Summer Solstice is upon us...
I thought it
would be good to share how I celebrate with my family.
There are 7
of us in our family, 2 teenage boys, 3 girls, myself and my husband. Although
the children/ teenagers join me in ritual and celebration I am the only
"official" Pagan.
I will wake
on Solstice morning at 4.30, I will dress and then wake those who are joining
me.
If staying
at home for ritual, we will meet in the garden, in our PJs around the fire pit.
I will have set up my altar before going to bed, with sunflowers, honeysuckle,
candles, fruit & veg that is in season. God & Goddess figurines, wishes
and hopes for the summer, planetary, elemental or colour correspondences.
We will
gather in circle, entering from the east to the beat of my drum.
I will then
call the quarters/ elements and gods or goddesses, although, the children do
like to help with this part! I will give a little talk about why we up at this
time of day to celebrate the Sun and his power, how our ancestors would have
celebrated, and our differences and similarities.
I will go
around the circle asking if anyone has anything they would like to add, a
story, a poem or just a few words of gratitude. We will then choose our
activity, which usually consists of Fimo god/goddess making, making smudge
sticks and or a meditation. We will then play music, sing or dance before
thanking the gods/ goddesses/ quarters or elements and closing the ritual
circle.
After ritual
we have a cooked breakfast, of bacon & sausages for the meat eaters and
kippers or mackerel and toast for me.
The we spend
the day having fun with the children, bike rides, walks trips to the park. In
the afternoon, we will prepare food and drink for our family celebrations in
the evening, as Summer Solstice falls on my Nana's birthday (she passed 5 years
ago, so we spend time as a family to honour her life and remember her) BBQ food,
a Jamaican curried lamb, chicken curry, BBQed fish salads, and fruit and of
course a little alcohol.
When the sun
is getting ready to set, we will light the fire pit and the children will be
settled inside in bed with a film whist the adults sit around the fire.
We sometimes
meet friends at a local lake before sunrise, around 30 of us, we will all bring
instrument to greet the sun with as it comes up. We would then finish with a
cooked breakfast, made on our camping stoves in the car park.
However you
spend your Summer Solstice, has a blessed day.
Gypsy Willowmoon
No comments:
Post a Comment