Happy Midsummer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and Midwinter in the Southern world

A time in both hemispheres to make renewed efforts where there have not been breakthroughs in peace, in defeating the pandemic, resolving industrial action, transport chaos, easing cost of living hikes and poverty and reaching out for opportunities to come together nationally and worldwide, as the sun reveals her glorious light show

The Solstice opens a window of light in both hemispheres and restores promise by seizing those energies and not letting them fade.

Happy Solstice and may light shine or return to our lives

Try this around Solstice morn or eve for seven consecutive days.

You will need:

A long green cord or ribbon.

The Ritual:

• On day 1 tie the first knot in your cord or ribbon, moving over the coming days from the bottom to the top of the cord and tying knots at equal intervals, saying Today I bind good fortune in.

• On day 2 tie the second knot, saying, That I will have the power to win.

• On Day 3 tie the third, saying, That happiness prospers and shines once more.

• On Day 4 tie the fourth, saying, And good luck knocks upon my door

• On Day 5 tie the fifth, saying, So ventures and adventures grow by the score

• On Day 6, tie the sixth, saying, Achievement following the more I strive.

• On Day 7, tie the seventh, saying, That good times will grow, flourish and thrive.

• Hang the cord inside the front door and when you need a boost in happiness, healing or good luck, touch each knot, saying its words.

• Every Midsummer or Midwinter six months ahead replace the old cord and burn it or bury the old one beneath thriving flowers.

Happy Solstice and may light shine or return to our lives

Happy Summer Solstice to my friends in the Northern hemisphere on June 21 09.13 UTC.

A time to reach out for your own power or maybe reclaim it at this sunshine festival of Michael, Archangel of the Sun, splendid in red and gold with a golden sword and the scales of justice. Make that leap of faith. You cannot fall or fail with Michael with you.

Be not sad, says the I Ching, be as the sun at midday and look forward in anticipation of good times and do not waste precious moments worrying that happiness or love may not last. For there is still plenty of sunshine ahead. If the day is grey we can make our own sun by spreading kindness, humour and optimism to all we meet. Make each day meaningful no matter how hard by one small act to make yourself happy and use the Midsummer impetus to forge the changes you desire so by Midwinter you are more secure and fulfilled.

Focus: Power, joy and courage, male potency, success, marriage, fertility of all kinds, especially for older women, for people approaching middle age; for happiness, strength, energy, self-confidence, identity, health, generating your own wealth and career progress; also for maximising opportunities, seizing chances without worrying about the future we can try to change and bring peace..

Midsummer power can be harnessed for tackling seemingly insoluble problems, for bringing light, life and hope, also for major global problems such as global warming, famine, disease and preventing cruelty.

Symbols: Brightly-coloured flowers, oak or redwood boughs, golden fern pollen that is said to reveal buried treasure wherever it falls, scarlet, orange and yellow ribbons, gold coloured coins and any gold jewellery that can be empowered at the festival, golden fruit or vegetables.

Incenses, flower and herbs: Chamomile, dill, elder, fennel, lavender, frankincense, orange, marigolds, rosemary, sage and sagebrush, St. John’s Wort, lemon verbena and vervain, any golden, red or orange flowers

Candle colours: Red, orange, gold

Crystals: Amber, carnelian or red jasper, sun stone; also sparkling crystal quartz spheres.

Festival Foods: Red and yellow fruits and vegetables, spices, honey, ham, butter and cheese, mead and red wine

The Summer Solstice in the modern world

• Make your Solstice water, the most potent Sun water of the year, leaving water in a gold coloured dish surrounded by golden-coloured flowers from dusk on the Solstice Eve until Noon on the Longest Day. This is especially healing and empowering and you can keep it in clear glass or gold coloured bottles to drink or add to bath water to give you energy and confidence. If you want to get pregnant rub the water on your womb and breasts.

• Set any small gold items of jewellery where the Solstice light will illuminate them from dawn till noon on Solstice morning to transfer the power of the sun at full height into your life as you wear the jewellery

• At any opportunity open your arms wide, palms outstretched and uppermost and breathe in the sunlight of Solstice power, drawing it upwards through your whole body. Sigh out alternately though your mouth any darkness, sorrow or fear and when you feel full of sunshine, say nine times slowly, I am filled with the light. I am pure gold.

• On the Summer Solstice, greet the dawn by lighting a lantern or torch just before sunrise, from an East facing hill or open space and extinguishing it as the first light rises. You can do this in your garden.

• Spend the day in the open air if possible and then say farewell to the Sun as it sinks, relighting your lantern to offer the sun power, as the slow ebbing of the year begins.

• Cast golden flowers or herbs into the air from a hill, a handful at a time, on Solstice afternoon, making empowerments for courage and achievement to the winds. Where they land and take root represents in the old traditions places of buried treasure or in this case revealing new or buried talents you can develop to realise your potential.

• Make a small sun wheel garden, either indoors or out using the flowering herbs of Midsummer vervain and St John’s Wort. Also good are yellow flowers and sun herbs such as frankincense, juniper, rosemary and saffron, arrange them in the form of a wheel and fill in the centre with tiny golden crystals or glass nuggets. You can breathe in the golden light from your living sun wheel and it will enrich the days ahead.

• Light sun oils, frankincense, juniper, rosemary, orange or benzoin or burn them as incense to bring the sun power into your home or workplace.

Happy Solstice.

Happy approaching Midwinter Solstice to my friends in the Southern hemisphere on June 21 09.13 UTC.

In the Southern world we can connect with the Australian Aboriginal creator woman, Waramurunggundj  who emerged from the sea and gave birth to the first people; carrying her digging stick and a bag of food plants, medicinal plants and flowers. Having planted them, she went on to dig the water holes. Then leaving her children to enjoy the fruits of her work, she entered a sacred stone so remaining present in her creation.

As the sun is reborn  at Midwinter we are reminded her creations are constantly renewed. And so can we renew our hopes and dreams for the future and with courage, patience and determination can make our world grow fruitful and peace .

Focus: For the rebirth of light and hope, for domestic happiness and security, family togetherness, anything to do with the home, property and financial security; for long term money plans, for patience and for accepting what cannot be changed; for very old people, for carers, for welcoming home travellers or estranged people and for restoring enthusiasm and health in those who are worn down by illness or lack of hope.

Globally this is a time for rituals of renewed faith in the face of despair and cynicism. for work to provide homes and shelter for people, birds and animals, more efficient and  humane welfare services; the regeneration of famine and war- torn lands.

Symbols: Evergreen boughs from trees or bushes, gold coins and jewellery, silver and gold ribbons, anything glittery, tiny- wrapped presents to be opened on the Solstice eve (a second excuse for Christmas fun)

Incenses, flowers and herbs : Bay, cedar, feverfew, frankincense and myrrh, juniper,, pine , rosemary, sage and all spices, poinsettias , scarlet and white flowers.

Festival Foods: Thick meat and vegetable stews, mulled wine, cakes with marzipan and icing, rich fruit cake and puddings to represent the fruits, grains and riches of the Earth Mother, traditionally with silver and gold charms or coins hidden within, dates, small oranges and figs.

Candle colours: White, scarlet, gold, purple for what is being left behind

Crystals: Amazonite, malachite, garnet, snow quartz, snowflake obsidian, opal aura

Rituals: In many different lands on Midwinter night, all lights are extinguished at dusk and the Crone Goddess (sometimes the Three Sisters of Mothers of Fate) in the person representing her invites those present to walk into the darkness with her, an act of pure surrender and faith that light will return.

Ways of Marking the Festival in the Modern world

• On the shortest day light as the day fades, either alone or with a group of friends or family, light from a small central gold candle a circle of white candles. lighting one from the other,

• Then say, I\we will walk into the darkness in total trust, knowing that the light will return.

• Extinguish the candles one by one round the circle in reverse order of lighting till only the central candle is alight

• Wait in the growing darkness, trusting all will be well and not worrying about the future.

• When you are ready, relight each candle one from the other beginning from the central gold one ,naming for each candle relit  what you\the person lighting it seek/s as enlightenment and the light you\they will offer the world in return

• Alternatively light a dark coloured candle on Solstice eve or the night of the Solstice day to represent the past that is gone or matters that now must be accepted.

•  Put salt in the flame. From it light a white or gold candle for the future and then extinguish the dark candle. Let the white or gold candle burn, allowing the cosmos to send what you most need.

• Make or buy small dried herb sachets or bath products for friends and family to say, I appreciate you.

• As darkness falls create a small fire outdoors or in a tiny metal pot and burn dried rosemary or sage in a big white candle embedded in soil from Mother Earth.

• As you toss on each fragrant handfuls or pinches of herbs into the fire or candle, name someone who cannot be with you and those causes dear to your heart that will benefit from the renewed power of the sun.

Happy Winter Solstice.