Halfway Round the Wheel

The Summer Solstice is upon us - the high time of the sun, the longest day and shortest night. From this moment forward, the days will slowly get shorter, and the hours of the moon will lengthen.

In olden times times, summer was a joyous time of the year. The snow had disappeared; the ground had thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were blooming; leaves had returned to the trees. Some herbs could be harvested, for medicinal and other uses. Food was easier to find. The crops had already been planted and would be harvested in the months to come.

The first (or only) full moon in June is called the Honey Moon. Tradition holds that this is the best time to harvest honey from the hives.

This time of year, between the planting and harvesting of the crops, was the traditional month for weddings. This is because many ancient peoples believed that the "grand union" of the Goddess and God occurred in early May at Beltaine. Since it was unlucky to compete with the deities, many couples delayed their weddings until June. In some traditions, newly wed couples were fed dishes and beverages that featured honey for the first month of their married life to encourage love and fertility. The surviving vestige of this tradition lives on in the name given to the holiday immediately after the ceremony: The Honeymoon.

In my tradition, Alban Hefin is the time for checking in on the progress of the seeds that were blessed and planted at Alban Eilier and were now well on their way to bear fruit in this turn of the wheel, for better or for worse. Those seeds represent our hopes and dreams for this turn of the wheel, and as is often said, be careful what you wish for cause you might just get it.

So now is the time to evaluate, and see where the dreams are going - nourish them if need be - in some cases, trim them a bit and in others, well - sometimes you just have to dig it up and start over. But there's still time - there's still a chance to put the energy right, and guide the dream to fruition come the fall.

So this solstice I'm tending to my spiritual garden, and making time to guide my dreams on their path to fruition. Have you checked on your gardens lately?