Celebrating Summer Solstice
Blessing of the Midsummer Queen + Island Solstice Sunrises
This week, we are welcoming in the Summer Solstice, followed closely by a Full Moon. What an auspicious time!
Welcome to all the new folks who subscribed after last week’s post on the Fool/Seeker tarot card. I had no idea there’d be so many of you. Thank you for being part of this community. I love the conversation going on in the comments of the Fool post and in Chat too.
We’ll be taking a look at the Magician tarot card next week, but today I want to welcome in the holy-day of Summer Solstice, coming up this Thursday, June 20th (followed by a Full Moon the next day).
For those of you who are new to my work, the following blessing and artwork above are part of a project I’ve been working on for quite a few years now. In it, I compare the eight holy-days of the Wheel of the Year and the eight lunar phases to life stages. An archetype or “Numinous Being” presides over each of the eight seasons. I taught a course based on this material twice called “Walking the Sacred Wheel” in 2022 and 2023. I share excerpts from this work-in-progess regularly in this Substack.
You may want to read the following piece aloud to yourself. Take a deep breath, sit back, and receive …
Blessing of the Midsummer Queen
May the blessing of Ripeness be upon you.
May your luscious body swell as you give birth to poems and prayers, paintings and political actions.
May you relish the tender flesh of a plump avocado and the sweet crunch of watermelon on a sweltering day.
May you realize your failures have as much to teach as your successes.
May your blood run hot, carrying you through long days of productivity and play.
May you fully embrace the sacred purpose that nourishes your soul and serves the world.I bless you with a bountiful crown of sunflowers, sage, and wild roses.
I bless you with a basket overflowing with fresh salad greens, tomatoes, and zeal.
I bless you with the exhilaration of a creative project that stirs your community to hope and action.I am the Midsummer Queen.
I bring us to the peak of every story.Go now, pause at the very top of the hill, and remember me.
When the moon reaches the crest of its full shining power, remember me.
When you dance at dawn to honor the sunrise on the longest day of the year, remember me.
When you are caught up in a creative frenzy and time disappears, remember me.
When you light the council fire at the center of the circle, remember me.
When you wholeheartedly love all that you are, both shadow and light, remember me.Go now, and know we shall be one.
Today, tonight, and forevermore.
— by JPC, from the Sacred Wheel Oracle, a work-in-progress
The Midsummer Queen is Maker, Lover, Nourisher.
Her season is the height of Summer, her lunar phase the Full Moon, her life stage the peak of midlife.
You’ll find her in the scent of wild roses and lavender, and in the splash of cold water on a sweltering day. Seek her out at the shoreline and in the bite of a juicy peach. Listen for her whispers on short sizzling nights.
Her heart is big enough to hold the whole world.
