Quoted from Missouri Pagan List:
All across the forest a permeating silence can be felt. The Goddess sighs deeply as she walks solemnly about. On a large and isolated boulder overlooking a vast field surrounded by ancient oaks, sits Lugh. Mighty in stature, he is the champion of the Tuatha De Danann. But on this day he is but a child of the Goddess, set adrift in the throes of not so distant memories. For his foster mother, Tailtiu had passed through the twilight veil but a short time before. The lovely Tailtiu was known as the faithful wife of Eochaid mac Eirc, the last High King of the Fir Bolg.
As the clouds drifted lazily across the early morning sky, Lugh’s thoughts turned to the bloody battle between the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha De Danann. He recounted the days of heroic struggle on both sides of the horrendous conflict. With the cries of the wounded and the dead still ringing in his ears, a bitter tear wends its way down his cheek. For within his veins run the blood of two distant peoples. And so on this day his thoughts stand divided. As a mighty warrior of the Danann, he gave his all, but alas, by his hand the peoples of his endearing foster mother must now suffer through throes of hunger brought on by the desolation of war. But Tailtiu could not stand by as her people perished from the suffering and pain brought about by such a horrendous melee. As a loving mother and queen, her fate is tied to that of those who look to her for love and guidance. And so to the plains of Breg she turns her attention.
Long hours she toiled under the unforgiving rays of the sun. Rows upon rows of hard tacked soil did she turn. Clouds of dust clogged her nose and stung her eyes. Her feet were streaked with blood from the sharp shards of stone over which she trudged as her sandals became tattered. She was determined that her people would not perish from hunger. She set an example of personal sacrifice and of profound compassion for her people. Her exhausting labors bore fruit, but so did they also take their toll. As her spirit cried out for relief from the excruciating aches and pain brought about from her long hours in the fields, the Mother Goddess listened. As the last seed was planted by her gnarled hand, her spirit was given reprieve and lifted through the veil. Her physical body became as one with the very land over which she had toiled so vigorously on behalf of her people. And so these are the source of the thoughts that brings Lugh to his state of contemplation deep within the foreboding forest on this day. The creatures of the woods pause and watch as Lugh slowly rises from his profound reveries.
The morning has stretched into early afternoon and the sun is glowing high above. The drifting clouds have given way to a deep rich blue which resonates with a sense of purpose. Lugh has come to see the lessons inherent in the actions of his foster mother, a woman he loved as only a loyal son could. Foster mother she may have been, she represented virtues beyond the understanding of many. It is at this moment that Lugh has decided that such unswerving compassion and such unselfish sacrifice would not go unanswered. And so he institutes the funeral games in honor and memory of Tailtiu that her deeds may live on in the memories of man.
We know these times as Lughnasadh. As the warm rays of the August sun approach, marking the beginning of Lughnasadh, let us not forget the lessons that Tailtiu presented to us. Let not her painful sacrifice fall to the wayside as we proceed forth as a people. Do allow her example of unblemished love and devotion to become a beacon to guide us through our lives. Conflict and strife is an element of life, how we react to such diversions becomes that which defines our character. A spiritual Lughnasadh and lessons learned to all…
Blessed be this season of Lughnasadh, time of the first harvest, the blessing of the Grain Goddess and the sacrifice of the King God.
The Great Mother Goddess has blessed us with a bounty of grain and corn, yet is still pregnant with the future harvest.
The Great King God has sacrificed his body and spilled his blood so that his people may eat and live well.
Praise be to the Great Mother who has given us a great bounty.
Praise be to the Great King who has given to us his body that we may thrive.
Bless our home, our hearth, and our family that we may know only prosperity, safety, and love.
Thanks be to you, Great Lord and Lady, for the blessings we have been given that have come to fruit.
Blessed Be!