Midsummer's Day ~ A poem

One year upon Midsummer’s day

I slept beneath an elder tree

And in my dream while I there dozed,

A faerie came to me

First tall then lithe, then short and stout

Then just like me was she

With pointed ears and gauzy wings

And then with none to see

A light of green surrounded her

I smelled her rosy scent

She spoke like silver bells a-ringing:

“Come see my land,” she said; I went!

Fiddlers played and pipers too

In rings of clover on the hills

I heard the drifting, lovely tune

And it overcame my will!

The faeries danced and ate and drank

As on their merriment they bent

I joined them in a circle dance

And danced till I was spent

When I awoke I was again

Beneath the stately tree

I looked around, but could not find

A one of all the sidhe

I’ve searched for all these many months

To find a Fae to take me back

But the magick of Midsummer,

It seems is what I lack

So I’ll be off to the Faerie lands

In June when the roses bloom

When I see clover rings on the hills afar

and I hear a drifting piping tune!
~ author unknown

Sunday this and that

Blessed Sunday all! Yesterday morning, I went to my dentist for my six month check up. Got my teeth cleaned and no cavities - yay! And since it was so gorgeous outside here, I went for nice long walk after I got home.

But first, I stopped by our local TJ Maxx on the way home and picked up these little items - a lovely faerie statue, a couple of bottles of non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider, and some chocolate-covered sunflower seeds ... 💜💛💚💙

For dinner last night it was chicken cacciatore with rotini and Italian bread ...

Even had some leftovers ... 😁

Midsummer's Day

One year upon Midsummer’s day

I slept beneath an elder tree

And in my dream while I there dozed,

A faerie came to me

First tall then lithe, then short and stout

Then just like me was she

With pointed ears and gauzy wings

And then with none to see

A light of green surrounded her

I smelled her rosy scent

She spoke like silver bells a-ringing:

“Come see my land,” she said; I went!

Fiddlers played and pipers too

In rings of clover on the hills

I heard the drifting, lovely tune

And it overcame my will!

The faeries danced and ate and drank

As on their merriment they bent

I joined them in a circle dance

And danced till I was spent

When I awoke I was again

Beneath the stately tree

I looked around, but could not find

A one of all the sidhe

I’ve searched for all these many months

To find a Fae to take me back

But the magick of Midsummer,

It seems is what I lack

So I’ll be off to the Faerie lands

In June when the roses bloom

When I see clover rings on the hills afar

and I hear a drifting piping tune!

~ author unknown

 

Solitary Midsummer/Litha-Summer Solstice Ritual

Items needed:

One tall white God candle

One tall red Goddess candle

Mistletoe (should be placed on the altar in a place of honor)

Holly (should be placed on the altar, but just out of sight)

Sandalwood incense

cauldron

cup of water

bowl of salt

4 white corner candles

God's Eye

One large bowl of water

10 tea lights, unlit

Triple Goddess candles (one white, one red & one black)

Triple God candles (one green, one yellow & one gold)

Faerie Dust

Altar decorations: roses, lillies and daisies (optional)

(If you have a pet or familiar, you may give him/her a special Midsummer Blessing or perform a Protection Spell in this ritual)

_________________________________________________________

(Cast the circle and call the corners in your usual manner then light the incense. Invoke God & Goddess)

INVOCATION OF THE GOD: (while lighting the tall WHITE candle) -

"I now do call upon the eternal God in the ancient way - as gentle Father and loving consort to the

 Lady. Send Thy spirit forth so that I,  your child, may feel your light within. As it is willed, so mote

 it be!"

INVOCATION OF THE GODDESS: (while lighting the tall RED candle) -

"I now do call upon the eternal Goddess in the ancient way - as Earth Mother and omnipresent consort to the Lord. Send Thy spirit forth so that I, your child, may feel your life within me. As it

is willed, so mote it be!"

"Blessed be this season of Midsummer,
 The Young Sun rides at his peak in the skies as the Goddess gives birth to the Summer Solstice.
 Today I celebrate the light, for tomorrow that light will wane -
 Today I acknowledge the end of the waxing year and the beginning of the waning time."

(Take your athame or wand from the altar and raise it in front of you pointing upward while saying:

"Farewell to the waxing year,
 Season of fertility and growth
 Farewell to the season of Spring
 and the time of planting -
 Blessed be the Oak King!"

(Make the sign of the banishing pentagram with athame or wand and say:

"Welcome to the waning year,
 Season of harvest and wisdom
 Welcome to the bounty of autumn -
 Blessed be the Holly King!"

(Make the sign of the invoking pentagram with athame or wand. Place it back on the altar and switch the mistletoe with the holly. The holly is the symbol of the Holly King who now reigns over the waning year).

Light the Triple Goddess candles:

While lighting the WHITE candle say -
"Blessed be the Maiden, innocent and fresh."

While lighting the RED candle say -
"Blessed be the Mother, fertile and loving."

While lighting the BLACK candle, say -
"Blessed be the Crone, powerful and wise."

Now, light the Triple God candles:

While lighting the GREEN candle say -
"Blessed be the Lord, gentle and kind."

While lighting the YELLOW candle say -
"Blessed be the Father, protective and warm."

While lighting the GOLD candle say -
"Blessed be the King, forever reborn -
 Behold the Lord and Lady are One!"

(Pour the bowl of salt into the cup of water then hold it upward with both hands and say ) -
"O Blessed Lady, fill this vessel with your holy presence that I might rededicate myself to you. Great Mother of the Earth from whom all life was born and born again, I stand before you today to acknowledge you as the giver of life."

(Anoint yourself with the salted water - with your fingertips, anoint your feet, heart then finally your head.  Repeat the following incantation) -

"Blessed Lady, innocent virgin, wise Crone and Great Mother, I present myself to you as your child, (CRAFT NAME), and ask that you accept my dedication to you. So mote it be."

(By the New Stone Age, about 8,000 years ago, stone circles like Stonehenge were used to mark the position of the sun and the Midsummer/Summer Solstice. The sun would rise over a heel stone and cast a long, phallic shadow into the heart of the circle, consummating the marriage of Heaven and Earth. Other circles mark the equinoxes and the cross-quarter festivals we know as Imbolg, Lughnasdh, Beltane and Samhain.)

"Today, I also wish to honor the Faeries of the Woodlands -
 Faeries, Sprites and Nymphs, I bid you come join me in celebration of love and life!"

Light the tea lights and place in the large bowl of water  (set outside after ritual if performed indoors). Now, take a pinch of the Faerie Dust - place in cauldron and burn. If you are incorporating a Pet Blessing or Protection Spell, now is the time to do so.

"I am a child of deity,
 I am part of the creative life force which moves the Universe,
 I am part of all that is -
Though we are apart, we are ever together
For we are one in the spirit of our Goddess and our God.
 Merry Meet, merry part and merry meet again -
 Blessed be!"

(Thank the deities, close ritual and open the circle - remembering to give back to the Earth afterwards).