in much written about the Lion’s Gate Portal, but I like seasonal markers, and it ticks that box, so I’m happy to embrace it.

Leo season, on the other hand, has a much more ancient pedigree. It has been around as long as astrology has been, for several thousand years at least. Leo season arrives when the sun enters the constellation of Leo on July 22nd, which happens to be the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene.

Leo, a fire sign, embodies a fiery energy that can be felt at this time of year.

Leo season spans most of August, with Virgo season beginning on August 22nd. These seasons occur during the “dog days” of August, just as Sirius the dog star rises. This is significant in the mythology surrounding the late summer season.

A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about The Magic of Making Stuff, the creative side of soul work, and I want to continue that theme today with a bit of show-and-tell.

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Living the seasonal Wheel of the Year is one of the foundational pillars of Hedge Mystic. The second is creativity/making stuff, and the third is Nature.

I often share images of my mixed media collage work from my art journals or JourneyCircles(TM) and Soul Collage(C) cards and occasionally from my nature journals.

Since I’ve been thinking and writing a lot lately about the value of making stuff using our own hands and imaginations in an increasingly machine and AI-driven world, I decided to make a video giving you a look into my current visual journal, which explores Lammas and Leo Season along with a few ways I use it for inner soul work.

If you find yourself inspired and want to delve into seasonal energies through creative work, click the School of the Seasons Lammas Exploration & Experience HERE. It includes creative invitations you can use in your own creative work.

I’ve also updated last year’s Lion’s Gate Portal Guide with a new calendar page for 2024. You can get it HERE.

Lammas is a gentle season, yet it points to bigger changes that are coming just around the seasonal corner.

If you would like to explore where you are now in this season of your life, what from the past is still influencing you, and what may be in store as the autumn seasons unfold and the year winds down, I’d suggest a Tarot reading.

Beginning at this time of year and through Samhain, I typically get many requests for readings. The autumn seasons seem especially suited to working with the Tarot as a tool for self-reflection and gaining a deep intuitive understanding of your life’s journey. I think it has to do with the thinning of the veil as the year slowly moves towards a close and our desire to put into perspective what’s happened since the beginning of the year, allowing us to shift gears and make informed changes before the year runs out.

From Lammas, August 1, through the autumn equinox, September 23, 45 min., Celtic Cross Tarot Readings are $79 for all Hedge Mystic subscribers; paid subscribers receive an additional 15 minutes for a full hour reading.

Learn more about my approach to Tarot and book your reading HERE.

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