The Celtic summer begins at Beltain when the strength of the sun is powerful enough to completely dispel the frozen reach of winter. It is when the material earth soul of the goddess merges with the spiritual sun soul of the god in the Sacred Marriage (see Beltain Bride blog). Since then the planet has warmed up considerably, nature is blooming and we humans are enjoying the sunshine. Summer is the time of village fairs, visits to the beach, walks in the countryside and holidays. Where I live on the south coast it is mostly a time of endless tourists and traffic gridlock.

 

The Sacred Marriage has turned sour for the Flower Maiden and the Sun King. Since becoming pregnant the goddess is now putting all her focus and energy on her unborn child and ignoring the advances of her husband who now spends his time hunting wild boar deep in the forests. During one hunt the Sun King comes across a beautiful woman gathering wild flowers and he becomes smitten with her. She is Grainne, the essence of fertility and despite being betrothed to the Stag Lord who represents the rebirth of the animals of the forest; she agrees to run away with the handsome youth later that day. When the Stag Lord finds out he arranges for an accident to happen to the Sun King that sends him back to the Otherworld. Feeling guilty that the unborn child of the Flower maiden would arrive in this world without a father the Stag Lord becomes the consort to the Mother for the rest of the summer, abandoning Grainne to live deep in the forest alone.

The Flower Maiden mirrors the abundance of nature that allows mankind and animals to exist on the planet, who for me represents the Celtic goddess of the Fire of the Forge and the heat of the sun, Brigit, the Queen of Heaven and daughter of the Father God Dagda.

It was Brigit’s energy I called upon in the early hours of Summer Solstice morning. A pink light bathed the grey Portland limestone quarry waste and cliffs as I excitedly waited for the sun to rise in the clear blue sky. Then the light became orange that heralded in the warmth of Brigit that always precedes the masculine energy of the sun followed soon after a small dot of yellow light over the Purbeck hills. The spark of light quickly grew as it rose clear of the land and into the cloudless sky that reflected its light across the calm sea towards me, making me feel blessed.

Hail and welcome!

There is 16 hours and 38 minutes between sunrise and sunset on the longest day allowing us to bathe in the presence and brightness of Brigit for a long spell.

As sunset approached I met up with my good friend Griff on the west cliffs of Portland overlooking Deadman’s Bay towards Lyme Regis. A cool sea breeze arrived as Brigit descended over the hills on the Dorset/Devon border to announce the imminent arrival of a new dawn; a new day of possibilities to the other side of the world.

 

Blessed Be!

 

Neolithic Solstice Weekend

 

Saturday

Once me and Therese had balanced and secured the camping gear on my motorbike we were soon on our way northwards towards Stonehenge with an invite to photograph the solstice ceremony for the Cotswold Order of Druids inside the great temple. We got stuck behind an articulated lorry on the narrow twisty roads between Blandford and Shaftsbury but made up the time thundering eastwards on the fast A303 reaching Stonehenge with plenty of time to change out of our biking gear and into our cooler pagan clothes; it was a hot day. The Cotswold Order and guests snaked its way past amazed onlookers and into the inner sanctums of mysterious ancient standing stones. The spirits of Stonehenge witnessed the mighty battle between the Holly and Oak Kings, entertained by the magical dance and music of the Hemlock Morris and blessed two handfasting rituals, heard readings and prayers from the circle that bathed in the energy of the moment and the warmth from the sun.

With another private ceremony invite tomorrow evening at the stones we had decided to camp nearby at the Bruce Arms near Easton Royal in the beautiful Vale of Pewsey for two nights. A place that was pretty much half way between Stonehenge and Avebury.

Sunday

We enjoyed the short blast on the twisty and pretty country roads to Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice in an evening ceremony with the Dolmen Grove, a more witch oriented pagan group than yesterday. A sinking sun flooded in between the western army of stones bringing light to the site that was mostly in shadow from which I found a welcome shade from the heat of our star. Drums and horns fed the dancing that blended with the earth energy from the stones, creating magick that allowed a healing spell for friends and relatives to be cast. Poppet magick was used to bring good fortune to those that needed it.

We left the stones as the sun was setting, creating bright seas of yellow and orange across the blue of the heavens. The ride back to the campsite was spectacular and a few ales in the Bruce Arms were bliss.

 

Monday

Rather than head straight back to Dorset we took a short detour a dozen odd miles northwest to the magnificent Avebury Circles. Its energy touched us as soon as we roared past Silbury Hill and West Kennet long barrow. The hot sun was nearing its apex when we pulled into the Avebury car park. I was feeling the heat and hunted down any shade I could find to keep cool. Therese meditated under the shade of a tree whose branches were adorned with many offerings. We enjoyed a coffee and chocolate cake in the cafe before heading off home to the fresh sea breezes of the south coast.

Hail and Farewell!

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