Here, my ode to midsummer:
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet mush-roses and the eglantine.
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight.
-From A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare
Ah, midsummer. Shakespeare’s lines capture it well, don’t you think? When reading these lines, you can almost smell the sultry perfume of abundant flowers, their blooms brazenly open, releasing their musky scent. I’m picturing a lush, green English garden – a perfect place for faerie folk to linger.
Midsummer has long been a time of celebration for many cultures. When researching my novel Emily’s House, I was intrigued by ancient Celtic rituals. Though the Summer Solstice was not the most important celebration for the ancient Celts, it certainly was honored.
On my trip to Ireland in 2010, I had the opportunity to visit Loughcrew. Loughcrew is a megalithic site dating to 3500 to 3300 B.C. To put that in context, the Great Pyramid at Giza was completed in 2560 B.C. That means that the ancient Celts in Ireland created large, planned structures for burial and ritual over a thousand years before the Egyptians built the pyramids.
Loughcrew has a small hole in the capstone of the structure which is aligned with the sun at both the Spring and Autumnal equinox. As the alignment occurs, the sun illuminates the back wall and the petroglyphs and symbols etched there.
This hole still aligns the sun at the spring and autumn equinox, as it has for over 5000 years. |
Loughcrew isn’t the only cairn in the area. There is also Carrowkeel with its cairn aligned with the setting sun at the Summer Solstice.
Scholars aren’t sure why our ancestors built these sites. But clearly it was important to them to observe the cycles of the sun. Their livelihood likely depended on it.
I can’t say for sure the purpose of Loughcrew, but I can say that when I was there, I felt its spiritual power. It is my belief that objects and places retain the energy signatures from the people who touched or used them. At Loughcrew, you feel the spiritual energy and solemnity of the site.
An alter? A view of the outside of the Cairn at Loughcrew. |
As I walked the grounds and laid my hands on the stones, I tried to imagine why the ancients had built the structure and what had taken place there. I could almost smell the smoke of the burning wood of the celebratory fires. The odor of roasting meat filled my nose. I could feel the pulse of the deep ritual drums. As I stood on top of that hill, feeling the Irish wind whipping my hair, I felt the power of the words spoken by ancient Druid priests calling upon the sun god for blessing.
Sheep share the hill at Loughcrew |
The cairn at Loughcrew, Ireland |
Fire was, and still is, a significant component of midsummer celebrations. In midsummer, our ancient ancestors were concerned with making sure their crops would have plenty of sun to help them grow to maturity for harvest. Fire was considered “sympathetic magic,” used to amplify or call down the power of the sun.
The ancients relied on the cooperation of nature for their survival. These ancient sites reveal that their rituals were tied to nature’s cycles.
When I wrote Emily’s House, I knew that I wanted to include a scene with an ancient Celtic ritual. What fit with the story was a ban feis, a ritualistic marriage of the King to the Goddess (representing the land). Once I’d been to Ireland and Loughcrew, I rewrote the scene entirely, calling on my impressions of the ancient rites that I received subconsciously while I was there. While at Loughcrew, the whole place imbued with the lingering imprint of the spirits of our ancient ancestors who built it, I felt like I’d been there before.
Perhaps we’ve all been there. Maybe the collective memory of the days when our ancestors danced and feasted around the bonfire is buried in our DNA. Just maybe our need to mark the seasons with ritual and merriment is an ingrained part of our human nature.
Being a desert dweller, the fires of midsummer will burn in my heart rather than my yard. Sláinte!
Midsummer Blog Hop Participants
1. | Pippa Jay | 13. | Liana Brooks | 25. | Debra A. Soles | |
2. | Misa Buckley | 14. | A. R. Norris | 26. | Marlene @ Reading Reality | |
3. | Arlene Webb | 15. | L.J. Garland & Debbie Gould | 27. | Rae Lori | |
4. | Pauline Baird Jones | 16. | Sandra Sookoo | 28. | Bella Street | |
5. | Frances Pauli | 17. | Cara Michaels | 29. | Kyn Hatch | |
6. | Imogene Nix | 18. | Sheryl Nantus | 30. | T.K. Anthony | |
7. | Natalie Wright | 19. | Diane Dooley | 31. | Jo Jones | |
8. | Greta van der Rol | 20. | Kathleen Scott | 32. | A.B. Gayle | |
9. | Jessica E. Subject | 21. | Ella Drake | 33. | Sue Ann Bowling | |
10. | Kayelle Allen | 22. | Cathy Pegau | 34. | S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore | |
11. | Joanne Elder | 23. | T. C. Archer | 35. | DL Jackson | |
12. | Melisse Aires | 24. | Kitty Roads | 36. | Hywela Lyn |
I love ancient sites!
LikeLike
I love paranormal and fantasy any time of the year!
LikeLike
I love SFR, Steampunk, Fantasy and on and on. I just love to read any time of the year.
LikeLike
I agree, the more revered a site was, the stronger the energy left behind. You can feel this when you buy a house and move in. You can always tell if it contained a happy family, or not, by the energy left behind. The beliefs were strong and these sites carry an echo of them from the past.
Great post!
Dawn
LikeLike
Between Shakespear quotes and fantastic pictures, thoughts of energy and channeling, this post is very cool. Also, I love the cover for Emily's House and I'm intrigued. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
I agree that the past leaves imprints of the people who passed there, particularly places where people sacrificed a lot to create them. We visited an old Catholic church outside of San Antonio and I had a sense of awe and history there.
LikeLike
I would soooo love to visit Ireland. It looks like such a gorgeous place. And I've been places where I've felt like I've been before. Pretty cool.
LikeLike
Wow that was interesting. And to actually see Loughcrew must have been amazing. I'd love to see all those ancient mystical places you always hear about.
LikeLike
Very beautiful pictures. Everything, I just love the good stories.
Thank you for the giveaways!
Artemis
LikeLike
Me too! Thanks for stopping by Pippa
LikeLike
I agree Kimber. Best wishes in the contests and thanks for stopping by my blog
LikeLike
Dawn, I totally agree. My husband is great at picking up on those energies.
Glad you enjoyed the post and thank you for stopping by the blog. Best wishes
LikeLike
Arlene,
Thank you for your kind comments and I'm glad you enjoyed. Best wishes and thanks for stopping by my blog
LikeLike
Yes Pauline, I love what you said about sacrifice to create them. I hadn't thought of that, but yes, I think that the imprint of those that created the place is there too.
Thanks for stopping by my blog
LikeLike
LJ – you definitely should get to Ireland. It is an amazing place – beautiful and the people are warm and inviting. Definitely a must visit place.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and best wishes
LikeLike
Debra,
It was magical. And I won the trip to Ireland so the whole trip had a magic quality to it. I hope you get to visit some mystical places of the ancients 🙂
Thanks for stopping by my blog
LikeLike
Thank you Diana and glad you enjoyed. Best wishes in the the giveaways
LikeLike
JC – I love to read anything and all year too! I'll read any genre as long as I like the characters.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and best wishes
LikeLike
I love to read everything in the summer, but especially books with oceans. I love the water.
liana.brooks1(at)gmail(dot)com
LikeLike
I read whatever I am in the mood for. I enjoy all kinds of books.
Sue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com
LikeLike
Gorgeous pics (especially the sun one. I'm a sucker for sunsets and sunrises). Shakespeare definitely had a way with words and description. 🙂
LikeLike
I had no idea there are so many sites like that. I knew of a few but that is really cool. Makes you kinda wonder about the times those celebration or ritual sites would have been like in their prime.
LikeLike
What a fabulous and informative post! Your book sounds so interesting!
LikeLike
Beautiful post! I love all the photos. I love fairies. My favorite mythical creatures. Thanks for sharing and for the fun hop!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
LikeLike
Oh, i like to read romances. 🙂
LikeLike
Since I've only become a bookworm in the last several years, I've really never thought about reading specific books at specific times of the year. Unless you count reading some holiday related stories around those holidays. LOL So, I really just read whatever strikes my fancy at the time. Or if I've requested some books for review, then I'll go with those. 🙂
And I won't be entering the rafflecopter because I'm grateful to already have a signed copy of Emily's House. 🙂 But thank you just the same for participating in this blog hop!
Pam
vanillaorchids69(at)gmail(dot)com
LikeLike
VanillaOrchids – Thanks for stopping by and I hope you win some great new reads! Best wishes
LikeLike
Then this hop is for you Shadow! Best wishes and I hope you find some fun new reads
LikeLike
I love faeries too. Thanks for your kind comments
LikeLike
I know, Ireland alone is dotted from end to end with ancient stone rings and cairns. It does make you wonder. I wish I could go back in time and find the truth of what was really happening back then, but since I don't have a time machine, I'll have to continue to imagine it instead
LikeLike
Thanks Melisse and thanks for stopping by
LikeLike
Interesting. I wonder if any books by the writers in the hop feature oceans?
Thanks for stopping by my blog
LikeLike
I'm with you katsrus, I read all genres and it's more about what sounds interesting at the time. But I might have a slightly higher need for romance and fun books (nothing too heavy) in the summer than at other times.
LikeLike
Yes Rae Lori, can we really top Shakespeare? Glad you enjoyed the pics and thanks for stopping by the blog
LikeLike
What a beautiful place to visit. I'm sure it was very inspiring. 🙂
All the best!
Jess
jessicasubject.writer at gmail dot com
LikeLike
My reading isn't seasonal — so this Summer, I'll probably be reading a lot of UF, Fantasy & Sci-Fi!
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping by Jessica and best of luck in the giveaways
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping be Elizabeth and best wishes in the giveaways
LikeLike
What a lovely post – the pictures are absolutely beautiful!
LikeLike
I enjoyed your blog very much and the pictures were awesome! Thanks for the contest.
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping by Hywela and glad you enjoyed 🙂
LikeLike
Liz, Thank you for your kind comments and you're very welcome for the contest
LikeLike