Lughnasadh & PracticeMagic

You know how when you throw a ball straight up in the air there’s a moment where it seems to pause at the top and levitate before it begins to fall? That’s how the time between Summer Solstice and right now feels.

These ‘dog days of summer’ are deceptively slow.

Side note: I always thought this saying had something to do with a bunch of hound dogs lying around in the shade during the heat of summer. I pictured this occurring in the deep South. It’s dusty, oppressively hot, and there are ripe peaches. BUT the saying actually goes way further back in time, and it has to do with the alignment of the ‘dog star’ Sirius during the hottest part of summer.

Huh! I love a good origin story, especially one involving Sirius: a star that our ancestors were collectively obsessed with.

Anyway, summer days can feel long. It can feel like time has almost come to a stop. This is traditionally a perfect time of year to travel locally, visit and socialize, and in contemporary times it’s a perfect season to take a break from running your practice or business.

Lughnasadh and Your Business

However, things are about to change, and when that ball begins to fall back down from the sky it picks up speed oh so quickly! Lughnasadh, celebrated on or around August 2nd, is a ‘cross-quarter sabbat’ in the Celtic Wheel of the Year, meaning that just around the corner is one of the quarters: the Autumn Equinox.

In this way Lughnasadh urges us to strike a balance. Traditionally it marks a time of shifting from vacation time to GO time. The harvest is beginning and between now and Fall Equinox everything begins to ripen at once. Traditionally this means very long days full of hard work to get everything harvested and ‘put up’, ensuring nothing goes to waste and the root cellar is well stocked for winter.

It’s serious business. (Not to be confused with Sirius business.)

So in your business, here are some ways you can follow the guidance of the Wheel of the Year:

🍉 Reap the Fruits of your Labor. Take stock of what you have achieved in your business so far, and note where you’re at in terms of your annual targets. (If you’re not half-way there take heart; many businesses make a huge portion of their revenue between September and December.) Celebrate your successes, acknowledge the hard work of your team if you have one, and express gratitude to your clients and partners who have contributed to your journey. Gift yourself a little holiday if you haven’t already.

☀️ Connect with Clients and Build Community. Use this time to reach out and strengthen connections with your clients or partners in a way that is appropriate for your practice or business. Send a note of appreciation, schedule a catch-up session, or offer a seasonal check-in to support their progress. This nurturing touch can deepen relationships and reaffirm your commitment to their growth.

🌻 Prepare for the Next Cycle. Lughnasadh invites us to prepare for the changing seasons ahead. In your business or practice, consider what you can adjust or refine to ensure that your targets are met or that your practice continues growing. What have you been building up to so far this year, that needs you to see it through? What metaphorical jars do you want to have on the pantry shelf going into winter?

🕯️ If You Live in the Southern Hemisphere

For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, you find yourself celebrating Imbolc, a season of renewal and new beginnings. You are emerging from a deeper rest and sowing the seeds for the coming summer in your business. If you live far enough South your nights still feel long and dark… but that begins to shift right about now.

In this season of new beginnings, take time to nurture your business vision. Cultivate fresh ideas, devote yourself to budding projects, and prepare for the growth and expansion of energy soon to come with the changing season and the swelling of the light.

I’m sitting outside as I write this, with a gentle breeze trickling through, marvelling at how many bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies, tiny wasps, ladybugs, and butterflies are all visiting the flowers. My perception is that this is a quiet and rural spot, but for them this place is bustling like New York City!

When I was still working for the government and I had to go sit in an overly air-conditioned and artificially lit office for 8 to 12 hours per day, this time of year was when I suffered the most.

I only had 45 minutes for lunch, but I would sneak away a few minutes early and drive like I stole that old Acura to get home fast enough that I would be left with 12 blissful minutes for sitting in the sun amongst the bees, picking a few raspberries, and pulling a weed or two, before racing back again. Then I would eat my lunch at my desk.

Kinda silly, kinda sad… but that’s how much it meant to me to have a few midday moments in my garden.

As I reflect on all that has brought me to this place, now working full-time from that same garden (or from wherever I want to be) I know that one of my ‘big WHY’ reasons for doing what I do is that I want you to have the simple pleasures you crave. I want all my coaches and therapists and difference-makers to be able to run your business in a way that works for you.

• Being home when the kids get off the bus.
• Renting a place in Mexico to see clients remotely for all of January.
• Taking your dog out for a walk between sessions.
• Watching the chickens foraging outside your office window while bread dough is rising in the kitchen.

Whatever it is that lights up your soul… I’m here to tell you that your business and your clients NEED you to have that. They need your lightness; your joy. They need you to show up on the call with a little twinkle in your eye after your cat just pulled the most hilarious antic. Because when you do, you’re in your zone of genius. You’re switched on. Your battery is charged.

That energy is like wind in your sails. And there’s nothing quite like it when it comes to achieving success in your practice or business.

I refer to to this as ‘Practice Magic’.

My obsession (in addition to plants) is raising up my clients so they can call in their dream clients effortlessly while running their business with confidence and tranquility. And so there’s light in their eyes as they move through their day.

I’m just so over the hustle and self-sacrifice, and so are they.

If you are too, lets have a brief call to see if you’re at the right place in your business for some help from me, what you need, and if we’d be a dream to work together!