It’s Midsummer’s Eve, So Let Us Make Merry – We Dance This Night With the Magic of Faery!

Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.

The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits;
I’ll be gone: Our queen and all our elves come here anon.
The Fairy, from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Depending on your time zone, we in the Northern Hemisphere are on the cusp of the profound change that is Spring to Summer.

The astronomical moment of Solstice is when the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer, at 4:50pm Thursday, Eastern time.

But as is the case with all the Sabbats, the time for celebration is rarely based on clock time, but on the signs and energies that dance into our awareness from the Mother of perfect timing – our beloved Gaia.

That’s why in the Southern Hemisphere, this is not Summer Solstice, but the Yule celebration of Winter.

For a few days, Sol (the Sun) seems to stand still (from the Latin sistere). For those reading this that live above the Equator, tonight offers a very juicy moment when the slow build-up of daylight hours climaxes and pauses. Then, the Wheel of Time turns, the ancient spiral dance of Light and Dark reverses, and our daylight hours will wane, until they bottom out at our Yule in December.

Simultaneously, in all the lands below the Equator, the daylight hours now begin to increase and head towards Summertime in December.

Midsummer’s Eve Magic

As we bid goodbye to Springtime, let us celebrate Midsummer’s Eve, this night before the Sabbat of Litha (Summer Solstice). Besides Samhain and Beltane, this is one of the most magical nights of the year.

There are Midsummer festivals held across the Northern Hemisphere, as it is one of the oldest holidays of humanity.

At the North Pole, the Sun does not set at all, and throughout the northernmost civilizations, feasting, play, and merrymaking continue through this night and into the next day.

I suggest that today, before the blessed Spring maiden gives way to the Summer Mother, you go outside and taste the rich fruit that has come of Spring’s blossoming; feel the subtle shift as we reach the crescendo of the Light’s journey. Not only is this the climax of the Sun’s light, but on Friday, it will be the climax of the Moonlight, as we celebrate the Full Moon.

Dew gathered at Midsummer Eve is said to restore sight. And tonight, weather permitting, those of us who love our herbs will be out at midnight, harvesting the plants that are sacred at this time.

For instance, fern, which confers invisibility, was said to bloom at midnight on Midsummer Eve and is best picked then. The unopened fronds of a male fern should be gently dried over the Midsummer fire and then kept for protection and magic throughout the year.

In fact, any magical plants plucked on Midsummer Eve at midnight are doubly efficacious and keep better. In particular, St. Johnswort, mullein, wormwood, yarrow, and mistletoe should be gathered either at midnight tonight or noon tomorrow, to use as a charm to protect your house from fire and lightning, your family from disease, negative sorcery, and disaster.

Just remember: You should never harvest endangered, stressed plants, and always remember to ask the plant’s permission first — which means stop and LISTEN for their answer. And then honor their requests! The wise grandmothers also teach that you should never take the first or last plant you find, and always leave a thank you offering in return. A small sprinkling of organic tobacco, ripe compost, or corn flour is appropriate. Please don’t leave offerings that can harm animals or that turn into garbage.

Speaking of offerings, vervain is ideally gathered at Midsummer, and can be burned in ceremony for giving thanks. For it is on this day that Pagans in many parts of England celebrate the Day of Cerridwen, the ancient Celtic Goddess of fertility, and Whose most sacred herb is vervain. With green ribbons tied to trees and green candles lit on altars for Her, celebrants burn vervain in their cauldrons and Litha bonfires in Her honor.

The Litha fire is the one in which it is time to burn your Yule wreath and greenery (not the remnants of your Yule log, of course!), as well as any old amulets and charms that you may wish to dispose of (as opposed to re-charging). The tradition is to light the Midsummer fires at sunset tonight, if you live somewhere that Sun does actually set. Then take turns with your community and tend the fire through the night.

At sunrise tomorrow, dance, sing, and rejoice for the triumph of the Light has come.

On the Subject of Faeries

This is the time when nature is exuberantly alive and the Spirits of Nature are most active. Similarly to Beltane, this is when the threshold between the worlds of humans and the Shining Ones is wide open and beckons, making it one of the most magical times, when our non-human cousins are likely to be seen.

Especially if you are outdoors in the middle of the night amidst your plants and herbs.

All continents and nations have stories of original people who are not exactly human – predecessors of the tribes who came after. These Old Ones are an ancient race, cousins to humans, but not human.

For instance, the southeastern band of the Cherokee nation, here in North Carolina where I live, knows them as “the immortals,” “the Spirit People,” the “eternal ones,” and “the people who live everywhere, anywhere and forever.”

Please be mindful — the Good Folk are not wee, cherubic sprites on gossamer wings flitting about your garden and granting you wishes. They are not Disney characters, nor are they your servants in any way. In most cultures, there are some who are benevolent to humans, some who are neutral, and others who are vengeful and quite dangerous.

Unfortunately, the new religion was at ferocious odds with our old alliances and tried to undo centuries of cooperation by demonizing them. The Fair Ones are NOT evil. Just like people, not all are friendly or want to be chums with you.

In Western traditions, these beings are an ancient, mighty race who lived in the British Isles long before the Celts or the Anglo-Saxons arrived. They are believed to have descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann (the tribe of the Goddess Danu), a magical race who, in some tales, were said to have flown into Ireland in ships that descended from the clouds.

They came from four great magical cities — Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias — and brought with them the four Great Treasures; the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), the sword of Lugh, a magic spear, and the cauldron of the Dagda. (You might notice how these gifts align with the four Elements).

It was from these cities that the Tuatha Dé Danann had received all their knowledge, skills and magic. Indeed they were said to be unmatched in their wisdom and beauty. Many of the heroes, and even deities of the Irish pantheon are their descendants, as well as the Sidhe (pronounced “Shee”), the people of the hollow hills who are the Faery races of today.

By the way, traditionally, they are not overly fond of being addressed as “Fairies” by any spelling. I do so here so that we may understand one another using the common term.

But out of respect, I would suggest that when speaking about them, you use other terms: The Good Neighbors, the Shining Ones, the Folk, the Sidhe, the Gentry, or the Fair Folk, for instance. Or if you know for certain, you might acknowledge the particular branch of which you are speaking —  selkie, brownies, sylphs, the Nunnehi (one of the Cherokee terms), the Welsh Tylwyth Teg, the Duende, the Seelie and Unseelie Court, etc.

The enchanted dimension of Faery has existed side by side with our human one for thousands of years. It is said that there was once a time when our two worlds were one.

But legend tells that our human ancestors became trapped in the physical world. Humans became less and less aware of what was hidden just beyond our materialist, physical sight, and the vision of the Folk became lost to many of us. But not all!

Shining Blessings for This Night

There is a great deal of lore regarding how to contact the Sidhe on Midsummer’s Eve, if that is something you dare to do. For instance, one of my favorite rituals is based on The Greater Key of Solomon, which contains instructions for making an aspergillum using nine holy herbs.

Mentioned in a number of old texts, there is some debate about exactly which ones are being referred to. But one tradition that I practice suggests lighting a cauldron fire and sprinkling it with wood betony (Stachys officinalis, also known as bishopswort), chamomile, either chervil, fennel or lavender, lemon balm, mullein, rue, St. John’s wort, thyme and vervain.

Because wood betony is not always available for me, I am often obliged to forgo it, or substitute basil. In either case, I have not noticed any reduction in good effect.

Caution – you should only burn this mixture outdoors with lots of ventilation; and people with sensitivities or women who may be pregnant should avoid this powerful smoke.

But otherwise, burning these lovely herbs together is one of the most delightful, simple, and truly fae experiences one can conjure! Scrying with the smoke is especially powerful, and in my experience, its magic is very enticing to the Shining Ones.

The Solstice Summer Circle

As our Southern Hemisphere friends did for us when we celebrated our annual Winter Solstice Sun Wheel ceremony, I invite all who are now welcoming Summer to join me tonight in lighting candles on a Summer wreath of herbs and flowers. As they honor their longest, darkest Yuletide night, we join with them in the rites of the Turning Wheel, for it is our turn to be the light-keepers, and support their progress now as the daylight returns to the Lands Down Under.

So, we hope, they shall return the favor to us in December.

Fare Thee Well, Spring; Come Thee Now, Summer

However you and your beloveds celebrate this magical night and the Longest Daylight tomorrow, take your sweet time, and feel the stillness, the mysterious opening that is between rising and falling. We stand on the sacred threshold, as the Light reaches its most intense and powerful.

Let us tend well what we have planted, bless the seeds of the new season, and together bid a tender farewell to Lady Spring.

After this holy night, we shall open our hearts to fair Summer.

Blessed be!