Celebrating Summer: Herbs of the Solstice
This Thursday, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will be experiencing both the Summer Solstice, and a Solar eclipse which will happen on this longest day of the year. Following in July will be a full moon hosting a Lunar eclipse as well. What implications (if any) this has for you may depend on your belief system, or your interest (or lack of) in astrological occurrences - it may have real, symbolic, or no impact. Regardless, such synchronicities have me thinking about the seasons, the cycles, and the celebration of the MidSummer Solstice all together. This is a time of mid-season for some, for others it means the first fruits or beginning of the harvest. It's a time of abundance and growth, as well as a time to see what isn't growing properly, and needs nourishment or healing.
The Solstice is also time for creative abundance. I think Beyerl says it best in a compendium of Herbal Magick, "Just as herbes are dependant upon the Sun's rays so, too, are our creative endeavors dependant upon a positive, divine radiance from our own inner self. There is nothing within our solar system which is not touched by the energy of the Sun itself." Metaphorically speaking, it's time to bring ourselves into the light, time to reach new heights, explore new ventures, and grow.
Perhaps it's not so unusual, really, that there are so many herbs specifically associated with the seasonal, astrological occurrence of the Midsummer Solstice. Each plant has its role to play in healing the body, mind or spirit. But this week, instead of focusing on the facts, let's look at them a little differently. Let's concentrate more on some of the wisdom and folklore of these small gifts from the garden, as we look a little more deeply at our own balance, our own mid-center. Let's reflect on more of the symbolism and ritual that have been associated with Midsummer, the Solstice, and the role of herbs at this time of year, and see how we can bring a little of their wisdom, folklore, fantasy and fun to our own spiritual fires this Summer:
(Note: There are huge bodies of folklore associated with different cultures and the Soltice, I only wish I could include them all! For this article, however, most of the information is derived from Ellen Everett Hopman in A Druid's Herbal, the herbs of Mean Samhraidh or the Summer Solstice; as well as writings by Scott Cunningham and Paul Beyerl).
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