Tis June!

Friends, we have made it though one round of the Compass together on this blog!  It is festival season here for Laurelei and I and that means that we might not be posting as much as usual for a while.  It also means that Blade and Broom Botanica will be on the road, and our online store will be taking a temporary break.

Here are some of our articles from last June to keep you entertained until we return.

June Totems:
Stag
Oak
Robin

The Sabbats: 
Midsummer

The Oak King:
Faces of the Oak King
Meditation of Visiting the Oak King

You can learn more about our tradition's Wheel of the Year here.

June Totems: Robin

American Robin

In the American Folkloric Witchcraft tradition, the Robin is one of the three totems for the month of June, along with Stag and Oak. Robin represents qualities that are kindred to these totems and to the Castle of Stone, Cernunnos and the Summer Solstice -- all of which share this portion of the Wheel of the Year with it.

In England and America, we are talking about two different birds, when we refer to the Robin. Brits are referring to the redbreast, while Americans call the thrush (Turdus migratorius) the Robin. Both birds have red feathers on their breasts, earning them an association with fire.

Most mythologies only make vague reference to the Robin, the clear distinction being the Norse, who associated the bird with Thor and considered it to be a creature of the storm.

Robins are very territorial, and their red breasts signal other males to leave their space. Even their bright and cheery song is a used as a method of battling with other males for dominance over territory. Physical confrontations, on the other hand, tend to be symbolic. Male robins don't seek to hurt each other physically.

The Robin's bright blue egg is distinctive in color. Both male and female Robins share in the feeding of the young, which is a very active process for these birds. Hatchlings are born with no feathers at all, and feedings occur at an average of every twelve minutes. Even so, Robins manage to hatch more than one brood each year. This is a testament to their growth and incredible vitality.

You can learn more about our tradition's wheel of the year through this link.

Summer Solstice

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

Modern calendars state that summer begins on the solstice. According to the old folk calendar, summer begins on Beltane (May 1) and ends on Lammas (August 1st), with the summer solstice, midway between the two, marking Midsummer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that summer begins on the day when the sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. The day is also referred to as St. John's Day, after St. John the Baptist. Other names include Alban Heflin, Alben Heruin, All-couples day, Feast of Epona, Feill-Sheathain, 'Night of the Verbena, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Litha, Sonnwend, Thing-Tide, La Festa dell'Estate, Festa delle Erbe, and Vestalia.

In England, it was the ancient custom on St. John's Eve to light large bonfires after sundown, which served the double purpose of providing light to the revelers and warding off evil spirits. This was known as setting the watch. People often jumped through the fires for good luck. In addition to these fires, the streets were lined with lanterns, and people carried cressets (pivoted lanterns atop poles) as they wandered from one bonfire to another. These wandering, garland-bedecked bands were called a marching watch. Often they were attended by morris dancers. Just as May Day was a time to renew the boundary on one's own property, so Midsummer's Eve was a time to ward the boundary of the city.

Customs surrounding St. John's Eve are many and varied. At the very least, most young folk plan to stay up throughout the whole of this shortest night. Certain courageous souls might spend the night keeping watch in the center of a circle of standing stones. To do so would certainly result in either death, madness, or (hopefully) the power of inspiration to become a great poet or bard. This was also the night when the serpents of the island would roll themselves into a hissing, writhing ball in order to engender the glain, also called the serpent's egg, snake stone, or Druid's egg. Anyone in possession of this hard glass bubble would wield incredible magical powers. Even Merlin went in search of it, according to one ancient Welsh story.

Snakes were not the only creatures active on Midsummer's Eve. According to British folklore the fey especially enjoyed a riding on such a fine summer's night. In order to see them, you had to gather fern seed at the stroke of midnight and rub it onto your eyelids. But be sure to carry a little bit of rue in your pocket, or you might well be pixie-led. Or, failing the rue, you might simply turn your jacket inside-out, which should keep you from harm's way. But if even this fails, you must seek out one of the ley lines, the old straight tracks, and stay upon it to your destination. This will keep you safe from any malevolent power, as will crossing a stream of running water.

In our tradition we use this time to fly to the Castle of Stone where we may honor and gain wisdom from the Oak King.  One way to achieve this vision it through a guided meditation, such as is presented here.

You can learn more about our tradition's wheel of the year through this link.

Faces of the Oak King

Names
Cernunnos, Green Man, Woodwose, Vindos, Pwyll, Freyr, Lugh, Apollo, Lucifer, Herne the Hunter, Karnayna, Faunus, Cern, Dianus, Sylvanus, Edric, Orfeo, Tapio, Dusio, Derg Corra, Green George, Jack in the green, John Barleycorn, Robin Goodfellow, Gwythyr ap Greidawl

Station of the Wheel
Southeast, Summer Solstice (Midsummer), June, Stone Castle, Mead Moon

Totems
Stag, Oak, Robin

Tools
Stone Bowl

Cernunnos in Celtic iconography is often portrayed with animals, in particular the stag, and also frequently associated with a the ram-horned serpent, besides association with other beasts with less frequency, including bulls (at Rheims), dogs, and rats. Because of his frequent association with creatures, scholars often describe Cernunnos as the "Lord of the Animals" or the "Lord of Wild Things", and Miranda Green describes him as a "peaceful god of nature and fruitfulness".

The Green Man motif has many variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance," representing the cycle of growth each spring.

The wild man or woodwose is a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe. Images of wild men appear in the carved and painted roof bosses where intersecting ogee vaults meet in the Canterbury Cathedral, in positions where one is also likely to encounter the vegetal Green Man. The wild man, pilosus or "hairy all over", and often armed with a club. The image of the wild man survived to appear as supporter for heraldic coats-of-arms, especially in Germany, well into the 16th century.

There are several examples of the Romano-Celtic God Vindos maq Noudons which can be easily referenced within texts. Most deal with the root "vin" which means "light" or "white."

Meditation: Visiting the Oak King Cernunnos

 Our tradition uses guided meditation to help impress certain symbols on our member's consciousness. Below is our Midsummer meditation. It takes place in the Castle of Stone, which is the southeast area of our compass.  It is the home of the Oak King, who we honor as Cernunnos.  To use this meditation let yourself relax comfortably and picture yourself drifting downward and inward to the third realm, the lower realm. Briefly, the three realms are Sky above (first realm), Land around (second realm), and Sea below (third realm).  The third realm is a place of darkness and mystery.  Let yourself sink down into the third realm and rest there peacefully.

Meditation: Visiting the Oak King Cernunnos

You awake in a forest of oak trees at midday.  Red breasted robins sing from the trees, and the forest is green with the radiance of nature in summertime.

A rustling from behind you causes you to turn around quickly.  Only a few yards from you is a magnificent stag.  His antlers are as broad as your arms when fully outstretched.  His hide is rich russet.  He bears seven tines on each antler.

The stag gives you a loud snort and tosses his head.    You are consumed with a desire to capture this roebuck, and as if it knew what you were thinking, the stag suddenly bolts away from you.  You give chase.  You run through the oak forest as quickly as any deer could, bounding over creeks and fallen trees.  You can see the stag ahead of you, and you keep pace behind him.  You run at full tilt past mighty oak trees that dwarf you and your quarry.

The stag clears the forest ahead of you and enters a green grass field.  You follow behind him.  He disappears into a huge sloping green valley, and still you rush down the slope after him.  Although your focus remains on chasing the stag, you notice that the valley seems to be constructed like a massive ancient earthwork.  In the center of the valley rises a high grassy hill and upon this hill appears to be a stone fort of some kind.  The stag pauses briefly at the base of the great hill and then bounds up it.

You reach the base of the hill and are momentarily daunted by its steepness and height.  Yet you find force of will to begin the climb upwards.  Up the hill you climb, your legs scrambling.  Up the hill of grass, your fingers struggling to find holds in the emerald green turf.  Up to the top of the earthwork mound, your arms aching from pulling along the weight of your body.

Although you are nearly exhausted you have reached the top of the hill.  You do not see the stag but you notice that you are near a set of enormous oaken doors.  The doors are the entrance to a massive fort of gray stone.  The fort's turrets are adorned with the standards of warriors and kings.  From within the fort you can hear sounds of steel clashing and voices yelling commands.

You approach the doors and knock, but they remain closed to you.  To your side you hear a snort.  It is the stag.  He walks up to the oak doors and touches them with his antlers.  The doors open with a wooden thud.

Within the fort is a field where thousands of warriors from myth and legend are training for battle.  Achilles wrestles with Lancelot as Parzival and Sigurd cross steel.  Spartans train next to samurai.  You watch as Scathac demonstrates for Hector how she wields a spear.  A voice from behind addresses you.  You turn to see it is the Arthurian knight Sir Gawain.  “We've been expecting you,” he says gravely.  You ask him where you are and he replies, “There are many names for this place.  Some call it Troy Town.  Others call it Camelot.  I call it the Castle of Stone.  It is the home of King Cernunnos and his stone bowl.”

Gawain points to a set of double doors across the field.  The doors are of oak intricately carved with countless symbols.  Among these you notice a stag and a robin.  You move to touch the doors and they swing open at your gesture.

Inside the room is a tan and muscular man with thick brown hair.  He wears a crown of antlers.  He is seated on a throne of stone and he wears tanned leather and a green cloak.  His eyes are as green as emeralds and he is smiling broadly at you.  To his right is a table with a stone saucer on it.  To his left is a staff of oak bearing leaves, catkins, and acorns.

“I am called Cernunnos” he says.  His voice is deep and musical and reminds you of the sounds of animals.  You can feel your pulse quicken as he speaks.  The scent of moss and musk fills your nostrils.  Your eyes widen in wonder as you realize that his antlered crown isn't really a crown at all.  He has antlers as broad and majestic as the stag you chased to this place.

His eyes sparkle as he gestures to the stone saucer to his right.  “This is the treasure of the Stone Castle.” You approach the bowl and peer into it.  Inside of the bowl it is very black.  There are three stones and a silver spiral floating in the darkness.  The stones roll in circles as the spiral spins and shifts.  They create patterns and symbols that you understand are related to the pattern of your life.  Peering deeper into the blackness of the bowl you are filled with wisdom and peace.  In the bowl you begin to perceive the purpose of your life's journey and the path you must take to accomplish your destiny.

The symbols shift further, making your head spin in wonder.  Cernunnos chuckles knowingly. His laugh is deep and rolling. You can feel it envelop you like the  shade of a great and ancient forest.  Cernunnos set his hand on your shoulder to steady you. “I have a message for you,” he says.  He leans forward and whispers his secret message in your ear. [long pause]

Cernunnos bids you farewell.  He and shakes your hand and claps you to his chest.  He is warm and smells of musk and loam.  Around you the room seems to fill with foliage.  Leave it hastily, hurrying past the field where warriors are training.  Gawain salutes you as you pass.  Beyond the oaken doors of the fort awaits the great stag that lead you here.  He now regards you with a knowing respect. You follow him as he runs down the great hill and into the valley.  He waits for you to catch up to him, glancing behind.  You enter with him into the oak forest .  The stag leaves you in an oak grove with the midday sun shining upon you.  You settle in beneath a large oak tree and rest.