Summer Solstice & Midsummer Eve

Posted on June 21, 2014 Updated on June 22, 2014

Summer solstice is upon us today – the longest day of the year – when the northern hemisphere most directly faces the sun, giving us greatest amount of time in light.

Ancient Druids celebrated summer solstice with traditions dating back thousands of years. They believed that everything in existence is interconnected, that energy – the stuff we’re made of, our spirits – is part of a continuum which makes up the whole universe. They believed that we are unique individuals, but also are part of something bigger. Everything in nature is cyclical, the cycle of the year, which fundamentally affects everything we do – when we grow food, when we harvest, and when we hide away next to the fire. Participation during changes of seasons and observation of the changes made one better attuned to the cycles within oneself. Modern Druids continue to gather in ancient places specifically to be part of the continuum with their ancestors. When they gather at Stonehenge during summer solstice, they’re in the same place for the same reason as their ancestors 5,000 years ago – to be in a place marked as special, intentionally chosen for these observances, to become part of something bigger than themselves.

For me, the 50/50 LIGHT exhibition in October is a celebration of a cycle – five full decades – and the urge to gather round with the creative folks who have shaped me, my art, and my life at this auspicious moment.

This past Friday, June 20th, 2014, was also Midsummer Eve, also called St. John’s Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. It’s a time when the hives are full of honey. The full moon that occurs this month on Friday the 13th was called the Mead Moon, because honey was fermented to make mead. That’s where the word “honeymoon” comes from, because it’s also a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says, “Midsummer Night is not long but it sets many cradles rocking.”

Midsummer dew was said to have special healing powers. In Mexico, people decorate wells and fountains with flowers, candles, and paper garlands. They go out at midnight and bathe in the lakes and streams. Midsummer Eve is also known as Herb Evening. Legend says that this is the best night for gathering magical herbs. Supposedly, a special plant flowers only on this night, and the person who picks it can understand the language of the trees. Flowers were placed under a pillow with the hope of important dreams about future lovers. Shakespeare set his play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on this night. It tells the story of two young couples who wander into a magical forest outside Athens. In the play, Shakespeare wrote, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”

Historically, the name Deborah means “Queen Bee”. The origin of the name is Hebrew; and in the Old Testament of the Bible, Deborah was the name of a judge, prophetess and lawmaker. Over the centuries this name has traditionally been associated with hard work, persistence, and importance to society for which bees were known. As such, I pay homage to bees here with a necklace and earrings I made from 18KY gold and black diamonds.

As for true love, the impulse to create and manifest symbols and art in celebration of such unions is with me constantly and, hopefully, always will be.

info on Druids excerpted fr International Business Times, 6/19/14