Wood Sisters Summer Solstice gathering June 26th
Our Midsummer gathering was marked by the attendance of our youngest ever Wood sister, Isobel, with her mother, Rebecca. It added a much appreciated and very heart-opening dimension to the day, having a small baby in our midst ,and took many of us back to those infinitely precious but demanding days of total dependency at the beginning of parenting.
We opened with a rich and deep session of seasonal reflections around the circle. The notional “Wisdom Pot” in the centre was soon full of midsummer intensity from our personal lives and from the natural world around us. As always, there was so much to draw on: each contribution stirred others to see similar reflection in their own lives and to go deeper into the mystery as the thread of conversation wove its way around the circle. Then, we were ready for a story.
The Loathly Lady encompasses the story of King Arthur meeting the Black Knight and the tale of Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady. Sue took us deep into the heart of the forest, to the still, dark pool where the black knight waited. The story challenged our ideas of inner and outer beauty, chivalry and courteousness. It was bawdy and funny (one version of it is told by the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, although the source lies in older Celtic legends of the hag at the well). The challenge set to the male protagonists is to find the answer to the question: “What is it that women most desire?” We had a few thoughts on that ourselves.
There was a lively discussion after the story and then Sam led us in meditation to a dark pool in the centre of a forest grove deep inside ourselves to see what we found reflected. We spent quiet and sacred time alone out in nature before returning to share again our insights and experiences.
After a delicious shared lunch – a feast of salads and strawberries and all the goodness of midsummer – we split into groups to build four environments in honour of the four elements: Earth, Air , Fire and Water. The fiery hearth was dressed in burning reds and oranges and there were scraps of paper on which to write a pledge or a wish and send it up in votive smoke.
The sanctuary was open to the air with a mobile of feathers that wafted in the breeze and smoke from the sage stick. The earth “cave” had a drum and lots of soil, ash, sand and pieces of turf in which to get our hands dirty. On the terrace, a waterfall was created with little jewels that could be dropped into the pool for a wish. We each got the chance to visit these four places and feel a greater connection to the elements.
We closed with poetry, song and music contributed by different people around the circle and certainly I left feeling nourished, renewed and inspired. Midsummer can be a very intense time and needs honouring for that abundant energy but it was also marvellously beneficial to spend a day taking time to reflect in a way that quiets the agitation we can feel in our daily lives.
Looking forward to sharing Lammas-tide with you.
Sue and Sam