Midsummer/Summer Solstice

[milkeyedmender]

The Summer Solstice is right around the corner! What are your plans? Do you do anything special for the holiday? How important is this holiday to your particular path?

This will be the first time I really try and celebrate a pagan holiday.

I will celebrate the light, after work, lol..

It's probably one of my favorite holidays as I know it's leading towards my absolute favorite time of year, the waning. What draws me to it most, is that we are celebrating light at its death. 

Many blessings to every one of you.

[shadowsiren]

It's probably one of my favorite holidays as I know it's leading towards my absolute favorite time of year, the waning. What draws me to it most, is that we are celebrating light at its death. 

This is the reason I love this holiday as well. As a mom and a gardener I have a definite appreciation for summer but privately I long for long nights and colder days.

I'll be up early enough to greet the sun and make some small offerings to local powers and wildlife.
Then, m'lord Cerunnos has been indicating that he would like a shrine of his own so I'll probably use the day to do some general cleansing and kickstart moving shrine stuff around.

Will probably take my tiny people to the park in the morning and grill something in the evening for our meal - with fresh made chocolate zucchini bread for dessert because (once again) my zucchini plants are trying to single handedly end world hunger.

So a low key but personally meaningful, which is my favorite sort of day.

[Sefiru]

I tend to mark the seasons by calendar months, so I've already done my 'summer' thing ... which involved swapping out all of the decorations in my apartment.

It completely slipped my mind before, but my workplace traditionally celebrates the first day of summer by handing out free Dairy Queen sundaes to all employees. Nummy!

[Altair]

It completely slipped my mind before, but my workplace traditionally celebrates the first day of summer by handing out free Dairy Queen sundaes to all employees. Nummy!

Definitely ice cream today. And lots of music!

About 2 hours until the moment of solstice, and an hour and a half until dawn here in NYC. Happy summer solstice (or, for those in the Southern Hemisphere, winter solstice) to all!

[PanSoka]

Definitely ice cream today. And lots of music!

About 2 hours until the moment of solstice, and an hour and a half until dawn here in NYC. Happy summer solstice (or, for those in the Southern Hemisphere, winter solstice) to all!

Happy Solstice everyone!!

[PanSoka]

Happy Solstice everyone!!

Well I did not get up early enough to see sunrise like I wanted to but it was cloudy anyway. It’s been cloudy all day and we are expecting storms. I haven’t gotten a meditation/ritual space set up yet but I plan to start a Wicca year and a day book I have. I’m also going to a beginning knitting class tonight. As that will be around sunset and it’ll be storming there’s not much point in me watching the sunset but I can at least enjoy the storm today.

[Uneryx]

Happy Solstice everyone!!

Back atcha! I spent today a little lower-key than I initially planned, but really this whole week has sort of been focused on my current topic of study, the Fair Folk, so it's fine that I didn't do a bunch of things in one day.

I did  make sure to take my lunch at a time that enabled me to be outside near some nature at the day's meridian (1:14 up here in BC thanks to daylight savings), and spent a few minutes in quiet contemplation. Then I busted out the lemon lavender cake I made and left a slice underneath a bramble. When I got home, i spent some more time in contemplation and doing some divination. All in all, a good day.

Shorter days now mean that I have my favorite season to look forward to!

[milkeyedmender]

This is the reason I love this holiday as well. As a mom and a gardener I have a definite appreciation for summer but privately I long for long nights and colder days.

I'll be up early enough to greet the sun and make some small offerings to local powers and wildlife.
Then, m'lord Cerunnos has been indicating that he would like a shrine of his own so I'll probably use the day to do some general cleansing and kickstart moving shrine stuff around.

Will probably take my tiny people to the park in the morning and grill something in the evening for our meal - with fresh made chocolate zucchini bread for dessert because (once again) my zucchini plants are trying to single handedly end world hunger.

So a low key but personally meaningful, which is my favorite sort of day.

I am so with you on this.  I always have an internal struggle of loving warm summer days but still waiting for the first crisp night... and the feeling of magic sneaking in to our ordinary lives.


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[Oíche]

The Summer Solstice is right around the corner! What are your plans? Do you do anything special for the holiday? How important is this holiday to your particular path?

This will be the first time I really try and celebrate a pagan holiday.

My local group went to a stone circle overlooking the sea to perform a ritual honouring Manannán Mac Lir. I wrote the ritual and it went pretty well aside from the breeze blowing out the candle! Haha!

Today is St. John's Eve in Ireland, a traditional night for bonfires. I spent most of the day over in my parents' sunny back garden enjoying the sunshine and relaxing.

[TheGreenWizard]

The Solstice is at 6:07 AM EDT, on Thursday, June 21. Personally, I'll be working that entire day (and cannot take off), however, I will be conscious of the shift between Dionysos' two sides throughout the day - Dionysos Zagreus to Dionysos Bromios - as well as Apollo, both for the light aspect, and the fitness/health aspect.

Celebration wise... I'm going to start the day with working out at 5:30 AM, dedicate the workout to Apollo, and be super in tune with Dionysos by having a picnic in the park, and walking the trails near my apartment.

Just had to reflect on this post because I that day turned out that I called in sick, went to the doctor to get checked out, and then stayed indoors all day. As for the celebration... that didn't happen. Instead, I celebrated this weekend with my personal favorite: NYC Pride Parade. It was hot, it was energetic, and I enjoyed myself - hopefully Dionysos and Apollo did too.

[milkeyedmender]

Just had to reflect on this post because I that day turned out that I called in sick, went to the doctor to get checked out, and then stayed indoors all day. As for the celebration... that didn't happen. Instead, I celebrated this weekend with my personal favorite: NYC Pride Parade. It was hot, it was energetic, and I enjoyed myself - hopefully Dionysos and Apollo did too.

Ohhh did you see the fab five


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[Morbid]

Because it's a Thursday, I won't particularly do anything to celebrate on the actual day - work flow doesn't allow this.  But we are going to have a big bonfire the Saturday night after (6/23).  My circle is coming, friends, family, etc.  It will basically be an all day event.  Festivities start around noon, and will go on until the wee morning hours.  Until everyone either goes home or passes out.

Like TGW, I should go back and add to/reflect on this post.  This was the ORIGINAL plan, but my kid had something get pushed back a week to this past Saturday, so we pushed this back a week as well. 

[Altair]

Just had to reflect on this post because I that day turned out that I called in sick, went to the doctor to get checked out, and then stayed indoors all day. As for the celebration... that didn't happen. Instead, I celebrated this weekend with my personal favorite: NYC Pride Parade. It was hot, it was energetic, and I enjoyed myself - hopefully Dionysos and Apollo did too.

The March was fun. I normally enjoy the Pier Dance afterwards, but I couldn't get into the right mindset. Everywhere I looked it was pretty but sloppy, saucer-eyed messes shoving and pushing to get a centimeter closer to "KYLIEEEEEEEEEE!".

I was not amused.

[TheGreenWizard]

The March was fun. I normally enjoy the Pier Dance afterwards, but I couldn't get into the right mindset. Everywhere I looked it was pretty but sloppy, saucer-eyed messes shoving and pushing to get a centimeter closer to "KYLIEEEEEEEEEE!".

I was not amused.

  I read this entire post in your voice and am pretty sure I know what facial expression you're doing as well.  That said... I had to leave part way through because it was just too much for me. I'm really hoping that next year - when I turn 30, and during World Pride and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising - I'll be marching in it.

[Louisvillian]

I work the day of, so I'll probably celebrate on the immediate following Saturday.

Updoot on this: the Saturday adjacent to the Solstice was when my friends were moving, so I had to help them. But, hey, community effort, it's fine. I had to delay my feast by a week.
Which was this past Saturday. It turned out great, everyone loved the food. I made a chicken, barley, and leek stew based on an Anglo-Saxon recipe, a ton of roasted root vegetables, a whole roasted chicken, plum sauce (also based on a Saxon recipe), and oat bread. Mead was served, and poured out to the gods.