Solstice takes place in Winter and Summer it marks the end of the Sun Gods Lugh or the Oak Kings cycle or reign-Summer. This celebrates the Sun at the heights of its power. Solstice hails the beginning of change or rebirth. At this time people gathered mistletoe and saint-john worth and brought it into their homes for protection.

Samhain / Halloween sees the veil between the living and the spirit worldAT ITS FINEST THIS ALSO OCCURS AT Solstice .aT THIS TIME we humans cAN have strange experiences AS the wee folk of the ELEMENTAL other world of the Tuatha de Danann wERE SEEN IN DAYS PAST crossing into our reality and walking around on the land. Some call it a day outside of time-a Midsummer night’s dream. Shakespeare’s play where 4 young lovers spend a night together in the forest with the wee ELEMENAL folk not knowing quite what has happened to them as they are entwined in the confusion of the two worlds of reality and non reality. In shamanism this is knows as the dream-state of reality as we know it and the non reality that we access with our Drum and Dance cross over each other in Ceremony .In the Shamanic context of Healing this is a very powerful time to perform any type of Ceremony. The Celtic Festivals are a time when the channel opens to the Ancestors and Higher Beings of Light to come to earth to once again to assist us in raising the vibrations here and the Healing of our past. With this we nurture our planet and our children for the future generations.

Sun worship goes back to pre Celtic times and represents the idea of Gods and Goddesses ruling from a high vibrational dimension called the unseen world/place of the Ancestors. Through these festival times a portal exists between the earthly world and that of these higher vibrational beings or deities of light.

Solstice is in itself a bit of a paradox as it leads the celebration of the Light or Dark into the aspects of Summer and Winter. The Summer Solstice Light celebration of the Sun Gods supremacy over the shadow of darkness heralds his demise at Summer Solstice and the heralds of the birth of the Holly King of Winter DARKNESS. The Holly King represents the Winter and is then reborn at Summer Solstice as the Oak King of Summertime is reborn at Yule time of Winter Solstice.

Midsummer Day is the day we mark the completion of the Suns journey within the Celtic Wheel. From this day forward the Suns Light begins to dwindle as the days yet again withdraw with the growth of the young Holly King of Darkness. The long nights of winter prepare to slowly weave themselves around us once again.

Summer Solstice celebrates the Sun reaching the furthest point North as in Winter it reaches the furthest point South. Covering the two opposite poles. The Oak tree is seen as the tree of Triumph. The KING OF THE FOREST. Once the whole of Ireland was covered in this mighty tree. At Summer Solstice the Oak King conquers the Darkness of Winter. But alas his reign is short .The Summer Solstice sees the Holly King born who will one day defeat the Oak King as his power withdraws. This also ties in with to our Ancient Irish legend of the Tuatha De Danann warrior Lugh (Sun God of Eire). He was a young warrior of the shining ones and he defeated the mighty Cyclops Balor of the Dark Formorians. The Formorians were a dark force that once roamed the land of Ireland in ancient times.

So the tournament of light/awareness and dark/shadow of consciousness continues for those who are aware of the light of Love and those who EMBRACE the unknown ADVENTURE INTO darkness of changeAND THE EM,POWERMERNT OF REBIRTH AS CELEBRATED IN THE SWEAT LODGE CEREMONIES WE HOLD AT OUR SCHOOL. As they say confront your fear and do it anyway Death and Rebirth are ritually embraced in the Celtic wheel of Light as constant cycle of growth Each Festival welcomes change and healthily grounds and integrates this into our consciousness through the relevant ceremonies held at these important times. The Universe is in constant flux and change so we need to move with the changes otherwise we get caught up in a vicious cycle of stagnation fear and sickness. Sadly this is one of the traits of the human condition that we struggle with change. Ritual and ceremony WILL create a new reality when enough people hold the perception of a better world filled with the Love and Light of Summer Solstice.

The Ancient Ones of our land knew this and this was why these festival times are even more important to the whole community to day more than ever we need to relight the Spirit of Eire. These festival times create a time for us all to take collective responsibility and to move out of the denial of change.

In these festival gatherings the community moved as a unit as THEY celebrated the fire of cleansing and rebirth. Happily I was involved in relighting the fire on one of our main Fire Festivals last year it was relit again on the sacred Hill of Uisneach LAST YEAR.

In older times we honoured the energies of the Sun and the moon as representations of the masculine and feminine. Our ancestors honoured the Celtic festivals in a way that kept the community connected to the SOURCE OF power/ energy and awareness of Creation. This was to fend off sickness and to welcome an abundant harvest.bACK THEN IT WAS NO SECRET TO THEM THAT THEY HAD THE POWER TO INFLUENCE THEIR REALITY. Some believe the world to day sadly lacks THE relevant Spiritual ceremony and ritual and this is one of the reasons why we are where we are DISCONNECTED socially economically and spiritually as a Nation FROM OUR ABUNDANCE.

So why not start to day and begin to mark the Celtic festivals with a simple fire oR candle depending on your surroundings and reconnect to this valuable ancient practice of Spirituality. Just remember there is no wrong way to practice the ceremony once it is performed with a good heart and a respectful intention.

You will be pleasantly surprised when you do it. Just go with your intuition AND you will be connecting with me and many millions around the world who have RE-awoken to this Ancient awareness of Community Connection and Wholeness.

Remember we must take care of our Planet now she needs us to wake up to our responsibility as the caretakers of Mother Earth for our children and the coming generations. This ancient awareness of Healing and Spirituality within our hearts as brothers and sisters united by Mother Earth WITH the great Celebration of LUGH THE SUN GOD OF Light AND Summer Solstice.THIS CELEBRATION reinforces the great power of Nature WITH BRIGIT OUR Earth GODDESS A source of this great power here on the land of Ireland.

The Celtic Calendar celebrates the eternal journey of light through the many changes on its journey through the seasons. Winter Solstice. Birth of the Sun God Lugh to Death at Samhain to rebirth at Winter Solstice the journey of the Sun God is celebrated by the 4 Fire festivals of Imboloc Beltaine Lughnasadh and Samhain. The other 2 being Spring and Autumn Equinox where the light and dark are in perfect balance and harmony This is what we all strive for in our daily lives Harmony Peace and Joy in Mind Body and Spirit