The harvest begins. This can be a time of reckoning – as the wheat is separated from the chaff the results of our work begin to be seen. This is the time when we stand between hope and fear; hope that the harvest will be fruitful enough to sustain us, yet underneath the surface fear that it will not. If we have tended our fields and done the work to nourish the seeds of our paths then perhaps the hope will outweigh the fear; if we have not…

Our ancestors would be noticing by now that the days are becoming shorter as well as hotter. All the while the grain would ripen and take on a yellow hue so like that of the Sun itself. This is symbolic of the Sun God pouring his energy into to grain itself, feeding his children even as he grows weaker day by day.

What have you offered as the wheel has turned?  Whether to your Gods, your family, your friends, your job – take stock of your fear, and let hope grow in your hearts.

Feel alive!

The heartbeat of Mother Earth expands and the power of her love is visible in all that is alive. The sun is at its peak as we celebrate the longest day. This is a time to tend to projects, just as those of old would tend their fields. Although the exuberance at this time can be a distraction (and there is growth to be found, also, in distractions), it is an important lesson at this time to also tend to the growth of our soul, and nurture our higher selves; for without doing so, that which we intend to foster the growth of can not come to fruition.

Life is abundant, both without and within. But it is the nature of things at their peak to begin to decline, and so it is with this season. The long days are but an echo of the long nights that will return, and will do so all too soon if we do not take advantage of the blessings that are all around us today.

The winds of change have brought forth light from the season of shadow. The fountain of life gushes the life force, surging anew from the depths of Mother Earth. This is the season of connection, the celebration of the joy of life.

This is the season to experience this union; for what other time of year can you feel the power of the sun beat upon your back one day, and cold rain the next? The restless pursuit of your lover, and the sweet satisfaction of catching them – for a moment, at least. The days grow longer, giving us more time to live by the vitality of the Sun, and to support these experiences by making time to love by the ambiance of the Moon. Opening ourselves up to the joy of these experiences helps us to connect to our environment, to each other, to the ways of old, and to the Gods themselves.

Realizations such as these bring us closer to all things, and those who hold these experiences close to their hearts are the truly blessed ones.