Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice

by | Jun 20, 2024 | Seasons

Happy Summer Solstice!

 

At Summer Solstice, the Sun reaches the zenith of its annual journey. We celebrate the longest day and shortest night. It is a magical time: nature is blossoming. The veil between the worlds is thin: sprites and spirits easily cross between them, and we may even glimpse the little folk.
The young Sun-God Bel and the earth goddess are reaching their peak in ecstatic embrace, and all nature takes part in their rapturous exuberance.
At Summer Solstice, we honour the Gods and celebrate the life force in all its abundance. Corresponding to the Winter Solstice and the 12 days of Christmas, the Summer Solstice is also celebrated for 12 days. This is a twilight zone where magic happens. At this time of the year, the gods walk among us and hear our prayers. We ask for protection, health, and sustenance and pray that they may protect our crops from summer storms and fires. We bless the corn and the crops, the barn and the animals.

The herbs are now at their most potent, and we gather our annual supplies of St. John’s Wort, Mugwort, Verbena, Chamomile, Mullein, Grund-Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) and more.
Spiritually, it is a time to seek guidance by divination or retreat on a vision quest to hold counsel with the gods. At this halfway point of the year, we reflect on how things have been going for the first 6 months. Did we follow our visions and achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the year? Are we on track, or did we get lost in the tall grass along the way?
Are those goals still relevant? If you have veered off the path, now is a time to realign with your highest goals and adjust course so you can sail successfully through the second half of the year .
If you are unsure of your direction, this is a perfect time to seek divine guidance by vision quest, pilgrimage or retreat – whichever way allows you to commune with the gods and silence the noise enough so you can hear the whispers of intuition.
Above all, Midsummer is a time of gatherings and celebrations – revelling around bonfires, dancing, feasting, and merry-making. These 12 days offer a break from usual activities and encourage us to soak up that pure life force in all its glory.

Happy Summer Solstice, everyone!

Happy Beltane!

Happy Beltane!

by | May 1, 2024 | Seasons

Happy Beltane!

On May 1, we celebrate Beltane, the festival of spring.

Mother Earth is donning her lushest gown of flowers and blossoms, and birds are singing from the trees. The heart rejoices, and the spirit soars!

Beltane is the season of blossoming fertility, joy, abundance and creativity. We celebrate the sheer miracle of life in all its beauty.

The God and the Goddess embody the undying force of life, and they are in love. Nature mirrors their bliss. Their dance turns the land green and lush with every step. Every fragrant flower is a kiss and a blessing, a sign of their adoration.

We are invited to join them and share in their passion. Let’s celebrate life! Beauty, love, and merry-making are our rituals, and the energy is tangible.

Gardeners witness and partake in this magic as they nurture young seedlings. But even if you don’t have a garden, you can still participate – just tend to your inner garden! Pour energy into your budding projects, and you will experience a similar phenomenon – the magic of creativity.

The secret ingredient of manifestation is the love and nurture with which we tend to our seed ideas.

Take the time to reflect on Mother Nature’s generosity, and practice gratitude and mindfulness to attune to every nuance of this blessed season.

Photo credit: Image by Ronny Overhate from Pixabay

Spring Equinox

Spring Equinox

by | Mar 20, 2024 | Seasons

Spring Equinox is here, and it is time to ponder the miraculous power of regeneration. Persephone has returned to the upper world and life has re-awakened. Buds are swelling, birds are singing, and flowers are bursting forth. There is joy and exuberance – despite the suffering and sorrow we must witness daily.

At the Spring Equinox, light and dark are hanging in the balance. But from now on, with every passing day, the sun gathers strength. Mother Earth, violated and scarred by war, yet again, still dons her spring garment and slowly turns the land lush and green.

 

Spring Equinox – Focus on what matters most

The garden is calling, and the soil is eager to receive the seeds. Are you tending a garden? What will you be growing this season?

The garden can be a physical space or a metaphorical one. The inner world is also a garden that needs attentive care, weeding, pruning and nurturing.

In the home, it is time to clear out the winter dust. Spring cleaning, painting, and decorating are on the agenda.

It is also time for inner cleansing. Nurture the spirit and the body by boosting your energy and vital spirit with fresh vitamins and nutrients of early spring herbs. When the body is strong, so is the mind!

 

Spring Equinox – Celebrate life

Get ready for the season, invite the sunshine in and make the most of these fleeting joys! Life becomes infinitely rich when we walk mindfully and celebrate each flower or butterfly.

Focus on what matters to you and make your intentions clear. Life is precious and short. The power to make your garden flourish lies in your hands. Use it.

The Spring Equinox is a time of new beginnings. Let’s celebrate the mysteries of rejuvenation and eternal return.

Imbolc Awakenings

Imbolc Awakenings

by | Jan 31, 2024 | Seasons

Imbolc, the return of the light

Winter is still with us, although is now entering a moody phase. One day it is frosty, stormy, and inhospitable, and a couple of days later the sun pops out to tease us. But there is one sure sign that things are beginning to shift, ever so slightly – the days are beginning to get noticeably longer again.

Imbolc is the season of the light maiden Brighid, a virginal Goddess, who appears to us as the returning light. As the sun climbs just a tad higher in the sky, it adds a few minutes of light to each passing day.

Nevertheless, it is still the middle of winter. But, if you look carefully, the buds are beginning to swell. Some precocious little flowers defy all the odds. Some particularly perky ones are pushing their way through the snow, or old leaves:  snowdrops, winter aconite or dwarf crested irises are among the earliest and bravest. Unmistakably, the life force deep within the earth is stirring. Last season’s seeds are preparing to germinate. The wheel of the year is turning, and the sap is rising once more.

Purification and Fasting

Imbolc, or ‘Candlemas’ in Christian terminology, is the festival of growing light, of cleansing, and purification. It prepares us for Lent, the time of abstinence and fasting intended to purify body and soul.

In the past, fasting was a way of cleansing the body of the residues of heavy winter foods. Spiritually, it is an act of mindfulness and a way to prepare the body and mind for the spring and a new cycle of growth.

Envisioning the future

Imbolc is a time for visualizing in your mind’s eye the possibilities that lie ahead. Some people use divination, others use affirmations. Take some time out to prepare yourself for the challenges and opportunities yet to come. Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, on good and bad habits, and make a commitment to your soul’s journey.

What kind of nourishment does your soul need? What are your intentions and purpose? How do you want to give back to life?  Are you walking your talk?

Imbolc is a good time to charge the seeds with intention and to foster your inner flame. Take care of that light through the dark of the night. Soon the sun will soon rise and grow strong again.

 

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

by | Dec 21, 2023 | Seasons

Happy Winter Solstice, may your light shine bright!

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. The trees have lost their leaves, and all signs of life have retreated below ground. Frozen in time, the land lies barren. Barely rising above the horizon, the Sun only sends a few feeble rays of light. The birds have left on their long journey to milder climes. The Earth has entered hibernation mode.

And yet, we find cause to rejoice at these darkest times! Deep within the Earth, a tiny light is born! Fragile as a baby in its crib, the sun-saviour god returns.

We are on the threshold of a new cycle, not yet sure if the baby will grow. But where there is life; there is hope.

In the old days, the 12 days of Christmas marked a time, when the veil between the worlds is thin, and spirits pass through. The same is true of the 12 days around the summer solstice. Otherworldly beings are visiting us from beyond.

The Solstice is a time of reflection, of cherishing memories, and of gratitude.

It may not have been an easy year, but there are always things to be grateful for, and hope is on the horizon.

During this quiet space, we reflect on gratitude; on love and care, and on being there for one another. We dream about our ambitions for the year ahead and how to make things better.

The Winter Solstice marks a turning point with the promise of a new dawn.

Count your blessings and celebrate hope. The wheel of time is turning, and the light is returning. Let us cherish and protect this tiny flame of hope. When its fire grows stronger, life once more returns to Earth.

Samhain

Samhain

by | Nov 6, 2023 | Seasons

At Samhain, the Goddess retreats into the deep vault of the earth to join her dark lover in the Underworld. Life withdraws, and the landscape turns bleak, cold, and grey. The last fruits, nuts and berries still hang in the bushes, but most are gone. Few flowers withstand the season’s call until the frost kills them off. The birds have left on their journey to the south.
It is a melancholy time, but also a time to turn inward.

We mark this season by remembering those who have gone before us. Death is but a stage of the wheel of life. Far below the surface, the Goddess sheds her wilted gown. Throughout the winter months, she remains in deep meditation as she regenerates her vitality.

We face the cold and darkness as the Sun’s power wanes. Few of its rays can still warm us, and the days grow shorter.

Life and death are aspects of the same eternal cycle. There is no light without darkness, no life without death. Use this time to reflect and remember, to cherish the good and to let go of all that is worn and that wears you down. Concentrate your inner strength in contemplation – for soon, the wheel of the year will turn, and the Sun will be reborn.

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