This Midsummer, I was moved to do a ritual, very small, which is something I am not usually inclined to do.
What this ritual basically came down to is the mystery of fire and water (a primary mystery of Brighid, and one with which I’ve always had particular resonance), or “sunlight on water”, as it applies to the various parts of my life. Without too much detail, I’m focusing on being a channel–the flow of emotional and physical energy (water) and spark of creative energy (fire) merging to allow me to continue working in the forge, writing on the page, without (heh) burning myself out or draining myself. (Excuse the double puns).
The end metaphorical vision is basically for me to be as a river, flowing, with sunlight sparkling all over me, and it was this vision I focused on.
I do not think the “fire on water” motif is amiss at Midsummer, being both the time of the greatest sunlight and the greatest heat, the time when all of nature is abundant, and we are all working hard to produce work (especially me, as a college student, when I finally have time to focus on non-school work), and the time when we all seek water, whether to cool ourselves (in the pool!) or, as we are down here in south Texas in a heavy drought, to survive. The image of sunlight on a river is one that connects me not only to my physical surroundings and the emotional connotations of this holiday, but it connects me most importantly to Brighid, who is at the center of everything I do.
I’ve learned how to crochet in the past week, and decided to incorporate it into my ritual, in which I made a chain of all the things I wanted to accomplish, to have support for, to have energy for, etc. I unraveled it and placed it outside to blow away, and then I came back and wrote this poem:
a river
flowing with sunlight
sparkling upon deep waters
Brighid, Lady of Fire
Lady of Water
may your light shine through me
within me
upon me
may your waters flow through me
within me
around me
I carry sunlight on my back
living water in my mouth
heaven cloudy on my brow
the sea clear under my feet
a channel
I flow
your strength
my passion
moving together as one
let me let go
let me touch and keep
let me be fire
let me be water
let me move
let me still
a river
I move
your love
my devotion
living together as one
Midsummer is a time for light, for realizing there’s still plenty of time for fun, love, work and light in your life. It is also a time for flow, as take summer vacations, as we relax for a moment from our busy lives to look outside at the life around us, and re-energize ourselves to plunge back into whatever we’re doing. Midsummer is truly a fire and water day; for time flows away from us, even as the light reaches its zenith.
But all things pass, and this is why we celebrate.
I hope everyone’s Midsummer is lovely, whether you decide to sit outside and grill, jump in the pool, do ritual, hike, or (if you live in south Texas) retreat to the A/C to avoid 100-degree temperatures. If you are outside, wear plenty of sunscreen; if you’re not, go and open a window and let some sun in.
