Wiccans, pagans, naturalists, and animists of all stripes unite! Today is the summer solstice, or Midsummer for all you Shakespeareans out there.

The celebration of Midsummer’s Eve was from ancient times linked to the summer solstice. People believed that mid-summer plants had miraculous and healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. In later years, witches were also thought to be on their way to meetings with other evil powers. 

So just remember, tonight is the most magical, supernatural night of the year – not to mention the longest day of the year! So enjoy the daylight while it lasts, because as the sun sets the seasons are going to begin the long march towards winter once again.Also, a word to the wise: you may want to avoid speaking about this over dinner – I made that mistake last night and mass hilarity ensued. Pan, as I was reminded, is often closer to our mundane everyday lives than we like to realize.

This entry was posted by jon on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 10:40 am and is filed under journal, literature & art. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.