Harvest Women’s Circle
with Tailtiu
A one-day harvest gathering for women, honouring what it took to become who you are now
Women’s Bone Deep Harvest Circle
Bone Deep Women's Circles are a series of seasonal gatherings where women embody ancient feminine wisdom through the Celtic wheel of the year. For each direction of the wheel we explore and embody the energy of a particular mythic figure: goddesses, legendary beings and archetypal stories that hold keys to our authentic power.
Now we turn to the West, the quarter of the first harvest, and to something different: not a six week series but a single day of gathering in. We journey with the Irish goddess Tailtiu, whose story is the harvest itself.
“Ruth holds space beautifully. The surroundings, the sounds, the smells, all comforting, lush and cosy. A group of strangers, all there for our own personal reasons, and that is powerful.
Subtle but intense inner work. There has been a real emotional shift in my day to day life. I now come from a heart space, from boundaried awareness, from love and compassion, for myself and for humanity.”
The first harvest festival of Ireland began as a funeral. Tailtiu, foster mother of the god Lugh, cleared a great forest so her people could farm and eat, and the labour killed her. But the rite raised in her name was not mourning alone. It was games. Every year at this season Lugh gathered the people in her honour, and there was feasting, contests, music and joy, held in the same field as the grief.
For one day, women will gather to harvest, honestly, what has grown in us. We will grieve what the growing cost. And then we celebrate: a shared table of food, and a climb up Troopers Hill, the way the first harvest was always marked on the high places of Ireland.
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Tailtiu (pronounced "TAL-tyoo”) is one of the great forgotten women of Irish myth: a Fir Bolg queen, a goddess of the land, and the foster mother of Lugh of the long arm.
The Woman who cleared the Field: After war left the land wasted, Tailtiu took up the work no one else would do. She cleared the wood of Cuan, cut the trees, broke the wild ground, and within a year it was open plain fit for the plough, so her people could farm and eat. The land was made fertile. And the labour killed her. She died on the ground she had cleared, and was buried there, and the place has carried her name ever since.
The Funeral that became a Festival: When she died, Lugh raised her no monument. Instead he founded the Áenach Tailteann in her name at Teltown in County Meath, an assembly held every harvest with a lament for her sung alongside the celebration. It became one of the greatest gatherings in Ireland: horse races and feats of strength, poets and music, trading and matchmaking, the first fruits of the harvest shared among all. Even warring clans sat down together, because a truce was held over the whole fair.
Why she matters now: Every woman knows something about Tailtiu. About clearing fields you never ate from. About making abundance for everyone else and working past your own edge to do it. She is the over-giver, the good girl, the one who fed everyone and ate standing up. Her story does not ask us to admire the sacrifice. It asks us to grieve it, honour the labour, and then choose differently: to sit down at the table, eat the bread, and play.
Her Season: Lughnasadh, the first harvest at the start of August, marks our turn into the West of the Celtic wheel: the season of gathering in, of reaping what was sown, of discerning grain from chaff before the dark half of the year.
YOUR LUGHNASADH DAY
The Reaping
A witnessed harvest circle: each woman names what has truly grown in her this year, and the circle witnessess it
Threshing and Winnowing
Embodied ritual to shake the harvest loose and separate grain from chaff: what is yours to keep, and what was grown for someone else's table
The Grief Rite
A short, held honouring: for Tailtiu, for the women whose labour went unmarked before us, and for what your own growth this year has asked you to let go. Grief and growth travel together; here, the grief is given its place
The First Fruits Feast
Breaking the first bread of the harvest, and a shared table of other vegan and gluten-free delights
The Hilltop Celebration
The old Lughnasadh gathering climbed to the heights for assembly, music and late berries. We will climb Troopers Hill and spend time on the land, with no pressure.
Seed-Saving
A closing circle and the Teltown vow: one seed carried into the dark half of the year, witnessed for a year and a day
This is not a workshop, and it is not a party. It is what Lughnasadh was in the old stories: a day that holds grief & joy together, because neither is whole on its own.
“I felt seen, heard, welcomed, and part of something bigger. I tapped into a sense of peace I hadn’t experienced since having my baby last April. This has been the best medicine.
I felt safe arriving just as I am, and I have never done anything like this before. My creative practice has really taken off since, and I have no doubt that is thanks to the inner work done here.”
YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THE DAY
A harvest that is actually gathered in, not left standing in the field:
Your year's growth witnessed and celebrated by women who understand
Clarity on what to carry forward and what to release before the dark half of the year
Grief honoured rather than carried silently
The felt experience of celebration as sacred work, not a reward you have to earn
Connection across this community
A seed, a vow, and a practice to carry into autumn
Part of a recent women’s circle altar
WHO THIS DAY IS FOR
This gathering calls to women who:
Recognise themselves in Tailtiu: the over-giver, the field-clearer, the one who eats last
Are ready to be witnessed in their growth, not just their struggle
Want to grieve what their labour has cost without drowning in it
May have forgotten how to play, and suspect that matters
Long to meet the wider circle of women walking this path
THE PRACTICAL DETAILS
When: Saturday 26 July 2026, 10.00am to 5:30pm
Where: St George, Bristol BS5 (full address provided upon booking). The day includes an optional gentle walk up Troopers' Hill for the hilltop celebration; an accessible alternative is always held for any woman who prefers to stay below.
Investment: £111 for the full day. £88 early birds until 31 June
Includes: all ritual materials, the first harvest loaves, vegan lunch, alongside teas and refreshments throughout, your seed to take home.
Group size: Limited to 8 women to keep it meaningful
Part of a recent women’s circle altar
“The critical takeaway was a new understanding of needing boundaries with myself, not just with others. I’ve become more able to articulate thought and feeling by tuning into my body and its holistic knowledge, rather than just intellectualising.
I love the way Ruth facilitates, moving between boundary setting and more vulnerable sharing. She models courage and open-heartedness with no bullshit, but lots of wisdom and humour.”
About Ruth, your Space Holder
A recent pilgrimage back to the NW of Ireland
I am a holsitic therapist, Celtic wisdom keeper, and space holder who guides women back to their authentic power through ancient practices and embodiment. My approach is deeply informed by my own journey of healing from trauma, chronic pain, and ancestral wounds through connection to my Irish heritage.
I weave together sound therapy, somatic practices, and seasonal wisdom to create sacred spaces where women can reconnect with their fierce, loving, authentic selves. My work honours both the light and shadow aspects of feminine power, creating permission for women to be fully themselves without apology.
FAQs
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This is one of the most common feelings women arrive with, and it tends to ease quickly. You will be among women who came for their own reasons, exactly as you have, and the space is held carefully from the first moment. You do not need any experience, any particular beliefs, or any words ready. You only need to come as you are..
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While we draw inspiration from Celtic wisdom, our practices are grounded in embodied techniques that benefit everyone. You don't need any specific cultural background or beliefs to participate.
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If you're drawn to reclaiming parts of yourself you've been told to hide, if you're tired of surface-level approaches, and if you're willing to explore both light and shadow aspects of yourself, you're ready.
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We'll have a brief 15-minute conversation to ensure this circle feels right for you, answer any questions, and discuss what to expect. It's about making sure it’s a good mutual fit.
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Sharing is always optional. While we create a safe, supportive space for those who wish to share, we respect everyone's boundaries. You participate in whatever way feels comfortable for you.
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Somatic practices and ancient wisdom work by regulating the nervous system, increasing body awareness, and helping you reconnect with your innate healing wisdom. This embodied approach allows for deep, lasting transformation.
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Please get in touch with Ruth and she will answer you in 2-3 business working days.
