Thursday 23 June 2011

Midsummer Ramblings



June is a lovely month in my garden, my roses are in full bloom, the borage and honeysuckles  humming with bees, The  achillia are turning from white to sunshine yellow,  My cransbills  are sprawling over the path and full of flowers.  This year the weather has been wet, chilly with strong winds, sometimes at gale force.  Therefore I have only been able to snatch brief moments to revel in the sensual pleasure of the sights, sounds and scents of summer.  Friday is Midsummer's day and it hardly seems possible as today the sky is full of thick grey clouds some of them almost black;  the wind is strong and chilly the temperature struggling to rise above 14 degrees centigrade.

Midsummer's day is forecast to be cloudy with some sunny spells.  The wind should be lighter than to day but the temperature will  still  be below the average for June.  There is a chance that here in the South East of England I will be able to see the sunrise.  Colder weather seems harder to deal with in summer there is a reluctance to put on the warm jacket or waterproof coat.  The constant chore of watering on my allotment has stopped but some of the newly planted sweetcorn and squashes are showing signs of being chilled.   The bees are struggling and I am glad that I have planted clover and borage to help them I also have some meadowsweets  all these plants are attracting in numerous bees, solitary bees, honey bees, bumble bees and hover flies.  This morning in the garden I watched an orange tailed bumble bee trying to collect pollen and nectar from one of my roses and being blow out by the gusting wind.  His buzz sounded so grumpy as he desperately sought food for the nest.  No sign of honey bees today or solitary bees. 

The months of labour digging and   nourishing the earth, the sowing of seeds, putting the small plantlets, sets or tubers  into the ground are beginning to reap its reward.  My plot is providing fresh vegetables for our meals.  Picking the first courgette ready for cooking is special, as is picking and eating a tomato with the warmth of the sun still on it. Yesterday I dug up some the Duke of York early potatoes just  enough for one meal.  The connection to the earth was very strong as I dug into the ground to find the tubers.  As my hands dug done for the tubers  the earth  was dark rich, it crumbled to a fine tilth, and. the earth had  wonderful healthy smell.  When I pulled the first plant there  was the withered and spent seed potato and tumbling from it onto the soil were bright, cardinal red potatoes, some as large as a goose egg some tiny pebbles,   At home after a a good wash the potatoes cooked quickly and  were a wonderful taste sensation.   Organic food at its best.  A Celebration of the Earth and Midsummer.

Midsummer, is for, me more than a way marker of the year it is a day for reflection and celebration. There is also the hint of sadness for now on the days will slowly draw in.  Through the bardic course I have been doing with OBOD I have become more  deeply aware  of the cycles of the the changing seasons and the cycles of the year.  It has enhanced my connection to the natural world and the Universe.

I  have always  pause for a while and give time to the  wheel of the year, which starts with Imbolc in the spring or, Candlemass in the christian calendar. These are  a time that I journey into the realms of my ancestors and guides to connect to them and be grateful for the gifts they have given me.

The Celtic knot is a powerful symbol of  the endless continuity of  life  and interconnection of our ancestors in the hear and now .Using the loom of the year I can reweave the thread of my life, the breaks and fracture and injuries by using the rituals of the circle of the seasons and the circle of life  for blessing and restoration.

Connecting to my ancestors does not mean I seek the dead.   I journey to understand the spiritual essence of the ancestors that make me what I am today.  I find the awareness of how their lives intertwine with mine and how the positive and the negatives form part of my being, my character beneficial to my life.  The journey is to the inner space of  mind.  Carl  Jung talks about how archetype (primordial image)   are inborn tendencies which shape the human behavior. Jung believed  that
myths and universal literature and stories contain well defined themes which appear every time and everywhere. 
Mandela drawn by Jung

This is the world explored by connecting to the Ancestors.

The other thing I will do on Midsummer's day is  cast a question and consult the  I Ching - The Book of changes an ancient Chinese book of Wisdom which I have used since I was 18 years old.  Jung wrote in his forward to the translation of the book  by Richard Wilhelm:
The I Ching does not offer itself with proofs and results; it does not vaunt itself, nor is it easy to approach. Like a part of nature, it waits until it is discovered. It offers neither facts nor power, but for lovers of self-knowledge, of wisdom -- if there be such -- it seems to be the right book. To one person its spirit appears as clear as day; to another, shadowy as twilight; to a third, dark as night. He who is not pleased by it does not have to use it, and he who is against it is not obliged to find it true.
Working with my ancestors, guides and the I Ching  brings me insight, harmony and balance.  My journey into the world of the Shaman is also guided by Reiki's healing light and nurture.

I am grateful especially to Sensi Mikao Usui.

Time to stop rambling and pay attention to other things.

With Blesings
The Merry Rambler