The Birth

Beneath the sacred oak

Where the cold earth yields to slumber

And the only heartbeat

Is the sole call of the wild,

There lies a darkened hollow

Where our Mother lies in waiting,

Waiting for her labour

To bring forth the Solstice Child.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

December skies

December brings the year to a close and provides us with heavenly excitement.

The 10th offers us a lunar eclipse which is visible throughout Europe, East Africa, Asia, Austrailia, the Pacific and North America. The moon rises at 15.51 GMT and will appear above the eastern horizon already fully eclipsed as a dull red orb, but you will be able to watch the shadow of the earth uncovering it if the afternoon is clear.

The 13 and 14th bring the Geminids meteor shower, which many consider to be the best one as they can produce up to 60 multicoloured meteors per hour. Best viewing is in the east after midnight.

The 22nd is the Winter Solstice at 5.30am GMT. This is the shortest day of the year, the first day of winter and a celebration of the return of the sun. May the season bring many blessings.

Summer solstice Fires

Here we are on one of the most powerful days of the year when the sun is at His height in the Northern hempisphere. This is the day for lighting fires whether in the garden, in the hearth or simply the light from a candle flame in order to symbolise the abundant power of the sun.

In the 14th century a monk wrote of three types of fire made on mid summer's Eve:

A bone fire which was made of clean bones and no wood, which was quite pungent and said to keep dragons at bay. Bone fire gave us the word 'bonfire'.

A wake fire made of clean wood which was used to 'wake' by or socialise.

A St John's fire made of clean wood and bones and is thought to be where the word 'singe' derives.

Enjoy making fire magic tonight to bring luck, fertility and abundance into your life.

The Most Powerful Time of the Year

Tomorrow (15 June: 21.13GMT), heralds the full moon, just a week away from the summer solstice when the sun is at full power. In addition, the moon is in Sagittarius a powerful fire sign and, as though this wasn't sufficient enough, there is also a lunar eclipse.

The moon will rise eclipsed at 21.13. By 22.34 it will be half over and will finish at 23.45. It will be visible over Europe, Africa, , Asia and Australia.

This time of year is traditionally used to make powerful magic regarding abundance in every sphere of life. With the Sagittarian element legal matters, education, travel, faith and philosophy are all highlighted for favourable outcomes.

The eclipse, from the Greek, 'eklepsis' meaning abandonment, due to tribal people feeling abandoned by the moon as it turned bloodied in the sky, brings changes on many levels, but weave your magic and influence those changed to work in your favour.

The Spring Equinox

Today marks the Spring Equinox, a time when day and night are equal, but from which point we journey joyfully into the light of a northern summer, as daylight hours begin to exceed those of darkness.

This is a time when the Horned God of the wildwood and the maiden Goddess meet and she becomes pregnant with the Solstice child, hence the cycle of life begins again.

This is a time of joyous celebrations and so, as the moon still hangs full in the sky tonight, sit beneath it around a fire and toast the warmth and light that is to come.

Mid-Summer Flowers

Flowers of all types abound at this time of year bringing colour, insects and aroma into our world. The classic summer flower however and one that is precious to many religions including Christianity and Islam is the rose, although they were revered long before either of these belief paths came into being.

Roses were sacred to the Roaman Goddess Venus and have been assocoiated with love for thousands of years. It was said that Cleopatra first made love to Mark Anthony on a bed covered one inch deep in rose petals and these fragrant petals have been scattered at wedding ceremonies for centuries.

Much legend abounds around the colour of roses and a Mediterranean legend tells of how the red and white rose came to be. The tale introduces a virgin who was falsely accused of a sexual deed and sentenced to burn. Her prayers however were so fervent that they quenched the flames at which point the unburned wood turned into white roses, whilst the charred wood became red roses.

In the 12th century the Virgin Mary was said to appear to St Dominic where she gave him the first rosary beads and each one was scented with the perfume of roses.

Growing roses in your garden are said to attract the fairies, whilst making a necklace of rose hips is said to attract love to the wearer.

If you don't have roses in your garden treat yourself to a bottle of rose essential oil and let its sweet aroma perfume your home this summer.

A Cornish Summer Solstice

To watch the Summer Solstice sunrise in Cornwall was magical. We arose at 4.15 and drove up to the Hurlers stone circles at Minions on Bodmin Moor, a sacred place that stands on the St Michael ley line, on what was a cold but beautiful dawn.

Over the next half an hour 21 people gradually arrived and stood in silence at various points around the centre circle of stones. Everyone was lost in their own world as all eyes were fixed on the eastern horizon; waiting.

The sky changed rapidly from pale blue topaz to pinks and lavender before finally releasing the sun in a burst of golden light. The longest day in the northern hemisphere had finally begun.

The day was beautiful and as the sun finally began His descent we made our way back up onto the moor where we watched the sun go down over long Tom, a standing stone just south of Minions. The perfect end to a perfect day.

The Summer Solstice

Monday 21st of June at 12.28 marks the joyous occasion of the Summer Solstice, when the sun reaches the height of His power, showering the feminine earth with warmth in order that She might bring forth an abundant harvest.

Summer Solstice celebrations have their roots in Neolithic times, the importance of which is borne out by archaeological evidence of stone circles and tombs that are aligned to both the rising and setting of the sun at this powerful time of year.

The word 'solstice' simply means, 'the standing still of the sun' and, for a few days both at this time of year and around the winter solstice the sun does appear to remain stationary for a few days before a decrease in daylight becomes apparent.

The following is a poem which can be found in the summer solstice chapter of 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' and which (with slight amendments), we attached to the floral wreath at my Mum's funeral earlier this year.

Fragrant rose,

Whose breath of scented laughter

Nourishes my soul

Whisper to me

That I may remember you

When the cold hand of winter touches my heart.