Summer Solstice

Emma Clark — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:51:36 +0000

Being something of a Pagan myself, the Summer Solstice holds a special place in my heart. If I were to decide to celebrate it with a party, I doubt that I could dream of a better place to honour that time of year than at Stonehenge. I’m not talking about taking off all your clothes and prancing about in the buff, you can if you want to, but I am talking about having a nice picnic party with the family in one of the most historically revered places in the world, and before the advent of modern religion it was one of the most holy. Every God imaginable was honoured at Stonehenge, for thousands of years, and the Summer Solstice was its most revered ceremony.

There are plenty of altars available so you can sacrifice your wife or your kids if you want to, or you can just bring a blanket and a cooler, some sandwiches or fish and chips and have a nice family party celebrating the start of summer. If you really want to get ambitious you can set up a May Pole, your party supplies store will be able to help with those arrangements and while you are there you can pick up the paper plates and party cups.

If you decide on the May Pole it might be a good idea to get some party invitations and bring some of the neighbourhood kids along. We have May Day parties all over the country, usually with a May Pole, which is a direct descendent of a Pagan ritual celebrating the rites of spring. So if you decide not to bring the kids, just stick around until it gets dark and I am sure you will find any number of folks that are just dying to take their clothes off and invite you to join them.

A Solstice Party

Emma Clark — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:29:00 +0000

My sister in law is an artist, musician, teacher, and amateur astronomer. It’s quite a combination of interests that intersect for her in strange ways. She has also completed studies at a seminary, and, except for a biological obstacle, has the educational qualifications to be a priest. Despite her religious education, she is very open to exploring other religious traditions, especially when that exploration can utilize her other skills, or turn into a party.

Great examples of these events are her solstice parties. She and her astronomy club love to go out into the woods on the shortest and longest days of the year for a party filled with drumming, dancing, and chanting. She brings drums and maracas from her school music class. Many of the astronomy club members have also bought twist drums just for the party.

The sun is the theme for the longest day. They bring home grown vegetables and fresh fruits to celebrate the gifts of the earth. For the shortest day, they light a fire and dance around it. The theme for the winter solstice is the moon, and once the dancing really gets going they howl like wolves.

She has told us about rituals that celebrate rocks, water, and the stars. They light incense, and sing “The Age of Aquarius”. It all seems very pagan for someone who, had she been born a man, would be a priest. She did point out that during one of her celebrations a group of real Wiccans did show up in “their” field, apparently to celebrate the same solstice. In the spirit of ecumenical outreach, the two groups joined together to dance, sing, chant, and celebrate the solstice. It would not surprise me to hear that my sister in law also talked them into attending church with her on Sunday.

Parteaz blog » summer solstice

Summer Solstice

A Solstice Party