June 21st said to be The Longest day of the Year is actually the mean date of nine consecutive days with same length of daylight. We pagans celebrate this day as Summer Solstice.
This year it was suggested that we should return to The Hill of Tara for our ritual timed at the peak of sunlight, mid-day. Several years ago we would drive to Tara and greet the dawn; in those days it was a long journey across country in the dark. Today, with road improvements, it is a short journey of ninety minutes instead of two and a half hours.
I chose Teach Cormaic (Cormac's house) a ring barrow as being a good place on which to hold our ritual for I was there several years ago as part of a large gathering of international druids and found the energies to be very suitable for our kind of work.
We knew that our circle this time would be of at least seven people however, a fellow druid arrived with five of her friends and by the time we had settled ourselves, eight complete strangers asked if they might join us. The more the merrier I thought and at least we had sufficient cordial with us to keep the cup filled!
The Hill Tara & Teach Cormaic
(click to enlarge)
A Glass Goddess
Our ritual cup and the Glass Goddess (filled with honeysuckle cordial) stood in the centre of our circle absorbing our combined energies. Some of those who partook of the cup thought it had been fortified with something stronger - merely the effect of ritual energy!
The weather was for most of the ritual dry, unfortunately just as we were about to close a storm rolled in and for about five seconds a few flakes wet snow came down, followed by very heavy rain and a strong wind.
Some of the Lads having a chinwag after the ritual
Four special goddesses!
The Lia Fail - The Stone of Destiny (on the right)
It was to here Maguires Cafe & Gift shop that we repaired to enjoy a fine lunch with more chatter and to meet with like minded people.
How wonderful, thanks for sharing your celebration.
ReplyDeleteThe ladies looked divine :-)
Should have sent you some of our sun for your celebration!
ReplyDeleteOh my how gorgeous is that country side! Where did you find such a bottle, I got such a chuckle out of that its perfect for your cup and I have never seen one like it! Looks like you all had a wonderful time and I sure wish I had of been there,so good when there are so many for energy sharing and it looked like all enjoyed themselves :) Debs
ReplyDeleteThat looks like the perfect place to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Are you sure you didn't take along the honeysuckle liqueur by mistake? :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Sir Heron :-)))
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your local Solstice celebration. Fabulous account :-)
Great photos... what a beautiful bottle and wonderful cordial too.
ReplyDeleteIt is a fab account, lovely description and I too love the Glass Goddess, although have yet to try this type of cordial!
ReplyDeleteLovely account and the most gorgeous countryside. What a place to celebrate a special event like the summer solstice. The mounds are beautiful. Do you know their origins? I see there are signs of several others that have almost disappeared.
ReplyDeleteVallyP: The Hill of Tara has been a sacred site since prehistoric times, with the earliest known monument (the Mound of the Hostages) built between 2500 and 2100 BC. After that, the site remained in regular ceremonial use for thousands of years.
ReplyDeleteIn the Iron Age, roughly spanning the 1st through 5th centuries AD, the Hill of Tara was the ceremonial center of the Celtic high kings of Ireland. Roman artifacts dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries have been found on the site and it is said that St. Patrick visited Tara in the 430s AD after lighting his "Paschal fire" on the nearby Hill of Slane. The kings appear to have abandoned the site in the 6th century.
will you be going to the Hill this year ?
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