Welcome to the July issue of the Bone Garden monthly newsletter where we're all about Lughnassagh & Leo Season! As always, you can scroll straight to the end for shop updates and upcoming events, or read on for a meditation on strength, an abundance spell for Lughnassah, more herbal exploration, and a particularly kickass Spotify playlist heavy on the Leo vibes.

Lugnhasadh/Lammas | August 1, 2025

Lughnasadh (Loo-nas-ah), named for the Sun God, Lugh, is a harvest festival popular in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, where the first fruits of the harvest are celebrated. This day is also known as Lammas (Loaf Mass Day), an Anglo Saxon tradition. Many NeoPagans, Wiccans, and modern day witches celebrate Lughnassdh as a time to reap the benefits of what has been sown throughout the season.

A history of the name...​
In Old Irish the holiday was named Lugnasad, after Lug (the sun god Lugh) and násad (an assembly), though others believe it to originate from nás (death). Thus, death of the sun, as we continue to welcome in the waning half of the year. There are other breakdowns of the history of the name in Modern Irish and Welsh vocabulary, but I found this one to be most interesting!

As the story goes...​
In Irish mythology, the feast is said to have been started by the god Lugh, as a death ceremony of an earth goddess. Many parallels have been drawn to the Greek story of Persephone retreating into the Underworld. (More on this story when we get closer to the Autumnal Equinox!) Other tales include stories of funeral games, battles between gods fighting over grains, and celebrating the overcoming of drought and the summer sun.

Abundance above, abundance below

Abundance within, and all else I've sown.

From Spring until now the bounties have grown.

The work is all mine, my blood, sweat, and bone.

Blessings to the Universe for guiding my way

So that I may celebrate this fine August day.

A time to be still and bask in this bliss

With good wine and bread, or stealing a kiss.

But work is not done and neither are we.

What goes out will come in by the power of three.

Though the season still wanes and darkness prevails,

My spell shall ring true. My words will not fail.

My wishes come true. My mind is the key.

I create the path through.

So mote it be.

xo, Erika

July Spotify Playlist The first half of this playlist is meditative music that you can use during the ritual above. The second half is full of absolute bangers to get you in the Leo season mindset!

𝔏𝔢𝔬 𝔖𝔷𝔫 🦁 𝔅𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔊... 888 Hz Abundance Vibration •... PREVIEW   ​

Herbal Journal

Disclaimer: I only started studying and working with herbs in earnest last year. My goal for this section of the newsletter is not to teach you herbalism but to share what I'm discovering along the way so we can explore plant medicine together! If you're looking for stronger resources to enhance your herbal knowledge, I recommend doing your own research to find a teacher or herb school that speaks to you -- the teachers I've been learning from lately are Katja and Ryn with Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism; Ayelet Hashachar with Doll Herbalism; Brunem Warshaw with Well Deep Remedies; and Khadija Khansia with Ayni Herb Farm.

Growing up in New York City, I didn't get the chance to spend much time down in the dirt, and I'm finding now that there's a funky disconnect between the connection I feel to nature and the discomfort I sometimes feel when I'm actually working with nature. I know I spent the last newsletter going on about how special it was to get to know the freshly harvested plants (and it was), but I also spent an embarrassing amount of time stressing over bugs and thorns and how tf I'm supposed to know if this plant is healthy and safe to ingest! I brought it up to one of my teachers and was advised patience (never my forte, thanks Aries stellium) and that I probably know more than my anxiety wants me to believe -- plants are all around us, even in the city, and if I just start paying attention, I'll start to understand what they're telling me. When my July CSA arrived, I made the conscious decision to let go of the narrative that nature = unpredictable = scary, and for the next few hours, I had the sweetest and silliest time getting to know this new batch of plants. I greeted the tiny insects that appeared on my workspace and carried them to the window. I plucked a purple flower from the borage plant and ate it, unwashed, savoring the sweet and salty flavor. I spoke to the plants as I worked with them and thanked them for their medicine, and gave extra love to the few leaves and flowers that I knew just by knowing were past their prime. When I felt my old anxiety creep up, I reminded myself that these plants (and all the bugs and thorns and brown spots that come with them) are my allies, not my enemies. How incredible that the intricate systems of the Earth can create powerful medicine and that we as humans can work with the Earth to steward those systems along. We all (the plants, the bugs, the Earth, the humans) take care of each other. In the weeks that followed, we visited my mom and my in-laws at their respective homes out in Pennsylvania, each with its own lush backyard. I found myself walking barefoot through the grass, greeting the bugs, helping in the garden, and approaching the natural world with an ease I've never known. This probably isn't the most relatable Herbal Journal entry and may sound pretty basic to someone who grew up playing in a yard, but this is the first time in my life that I've felt so in concert with the natural world. The unpredictability of nature, which used to make me so nervous, is now thrilling. Viewing the world through an herbal lens has given me that comfort and curiosity, and I am so, so grateful.

In other news: all of my elixirs, tinctures, and oxymels from last month are strained and ready to go, I have two new tinctures in the works, and I've found a new love for fresh spearmint tea. More on all of that next month when I've had the chance to work consistently with some of the medicine I've made! xo, Hannah

Upcoming Events

TikTok Live 8/8 Erika will be going live on her personal TikTok, @erikawasko, for a New Moon ritual and some free single card readings! Tune in from wherever you are at 7:00 PM EST on August 8. ​Click here to follow Erika and join in live: @erikawasko​

Lunar Faire ZODIAC 7/26 Before you ask, yes, Hannah is an Aries, yes, Erika is a Cancer, and yes, we have a lot of big feelings. And YES, we'll be bringing them all to Horseshoe Lake Park on Saturday for the Zodiac-themed Lunar Faire! The flyer says it all: drag shows, group spells, fire dancers, and tons of amazing vendors. Get your tickets here!

And as always... You can find all of our regular products and order custom spell kits and pocket altars at our Etsy shop! Or want to book a virtual tarot reading without those pesky Etsy fees? Just DM us on Instagram at @bonegardenapothecary!