Bibliography and Links
Summer Solstice, June 21st, Mid-Summer Celebrations
[Many people consider June 21st as the start of summer. Others think of June 21st as Mid-Summer being between May 1st and August 31. We are active gardeners and harvest many crops during this "summertime" period.]
June Events
June 21st Summer Solstice
Ancient Ways by Pauline Campanelli. Wonderful folk celebrations for the seasons.
The Art
of Ritual: A Guide to Creating and Performing Your Own Ceremonies
for Growth and Change. By Renee Beck and Sydney Barbara Metrick .
Astaru Holidays
Germanic and Northern Heathen Celebrations
A Book of Pagan Prayer
Calling the
Quarters, Casting the Circle, Magickal Protective Sphere, Creating
the Sacred Sphere
Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays by Laurie Cabot and Jean Mills.
Celebrating Lithia, the Summer Solstice
Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane to Mabon by Ashleen O'Gaea. A good
study of four spring and summer celebrations that is rich in details and ideas.
by Caitlin Matthews
Circles,
Groves and Sanctuaries: Sacred Spaces of Today's Pagans. Compiled
by Dan and Pauline Campanelli. Ideas
for creating
indoor and outdoor altars and sanctuaries.
by Kate Marks
Cloud Hands Blog Mike
Garofalo writes about Gardening, Tai Chi, Mysticism, Walking, Yoga and the
Eight Ways.
Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for all Seasons and Reasons by
Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart. This
is a valuable collection of information, poetry, rituals, songs, and craft
activities for seasonal celebrations.
Cunningham's
Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham
Dictionary of Green and Roman Mythology and Biography by William Smith in
1869
Dionysus (Greek) or Bacchus
(Roman)
Divination
Methods: Tarot Most Holy Day rituals include using some method
for divination: Runes, Oghams, Tarot, Gazing, or Signs. I use either the
Voyager Tarot or the Crowley Thoth Tarot.
Draioch: Rites of Celtic Sorcery. By Ian Corrigan
A
Druid's Herbal for the Sacred Year by Ellen Evert Hopman. Thorough
research on the uses and lore of herbs.
The Eight Seasonal Religious
Celebrations of NeoPagans
The Elements of Ritual: Air, Fire, Water and Earth in the Wiccan Circel by
Deborah Lipp
Exploring the Northern Tradition by Galina Drasskova
Fairies, Elves, Nature Spirits:
Lands Spirits, Alfs, Wights, Lars, Trolls, Dwarves, Sidhe,
Devas, Otherworld, Little Folk
The Green Man (Powers
of Spring and Summer): Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Information, Lore,
Myths, Role
Heathen Gods in Old English Literature by Richard North, 1997
High Days, Sacred Days in
the Year, High Holy Days of NeoPaganism
In
Nature's Honor: Myths and Rituals Celebrating the Earth. By Patricia
Montley.
July:
Quotes, Poems, Celebrations, Lore, Garden Chores
June:
Quotes, Poems, Celebrations, Lore, Garden Chores
Labyrinths:
Lore, Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotes
Lammas, Lughnasadh, Summer Festival, First
Harvest, August 1st
Land Spirits, Nature Spirits:
Fairies, Elves, Alfs, Wights, Trolls, Dwarves, Sidhe,
Devas, Otherworld, Little Folk, Ancestors, Ghosts
Months and Seasons
Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Verses, Lore, Myths, Holidays
Celebrations, Folklore, Reading, Links, Quotations
Information, Weather, Gardening Chores
Compiled by Mike Garofalo
Librarian of
Gushen Grove, Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.L.S., Red Bluff, California, aka
The Green Wizard
The Magickal Year: A Pagan Perspective on the Natural World
by Diana Ferguson
May:
Quotes, Poems, Celebrations, Lore, Garden Chores
Months of the Year: Quotes, Poems, Reading List, Links,
Garden Chores, Holidays
The
Mysteries of Druidry: Celtic Mysticism, Theory and Practice by
Brendan Cathbad Myers
Nature Spirits: Fairies, Elves, Alfs, Wights, Lars, Trolls, Dwarves, Sidhe,
Devas, Otherworld, Little Folk, Ancestors, Ghosts
Neopagan Rites: A Guide to Creating Public Rituals that Work. By Isaac
Bonewits.
Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner.
A Book of Prayer, Devotional Practice, and the Nine Worlds of the Spirit.
By Galina Krasskova and Raven Kaldera.
One
Old Druid's Final Journey - The Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove
Order of Bards Ovates and Druids.
The largest Druid organization in the world. A complete training program
in print and audio versions, discussion groups, library, extensive resources.
I am a member of this Order as a Bardic Grade student.
The OBOD celebrates the Eight Holy Days of NeoPaganism. I find their liturgical cycle and rituals to be
spiritually uplifting, wholesome, life affirming, earth centered, ecologically
positive, profound, polytheistic, and open minded. OBOD is more orientated
towards Celtic spirituality.
Oriental Religions
in the West. By Sir James Frazer, 1922.
Paganism:
An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions. Joyce and River
Higginbotham.
Pulling Onions
by Mike Garofalo
Red Bluff,
California. Natural History Studies at our Home and Gardens.
By Karen and Mike Garofalo.
Roman Pagan Holy Days, Seasonal
Celebrations, Religious Customs, Roman Pagan Hearth
The
Sabbats: A New Approach to Living the Old Ways. By Edain McCoy.
Sacred Circles
Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes. Photos of the Valley Spirit Center
sacred circle construction project.
Sacred
Fire, Holy Well: A Druid's Grimoire. By Ian Corrigan.
Sexual
Magic: Bibliography, Links, Quotes
The
Solitary Druid: A Practitioner's Guide. By Robert Lee (Skip) Ellison.
Solitary
Witch: The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation. By Silver
Ravenwolf.
The
Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess.
Rituals, invocations, exercises, and magic. By Starhawk.
The Spirit of Gardening
3,500 quotes, poems, sayings, and ideas about gardening, gardens, and the Green
Way. Materials organized by 150 topics; and a fully indexed collection
with a search engine. Online since 1999. Over 6MB of text.
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo.
Spring -
Quotes, Poems, Sayings
and Quips for Gardeners
Summer -
Quotes, Poems, Sayings
and Quips for Gardeners
Ten Great Ways to Celebrate Lithia
Valley Spirit
Sacred Circle, Red Bluff, California
Walkers
Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus.
By Caitlin and John Matthews.
Wheel
of the Year: Living the Magical Life. By Pauline Campanelli.
Wicca:
A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. By Scott Cunningham.
Wisdom
of the Elements: The Sacred Wheel of Earth, Air, Fire and Water by Margie
McArthur
Return to the Main Index on this Webpage
|
Summer Solstice - Table of
Associations and Correspondences |
|
|
|
|
|
Time of Day |
Noon, Midday |
|
Time of Life |
40's, Raising a Family, Career Focus |
|
Decorations |
|
|
Fruits |
Oranges, Apricots, Plums, Strawberries, Boysenberries, Blackberries |
|
Herbs |
Lavender, Rosemary, Chamomile, Fennel, Thyme, Rue |
| Flowers | Roses, Honeysuckle, Marigolds, Hollyhocks |
| Foods and Drinks | Water, Iced Teas, Beer |
|
Tools |
|
|
Goddesses |
|
|
Gods |
Apollo |
| Nature Spirits | Faeries, Phoenix, Thunderbirds |
|
Themes |
Renewal, Gratitude, Exuberance, Growth, Harvest |
|
Gardening Activities |
Chores, Pruning, Mowing, Weeding, Watering |
|
Animals |
Bees, Butterflies, Mosquitoes, Blackbirds, |
|
Colors |
Red |
| Watering, Pruning, Sweeping, Fireplace, Music, Food | |
|
Celebrations |
Bonfires, Fireworks, Weddings |
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General Preparations
Summer Solstice, June 21st
1. Working and meditating in the garden is an important facet of my spiritual path. I need to regularly reconnect with the earth and the summer season outdoors. I live in Red Bluff, California, USDA Zone 9, Northern Hemisphere. My late June gardening chores might be quite different from yours, depending upon where you live. Tend your garden daily. Water your garden each day. Weed your vegetable garden. Harvest squash, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables from your garden each day. Review your own lists of chores for June and July, and act accordingly.
2. Read about the Summer Solstice, and summer harvest celebrations around the world. Add notes and links to your webpages for good books, magazines, and webpages on the subject. See my bibliography and links above. Visit your local public library or college library to obtain access to books, media and magazines on the subject. Study about ancient Indo-European religions. I update my Months webpages on June and July.
3. Add some appropriate Summer Solstice songs, chants, prayers, reflections, invocations, or poems to your Neo-Pagan Craft Journal, Book of Shadows, blog, website, or Ritual Handbook. Write in your personal journal. Most spiritual seekers keep a notebook, journal or log as part of their experimental, creative, magical and experiential work.
4. Stay at home. Improve your home, backyard, or garden. Eliminate long driving trips. Do you really need to "Go" anywhere? Do you really need to fly by airplane to another country? Explore your backyard, neighborhood, local community, nearby city, county wide area, and regional area within 100 miles. Visit a local "sacred site." For us, for example, this could be Mt. Shasta, the headwaters spring of the Sacramento River in Mt. Shasta City, the Sacramento River at Woodson Bridge Park, a long walk in the forest below nearby Mt. Lassen, sitting on the shore of Whiskeytown Lake, sitting in my backyard in the moonlight, or visiting a beautiful church or college or park that is nearby. Watch a DVD on a spiritual subject, sacred place, or inspirational topic. Learn more about your local environment.
5. Read solitary or group rites for Summer Solstice celebrations available in books and webpages (see above). Create your own ritual for the Summer Solstice. Practice the ritual. Conduct the ritual at a convenient time for you, or your family and/or friends, as close to the day of the summer solstice equinox as possible.
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Quotations, Information,
Facts, Lore
Summer Solstice, June 21st, Lithia, Mid-Summer
Celebration, Sun-Day
Cloud Hands Blog
Eightfold Way
Process Philosophy
Virtue Ethics
"The sun is always a powerful, invincible image, whether it is the weak
illumination of the pre winter solstice, or the savage primal energy of
midsummer. Long before humanity developed written language humans must have
gazed in terrific awe at the reborn sun each morning, how it over came the
dangerous dragon of darkness that it sank into each evening, the provider of
light, warmth, sustainer of growing vegetation -life itself--this enormous solar
edifice quite clearly was one of the earliest forms of worship as man began to
fashion a supernatural interpretation of natural phenomenon from the daily
spectacle of the dying and reborn sun. Albert Pike makes the following concise
statement in his Morals and Dogma: 'To them [aboriginal peoples] he [the sun] was the innate fire of bodies,
the fire of Nature. Author of Life, heat, and ignition, he was to them the
efficient cause of all generation, for without him there was no movement, no
existence, no form. He was to them immense, indivisible, imperishable, and
everywhere present. It was their need of light, and of his creative energy,
that was felt by all men; and nothing was more fearful to them than his
absence. His beneficent influences caused his identification with the
Principle of Good; and the
Brama
of the Hindus, and
Mithras of the Persians, and Athom,
Amum,
Phtha, and
Osiris, of the Egyptians, the
Bel of
the Chaldeans, the Asonai of the Phśnicians, the
Adonis and
Apollo of the Greeks, became but personifications of the Sun, the
regenerating Principle, image of that fecundity which perpetuates and
rejuvenates the world's existence.'"
-
Christ, Constantine, Sol Invictus: The Unconquerable Sun By
Ralph Monday
"O most honored Greening Force,
You who roots in the Sun;
You who lights up, in shining serenity, within a wheel
that earthly excellence fails to comprehend.
You are enfolded
in the weaving of divine mysteries.
You redden like the dawn
and You burn: flame of the Sun."
- Hildegard von Bingen
(1098-1179), Viriditas
"Litha is a pagan holiday; one of their eight sabbats
during the year. Litha (also known as Midsummer) occurs on the summer solstice,
and celebrates the beginning of summer. The traditions of Litha appear to be
borrowed from many cultures. Most ancient cultures celebrated the summer
solstice in some way. The Celts celebrated Litha with hilltop bonfires and
dancing. Many people attempted to jump over or through the bonfires for good
luck. Other European traditions included setting large wheels on fire, and
rolling them down a hill into a body of water. The summer solstice is the
longest day of the year, and in some traditions, Litha is when a battle between
light and dark takes place. In this battle, the Oak King and the Holly King
battle for control. During each solstice, they battle for power, and the balance
shifts. The Oak King, who represents daylight, rules from the winter solstice (Yule)
to Litha. During this time, the days steadily get longer. However, during Litha,
the Holly King wins this battle, and the days get steadily darker until Yule.
For modern day pagans, Litha is a day of inner power and brightness. Some people
find a quiet spot and meditate about the light and dark forces in their world.
Some other observers, particularly those with children, celebrate this holiday
outside. Lastly, some observers choose to observe Litha more traditionally, and
they would hold a fire ritual. This might include a large bonfire, or a small
fire in a fire-safe pot in one’s house. Litha is also considered a good time to
practice love magic or get married. The pagan version of this ceremony is called
handfasting, and it includes many of the same practices one might find at a
wedding."
-
Lithia, Boston Public Library
June: Poems, Quotations,
Sayings, Lore
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Poems, Prayers, Rites, Liturgy,
Invocations
Summer Solstice, June 21st
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Mike Garofalo's Notes
My notes, observations, listing of local activities, and studies on the Summer Solstice, June 21st.
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Months and Seasons
Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Verses, Lore, Myths, Holidays
Celebrations, Folklore, Reading, Links, Quotations
Information, Weather, Gardening Chores
Compiled by Mike Garofalo
Return to the Main Index on this Webpage
© 2013, Green Way
Research, Red Bluff, California
Michael P. Garofalo, All Rights Reserved
This webpage was last edited, improved, modified or updated on June 8, 2021.
This webpage was first published on the Internet in April of 2012.
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Red Bluff, California
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