So many gifts this Midsummer! The frenzy balm was loved by all, the altar was stunning, the laughter, cheer and joy were much needed in these ridiculously stressful times and we enjoyed the bright summer sun, the warm, vivid evening sky and the passage of night. The most excellent occurrence of that day was stumbling across very recently (sans rigamortis) deceased moles.
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| The bone and ash sigil is the nine-fold sun. Each segment contained an offering or devotion tool. Roses are symbolic of life, and yellow is a color of joy in some cultures, mourning in many others, which I thought was nicely poetic for Midsummer. In each spoke of the sun-wheel, I left fruit treats for the spirits, incense, apricot liquor, candles (for the Shining Pair) and water- the blood of life. |
Moles are sacred to the earth’s oldest deities; they symbolize freedom from judgement, intuition, fearlessness, fluidity, the connection between the earth and the trees, and the qualities of being “rooted” and “grounded”. I absolutely love moles- always loved the way they work the earth, move swiftly in the ground.
Now what’s next? Lughnasadh is right around the corner and that is a holy day I NEVER miss! Why do I love it? Because the summer apples are dropping from trees then, the soil is baking to sandy dust and life is bursting. It’s one of the funnest fire festivals; with sweet scented bonfires built high on rock circles, sun disks hanging from the high-bough pine trees, apple tarts and rainier cherry bread loafs, tall grass effigies of the Burning God, and brass bowls of pear and plum for the First Fruits which is a special day for Pomona. Lughnasadh is a time of music, sacrifice and I look forward to it every year. Not sure what I’ll be doing that time exactly; I got invited to two rituals already by a couple of friends from my old job and both sound great.
The days are longer, the sun is higher, the moon is brighter at night and everyone in my department has planned vacation time… everyone but me. I wanted to take a trip to Ocean Shores again this summer with Andrew to gather fly agaric by the sea shore where it grows beneath birches and pines in the forest on the sand dunes They are not for ingestion of course, (they’re poison and I’m allergic to mushrooms) but to dehydrate and use in ritual. BUT alas, taking time off in this economy is hard to do. I hope to get down there though.
Me and Andrew went last year and it was amazing; sand and shells and smoking in the dunes and passing out on the beach, under the sun with bags of Doritos and bottles of beer between us. I like quiet time like that; no drama, no whining, no gossip, no nagging, no stress and BS- just me and him picking sand from our hair, wading in the cold Pacific waters and poking dead jellyfish with driftwood lol. Gods, please let me get some time off in August so I can go hang out at the beach with Andrew and the boys and enjoy some much desired male bonding lol.
I hope you all had a merry Midsummer or Litha or Solstice, and I hope everyone is looking forward to a summer of sunshine and tans ^_^.
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| Whew, skinning was hard enough, stripping off the capillaries and subcutaneous fat was a bitch.. |
