Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fireplace,
I do wander all over the place,
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the inexperienced.The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
Of their gold coats spots you see;
These be rubies, fairy favours,
In these freckles dwell their savours:
I have to go search some dewdrops right here
And cling a pearl in each cowslip’s ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits;
I’ll be gone: Our queen and all our elves come right here anon.
The Fairy, from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Evening’s Dream
Depending in your time zone, we within the Northern Hemisphere are on the cusp of the profound change that’s Spring to Summer season.
The astronomical second of Solstice is when the Solar strikes into the signal of Most cancers, at 10:57am tomorrow, Jap time.
However as is the case with all of the Sabbats, the time for celebration isn’t based mostly on clock time, however on the indicators and energies that dance into our consciousness from the Mom of excellent timing – our beloved Gaia.
That’s why within the Southern Hemisphere, that is not Summer season Solstice, however the Xmas celebration of Winter.
For just a few days, Sol (the Solar) appears to face nonetheless (from the Latin sistere). For these studying this that dwell above the Equator, tonight provides a really juicy second when the sluggish build-up of sunlight hours climaxes and pauses. Then, in a few days, the Wheel of Time turns, the traditional spiral dance of Gentle and Darkish reverses, and our sunlight hours will wane, till they backside out at our Xmas in December.
Concurrently, in all of the lands beneath the Equator, the sunlight hours will now start to extend and head in direction of Summertime in December.
Midsummer’s Eve Magic
As we bid goodbye to Springtime, allow us to have a good time Midsummer’s Eve, this evening earlier than the Sabbat of Litha (Summer season Solstice). Apart from Samhain and Beltane, this is without doubt one of the most magical nights of the yr.
There are Midsummer festivals held throughout the Northern Hemisphere, because it is without doubt one of the oldest holidays of humanity.
On the North Pole, the Solar doesn’t set in any respect, and all through the northernmost civilizations, feasting, play, and merrymaking are the order of the day.
I recommend that at present, earlier than the blessed Spring maiden offers method to the Summer season Mom, you go outdoors and style the wealthy fruit that has come of Spring’s blossoming; really feel the refined shift as we attain the crescendo of the Gentle’s journey.
Dew gathered at Midsummer Eve is alleged to revive sight. And tonight, climate allowing, these of us who love our herbs might be out at midnight, harvesting the crops which might be sacred at the moment.
For example, fern, which confers invisibility, was mentioned to bloom at midnight on Midsummer Eve and is greatest picked then. The unopened fronds of a male fern must be gently dried over the Midsummer fireplace after which stored for defense and magic all year long.
Actually, any magical crops plucked on Midsummer Eve at midnight are doubly efficacious and preserve higher. Specifically, St. Johnswort, mullein, wormwood, yarrow, and mistletoe must be gathered both at midnight tonight or midday tomorrow, to make use of as a appeal to guard your own home from fireplace and lightning, your loved ones from illness, adverse sorcery, and catastrophe.
Simply keep in mind: It is best to by no means harvest endangered, burdened crops, and at all times keep in mind to ask the plant’s permission first — which suggests LISTEN for his or her reply and honor their requests! The sensible grandmothers additionally train that you need to by no means take the primary or final plant you discover, and at all times depart a thanks providing in return (a small sprinkling of natural tobacco, ripe compost, or corn flour is acceptable).
Talking of choices, vervain is ideally gathered at Midsummer, and may be burned in ceremony for giving thanks. For it’s on this present day that Pagans in lots of components of England have a good time the Day of Cerridwen, the traditional Celtic Goddess of fertility, and Whose most sacred herb is vervain. With inexperienced ribbons tied to timber and inexperienced candles lit on altars for Her, celebrants burn vervain of their cauldrons and Litha bonfires in Her honor.
By the way in which, the Litha fireplace is the one wherein it’s time to burn your Xmas wreath, in addition to any previous amulets and charms that you could be want to get rid of (versus re-charging).
On the Topic of Faeries
It is a time when nature is exuberantly alive and the Spirits of Nature are most lively. Equally to Beltane, this when the brink between the worlds of people and the Shining Ones is vast open and beckons, making it one of the vital magical instances when our non-human cousins are prone to be seen.
All continents and nations have tales of authentic people who find themselves not precisely human – predecessors of the tribes who got here after. These Previous Ones are an historic race, cousins to people, however not human.
For example, right here in North Carolina the place I dwell, the southeastern band of the Cherokee nation is aware of them as “the immortals,” “the Spirit Individuals,” the “everlasting ones,” and “the individuals who dwell all over the place, anyplace and ceaselessly.
Please be aware — the Good People are not wee, cherubic sprites on gossamer wings flitting about your backyard and granting you needs. Actually, it was not till the 1800s that depictions of the Lordly Ones tacked on wings and began shrinking their bodily look.
Thus, they’re not Disney characters, nor are they your servants in any approach. In most cultures, there are some who’re benevolent to people, some who’re impartial, and others who’re vengeful and fairly sad with what people have been as much as.
In Western traditions, these beings are a mighty, and historic race of people that lived within the British Isles lengthy earlier than the Celts or the Anglo-Saxons arrived. They’re believed to have descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann (the tribe of the Goddess Danu), a magical race who, in some tales, had been mentioned to have flown into Eire in ships that descended from the clouds.
They got here from 4 nice magical cities — Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias — and introduced with them the 4 Nice Treasures; the Lia Fail (Stone of Future), the sword of Lugh, a magic spear, and the cauldron of the Dagda. (You may discover how these items align with the 4 Components).
It was from these cities that the Tuatha Dé Danann had acquired all their information, expertise and magic. Certainly they had been mentioned to be unmatched of their information and sweetness. Most of the heroes, and even deities of the Irish pantheon are their descendants, in addition to the Sidhe (pronounced “Shee”), the individuals of the hole hills who’re the Faery races of at present.
By the way in which, my understanding is that they don’t seem to be overly keen on being addressed as “Fairies” by any spelling. I achieve this right here in order that we could perceive each other utilizing the widespread time period. 
However out of respect, I’d recommend that when talking about them, you employ different phrases: Cousins, The Good Neighbors, the Shining Ones, the People, the Sidhe, the Gentry, or the Truthful People, for example. Or if you recognize for sure, you may acknowledge the actual department of which you might be talking — selkie, brownies, sylphs, the Nunnehi (one of many Cherokee phrases), the Welsh Tylwyth Teg, the Duende, the Seelie and Unseelie Courtroom, and so forth.
The enchanted dimension of Faery has existed facet by facet with our human one for hundreds of years. It’s mentioned that there was as soon as a time when our two worlds had been one.
However legend tells that our human ancestors grew to become trapped within the bodily world. People grew to become much less and fewer conscious of what was hidden simply past their materialist, bodily sight, and the imaginative and prescient of the People grew to become misplaced to them. Extra is the pity.
Shining Blessings for This Evening
There’s an excessive amount of lore relating to easy methods to contact the Sidhe on Midsummer’s Eve, if that’s one thing you dare to do. For example, one among my favourite rituals is predicated on The Higher Key of Solomon, which comprises directions for making an aspergillum utilizing 9 holy herbs.
Talked about in quite a few previous texts, there may be some debate about precisely which of them are being referred to. However one custom that I apply suggests lighting a cauldron fireplace and sprinkling it with wooden betony (Stachys officinalis, also referred to as bishopswort), chamomile, both chervil, fennel or lavender, lemon balm, mullein, rue, St. John’s wort, thyme and vervain. (As a result of wooden betony will not be available for me, I ordinarily am obliged to forgo it, however I’ve not seen any discount in good impact.)
Warning – you need to solely burn this combination outdoor with plenty of air flow; and other people with sensitivities or girls who could also be pregnant ought to keep away from this highly effective smoke.
However in any other case, burning these pretty herbs collectively is without doubt one of the most pleasant, easy, and really fae experiences one can conjure! Scrying with the smoke is very highly effective, and in my expertise, its magic may be very attractive to the Shining Ones.
The Solstice Summer season Circle
As our Southern Hemisphere pals did for us after we celebrated our annual Winter Solstice Sun Wheel ceremony, I invite all who are actually welcoming Summer season to affix me tonight in lighting candles on a Summer season wreath of herbs and flowers. 
As our pals honor their longest, darkest evening, we be part of with them within the rites of the Turning Wheel, for it’s our flip to be the light-keepers, and assist their progress now because the daylight returns to the Lands Down Beneath. So, we hope, they shall return the favor to us in December.
Fare Thee Effectively, Spring; Come Thee Now, Summer season
Nevertheless you and your beloveds have a good time this magical evening and the Longest Day tomorrow, take your candy time, and really feel the stillness, the mysterious opening that’s between rising and falling. We stand on the sacred threshold, because the Gentle reaches its most intense and highly effective.
Allow us to have a tendency nicely what we now have planted, bless the seeds of recent beginnings on this Cardinal sign of the zodiac, and collectively bid a young farewell to Woman Spring.
Tomorrow, we will open our hearts to honest Summer season.
Blessed be!
