Almost summer~solstice
Though you wouldn’t guess it by the weather …
Apologies my moon-loving friends, I’ve been preoccupied with this and that and missed the new moon, which happened on Monday evening just gone. So here we are at the end of new moon week, with the summer solstice approaching on Sunday. I was planning to have a picnic this evening whilst witnessing the annual lighting of Sancreed Beacon on my local hill but alas, this event needed to be postponed as the fog is closing in, with rain and high winds forecast for tonight! Let’s see how we fare with our planned bonfire ritual on the beach on Sunday evening - maybe the next heatwave will be on its way by then? I feel for the earth and its noticeably collapsing seasonal rhythms - and especially for the birds who I think are really struggling to raise their young amidst all these current sudden extreme temperature changes. I heard of some osprey chicks upcountry having died of exposure the other week when their mother inexplicably left the nest and their father kept on feeding them but couldn’t at the same time keep them warm, so sad …
Anyway, I digress - astronomically speaking we are heading for the longest day and shortest night here in the northern hemisphere, whatever the weather. In Penzance this means our delightful week-long midsummer festival of Golowan is approaching, which will culminate in the serpent dance next Saturday afternoon - basically the whole town holding hands and snaking through the little streets of the town dressed in bright colours with flowers in their hair, to the sound of an ancient mesmerising tune. As I will soon go roaming for a spell, this will be my last local seasonal festivals for a wile; so I’ve enticed some friends to join me in making flower crowns on the day and participating fully (: I will try to post a little movie of our efforts.
So the next full moon will ripen like a berry on Monday 29th June. It’s called strawberry moon or rose moon. Maybe we could all try to take in as much light and warmth as possible between now and then, and ponder what abundant qualities we might want to express and share at the height of summer?
Wishing you well until then ~ I’ll leave you with a somewhat surreal version of a classic summer song: