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| Foxgloves and Dandelions |
In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer
solstice, 21st of June, is the longest day of light in the year.
Áine is the goddess of the summer solstice. She is also the fairy queen. It is
a time when we celebrate the regenerative, life-giving sun.
People called on Áine to bring the
life force to their fields, to themselves and to their stock. In between the
flowering at Bealtaine and the harvest at Lughnasa, the fruit grows through the
summer. Áine’s fire impregnates the germ of life into the fruit that will become
our harvest. She brings fire and inspiration and awakens the life force within
us too.
At this time, the oak becomes the king
of the forest, taking over from the holly of winter. Throughout Ireland, great
bonfires were lit on the eve of the summer solstice and blessings were sent to
the crops. People gathered to sing, eat, drink and make merry. Often, as the
fire began to die down, they jumped over it for good luck. Old crops and destructive
weeds were burnt to signify, to the Sun Goddess and Sun God, a way of clearing
these from the fields, making way for new growth. Wheels made of dry wood were set
on fire to roll down the hill, symbolising the sun which, after this night, would
begin its slow descent into darkness again.
At the summer solstice, the veil is
thinnest between our world and the fairy realms. We can get in touch with the
fairy folk or nature spirits, more than at any other time. There is magic in
the air.
There was a time when parents would
not allow their young children to go outside on the summer solstice. They kept
them in the house with the door locked because they were frightened that the
fairy folk would take them and leave a fairy changeling in their place. If
their child became wilful, they would think they had a changeling. What
happened to that lovely, docile child? The fairies must have taken him or her.
So, they hid their children at the solstice. In some areas they used dandelions
or foxgloves to keep the fairies away. The summer solstice is also the place of
Aengus, the Tuath Dé god of love.
On the pre-Celtic wheel, the place of
Áine is a time of activity and energy. We can build our energy, work with it and
allow ourselves to move into that place of betwixt and between. It tells us not
to be too intense and caught up in logic. There is more to life than we can see.
When we stand in the place of Áine, we
awaken to that life force and recognise that magic is all around us. We open
ourselves to that magical energy, recognising that we are part of that magic
and we need it in our lives. The world also needs magic.
Excerpts from The Way of the Seabhean by Amantha Murphy, shaman, healer and seer, scribed by Órfhlaith Ní Chonaill. The Way of the Seabhean will be published by Womancraft Publishing for Brigid's Day (February 1st) 2021.
