Summer Solstice

Welcome to the 6th of eight solar festivals in Ireland.

Dia daoibh, and Bright Summer Blessings to one and all!

Greetings to all those in the Southern Hemisphere celebrating the Winter Solstice, keeping earth in balance.

Summer Solstice – Samhradh - is the five day period during which the earth pauses as it starts to reverse its six month downward nod (exposing us to the sun) with its upward nod (pointing us away from the sun).

From this tipping point the daylight hours shorten and we turn towards winter darkness.

Solstice exact time varies from year to year but is usually on or near 21 June.

Entangled with Summer Solstice is: St. John’s Eve - 23 June, Feast of St. John the Baptist - Féile Naomh Eoin - & Midsummer's Day – 24 June Symbols of Amergin & The Lady at Hill of Tara and some merry flowers in one of our Tara Solstice Displays

At Summer Solstice the rising sun appears to stand still on its yearly route through the heavens giving us the shortest night and longest day. This is a turning point, time for celebration and fulfilment before the harvesting and winter. We often have a mixture of weather, very hot, then cooling refreshing rain to follow. Everywhere the gardens look beautiful, with lots of bird visitors. Even the shy wood pigeons, who have paired up and have been around a long time, do not fly off when we appear. We sit and watch them with their young. It is nice to see all the different feathered friends around, even the cat doesn't seem to mind them. Think he is getting bit lazy nowadays! Insects and bees are busy collecting nectar and carrying pollen from open flower to flower. In the ponds tadpoles are developing quickly, born in Spring, now showing back legs and arm buds.

Everyone enjoys Summer's blossoms, bringing the seasonal energies of the natural world into our homes or to the divine and secular spaces in flower festivals, as at St Patrick's Church at Tara. This church stands on the site of the oldest known monument on the Hill, yet this is invisible to our eyes, it's imprint lying beneath our feet.

Recognised since antiquity as the hub, from here Tara's energies flow out into the surrounding countryside.

Wherever we are, out in nature, in our homes and gardens or at a sacred site, seeing the flowers, their colours, their exuberance, their perfumes, their life force active and luxuriant, our delight at nature's beauty is shared with each other and flows out into the landscape.

We are reminded that, although in the extreme of the longest hours of daylight, our path of balance is still maintained, in male and female, above and below, fire and water, sun and rain, that which is hidden and that which is revealed.

We welcome the warm, cleansing sun, the light that leaves nothing undisclosed, the energy that sustains life, bringing an abundance of blossom and fruit now and the promise of more to come as we journey to our next big festival, Lughnasadh.

Enjoy the longer hours of sunlight over the next few months, bask in the great outdoors where we can stroll peacefully or gather in a spirit of fun and community.

St. John's Wort: Valued by herbalists since antiquity this plant, like so many, has healing properties. However Ireland, along with several other countries, has banned over the counter sales following a report that people may suffer adverse side effects, especially when taken in a combination of drugs.

St John's wort has been used for treating several symptoms but is mainly recognised as a help for depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, anti-bacteral properties and as a sedative. There are many cultivars of the plant, the one used for medicinal properties being the Hypericum Perforatum. The name Hypericum is often attributed to a Greek origin suggesting that the plant had power over spirits and ghosts. They found the scent so obnoxious that they would be chased away from wherever the plant was carried or hung. The English name probably originates from the fact that midsummer is when the flowers are often at full bloom. When cut red liquid oozes out which was believed by some to symbolize the spilled blood of John. Wort is simply an Old English word for a plant or an herb.

St. Columba is said to have carried the plant with him on his missionary journeys. He was a devotee of John the Baptist and maybe it was a symbolic gesture. Although it may have been he was seeking the plant's protection from the devil and threatening forces.

St Fiacre and gardens dedicated to the Virgin Mary: The Irish name for hypericum is Lus na Maighdine Muire, which translates as the Sunflower of Virgin Mary.

This takes us to St. Fiacre (patron of gardeners) who dedicated his garden and Oratory at Breuil, France, to Mary. Said to be a descendant of Irish High Kings he was an anchorite monk in Kilkenny who became famed as a herbalist and healer. Overwhelmed by his celebrity bringing so many requests for healing he moved to France and set up a Hospice for travellers. His fame spread and needing more land the legends tell that he was granted by the Bishop as much land as he could drag his spade over.

This echoes the story of St. Brigid being granted as much land as she could spread her cloak over. He is celebrated at the National Stud in Kildare in a beautiful natural woodland garden designed as a Millennium project and opened 3 June 1999.

Some gardens are dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whilst others are only planted with flowers and trees named for Our Lady. These provide a beautiful, often enclosed, space in which to contemplate God's creation and in which to meditate and pray. Inspiration is often gained from Solomon's Song of Songs: 'I am the Rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys.' and ' Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices thereof flow.' Flowers are named after events in the life of Mary, such as Madonna Lily. It is said that the angel Gabriel held a lily, representing purity, when he appeared to Mary announcing she would bear the Christ. Roses and lilies were said to have filled Mary's tomb when it was opened by the Apostles and Thomas. In the 7th century Bede likened the white petals as symbolic of Mary's body, the golden anthers as symbols of the glory of her soul. The form, colours and scent of the flowers all provide a focus for prayer. Lists of Mhuire (Mary) flowers can assist in identifying such plants as Alchemilla vulgaris, Lady's Mantle, Bratog Mhuire or Cardamine pratensis, Cuckoo flower, Leine Mhuire, Mary's Smock'.

Knock National Irish Mary Garden. When the new Blessed Sacrament Chapel opened at the Shrine, the first public Mary Garden in Ireland was created by Anne Hopkins Lavin, shrine horticulturist. The design has representative flowers of Our Lady from all 32 Counties of Ireland arranged in beds around the church.

Abundance: At this time of year, beautiful flowers, lush foliage, soft fruit and tasty vegetables confirm the abundance the land held hidden earlier in the year. In the prolific wilderness of untouched nature bounty is everywhere. In our gardens, orchards and cultivated grounds, the reward for sowing our seeds at the right time in good soil, providing water and food, caring for seedlings, plantlets and saplings, brings flourishing growth. Similarly, in life, setting sound foundations and nurturing our offspring, projects or objectives also achieves realisation in the satisfaction of accomplishment and plentiful joy. We can happily celebrate this season of abundance.

Gratitude: When we open our eyes to the deep beauty that surrounds us a feeling of joy and contentment springs up.

Particularly in the summer season each sense is heightened by the strength of impressions received, the complete magnificence of a wonderful landscape or the delicacy of a flower's petals. We feel a wonder at the gift of being alive and our heart gives gratitude to mother earth, saying thanks for the day and for the times of bountifulness and wonder we share together with the sun and earth.

Peace: In the often over-stimulating and busy activities of summer we can find times of great peace. A visit to the seaside, so often filled with sailing, swimming, surfing, building sand castles and ball games, may also provide time and opportunity for a quiet ice-cream, watching the sea lap the sand and rocks, hearing the gentle swish of the wavelets fulfilling their eternal destiny of touching the land. Bees journey from blossom to blossom, wings beating, senses charged with the aromas of heavy scent, yet they too stop for a moment to drink the nectar hidden within each colourful flower. We stop to watch the glories of the summer sunrise or sunset, settle into a halcyon reverie, and understand the bliss of peace in the world and within ourselves.

Spontaneity: Unrestricted by winter weather constraints, of the need to keep warm, of lack of food, in summer we know much freedom. Yet we have to be brave enough to accept the uncertainty and spontaneity this brings, and enjoy whatever unfolds. Often when sharing a get together we unexpectedly travel in the surrounding landscape before arriving at the prearranged venue. Either through being lost or by traffic diversions we find ourselves on the 'wrong' road, travelling in the 'wrong' direction. This happened to a participant who was diverted by way of Slane and the Fourknocks area, before eventually arriving at the Hill of Tara for an event. Now that is a long distance to be in the 'wrong' place, but all was perfect, and the person enjoyed the journey. It was a spontaneous act of diversion from the primary destination If we can look upon those times in our lives when we seem to be on the unplanned path, at the most inconvenient of times, as an entertainment before the next event, our life becomes smoother and easier. Plans are made to be changed and sometimes you do not meed a plan at all.

Sun: The burning heat energy of the sun is symbolised in the flames of midsummer fires, which in turn is echoed by the prolific flowers in firelight colours of red, white, orange and yellow. The sunflower's head turns on its stem, following the sun's course from east to west, the light source that nurtured it into being. On one sunny day the branches of a large Monterey Cypress drew shadow shapes, a sun disc and dark patterns on its trunk.

Fire and Water: St. John the Baptist's Eve, the night of 23/24 June reminds us that this is a traditional time for visiting holy and sacred springs. In the heat of the high sun this water is vital to our, and all beings, survival. With the summer abundance of nature providing the necessary materials, people dress wells and fountains with flowers and greenery. Local churches arrange special masses and pattern days. Sometimes the well and building are so orientated that sunlight only lands on the water and energises it on these festival days. On the summits of hills, or at cross roads, communal bonfires are lit for all to gather and party. Just as the waters bear healing qualities so the ashes from these fires are sacred and taken home for good luck or scattered on the fields for fertility.

Head: In the Bible - Mark 6:14-29 - the story of how St. John the Baptist's head came to be served on a platter starts by his speech denouncing Herod: 'It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife'. We are then told that 'Herod, on his birthday, made a supper to his lords, and when the daughter (Salome) of the said Herodias (the wife) came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and then that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, 'Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee'. She went to her mother, 'What shall I ask?' And she said, 'The head of John the Baptist'. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother'.

The head is often identified as the seat of the soul. This carved head is at St. John's well, Warrenstown, discovered during restoration work in the 1940's.

Leaving the Near East and coming to Ireland, Wales and England, we have the story of King Bran. This Welsh name is usually translated as crow or raven. The Irish king Matholwch sails to Harlech in Wales to request the hand of Branwen, sister of Bran, in marriage. This would create an alliance between the two lands.

However, battle and treachery on both sides follows, and eventually Bran is mortally wounded and tells his followers to cut off his head. Miraculously this survives, able to talk to the people. Decades pass and eventually, they take the now silent head to the White Hill (Tower of London), where it is buried, some say facing north, others facing France, but always with the idea of protection for the country and to ward off invasion.

Ravens have lived there for centuries, as none would wish to break the tradition or chance luck if they departed.

The full versions of these legends are full of symbolism common to many other mythical tales. The talking head of King Bran may derive from the ancient Celtic cult of the head and perhaps these stories refer back to more ancient legends of a ritual sacrifice made to the midsummer goddess.

The place you cannot get to: Beyond... the Mysterious... The place you can't get to, that elusive place which we can touch momentarily, a smell, a breeze, a memory from another time. The land beneath our feet, ancestors, the future, our friends in faraway places would say you cannot see us, but we are still here. This is the place beyond the physical representation. It is said that thoughts have energy, so each of us, in thinking of his/her favourite place or landscape, may re-activate the source idea of it. We all have a where, don't we.

Hill of Tara: Up to the 1970's private owners of the hill had the right to collect six pence (pre-Euro) at the entrance gate.

Now Government owned and managed by the OPW (Office of Public Works) entry is free. When the sun shines and the birds sing, especially on Summer Solstice, many come to enjoy the views, to stroll or have a picnic.

People join with friends to celebrate the longest day of the year in their own way. Some prefer to be private, whilst others share the special experience that is the Hill of Tara, making new friends along the way.

It all starts at Sunset on Solstice Eve, 20th June, when the sun sets at about 9.50pm. The optimists go up to stand around the Lia Fail at this time, looking westwards towards the legendary underworld lands of Mag Mell and Tir na nOg hoping for the beautiful colours of sundown. At Sunrise on the 21st they return to greet the new day. Several will be drumming the sun around the Hill, many at 4am walking up the ceremonial entrance of the Banqueting Hall and up to the Lia Fail to watch sunrise. Whatever you decide to do, and however you spend the day, there is always a welcome from Tara.

St. John's Well, Warrenstown: Celebrated at Midsummer - St John's Feast Day - 24th June. There are several legends attached to the chalybeate (iron rich) spring. One that the water stops flowing at midnight on St. John's Eve, 23 June, and another that John the Baptist, in the Holy Land, struck a rock with his staff. The point of the staff came out at Warrenstown and the well gushed forth.

In times past large crowds flocked to holy wells and it is recorded that in 1708, the Irish House of Commons passed legislation to prohibit pilgrimages to St. John's Well. It was claimed that pilgrims jeopardised the public peace and safety of the kingdom. If any visited and prayed at the well, they were ordered to be fined, imprisoned and whipped. In 1710 the Lord Lieutenant issued this proclamation, "Whereas 10,000 papists riotously assemble at a place commonly called St. John's Well under the pretence of worship... they are a great terror to Her Majesty's Protestant subjects and so endanger the peace of her kingdom, the High Sheriff will suppress such insolent practices with a posse and apprehend the principal actors in the said riot and have them prosecuted with the utmost rigours of the law".

Nowadays sounds of birdsong and flowing water inspire a sense of contentment and peace.

As of 2018 the well area is closed to the general public. It is hoped that suitable access will be made again.

Cathaoir Aine: Chair of Aine, or the chair of the lunatics, is located on the sea cliffs near Dunany Point, Louth. Overlooking the Irish Sea and towards the Isle of Man, Aine is said to have longed for sight of her lover's return. She tried to build a causeway with the black rocks but, to her great sorrow, he never came back and she slowly went mad with grief. Also linked to Lughnasadh there is a local tradition that sailors would not venture out at that time, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday being dedicated to Aine. She may claim a life on these days and it was also recommended that no healing or surgery should be done. Mostly connected to Munster, Aine is best known at the archaeological structures and ceremonial landscape of Knockainey (Cnoc Aine) Hill near Bruff, Limerick, about 3 miles from Lough Gur, but there are several sites around Ireland where she is particularly remembered.

Another Solstice connection includes a disused St John the Baptist Church at Dunany.

St. John the Baptist: It is said that just as Christ was born at Winter Solstice, so John the Baptist, his cousin, was born six months earlier at Summer Solstice. The Eastern Orthodox Church has feast days throughout the year for this saint, whereas the Roman Catholic Church celebrates 24 June – Nativity and 29 August – Beheading.

Matthew 3:4 in the Bible relates that John lived in the wilderness – he was an ascetic, a hermit in the desert.

He 'wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.'

Aine: There appears to be no record or her mother. Aine's father was Eogabail of the Tuatha Dé Danann and sister of Aillen and/or Fennen, or she was daughter of the Dagda, and sister to Brigid, or daughter of Manannan mac Lir, or daughter Modharn, a Scottish king, or .... ? Aine is also linked with Danu and Anu as a mother goddess and triple goddess. Another of the complex of gods and goddesses whose stories weave together in a mysterious web that it virtually impossible to unravel. We cannot put these figures into neat labelled boxes as we move between the lands of humans, faery and imagination. And her name? Another riddle - Aine na gClair (Aine of the Light), Eoghanacht Aine (Sovereignty goddess), Lair Derg (Red Mare) or Leanan Sídhe (The Sweetheart of the Sidhe).

As a solar goddess she is closely involved in nuturing fertile land, agriculture and ensuring good harvests for the people, supporting the clan leader and King as his otherworld queen and sovereignty goddess. This also suggests she was an Earth goddess, endowed with skills as a poet and musician, with the horse and dog as her companions. Thus she also becomes a goddess of love. Yet, for some, she is also a lunar deity and many would gather on high hills, her dwelling place, on St. John’s Eve under the moonlight... 'and then with torches (cliars) made of bunches of straw and hay tied on poles used to march in procession from the hill and afterwards run through cultivated fields and amongst the cattle.' Description of celebrations at Knockainy in the Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries, W.Y. Evans-Wentz. She is also identified as a keening banshee. Records tell of her warning of the death of Maurice Fitzgerald in 1642 and later in the 1800's it is related that she could be seen combing her hair on the banks of the River Camog and at Lough Gur in Limerick.

Sunspiral Loaf: In Connaught a meal of white bread, soaked in hot milk, sugared and spiced, called 'Goody', was a community treat.

A big thank you to the lady who baked this yummy sun bread for the Soltice. It was beautiful...

Honey and Mead: A mead circling hall is recorded on Tara; probably a large wooden building where feasts were held, led by the High King of Ireland (Ard Ri). A structure described as a Banqueting Hall is sited on the north side of the hill, a long sloping rectangle more suited as ceremonial entrance or cursus. Tara is acknowledged as an inauguration site of the King, attested in the Seanchas Mor dating just later than 600AD (ie after the arrival of St Patrick and Roman Christianity). This specified that they drank ceremonial ale and symbolically married the goddess Maeve ('she who intoxicates') to acquire the high-kingship.

The June full moon is sometimes called the Honey or Mead Moon as the hives are now full of honey. This can be fermented and made into mead, the drink of the sovereignty goddess, Maeve. Honey was a heavenly gift, the food of the gods.

The wild honey of John the Baptist would be from undomesticated bees and this involved some danger, as they may have collected the nectar from poisonous plants. Madness and death were possible results of eating tainted wild honey.

Not all bees live in hives. Ground nesting bees are a gardener's friend as they are main pollinators of many plants. In this garden some wild bees decided to build a nest by harvesting huge quantities of earth and moss. The nest pulsates like a heart and the runway from such nests has a tendancy to point north so the bees can sense the weather (so we are told).

Healing Heart Mandala: Our ceremony at 3.00pm at Tara was themed "Abundance and Shadow". Here we considered how we have a shadow side. Often when chasing after our spiritual truths we focus on the light which can blind us to our own imperfections. We considered what impacts our shadow has on our world at this time. The summer doesn't last forever and it is the first hint to see what we are creating in our winter reserves. We joined together setting a healing heart mandala of flower petals. After the creation came its ritual destruction. The dispersion of the mandala releases the healing intent that was infused within our ceremony. Mandala petals were spread skyward... Some of the petals were poured into the stream to bring the healing into the valley. Some of the petals are seen in the water. Note the heart shaped white petal...

Summer mandala and flowers: 4 ferns (symbol of New Zealand who are at Winter Solstice) yellow flowers of St. John's wort (Mary's sunflower) twirling petunias at the four corners, 6 blue pansies and pink geraniums for yin/yang balance central rambling rose, nasturtium for their colourful spice, lavender and rosemary, laid on bark from the woodland.

In some parts of the world there are legends that fern seeds (spores) will provide invisibility on solstice eve, or that they will aid in seeing the invisible sidhe.

Random Acts of Beauty: This summer solstice flower heart mandala was discovered outside a supermarket on a street in San Angelo, Ischia, Italy.... just a random act of beauty. When an open group gather in spontaneous sharing with intention people feel prompted to bring verse, song, dance, short meditations, symbolic items and flowers. Or often it is just to stand or sit in silence, which may be more profound and meaningful than all the ceremony in the world.

Cosmic diagram: The Mandala represents wholeness, a cosmic diagram reminding us of our relation to infinity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds. The Mandala appears to us in all aspects of life, the Earth, the Sun, The Moon, and obviously the circles of life encompassing friends, family, and communites. Mandalas are used for meditation purposes allowing the individual meditating to become more one with the Universe.

So we create our own Mandala with an intention of our own inner thought but we will be creating it together as a group seen and unseen. A base for the Mandala is useful and it is helpful to meditate to gain guidance on what this could be. This one is a Bhrat Bride (see Imbolc for information). Let the flow of the energy of the place and Mandala come from deep within oneself as we do this in a meditation state.

What you to need is a flower, sea shells, ribbon, something will call to you, and a colour. Set with your own intention for the mandala. It has been said that when creating a Mandala there has been a feeling of lightness, intuitive thoughts may arise. Relax and let the thought come into you - the aim is to let it float with you just like a river.

Sunset Picnic: Meeting together in summer we can share carrying our loads, in this case bags of food. As the sun sets, dropping down below the north western horizon, we find a high place. At Tara there is a beautiful viewpoint near the Sloping Trenches. Looking westwards, you can see all the land, the Plain of Meath, Loughcrew, Kells, looking towards Grianan of Aileach in Donegal. and other distant hills.

We might drum with the beat of the our heart, sharing that with the earth, or quietly enjoy the magical moment.

The get together is a big open heart event with storytelling and healing music, meditation and contemplation.

We rejoice in the height of summer and look forward to the waxing of the over-arching power of the echoless night, reverberating darkness, the under-grounded, closed door secrecy of Winter, hibernation, sleepiness and lack of growth.

All are welcome. And if you want to just sit and listen that is fine. Some of us are extroverts and like to express our energies, and those of the get together, outwardly. Sometimes they are the quiet ones as well. The one thing that has been made very clear at Tara Celebrations over the years is that if you feel to sing, dance, etc. it is from the heart and has nothing to do with performance or pleasing others. And if you want to sit quietly and watch, please feel comfortable with that.

Cultivating Peace: For every get together we meditate beforehand, to gain insight into the nature of the ceremony, either as a group or as lone Master of Ceremonies. One Solstice, during this preparation, ideas of altars, protection, prayers for peace, heads, chaos, ancient history, John the Baptist, formulaic White and Red were some of the key themes that came to the fore. Thus symbols and words were integrated into the ceremony based on creating a mandala on crossing ley lines (at an energy 'hot spot'), using them as a focus for silent meditation and cultivating peace.

Having located the ceremony on a site of an ancient ruined altar, under which are crossing energy leys, we then formed the outline. We planned to create a white rose petal mandala to focus a silent meditation, to cultivate peace within. Through the amplification energy of the ley lines in the centre of the cross shaped mandala, and the energy of the solstice sun, we put the intention for peace into the next cycle of the year. We symbolically brought down the heavenly sun onto the earth and bridged the realms. As the Mandala would be created of all natural materials we could leave it for nature to disperse. We also collected a pinch of earth from where the participants lived, and added this to our earth bowl for honouring the elements. Collecting and energising earth is a tradition with roots of 5000 years. So we encouraged all this year to pause for peace. Light a candle. Tune in. Breath. Send loving, peaceful vibes to ourselves and the earth. May peace and Peace and Peace be everywhere.

High Summer magic terminated as the golden orange setting sun connected to the orange sun flower in the centre of St. John's Cross - as above, so below, bridging the realms.

Listening to the Soul of Summer: We started by tuning in, in our own way, to the spirit of place. Then we were gonged/drummed and rubbed with aromatic, seasonal Lovage, Mint, Fennell and other herbs, most of which are to do with flatulence - perhaps the universe was trying to tell us something. Everyone joined in setting a mandala with herbs and flowers, the elements of Earth (Rock) - north, Fire (Candle) - south, Air (Feathers) - East and Water (Dish of water) - West.

The centre is represented by a gold sun disk which connects to coloured paper petals of a flower, made with sacred geometry which, if removed, magically make a St. John's cross.

We sat back for a meditation on realising the miracle of the dance of creation in a leaf or stone and recognising that same quality in one's self. Listening to the Summer Soul, is inspired by the sounds of flowing water and birdsong amongst the trees. This was followed by a summer solstice dance to Pachelbel's Canon, a gentle measured movement where people slowly and deliberately raised hands to a stand still or solstice point.

Keeping in the flowery theme, it was as if we were one giant big sun flower, rhythmically opening and closing.

The Mandala, beautiful as it was, was destroyed to release the beauty and creative force to a wider world.

Petals were released into the stream to flow into the valley, a flotilla making their way under the ancient bridge.

Journey of the Golden Triangle: At our planning meditation attention was drawn to fire – the golden sun at its greatest strength and longest time - and water – rain keeps falling and rivers flowing. This endless change is a constant in our lives. To this experience we humans contribute our intentions, hopes and plans, then release them, in trust, to the Universe.

We are reminded, as the sun journeys across the sky, that place and time are the markers of this journey through life. When settling where we would hold the gathering Tara was present, but we were all aware there was 'somewhere else'. What unfolded was the impression of a golden triangle, of three places, An Tobar at Ardbraccan, Tara, and the Ramparts walk in Navan. And there was a three rhythm to the dates we were to visit these places, Monday then 2 days, Thursday then 2 days, Sunday. And three symbols, labyrinth, eternity symbol of the sun's analemma and a bridge.

Monday - An Tobar – The Labyrinth of our Lives

We started with a Healing Circle for ourselves, friends and family and then wider issues. We drew attention to the world that surrounds us, and our place at the centre. Walking into the labyrinth, we contemplated our own wishes and plans, then wrote down and grounded these intentions, placing them into a golden triangular pyramid. We left them in trust to the universe by walking out of labyrinth.

Thursday – Hill of Tara - The Energies of Eternity Together we placed the golden pyramid of intentions at the centre of an etheric eternity symbol.

We walked around the inner ditch of Teach Cormac, hidden to the world, crossed over the centre of the eternity walk between Teach Cormac and Forradh, then circled the outside of the Forradh, visible to all and seeing to the far horizons, east to Skryne, and westwards over the Plain of Meath.

Sunday - Ramparts, Navan - Trust in the Universe On the ridge path between the fast flowing river and sluggish canal we found a wonderful gnarled tree, its trunk alive with different animals - like a totem pole in the woods. Symbolically uniting above and below, each wrote their personal wish on a star and later watched as it floated down river.

Recognising the unknown and unseen within our personal intentions, we dipped into the depths of a bag, taking a pinch of oats and wheat which we then gifted to the earth. When we released the grains the smell of baking filled the air from the nearby Spicer's bakery - a happy coincidence!

Raindrops glinted like crystals on the golden pyramid. We burnt the written intentions and released the ashes to the river, combining the vital elements of fire and water. The pyramid was cut up and people took a piece home to energise their future intentions, to spread the healing energies out into the landscape and into the future.

At the bridge we gave gratitude and thanks for the week, pausing to gift thanks and gratitude to the waters of the river and the heat of the sun for their constancy and support in our lives by gifting flowers to the river. We walked back to our day-to-day lives, leaving mid-day at mid-summer.

The Harp: Celebrating Summer always involves music, this is festival time.

The fabled musical instrument connected to Tara is the harp that played itself. It belonged to the Dagda, the good god, protector of Ireland and it's people. There are many legends, myths and stories told about harps and they have always been a preferred instrument for the Irish. It is also claimed as the harp of the Biblical King David, said at one time to have been found and sent to the Pope. It is asserted to be still at Tara etherically.

At Teach Cormac, Tara, we laid down two parallel white lines of flour, providing a symbolic doorway. Having entered through this we laid out cloths in the shape of a harp, using different colours, each carrying a positive symbolism which was explained. Finally we dismantled and destroyed the harp mandala, releasing all to the Universe. In the evening we listened to the harp played in the Church.

Theme – Melting Pot There are the terrestrial energies of the sun and there are the spiritual energies of the sun. It is often recognised that the cosmic energies are reflected within ourselves, in our own inner sun. Of course chaos and confusions arise when there are so many possibilities for accomplishing long held goals and dreams. Solstice energies stir everything up. We are living literally and metaphorically in a melting pot. Action might become irresistible and overwhelming, not always appropriate to the occasion. Emotions are heightened and passions aroused in the heat.

Often at this time of year we feel tired and need to rest more. But if we concentrate and focus on the essentials much can be achieved and completed. We can use this time-and-space for the benefit of ourselves, our friends and family and for the wider issues in our lives and in the world.

It is good to use this powerful energy for constructive and supportive intentions: Heart of the Planet, Heart of all Beings, Our own Heart.

We cleanse energies of separation, individual ego, guilt, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wounding, suffering, anxiety and panic, We create and manifest, unity, connection, reconnection, love, peace, health and healing, acceptance, balance, freedom, joy and light.

Place - Garden

We are all free spiritually. Our minds are our own in which to explore and roam though real and imaginary environments. Physically, if we can get 'out and about', we are free. However, for many the countryside is a remote and barren landscape arousing feelings of vulnerability. Large ancient trees, colourful wild flower meadows and gentle walks amongst woodland glades are either not interesting or become challenging and frightening. Our emotions are heightened and there is fear of the unknown in rural surroundings. The countryside is not made up of straight lined buildings and pavements. The randomness of sites and events is

disconcerting. In particular if we are deaf the countryside becomes a place of unexpected and unpredictable events. We do not hear the sound of the chain saw, or the warning call of 'timber'. We just see the tree falling.

The apparent emptiness to wide distant horizons is not a view everyone finds restful. Or dark dense wilderness undergrowth and meandering pathways are not a pleasure. The droppings of rabbits, chance of being splattered by a bird flying overhead, muddy slimy tracks and slippery grass are repellent.

Many, for relaxation, seek the community of others as well. Not wanting to be alone, they travel as a group for a picnic in the sunshine, bringing blankets and chairs to sit on, food to eat, settling in one homelike spot. Light open areas within cut grass glades, with plenty of access to open skies, cycle tracks and controlled wide paths serve the needs of those requiring a managed landscape. And some regard the countryside as a place for physical activity, jogging and playing games. There are those that use the countryside to satisfy their mental needs. They take field guides to discover new plants, birds and insects, to identify and name everything they see. Each to his own in the countryside.

So what are the benefits of the rural scene, these places outside the world of tarmac and concrete? They are often described as refuges, retreats from the hum drum of life, places of escape. The prison like walls of the town are removed. Life is at a slower pace, the air is cleaner, the views wide and open, there is a timelessness and simplicity not found in urban surroundings. We seek peace and calm. The country, good for being quiet, for being silent, for listening. Our physical health improves because we are more relaxed. For many of us the delights are visual. If we could not watch the grazing cows in green fields, observe leaves moving in the breeze, what would our experience be?

There are fewer reliable land marks and it is difficult to orientate yourself without the sense of sight. We become aware of the smaller experiences that stimulate our senses. Walking through grassy pastures we become aware of every slight rise and dip. With the sense of smell we enjoy the different aromatic resins of woodland trees, the freshness of nearby water on a gentle breeze and smell new mown hay. With the sense of touch we feel stinging nettles and through our feet the vibrations of heavy tractors driving along narrow country lanes. And it is rain that is often the best sensory stimulant of all. Imagine the different sounds of rain.

When big watery drops fall on grass there is a different splat to the sound of rain in a woodland as it bounces through the leafy trees.

The summer provides an opportunity for taking beautiful days in the sun. We have choices of where to go. In the unhampered countryside our very restrictions are highlighted. We are liberated and offered freedom and in that release we appreciate some of our limitations. We know that in visiting the country we will have to return to the town. Perhaps it is more comfortable not to escape in the first place. This plays on our lack of confidence. There is a safeness of familiarity in knowing the same people in the same streets. When you leave you are not known. You are anonymous. Your history is not known, in fact your history may be of no interest to anyone except yourself. You are nobody. You are isolated. A stranger.

If you have any hesitations about going 'out and about' here is one tip. Have you ever noticed how confident people walk with heads high, not contemplating the ground, and they walk quickly. Put a spring into your step, accelerate your walking speed, and be confident. It is a bright and glorious world out there.

In summer we stroll in parks and gardens. These are creations of our mental realms, our fantasy of what the Garden of Eden would be. Houses, gardens and paths are all human expressions and design. They protect and enclose, ordered and tidy, they are not places where the chaos and freedom of nature may encroach. Plenty of water and nutrition is provided for garden and indoor plants, their life is made easy. Consider where you will ramble in the warm summer days. Will you enjoy wild woodland and disordered countryside or do you prefer organised bedding plants and cut grass of the landscaped scene?

Centre

Cardinal Directions - Blessings of the 4 Seasons

In the darkness of Samhain, Blessings on our expectations.

Thanksgiving in our bleakness.

In death, in the passing of the generations, Blessed are those that seek restoration.

In the vision of completion, in the potential, Blessed are those that seek inspiration.

In the dormancy, at the appropriate time, Blessed are those that seek patience, In the inactivity, in the appropriate place, Blessed are those that seek forbearance.

In the vigour of Bealtaine.

Blessings on our flourishing.

Thanksgiving in our dedication.

In release of the leaves, in the unfurling, Blessed are those that seek structure.

In the bud, in the maturing, Blessed are those that seek nurturing.

In the blossoming, in the expansion, Blessed are those that seek light.

In the pollination, in the union, Blessed are those that seek the summit.

In the freshness of Imbolc.

Blessings on our awakening.

Thanksgiving in our anticipation.

In placement of the seed, in the positioning, Blessed are those that seek softness.

In the setting of foundations, in the germination, Blessed are those that seek unhindered pathways.

In the ascension of the stem, in the journey, Blessed are those that seek perseverance.

In the revealing, in the surface breaking, Blessed are those that seek the dawn.

In the decay of Lughnasadh.

Blessings on our accomplishing.

Thanksgiving in our achievement.

In creation of the seed, in the conception, Blessed are those that seek strength.

In the maturing, in the harvesting, Blessed are those that seek abundance.

In the decline, in the withdrawal, Blessed are those that seek termination.

In completion of the vision, in the new potential, Blessed are those that seek rebirth.

Activity - Power Shower Warm summer rain on a beautiful day. Just for these solstice moments we can allow the strong energies to sweep us clear and clean. They are a great power shower, refreshing every cell in our bodies, if we invite them to. Meditation is a great way to aid this. Visualise walking out in a beautiful landscaped woodland, either wild and natural or created by a garden designer. The sunlight beams through the tree branches and creates pools of light on the mosses and grasses of small clearings. You sit in one of these areas and feel the warmth and light stimulating your body.

Imagine beautiful sunlight washing over you. You focus on the light around you and merge with it. You and the light become one and you invite the solar energy to unite with your inner sun. You might do this by imagining it coming in through your crown chakra and like a stream, flowing through your head, down your neck, down your arms and out through your fingers. It flows through your body, around your heart and inner organs, over your hips and down your legs and out to the earth through the soles of your feet. If you sense a need for a certain area of your body to be healed direct your intentions and the light flow to that region. When you feel comfortable and balanced, imagine the light shining out beyond your body, extending into the world around you. There is plenty of light for everyone. When ready return to your everyday reality. You are refreshed and reinvigorated. Have a drink and something to eat.

Walking hand in hand The sunshine beckons and a day out would be good, but often friends are busy or not available, thus it is a day on your own. There is no one to hold hands with on a walk, no one to offer a hand as we clamber up steep slopes or over awkward stiles. Sitting in meditation, sitting with one palm nestled within the other, thumbs touching, look at your hands. We are hand in hand with ourselves. Our hands give and take, endow a blessing and receive gifts, express our thoughts, our emotions, our personality, consciously or unconsciously. If the eyes are windows to the soul then the hands could be seen as doorways. The soul embellishes the basic human form with peculiarities and patterns unique to that soul. And likewise we can place our hands in certain positions and patterns, mudras, that inform our mind and thus our soul.

Look at your hands. Become familiar with the ridges of your finger prints and lines in your palm. Try taking a gentle breath in, then, as you exhale, run the middle finger of one hand up the central line of the other, from wrist to finger tip. When you reach the tip of the finger change and roll back down to the wrist. Relax, maybe close your eyes, This can be very restful if you do it three times in a gentle calm rhythm. Play with the cycle, change which finger you travel up to, moving up and down your hands, wrist to finger tip and back again.

Now try bringing your hands together, palms facing, finger tips aligned and touching. Rotate your hands so that your all finger tips draw circles on each other. Your hands are moving together, allow them to 'dance'.

Rotate just the thumbs and little fingers together. Then change to the ring finger and first finger, tip to tip, drawing circles on each other. Whatever feels comfortable and right for you. When you are ready separate your fingers and with your palms together rotate just those through a half circle.

Have you ever twiddled your thumbs? Try that now, rotating around each other, rolling the length of each against the other. They may be touching or a little apart. Rotate one way then the other. Twiddling thumbs usually occurs when you have nothing to do and it is an absent minded action. This time do it with intention.

This is not just a time waster exercise, it is great for improving co-ordination. It is said the thumb separates humans from other animals. Enjoy playing with your thumbs!

Change hand positions again. Move so that one set of fingers touch the other wrist and vice versa. Be aware of your physical presence. Move your hands around your wrists, in a snake like motion, sultry, mysterious.

Imagine a colour that you might be weaving with your hands. Maybe change from one colour to rainbow shades, creating a tapestry. Put your fingers into different positions, cupped like a tulip, open like a sunflower or a sunny yellow buttercup. As you weave imagine you hands are a flower stem, fragile yet strong bending and turning towards the bright light. Imagine the style of egyptian dancers seductively snaking their bodies and use your hands and fingers to curve and bend in a similar way. Enchant yourself. You are unique, an oasis in your world, in full bloom in a meadow of flowers. Finish by bringing your palms together again, lightly yet firmly pressing against each other.

Cupping your hands in front of your mouth gently breathe out into your hands. Let the air flow around your palms, through the little gaps between your fingers where they do not completely meet. Move them away and breathe in, then return your cupped hands again to in front of your outbreath and this time circle your breath over one thumb, then over the other. As you do this bless and thank your hands for their creativity in your life.

You are massaging your hands with the breath of life. Softly breath over the thumb and each finger individually with the intention of blessing, healing and protection, bringing qualities of grace, beauty, compassion and strength to each area. When you have completed the palm and fingers of each hand, move to the back of the hand and repeat blowing on each finger from base to tip and over the back of the palms. To finish gently breath onto the wrist, rotating the arm and creating a bracelet of breath around the wrist. Hope you enjoyed walking hand in hand.

Open Heart - Summer Solstice Although we believe summer should be the most pleasant sunniest time, each season does have a positive effect on ourselves and on the planet. The passing of the seasons teaches us that we can only recognise the whole truth and bring completion when we have visited the qualities and energies of all four and experienced every aspect of a situation. How do our visions, projects, schemes, become reality? Slowly, with patience. Golden dreams move on simple paths, sometimes in sunshine, often in grey clouds of rain. Each phase must be tried and utilised. Rejoice in the planning, in the blueprint, in the growth and in the outcome of an achieved daydream.

We are the Ancients, playing with the clay We are the Ancients, creating this new way We are the Ancients, puzzle as we may We are the Ancients, born another day Not doing what we did, but still seeking what we sought Recreating our new world with peace and love and thought Caring for our fire an essence that can't be bought We are the Ancients, the ones that we have wrought We are the Sleepers, waking up today We are the Sleepers, finding the older way We are the Sleepers, the ancient record keepers We are the Sleepers, the sainted mystery teachers To reunite with friends who might re-create, re-ignite our hidden emerald light, once concealed, put out of sight, kept away in a long dark night.

We invite love burning starbright, to join us this night. We invite divine spirit starlight, to join us this night.

We invite sacred breath starsprite, to join us this night.

We treasure our birthright, our ancestral sun rite, to magically excite, our heart gift and foresight, transforming this sinister midnight, to a sweet blessed dawnlight.

At sunset, on solstice night, it is a deep delight to stand at a splendid height, to share in the sight of summer twilight.

Thanking, blessing and closing the connections: We close the circle to the apparent world: Thank and bless our connections to all guides, guardians, beings, times and realms made during this ceremonial. ‘Sin é’, that's it.