A Summer Solstice Gift

magic, mirth and mystery

Jun 20, 2024

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St. John’s Eve, Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton - 1875

On the hills, the John-fires burn

On the hills the John-fires burn.
Flickering flames now leap and turn;
Hand in hand, we all advance
To seek the warmth and join the dance;
Rise, too, my soul, enduring light,
And, flame-like, burn forever bright.

Les feux de la Saint-Jean à Bourron, Heseltine Arthur (1855-1930)

The Summer Solstice is a special day marked by our ancestors for many millennia; somehow, in our bones, we know we should pay attention to it. Unfortunately, we don’t make very much of it nowadays, with the exception of meteorologists mentioning it along with the daily weather forecast, so we’ve come to view it as a scientific fact. It is the moment that the earth‘s northern hemisphere is tilted at its maximum angle towards the sun, giving us the longest day and the shortest night. We call it the first day of summer.

As you can see from the paintings above, you’d have to go back at least to the mid-nineteenth century to find the last vestiges of country folk dancing around the bonfire on the summer solstice.

What are the John-fires all about?

Long ago, the Church converted the summer solstice celebrations into the festival of the nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24), which nicely bracketed Christmas since, according to the Gospel of Luke, the Baptist was born six months before Jesus.
This adaptation fits both the solar and water themes of the pagan festival. Like the summer solstice sun and the Oak King, John was destined to decrease (and was even decapitated), while Jesus was to increase.
John worked in water (the Jordan) and baptized people with water, whereas Jesus was baptized with fire and the holy spirit.
The water aspect of the celebrations related to water’s fertility and vital role in the heat of summer. People would dress wells, springs, and fountains with flowers, and inevitably, St. John became considered the patron of various holy wells, to which pilgrimages were made on Midsummer Day.
…Russian girls would float wreaths of flowers (often lit with candles) into rivers, and then endeavor to divine their romantic fortunes from the fate of the floating wreaths.
Young men might try to capture them in an effort to win the heart of the maiden who floated it. People also might bathe at midnight on Midsummer Eve.
In fact, in Russia, the name for the midsummer festival, Kupala, is after a midsummer goddess of that name, and comes from the Russian verb kupat, meaning “to bathe.”
~ Arthur George, Mythology Matters

Whatever you may think about Europe's gradual Christianization, at least our Christian ancestors retained the magic, mirth, and mystery of the holy days on the seasonal wheel. Our scientific and technological culture seems to have no use for this, much to its detriment.

I love leaning into the old ways and find deep satisfaction in blending the old, new, ancient, and modern. One way to do that is through ritual. Crafting and enacting personal rituals is an art form in and of itself.

Honoring the Summer Solstice through personal ritual

Ritual as Art

Consider making a sacred altar or meditative space in your home for the Summer Solstice and/or St. John's Day, whichever fits your needs.
You may want to include a candle symbolic of the traditional midsummer bonfires or a ring of candles symbolic of the Sunwheel.
A bowl of water (collected from a local pond, river, bay, rainwater, etc., or the tap) decorated with flowers.
Bring in any other art or objects that call in the symbols and atmosphere of the summer solstice season.
On the Summer Solstice, make sun tea by filling a large pitcher with water, adding your favorite tea (black, green, or herbal), and setting it outside in the sun to steep.

Plantlore for Summer Solstice

Cheery yellow St. John’s Wort in my garden

St. John's Wort (*note-Wort is an old term for "plant" especially one of a useful nature.)

St. John's Wort has been used in medicine for over 2.400 years. It was used in ancient Greece and prescribed by Hippocrates and others for insanity, among other problems. It was also used in the Crusades to treat battle wounds.

It is associated with St. John the Baptist. It was gathered and soaked in olive oil on St. John's Day to create an anointing oil called the "Blood of Christ.” It is said that the red sap "bleeds" in August, on the day St. John was beheaded.

The ancient name Fuga Daemonum (Scare Devil) and the Latin name Hypericum ("over" + "apparition") attest to its usefulness in driving away evil spirits.

The latter may also refer to the fact that it was hung over religious icons. It was also hung in the home and carried as a talisman, and it was used to protect from lightning strikes.

One legend says that if you step on a St. John's Wort plant, you will be stolen away by a faerie horse.

St. John's Wort was also used for the divination of romance and longevity.

St. John's Wort was hung over the beds of household members to divine their longevity. The sprig most wilted the next morning, indicating who would die soon.

Keeping a sprig under your pillow is said to grant you a vision of St. John, who promises that you will live another year. If no such vision comes, however…expect to die soon.

All of these should, of course, be done on Midsummer or St John's Eve.

St. John’s Wort is traditionally burned in the Midsummer Fires. Flowers brought into the house on Midsummer Day are said to protect the household from a myriad of misfortunes, including invasion by evil spirits, the evil eye, illness, and fire.

Mugwort (a useful herb and medicinal, but a highly invasive species and generally the bane of my gardening existence)

In Holland and Germany, the plant was considered sacred to John the Baptist, who presumably wore a girdle of Mugwort. The plants are gathered on St. John's Eve, June 23rd, made into a crown, and worn to protect from possession, disease, and general misfortune.

All varieties of Artemesia are sacred to the Goddess Artemis, who comforts (or kills) women in labor. Diana, through association with Hecate, is the Patron of herbalists and midwives. Mugwort is also associated with the moon, which in turn is associated with the cycles of womanhood.

Mugwort is feminine in nature and is associated with the elements of the Earth, Venus, and the Moon.

Summer Solstice Gift for You

On a hidden page just for Hedge Mystic Subscribers, you will find the Summer Solstice Exploration & Experience.

There, you will find out why the summer solstice is sometimes called Litha and the many gods, goddesses, and mythic figures associated with the Sun.

There is also a personal ritual video to help you celebrate, and it will inspire you to create your own summer solstice celebration.

Next, you’ll explore the myth of The Battle of the Oak King and the Holly King and the symbolism of the oak and the holly.

A section called The Nine Questions guides you through the process of pattern play using Tarot or Oracle cards for deep summer solstice illumination.

There’s an art invitation and journaling opportunity and an entire section on the spirit animals of the South, oriented toward the summer solstice.

Finally, there is a deep dive into inner work about your comfort or discomfort with shining in the world and being seen.

Sunshine and Summer Solstice Blessings to you!

Get it HERE»> Summer Solstice Exploration & Experience.

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