Summer Solstice 2012

7:00 am on June 19 2012
(Rough draft of notes, to be properly rewritten at a later date)
I held my Summer Solstice rite today. I actually did one yesterday and then realized that I hadn’t followed the COoR so I printed out a handy cheat sheet from the Dedicant manual and tried again.
I spent some time before the ritual listening to David and Steve Gordon’s Sacred Drum Visions while I created an offering to Danu. In this case it was an inch and a half long, hexagonally shaped piece of Burmese Jade capped with beads of Sugilite at either end bound together by silver  that ran down each side of the Jade.
Then I opened with a prayer to all, asking that the kindred, nature spirits and Shining Ones be welcome at my rite. I took 2 oz of GlenLivet and acknowledged the OutLIers, asking that they take this offering and leave my rite in peace, then I poured that outside for them.
With another small piece I had made of Sugilite, Aventurine and Silver I purified my well and used incense to purify my space. I honored the Earth Mother by acknowledging her role in providing life and keeping us safe and helping to nurture the growth of all.
Then I acknowledged why I was here:

As the year turns on from day to day; as the long, dark nights of winter have faded into memory; as the sun reigns longer each day until it reaches its zenith; so do we come to this place every year. The sun shall shine longer than it has before and then it shall slowly begin to rise for shorter periods. Such is the natural cycle of life. But today, at it’s peak, we welcome it’s warmth upon our faces and give thanks for the nurturing nature of the sun upon the plants we grow and upon ourselves, basking in the glow of the sun’s luminosity. So we come to rejoice with the sun and ask blessings upon our in progress tasks, that they may be nurtured as the sun nurtures the grain.

I then took my well containing water from a well, water from a creek and water from the sky and asked that it could represent the well. I took my hand poured beeswax candle and asked it to be the fire and I asked my representation of the World Tree to be the World Tree.
Next, I called upon Garanus, who lives in the air, the tree and the water to act as gatekeeper. I invited my ancestors, both those of flesh and blood and those of a spiritual nature, to join me. I invited the nature spirits (and acknowledged the spider on the ceiling above me as one of them). I invited the Shining Ones and finally I invited Danu to join me.
I offered up oats to the nature spirits (placed in a bowl), tobacco to my ancestors (placed in a separate bowl) and the jade piece to Danu in my well.
I offered up a prayer of sacrifice, reminding Danu of the work I have done for her and asking her for inspiration to write a new story about her.
I took the following omens:

• What blessing do the kindred offer in return for our offerings?
  Ansuz: Mouth, god, beginnings, communication
  Fehu: Cattle; movable wealth, generosity (I realized as I was reviewing this today (Jun-28-2012) that I had misread Ansuz as Fehu)
• What blessings do the nature spirits offer in return for our offerings?
  Laguz: Water, change, hidden wealth, flowing
• What blessings do the Shining Ones offer in return for our offerings?
  Ehwaz: easy and joyful travel, help
• What advice does Danu offer in return for our offering?
  Wunjo; joy, bliss

Overall the omens read very well, all very positive. I think the most interesting one was Danu’s. Perhaps I should have asked what blessings she offered instead of advice but, taken as advice I would say that it means to seize the day and enjoy the moments of summer. Interestingly enough, when I took the offerings out and flung the oats into the retention pond, there were 5 ducks who immediately paddled over and that cup of oats disappeared mighty fast down their gullets so I know they, at least, were well pleased.