Midsummer

 

It's been a long cold lonely... well, year, to be truthful; halfway through and I feel rather like I'm just waking from a nightmare to find that it all really happened, though there is some evidence to suggest that the worst is past and I can maybe-possibly safely breathe again. Still not sure I believe that on a deep level, but it's better (maybe?) than it was. So far I have enjoyed very little of this year, for reasons both micro- and macrocosmic: 1/10 would not recommend. 

But it's summer now, and faire season, and even though we are now in the grip of that obviously-not-caused-by-climate-change-because-climate-change-doesn't-exist portion of the season where daily it's above 90 and the humidity is like a hot soaking wool blanket wrapped around you, at least things are bright and growing and alive. The world within and without provides its horrors, but still life finds a way. I don't know quite what to celebrate this solstice beyond that simple fact. 

Yuletide

 

I was up before the dawn and managed to settle myself long enough to perform a simple solitary rite, which is more than I've managed in quite some time. This country, this world, is in a dark place these days, and finding the light has gotten measurably harder as time rolls on and ever-viler people attain power. Still, we understand that everything is cyclical, and dawn always follows even the deepest darkness. The winter sunlight streaming through my window currently is a golden glow, even though the temperature remains well below freezing, and I take this as a reminder to remember and seek the light in darkness, the glittering moments sparking through the long cold nights. Solstice blessings to you all!

Yuletide

 

Midsummer

 

Midsummer Eve, Edward Robert Hughes (1908)