Fire

Celebrating Imbolc and 10 Easy Rituals to help you tap into the Energy.

Let’s talk about Imbolc shall we? Also known as Saint Brigid’s day. (Though you may be scratching your head and asking who she is and why to celebrate this day).

Imbolc is a Celtic fire festival celebrating the emerging life in the world around us as well as the Goddess Brigid who represents the fire of creativity, the protective hearth fire and her fire wheel all of which cleanse and purify. Imbolc is a celebration, because for those of us in the mid winter it promises us emergence, growth, renewal and hope and massive cleansing and purification. Imbolc is also the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox and occurs on February 1st. Okay Jenn, what’s that got to do with me?

Well whether you realise it or not your body is connected to the seasons, to the energy underneath you, around you, above you and in you. Imbolc is one of the seasonal changes on the Wheel of the Year. The Wheel of the Year is more than just the seasonal changes from spring to summer to fall to winter. It also encompasses the 8 holidays, or sabbats. Each of these holidays has its own energy and its own place in the cycle that influences. Imbolc brings us the burgeoning Spring energy that feels like a whisper or a possible promise.

I spent a lot of my younger years being raised on a sheep farm in Yorkshire and holy hannah! Imbolc was present with bells on!! Cow’s udders began to engorge with milk, ready for the first births of spring. The sheep would swell and look like fluffy balloons on toothpicks all waiting to lamb (and if you have never hung out with a lamb you are missing out!) Flowers were popping out on the floor of the copse and this was a time when farmers would prepare their fields for the first sowing and fishermen would return to the sea. All preparing and ready to expand and grow.

Imbolc is “Feile Brighde“, the ‘quickening of the year‘. The original word Imbolg means ‘in the belly’. All is pregnant and expectant – and only just visible if at all, like the gentle curve of a ‘just-showing’ pregnancy. It is the promise of renewal, of hidden potential, of earth awakening and life-force stirring. Here is hope. We welcome the growth of the returning light and witness Life’s insatiable appetite for rebirth.

It is time to let go of the past and to look to the future, clearing out the old, making both outer and inner space for new beginnings. This can be done in numerous ways, from spring cleaning your home to clearing the mind and heart to allow inspiration to enter for the new cycle. It’s a good time for wish-making or making a dedication.

Imbolc is traditionally the great festival and honouring of Brigid (Brighid, Bride, Brigit), so loved as a pagan Goddess that her worship was woven into the Christian church as St Bridget. She is a Goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft. She is a Goddess of Fire, of the Sun and of the Hearth. She brings fertility to the land and its people and is closely connected to midwives and new-born babies. She is the Triple Goddess, but at Imbolc she is in her Maiden aspect. Brigid represented the light half of the year, and the power that will bring people from the dark season of winter into spring, her presence was very important at this time of year.

So how to mark or celebrate this day? Easy. Think about it – fire, hearth, growth, cleansing (not that you have to do all of them by any stretch!)

Rituals:

Gather snowdrops if you have them!

Why? These are the first signs of Spring in the bleak of Winter. Their merry bobbly white heads remind us that all things can grow and flourish even if the conditions feel bleak. So pick a posy of snowdrops and put them on your dining room table and breathe in the promise.

Plant seeds!

I love this one, especially when doing it with the kids. Each seed you plant represents a hope or dream, and it really doesn’t matter what seeds you plant. I have planted beans in egg cartons and paper towel with the kids. I have put seeds that need longer to develop into small pots to allow them the growing time that they need before going into the ground. The key is intention and celebration

Make a Brigid cross.

These look like a fire wheel when they are woven, they are traditionally made from reeds, but if that isn’t available to you, use something else, straws, hay, pipe cleaners….. If you have no clue what I am talking about, come have a little looksee here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq0ci42PnLc

Candles

Light a shed ton of candles which represent the the Flame of Brigid and make wishes for your family and friends – the simplest form of candle magic.

Food, glorious food!

Cook a lovely meal, light candles, invite friends and celebrate the days getting longer and all the promises that are burbling in the earth.

Yoga!

In Celtic mythology Brigid was associated with an awakening hibernating serpent which emerged from its lair at Imbolc. Traditionally serpents were associated with creativity and inspiration – the powerful Kundalini energy of the Eastern Mysteries. Paths of earth energy were called serpent paths and at Imbolc they are stirred from their slumber. So stir your body, stretch and offer up in prayer pose what you desire.

Eat Cheese.

Ahhh, but not just any cheese. Eat Ewes milk cheese (and it is very delicious) as this is the beginning of lambing time!

Clean your House! (Seriously)

Start your spring off with a good thorough cleaning, and then follow that up with a spiritual cleansing. (‘Spring cleaning was originally a nature ritual’ – Doreen Valiente). Personally I love putting everything back where it’s meant to be, releasing the stuff that is no longer needed and then washing my floors with an essential oil mix of Rosemary, Geranium, Lemon and Sage. As I wash I invite the energy of cleansing and purification in.

Take a Cleansing Bath or Shower.

Imbolc is known as a time of purification and cleansing. A great way to incorporate this into your magical practice is to take a ritual cleansing bath. The purpose of a ritual cleansing is to not only clean the body, but also to cleanse the mind and soul. It’s a chance to meditate and reflect upon the things you wish to wash away–whether it’s a bad habit, negative feelings, or anything else. Thus, if bathing, pop a container of Epsom Salts in with the essential oils that make you feel cherished and soak. Remember to wash off under the shower with soap afterwards.

If in the shower, mix together sea salt, olive/avocado/sesame oil with the essential oils you love and then scrub yourself and as you do – see it anything that feels murky or mucky or not fitting just drop and disappear down the drain.

Crystals

If you have crystals around, how often do you work with them? When were they last cleansed? Crystals are part of Earth and they loved to be handled and given a purpose. So here are 7 crystals for Imbolc.

Amethyst

Peridot

Moss Agate

Onyx

Selenite

Moonstone

Sunstone

Personally, I put these in a glorious little bag, cleanse them (with sage), bless them and give them the intention of growth, expansion, purification and expansion. I then pop them under my pillow and sleep with them until March 21st (Spring Equinox).

So there we are delicious lovely, rituals that are easy (as ritual shouldn’t be a “To Do”). Wishing you a fantabulous Imbolc and that moment where you tap into your essence and be flooded with Hope, Growth, Expansion, Purification and Planning.

It’s almost Summer Solstice, Litha, Midsummer’s Eve! (So excited)

Jenny Heston · 6:00 am ·

Happy, happy glorious day gorgeous one! Solstice is coming, Solstice is coming! (Can you tell that I’m excited?) As I’m sure you know by now, I love celebrating most things – heck I will even celebrate a thunderstorm. However, I love, love, love Solstices and Equinoxes the mostest (and all the other celebrations).

Now you may be thinking – Jen what’s the big deal, what does it matter. Ahhh grasshopper it does matter, it matters very much. It’s one of the biggest celebrations on the Wheel of the Year. As we have been exploring for the last few weeks, we have been moving from Air (ideas) to Fire (Action and Passion) and Summer Solstice is the celebration of the sun, which is masculine and all about Passion, Action etc. Which if you think about it is kind of ironic as it also heralds what we know as the “hazy lazy days of summer”. Now if you have no clue about Summer Solstice or Litha as this celebration is called, as well as Midsummer’s Eve I will give you a quick and dirty and if you want to find out more, I have you totally covered. What is Litha (Summer Solstice) and how to celebrate it? (There are some yummy easy things to do to mark this glorious day).

Solstice comes from the Latin words sol, meaning Sun and sistere, meaning to come to a stop or stand still. On the day of the June solstice, the Sun reaches its northernmost position, as seen from the Earth. At that moment, its zenith does not move north or south as during most other days of the year, but it stands still at the Tropic of Cancer. It then reverses its direction and starts moving south again. The opposite happens during the December solstice. Then, the Sun reaches its southernmost position in the sky – Tropic of Capricorn – stands still, and then reverses its direction towards the north.

Summer Solstice (also known as Litha) is all about abundance, growth, expansion. It’s the celebration of the Sun! Think about it, the farmer plants the seeds in the cool of the Spring in the wet ground and as the Summer Solstice approaches things have sprouted and are reaching up as if they are doing a glorious sun salutation. It’s a time to watch the ripening and fruiting of the plants around us and our ideas. This is a delicious inner fire/power celebration that acknowledges the abundance that grows from tiny seeds.

It’s also a stupendous time for magick! I mean for goodness sakes even William Shakespeare wrote about it in 1596 in his play Midsummer Nights Dream (so that’s how long the magick has been around.) There is a line in the play that says “If we shadows have offended, think but this; and all is mended: that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear….” Midsummer’s eve was believed to be a time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest – a time of powerful forces and magical happenings, when fairies were thought to be about and at their most powerful. This otherworldly sense underpins Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the fairies use their magic and cause mayhem in the forest. The magic gets mixed and at one point, Titania, queen of the fairies, falls in love with Bottom, who is unwittingly sporting an ass’s head. But don’t fret – you won’t end up wearing an ass’s head (unless you really, really want to!)

So I was positively delighted to see two decks wanting to come play, which then in turn gave me an idea of doing a bit of a different reading, one that really marks this celebration. The decks that wanted to join in and bring their own glorious magick are The Oracle of the Dragonfae and The Faery Forest Oracle. So yes, this reading will probably be loaded with lots of magick, meaning and manifestation. Then it was time for the crystals and wow, wow, wow, so very cool to see who wanted to come. My large chunk of Citrine wanted to become a nest for moonstone, sunstone, chrysocolla and clear quartz (the crystals I am using in ritual on the morning of Summer Solstice) and then all the gorgeous smaller pieces of citrine and the clear quartz points wanted to come as well as the collection of rose petals that I had been drying for Thursday. So needless to say, this reading is going to be a tad longer than normal, which I think is totally appropriate.

I pondered a little more and received a glorious download for an amazing Summer Solstice guided visualisation. I do highly encourage you trying it out and if you feel inclined you might want to use it again on the morning of Solstice (Thursday).

If that doesn’t fit for you, that’s all good – just relax and start paying attention to your breathe and let your mind empty itself and be filled with glorious golden sunlight. Then when you are ready pick the card or cards that call to you, and of course you can pick more than one!

Did you remember to pick?

Ready to go have a look?

WU-WANG

In times of olde, they said that only those who were pure could connect with those like myself. That the virgin could connect with Unicorn. That the child could see the meaning of God. That the fae would truly see into your heart, and finding it corrupt, would never appear to you.

I am here to tell you that your heart is pure and wild and innocent. It is that you have forgotten how to see us, that you have been told that in order to see us, you must be perfect. That in order to see us, you must be mad, unclean, broken, and if you say you have seen us, you face being shunned.

I am here to say to you that we appear to those who have looked into their hearts and have seen beyond the woundings….because within you there is a wild and untrammelled heart space which is free of any taint. In that space we can enter and therefore, we can and we will be seen again. You were not born into this world wrong or sinful. There may be karmic markings, but you are no sinner, nor are you corrupt or unworthy. Foster that which is wild and pure and good with you, and we will begin to appear and come forth. You will feel us on the wind, in the water, see us in the fire and hear our voices emanating from the heart of our mother, the Earth.

You are a child of the Mother, call her what you will, and at your core you are one of the wild ones. That is my message for you.

AWEN

“Awen” translates to “divine inspiration” or “flowing breath”. It is a mystical force that offers us a moment where there is a sudden surge in newfound knowledge, inspired thought, the ability to awaken our dormant talents and a sense that before we were given the gift of Awen , we were like sleepwalkers.

Awen is a moment where life is forever changed, and once we drink of Awen, or feel it as a beam of divine light entering us and changing us, we can never return to who we were, and the world is never the same again. So having experienced what has taken place, you cannot pretend life can ever be the same. You have lifted the veil and you have seen the face of the Divine. You have drunk the elixir of the gods, and the faeries have offered you their greatest gift.

Awen does not stay – but the knowledge of what we have experienced in that moment changes us forever. So, now that you have had this life-changing experience and been given this incredible moment of inspiration, you can either pretend to yourself that life is without magick, or you can continue to embrace the magick in the enchantment of every moment. Now if you choose, you can become more fully alive – and while this is no easy path, it is one that is full of deep, joyful moments, true connections, and poetic, blindingly beautiful experiences.

Awen will come, from time to time, and you are so blessed for having had this most sublime and life-changing of all mystical experiences.

THE TIME GUARDIAN

The feelings you have, of time contracting and expanding, are real insights, not simply your imagination. Time is a living dimensional being, whose powers include the ability to devote more time to those of us who require it, and for time to speed up or slow down then it may be necessary, too. It is in this way that we are able to divine and travel through the threads and weavings of time, and move forward into seeing our future…in truth, we are already there. And much of who we truly are remains an echo. The time beings of the Dragonfae, of whom I am one, know this, and guard and protect you from confusion. Similarly, they can assist you when you require time to be created. If you feel you are short of time, send a thought message to me, the Guardian of Time, and I will send you all the help you need to meet your goals within the time you feel you have. Know that time is available to work for and with you; you need only tune into it as a dimensional reality, and connect with the time beings. Know that you are a timeless being. Know that you are dimensionally vast, that you are protected, cherished and loved.

If you work with time rather than trying to compartmentalise, control and define it, if we return to the lunar and solar and astronomical ways, if we celebrate the time changes apparent in nature all around us with the Wheel of the Year, then the time span we have will be richer and more joyful, our vocations will be discovered and we will no longer struggle to cram so much into our days. Because changing our perceptions is such a mammoth task, the Time Guardian is sometimes very tired, as the prevailing human mindset now is of time needing to be constrained and watched. He encourages us all to experience the natural flow of the energy we call time, and experience its multi-dimensionality. There is one simple way to work with him. Be in the present moment, more often.

THE TRICKSTER

Let me be a reminder to be true to yourself, to your own personal truths, to the code within your soul. Truly, at this time it is essential for you to let your conscience be your guide, and to live according to your own creed, with open eyes. Do not fool yourself into believing another person’s vision and ideas are more important than your own – question agendas, and be aware of people’s history. For at this time, there is one about you who is attempting to persuade you to their cause, to join them in what they see is a great task, but which in truth is simply a harnessing of your power to their agenda, which is not for your highest good.

All tricksters are charming and know exactly what to say to persuade you – but this is mere language. Their deeds will not match their words, and what you are agreeing to by joining with them will be a loss of your own personal dreams for the furthering of theirs. If you allow yourself to be coerced, cajoled, and manipulated at this time, it will weigh heavily on your very soul.

Be more wary than is natural for you at this time. Do not betray yourself, or ignore the warning signs, which are all about you. Do not foolishly give away your power, but exercise it, and weave a future that is truly the one you wish to create – one, which will provide you with honour, plenty, and the satisfaction of having been true to yourself.

DRAGONFAE OF REBIRTH

We are the ones who have seen you in those moments you humans describe as dark – the ones you so often wish to run and hide from, the ones you fear because you misunderstand their purpose, the ones you shun. Your loathing of your shadow has sometimes driven you to seek and ending. But a literal ending is not necessary. In every culture on this planet, old and new, there has been a ritual that lets you die to your old self, one in which the wise man or woman is guided through a journey to their own underworld. We too know of this underworld, as we dwell there from time to time, and here we are now, in this underworld, waiting for you to descend in order to be reborn.

Fear not your “dark” moments. For in the dark are the shadows, easeful rest and the deep knowledge of the heart and the soul. In this place the seeds you need to plant can flourish and what you feel are dark and “bad” thoughts are in fact manifestations of the desire to die to the self that no longer feels its true self to be captured in its outside form.

You are remaking your own soulself, and in this magick and ritual endarkenment lie the seeds of your reawakening and your own rebirth. We are with you, circling you and clearing and cleansing your energy. There is no beginning and no end, just the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Now, it feels like death…but it is a death to the old self…not a literal death. Do not fear. You are about to be reborn. Take heart and know that soon you will feel whole again.

SHE WHO LAUGHS

There is within your life now a great heaviness, an earnestness, and a sense of great gravity to nearly every situation unfolding. Yes, this is of great importance, and yes, there are consequences to consider. But it is time for you to receive the healing power of laughter, the power that lifts the darkness and releases energy that is stagnant, cold, and heavy from our energy field, indeed from our limbs and cells and hearts.

For you, this laughter is as necessary as surgery at this moment, as it will shake loose the cords strapping you tightly to burdens you no longer need to carry.

Let the light break through, and laugh – as without laughter, there can be no perspective, without laughter, there can be no movement forward, without laughter, there can be a sense of deep abiding resentment. Life this!! Let She Who Laughs begin to help you seek out moments, people, and situations that stir the sense of the ridiculousness within you, and let the healing and the release of laughter roll through you and lift away the pain at the centre of your being. Its time is passing. It will melt away with tears of laughter that fall and cleanse and free you from the past….For now, the sun breaks through, and your eyes shine once again with mirth and joy.

Welcome back to the world of delight, friend. It’s time.

THE PENDRAGON

I am He who is the hunter, the sage, the father, the provider, the protector. I am he who watches over his people and does his best for his family. I am He: your brother, your father, your husband, your son. I am sheer powerful masculine energy and I am the lover of the Goddess of the Dragonfae. Together we create wholeness, apart we wander alone and are more easily wounded, even destroyed. I have a role: to care for others, to use my physical strength and to use my attributes to fight for those I love. And I will do that. I am King and Emperor and God…and I care for you. Do not fear me: i would not hesitate to sweep you into my arms and hold you.

I love you, but know that my role here takes me away many times from all the love and playfulness that still lives inside of me. Trust in my actions. See the truth and choose a partner who is in action a strong and caring manly man. Think of some of your positive experiences with men this lifetime: from moments with your father, to times when a man has acted honourably. Now, from those examples, begin to allow more of that version of masculine energy into your life.

Gradually, let’s change your ingrained and sometimes negative beliefs about men…and when Pendragon walks in, he demands that you treat the men he sends your way with respect and honour….just as he will treat you in return. You will notice that ignoble men no longer have a place in your life and that you are no longer attracting them. Indeed, Pendragon wonders why you would waste your time with people who do not behave in a noble fashion, and he does not want you to be involved with men who behave deceitfully, who are fearful of their own power, or who take advantage of members of their own family or their partners.

THE FAERY NORN

It is time to be careful, precise, and considered about what you do and what you say. It is time to share wisely, to look around, very carefully, and to consider what patterns of your life will be going forward. It is time to do small and very precise things each day that will increase the stability in your world. It is time for the small, the everyday to be cared for, observed, and known, and for all the loose ends of life to be tied up, neatly, one by one.

There is clutter and some chaos about you. There is no blame in that, the Faery Norn knows, for all lives when well lived hold such things. But your job now is to begin to tidy up your life – to shape it and make it into a form that is more contained, more organised, and somehow for all of this control, more free.

For when you introduce the order, the chaos can no longer eat away at precious reserves of time, emotions are not squandered in the petty dramas that humans love to dally with, and you know what must be done, carefully, precisely, and with clear intent, to bring the next shape into your life.

Do this, and watch your fate simultaneously reveal and transform itself.

Wow! The cards really knew they were showing up for Litha in a big way! So gorgeous lovely, I hope you enjoyed and remember to take some time on Thursday to celebrate, it doesn’t have to be big, but mark the day and watch how your soul soars and your inner wise self giggles when you do. I personally will be by a wild ocean with glorious big waves and some of my most favourite people in the world. After this reading was done I had a little spark and so I packed up little bags of crystals and rose petals to give to the lovelies I will be spending the day with and they are free to do with them what they will. Offer them to the ocean, bless them in the sun or whatever works for them. So remember to laugh, enjoy and to get outside. Oh yes, someone asked me if it was okay for them to share the reading – of course. So again, thank you for all your lovely comments and stories, I truly treasure them. There will not be a reading next Monday as I will be driving for 14 hours! So see you in two weeks! Huge hugs and squeezes!

Summer Solstice, Litha, Midsummer’s Eve – What it is and how to celebrate.

Jenny Heston · 2:59 pm ·

What is Summer Solstice you ask and why the heck should I give it any attention? Mighty fine questions, so let’s go for a little explore. Solstice comes from the Latin words sol, meaning Sun and sistere, meaning to come to a stop or stand still. On the day of the June solstice, the Sun reaches its northernmost position, as seen from the Earth. At that moment, its zenith does not move north or south as during most other days of the year, but it stands still at the Tropic of Cancer. It then reverses its direction and starts moving south again. The opposite happens during the December solstice. Then, the Sun reaches its southernmost position in the sky – Tropic of Capricorn – stands still, and then reverses its direction towards the north.

On a purely factual basis Summer Solstice (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) marks the longest day of the year and the shortest night, it’s the start of the the lazy hazy days of summer. Kids are normally on summer break, families scramble to go on a holiday or camp, and a lot of time is spent soaking up the sun whilst hanging at the beach, playing in the water or hosting a summer bar-b-que. Summer Solstice both ushers in the warmest season and also a gentle reminder that the days are going to get a bit shorter. Even though the days feel longer, more languid and relaxed there is an underlying freneticism of getting outside, celebrating the sun as much as possible, as it will soon be gone. This year Summer Solstice occurs on Thursday June 21st.

Okay, so we have the facts, but what does it all mean? Summer Solstice (also known as Litha, or Midsummer Eve) is all about abundance, growth, expansion. It’s the celebration of the Sun! Think about it, the farmer plants the seeds in the cool of the Spring in the wet ground and as the Summer Solstice approaches things have sprouted and are reaching up as if they are doing a glorious sun salutation. It’s a time to watch the ripening and fruiting of the plants around us and our ideas. This is a delicious inner fire/power celebration that acknowledges the abundance that grows from tiny seeds.

At Stonehenge, (which was built over 5,000 years ago) the heelstone marks the midsummer sunrise as seen from the centre of the stone circle. In ancient times, the Summer Solstice was a fire-festival of great importance when the burning of balefires ritually strengthened the sun. It was often marked with torchlight processions, by flaming tar barrels or by wheels bound with straw, which were set alight and rolled down steep hillsides. The Norse especially loved lengthy processions and would gather together their animals, families and lighted torches and parade through the countryside to the celebration site.

The use of fires, as well as providing magical aid to the sun, were also used to drive out evil and to bring fertility and prosperity to men, crops and herds. Blazing gorse or furze was carried around cattle to prevent disease and misfortune; while people would dance around the balefires or leap through the flames as a purifying or strengthening rite. The Celts would light balefires all over their lands from sunset the night before Midsummer until sunset the next day. Around these flames the festivities would take place.

In Cornwall up to the mid 18th century the number and appearance of fires seen from any given point was used as a form of divination and used to read the future. So as we can see, this celebration has been around for years, upon years and has an intensity and a deliciousness about it.

So now we have facts, the meaning – how does one celebrate it? There is no right or wrong way by any stretch. However, here are a few simple ideas that aren’t overly complex.

Great the rising sun with some crystals. Energy Muse has a nice ritual for this.

Take a moment to offer up a prayer. If you have no clue what to say, here are a few ideas for celebrating Litha.

Move your body. Welcome the sun on this longest day with a couple of sun salutations. This is a simple Yoga flow that requires you just to be present and go as far as your body will allow you to go. If you are unclear as to what it looks like there are some great beginner versions on line and this will give you a glorious full body stretch (in a gentle way).

Make an altar. Pop some seashells, flowers, fruit and dried herbs on it and voila, you have created an altar. It doesn’t have to be big, or front and centre in your living room if that makes people around you uncomfie. Your altar could be those cool rocks you picked up over the last year all gorgeously stacked on your kitchen counter.

Eat outdoors. Whether it is your packed lunch at a park, or a family dinner at the picnic table. Eat outside and breathe in the green, the sun, the connection. Look at the plants that are near you whether they are wild rampant buttercups, or a gorgeous rose whose scent wafts to you on the breeze. Realise everything is connected, people, planets, sun and most certainly you.

Take off your shoes. I’m not saying you have to go barefoot for the whole day, but at some point, take off your shoes, let your toes wiggle in the grass or the dirt and just BE for a few moments.

Get your hands dirty. Plant something and if you try to tell me that it is too late I will call bollocks. It’s a great time to pop in more spinach, Brussel sprouts and a myriad of other things. So take a moment, grab a pack of seeds and as you pop them into a pot or the ground, set an intention.

Fire time. Have a bonfire, or a little fire, and if not a fire, light a candle.

Welcome the water. Get near water, whether it is sitting by a creek, a lake or having a dip in the pool. However, if you are living in a desert this could be a tad tricky, so in that case just pour some water into a little bowl and have it near your fire/candle.

Reset. This is a gorgeous time to use the energy of the Summer Solstice to burn away anything (and I mean anything) that no longer is who you are, or is serving your highest good. One year I had a photo of someone who had been incredibly toxic in my life, but still pulled the strings. So I took the photo, said a blessing, dug a hole and popped the photo in. Lit a fire and felt tons better!

Community. Invite a friend or 15 to celebrate with you. This is a fun celebration and festival and a pivotal time in the year. Invite friends over and have a potluck, a fire, a delightful natter, play music and celebrate your connection with each other.

There you go. You have now celebrated the Summer Solstice.

Wishing you glorious fires, connection, abundance and most of all fun!

Egg Charm for Beltane

Jenny Heston · 5:20 pm ·

Egg Charm For Beltane.

(Courtesy of Goddess and Green Man)

Think carefully what you wish for! The general rule of thumb is a brown egg for wishes involving animals and white for wishes involving people and plants, for example healing a sick animal, person or plant. Eggs with white shells are difficult to come by now as chickens are generally given feed which produces the desired brown shell, but in recent years some of the supermarkets are making white eggs available at this time of year so they are worth looking out for.

Blow the egg. Using a fat needle, pierce a hole in both ends of the egg, making one hole larger than the other. Using the needle pierce the egg yolk gently and swirl it around to break up the yolk. Place a small drinking straw in one end and gently blow through the other hole to help gravity do its work.
Paint Your Egg Talisman. When your egg has thoroughly dried out place it on top of a little mound of blue tack to hold it in place and you are ready to go! Choose a symbol to represent your wish – a heart for love, coin for prosperity, a candle for wisdom, whatever is meaningful for you. Or you can paint the whole egg in a corresponding colour – red for love, green for prosperity, purple for wisdom and so on. Another way to do it is to stick rose petals on for love, or feathers for fertility – again it is what is meaningful to you that is important.
When it is ready find a suitable place for it and prepare for it for hanging by threading a thin thread (embroidery thread, thin wool) through the two holes and secure it with a large knot, a bead, or even a matchstick at the bottom to hold it steady.
Clear your mind and focus on your desire for abundance/fruitfulness and its place in your life:

‘Little charm made of shell as I hang you here may all be well. May all things grow. May all things flow. Blessings for the turning of the Wheel.”

Use these words or any others that you are comfortable with – remember this is all about your intention.

Summer Solstice, What it Means and 9 Steps to Engage with It.

Jenny Heston · 4:49 pm ·

What is Summer Solstice you ask and why the heck should I give it any attention? Mighty fine questions, so let’s go for a little explore. On a purely factual basis Summer Solstice (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) marks the longest day of the year and the shortest night, it’s the start of the the lazy hazy days of summer. Kids are normally on summer break, families scramble to go on a holiday or camp, and a lot of time is spent soaking up the sun whilst hanging at the beach, playing in the water or hosting a summer bar-b-que. Summer Solstice both ushers in the warmest season and also a gentle reminder that the days are going to get a bit shorter. Even though the days feel longer, more languid and relaxed there is an underlying freneticism of getting outside, celebrating the sun as much as possible, as it will soon be gone. This year Summer Solstice occurs on Tuesday June 20th at 9:24pm PST. So for quite a few of us it means Wednesday.

Okay, so we have the facts, but what does it all mean? Summer Solstice (also known as Litha) is all about abundance, growth, expansion. It’s the celebration of the Sun! Think about it, the farmer plants the seeds in the cool of the Spring in the wet ground and as the Summer Solstice approaches things have sprouted and are reaching up as if they are doing a glorious sun salutation. It’s a time to watch the ripening and fruiting of the plants around us and our ideas. This is a delicious inner fire/power celebration that acknowledges the abundance that grows from tiny seeds.

In Cornwall up to the mid 18th century the number and appearance of fires seen from any given point was used as a form of divination and used to read the future.

So as we can see, this celebration has been around for years, upon years and has an intensity and a deliciousness about it. So now we have facts, the meaning – how does one celebrate it? There is no right or wrong way by any stretch. However, here are a few simple ideas that aren’t overly complex.

Move your body. Welcome the sun on this longest day with a couple of Sun Salutations. This is a simple Yoga flow that requires you just to be present and go as far as your body will allow you to go. If you are unclear as to what it looks like there are some great beginner versions on line and this will give you a glorious full body stretch (in a gentle way).

Make an altar. Pop some seashells, flowers, fruit and dried herbs on a plate, a tree stump inside or outside and voila, you have created an altar. It doesn’t have to be big, or front and centre in your living room if that makes people around you uncomfie. Your altar could be those cool rocks you picked up over the last year all gorgeously stacked on your kitchen counter.

Take off your shoes. I’m not saying you have to go barefoot for the whole day, but at some point, take off your shoes, let your toes wiggle in the grass or the dirt and just BE for a few moments.

Get your hands dirty. Plant something and if you try to tell me that it is too late I will call bollocks. It’s a great time to pop in more spinach, brussel sprouts and a myriad of other things. So take a moment, grab a pack of seeds and as you pop them into a pot or the ground, set an intention.

Fire time. Have a bonfire, or a little fire, and if not a fire, light a candle. Celebrate the sun by reflecting the sun with fire.

Welcome the water. Get near water, whether it is sitting by a creek, a lake or having a dip in the pool. However, if you are living in a desert this could be a tad tricky, so in that case just pour some water into a little bowl and have it near your fire/candle.

Reset. This is a gorgeous time to use the energy of the Summer Solstice to burn away anything (and I mean anything) that no longer is who you are, or is serving your highest good. One year I had a photo of someone who had been incredibly toxic in my life, but still pulled the strings. So I took the photo, said a blessing, dug a hole and popped the photo in. I then lit a fire and felt tons better!

There you go. You have now celebrated the Summer Solstice. How did it feel?

Wishing you glorious fires, connection, abundance and most of all fun!

Fire

Egg Charm For Beltane.

(Courtesy of Goddess and Green Man)

jennyheston

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