Faery Queen & The Green Man Summer Solstice Ritual
From the Aurora Lights Circle (I included the link, ‘cuz I had one, but it’s dead )
Litha - June 21. Litha or Summer Solstice or Midsummer is the longest day of the year and celebrates the Sun at the height of his power. It includes the elements of Fire and Water for the sacred marriage of the God and Goddess and to acknowledge the need for the Sun and the rain to help the crops grow.
Activities for Litha:
- Play under a lawn sprinkler
- Have a picnic in a park
- Bless some water and then water the plants you planted on Ostara
- Decorate your front door with birch boughs, fennel, and roses
- Make a bird feeder*
Introduction to the ritual: In Ireland, the summer solstice was dedicated to the faery goddess Aine of Knockaine. In Wales & Britain, this was a time of Cerridwen and her magical cauldron. However, it was said in a great many places that this was a powerful time for faeries, elves & other supernatural beings. Today, Pagans believe that all the Little People are abroad in great numbers during this balance of Light & Dark. If you are on good terms with them, it's said that standing within a faery ring will help you see them.
It's an excellent time of the year to become friends with faeries and other such beings June & the Summer Solstice was considered the time of the Green Man and the Faery Queen in Northern Europe in particular. It's certainly a powerful Moon month for you to work on & strengthen your psychic abilities & contact with other realms of being. In the Mediterranean areas, this was a time of Pan & the Forest Goddess. Pan, with his pipes, enticed nymphs & maidens to rendezvous with him in the green woods for love & pleasures. The Green Man and the horned god Cernunnos may well be the Celtic version of the very ancient Pan.
The ritual: If possible, hold this ceremony outside at night. If you don't have a secure place, or have nosey neighbors, hold it inside a darkened room lit only by candles. Have ready fruit & flowers as offerings. You'll also need a green cord long enough to go comfortably around your waist. Have a few cookies to share with the faeries & elves. Dress in a comfortable robe. A garland of flowers is nice to wear on your head. At least have a vase of flowers near by. Either play a tape of flute or pan-pipe music or make the music yourself. Have beside you a chalice to Pan & the Lady of the Greenwood. Be happy & enjoy yourself, for Pan & the Lady don't like long faces & negative vibrations. Raise the chalice in offering, then take a drink. Chant:
"Strange music floats within the glade,
From reedy pipes that Pan made
The woodland god of Nature old
Has come back as the tales foretold.
With horned head and tapping feet,
I shall not fear him when we meet.
Great Pan is Nature at her best.
His soaring notes can give us rest
From care and worries, synchronized us with
the water, Earth, and skies."
Take some fruit & flowers to an eastern point. Lay them there & say:
"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Release your pleasant breezes
To blow sweet and fresh upon the land."
Take fruit & flowers to the South. Lay them there & say:
"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Let the tender sunbeams warm the Earth
And bring continued life."
Do the same in the West:
"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Bless us with refreshing, renewing rains."
Finish by laying fruit & flowers in the North:
"Great Pan and Lady of the Greenwood,
Let the seasons come in the proper times,
Both on the Earth and in my life.
Bless me with good things.
Let life's lessons not be harsh and cruel.
All hail Pan and the Lady of the Greenwood!"
Raise one end of the green cord and kiss it. Say:
"The Lady of the Greenwood is love and happiness.
Her consort bows to her will this night.
Great Lady, bless me with all good things
And make my life fulfilled and bright."
(Save the green cord to wear on other occasions when you contact Pan and the Lady.) Lay an offering of cookies at each circle-point beside the flowers,
always moving clockwise, and saying at each point:
"All you Nature spirits and faeries,
I welcome your presence and aid."
Relax and let yourself be open to communication with the Little Ones and the woodland deities. If you do a meditation, invite them to make an appearance during your quiet time. Ask their aid in protecting your property, home & pets. Some of the Nature spirits and faeries will stay in your home year round if they are made welcome. End your ritual by thanking them for joining your celebration.
*Nest Building – For the Birds
From Tori’s Mom - She does come up with some good stuff. (Per Mom "Once in a while)
Wash the bag that onions come in. Collect dryer lint (you know, the crap off the screen you hafta clean with each load) in it. When it is full weave a string thru the top. You can then hang it in a tree for the birds, for their nest building.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from `this blog.
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