Summer is Coming

Summer is coming! It has been an unusually cool spring season for us here in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the occasional bouts of heat waves in between, which is why I'm looking forward to this Summer Solstice. 

That and for the first time in more than a decade (that's right, 10 years) I'm inviting guests over to celebrate it with me. Naturally I'm a little nervous, and when I start to worry about what I'm going to do and how the day should go, I remind myself that "I got this".

I'm planning a small feast and blessing, and pretty much a relaxed day all round, but I'm quite excited to be making it a special occasion with good friends. Of course I will be throwing in some milk and honey as offerings to the Faye, as well as a blessing for all animals and beloved pets (one of my favourite parts of the Summer Solstice rituals), and to finish it off I am setting up a small summer feast. My summer harvest is starting to grow in my garden, so it will no doubt be a really good "homemade with love feast".

I have also started to dry out a few smudge sticks as gifts for everyone, with the new year around the corner, it's a really great time to burn these to cleanse away the old dusty cobwebs of 2018 as we welcome the new energy of 2019. 

The only thing I have left to do is work out the day's schedule and how to go through the day, and although I might go about fussing about these things on the day, I have to say that I am really feeling good about it, because let's face it, the Summer Solstice is always best when spent with friends as we celebrate the Sun and the God on the longest day of the year, I can think of no better way of spending it. 

To finish I would like to quote this exert from Every Day Magic by Cassandra Carter

Litha - Summer Solstice - is the festival of the Sun's power, the longest day of the year. After this point, however, the year begins to wane. A good time to look at what brings light to your life and to think how you can nurture it, and yourself, as the darkness approaches.