Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough hearth,
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 stay their savours:
I have to go search some dewdrops right here
And dangle 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 Night time’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 time.
The astronomical second of Solstice is when the Solar strikes into the signal of Most cancers, at 4:50pm Thursday, Japanese time.
However as is the case with all of the Sabbats, the time for celebration isn’t primarily based on clock time, however on the indicators and energies that dance into our consciousness from the Mom of good timing – our beloved Gaia.
That’s why within the Southern Hemisphere, that is not Summer time Solstice, however the Yuletide celebration of Winter.
For a couple of days, Sol (the Solar) appears to face nonetheless (from the Latin sistere). For these studying this that stay above the Equator, tonight affords a really juicy second when the sluggish build-up of daylight climaxes and pauses. Then, the Wheel of Time turns, the traditional spiral dance of Gentle and Darkish reverses, and our daylight will wane, till they backside out at our Yuletide in December.
Concurrently, in all of the lands under the Equator, the daylight now start to extend and head in the direction of Summertime in December.
Midsummer’s Eve Magic
As we bid goodbye to Springtime, allow us to rejoice Midsummer’s Eve, this night time earlier than the Sabbat of Litha (Summer time Solstice). In addition to Samhain and Beltane, this is among the most magical nights of the yr.
There are Midsummer festivals held throughout the Northern Hemisphere, because it is among 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 proceed by way of this night time and into the subsequent day.
I counsel that in the present day, earlier than the blessed Spring maiden provides option to the Summer time Mom, you go exterior 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. Not solely is that this the climax of the Solar’s gentle, however on Friday, it will likely be the climax of the Moonlight, as we rejoice the Full Moon.
Dew gathered at Midsummer Eve is claimed to revive sight. And tonight, climate allowing, these of us who love our herbs will probably be out at midnight, harvesting the vegetation which can be sacred presently.
As an example, fern, which confers invisibility, was stated 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 hearth after which stored for defense and magic all year long.
In reality, any magical vegetation plucked on Midsummer Eve at midnight are doubly efficacious and preserve higher. Particularly, St. Johnswort, mullein, wormwood, yarrow, and mistletoe must be gathered both at midnight tonight or midday tomorrow, to make use of as a attraction to guard your home from hearth and lightning, your loved ones from illness, unfavorable sorcery, and catastrophe.
Simply bear in mind: You must by no means harvest endangered, careworn vegetation, and all the time bear in mind to ask the plant’s permission first — which suggests cease and LISTEN for his or her reply. After which honor their requests! The clever grandmothers additionally educate that it is best to by no means take the primary or final plant you discover, and all the time go away a thanks providing in return. A small sprinkling of natural tobacco, ripe compost, or corn flour is acceptable. Please don’t go away choices that may hurt animals or that flip into rubbish.
Talking of choices, vervain is ideally gathered at Midsummer, and may be burned in ceremony for giving thanks. For it’s on today that Pagans in lots of components of England rejoice 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.
The Litha hearth is the one during which it’s time to burn your Yuletide wreath and greenery (not the remnants of your Yuletide log, after all!), in addition to any previous amulets and charms that you could be want to get rid of (versus re-charging). The custom is to gentle the Midsummer fires at sundown tonight, when you stay someplace that Solar does really set. Then take turns together with your neighborhood and have a tendency the hearth by way of the night time.
At dawn tomorrow, dance, sing, and rejoice for the triumph of the Gentle has come.
On the Topic of Faeries
That is the time when nature is exuberantly alive and the Spirits of Nature are most lively. Equally to Beltane, that is when the edge between the worlds of people and the Shining Ones is vast open and beckons, making it one of the crucial magical occasions, when our non-human cousins are prone to be seen.
Particularly if you’re outside in the midst of the night time amidst your vegetation and herbs.
All continents and nations have tales of authentic people who find themselves not precisely human – predecessors of the tribes who got here after. These Outdated Ones are an historical race, cousins to people, however not human.
As an example, the southeastern band of the Cherokee nation, right here in North Carolina the place I stay, is aware of them as “the immortals,” “the Spirit Folks,” the “everlasting ones,” and “the individuals who stay all over the place, anyplace and eternally.”
Please be conscious — the Good Folks will not be wee, cherubic sprites on gossamer wings flitting about your backyard and granting you needs. They’re not Disney characters, nor are they your servants in any manner. In most cultures, there are some who’re benevolent to people, some who’re impartial, and others who’re vengeful and fairly harmful.
Sadly, the brand new faith was at ferocious odds with our previous alliances and tried to undo centuries of cooperation by demonizing them. The Truthful Ones are NOT evil. Similar to individuals, not all are pleasant or wish to be friends with you.
In Western traditions, these beings are an historical, mighty race who 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 stated 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 would possibly discover how these items align with the 4 Components).
It was from these cities that the Tuatha Dé Danann had acquired all their information, abilities and magic. Certainly they had been stated to be unmatched of their knowledge and sweetness. Lots 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 in the present day.
By the way in which, historically, 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 frequent time period. 
However out of respect, I might counsel that when talking about them, you utilize different phrases: The Good Neighbors, the Shining Ones, the Folks, the Sidhe, the Gentry, or the Truthful Folks, for example. Or if you realize for sure, you would possibly 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 Court docket, and many others.
The enchanted dimension of Faery has existed facet by facet with our human one for hundreds of years. It’s stated 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 our materialist, bodily sight, and the imaginative and prescient of the Folks grew to become misplaced to many people. However not all!
Shining Blessings for This Night time
There’s an excessive amount of lore concerning the way to contact the Sidhe on Midsummer’s Eve, if that’s one thing you dare to do. As an example, considered one of 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 lot of previous texts, there’s some debate about precisely which of them are being referred to. However one custom that I follow suggests lighting a cauldron hearth and sprinkling it with wooden betony (Stachys officinalis, often known 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 is just not all the time accessible for me, I’m typically obliged to forgo it, or substitute basil. In both case, I’ve not observed any discount in good impact.
Warning – it is best to solely burn this combination outside with a lot 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 beautiful herbs collectively is among the most pleasant, easy, and actually 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 time Circle
As our Southern Hemisphere mates did for us once we celebrated our annual Winter Solstice Sun Wheel ceremony, I invite all who at the moment are welcoming Summer time to hitch me tonight in lighting candles on a Summer time wreath of herb
s and flowers. As they honor their longest, darkest Yuletide night time, we be part of with them within the rites of the Turning Wheel, for it’s our flip to be the light-keepers, and help their progress now because the daylight returns to the Lands Down Below.
So, we hope, they shall return the favor to us in December.
Fare Thee Effectively, Spring; Come Thee Now, Summer time
Nonetheless you and your beloveds rejoice this magical night time and the Longest Daylight 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 effectively what we’ve got planted, bless the seeds of the brand new season, and collectively bid a young farewell to Woman Spring.
After this holy night time, we will open our hearts to truthful Summer time.
Blessed be!
