Festivals For June

[Earth Walker]

JUNE 1
CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL(CHINESE)

What a fine idea it is for a nation to celebrate its children!
In China, there are posters advertising this fine day weeks
ahead, many circuses open their shows, ice cream is priced
low or is free, and the whole day is devoted to catering to
kids of all sizes.
The Goddess Carna(Roman) also rules this day. She opens
what is closed and closes what is open. She is the hinge of
life. One of Her powers is to unlock the door to information
that has been suppressed. This is a good day to start
investigations, research, discoveries.

JUNE 2
JUNO REGINA'S DAY(ROMAN)

This is a day to celebrate women who are in public life.
We have seen how hard it is to combine the soulless
public life of a leader with the inner life of a woman.
Find out who in your area is struggling to take political power
back into the domain of the feeling world. These can be both
female and male officials. Send them good luck, and if a woman
is running for office, send her money.

JUNE 3
SECOND FESTIVAL OF PEACE: PAX (ROMAN)

Pax, the Goddess of peace, is the protector of persons and
property, the essence of safety. Light a white candle for
yourself; pray for the safety of your own life and your loved
ones. There are three holidays a year for Pax. Imagine what
it would be like if we actually celebrated peace with processions
and demonstrations, not just protests. Singing contests, writing
contests, and musical performances would fill the day; people
would run around crowned with olive branches. What a sight!
Budget cuts from defense would be spent on the poor of the
cities. How blessed! Do we dare to wage peace? How scary is
peace, really? Ask the men in power, they will tell you -- very.
Make an effort today to write your official representatives to
take courage and use diplomacy instead of escalating the arms
race.

(More tomorrow) :)

[Earth Walker]

JUNE 4
ROSALIA: FESTIVAL OF ROSES

The rose, so fragrant and varied and beautiful, has been a
symbol for the Goddess for millennia. The worship of the rose
was the worship of Aphrodite, the Goddess of love.
The red rose represented full-blown, mature, fertile womanly
sexual love. The form and meaning of the rose have gone through
changes, like the Goddess herself.
The rose originated in Arabia, and was brought back by the
christian crusaders. In the 20th century, the symbol of the rose
was reassigned from Aphrodite to Mary, Mother of god.
Mary is often called Rose Garden, Mystic Rose, Queen of the
Most Holy Rose Garden. This still means that the rose is the
symbol of the life-giving vulva. Its male counterpart is the wild
briar rose, that "pricks" and draws blood from the maidens.
The rosary is organized in multiples of five for the fivefold petals
of the rose. This is the number of the five-pointed star on our
flags and the pentagram of the witches.
Tend your garden today, pick your roses respectfully, and
meditate on the tree of life as a rose or apple tree and the
sexuality of the Goddess as the source of all life.

JUNE 7
VESTALIA: PURIFICATION (ROMAN)

The Goddess Vesta, a fire goddess, was celebrated on this day.
On Vestalia, priestesses traveled to the rivers to throw from a wooden bridge small images of men into the waters. This was done as a sacrifice to the ancient ones to protect the living.
The temples also received vigorous attention during Vestalia.
Priestesses (vestal virgins) swept and scrubbed and washed and
beautified the house of the Mother. During the festival, the
innermost sacred space of the temple was opened to all
priestesses. This was a space where no man was ever allowed to set foot. Here the priestesses would crowd together, standing
barefoot, for prayers and rituals concerning their own order.
Vestals prepared the first fruits of grain and offered it in the
temples, while all millers and bakers were garlanded. There are
parallel customs to Vestalia among the Creek Indians of North
America, usually in July or August, when their first corn is ripe.
They, too, maintained the ritual purifications; bathing of sacred
images; sweeping public plazas, temples, houses; and fasting before partaking of the new first fruits, putting out the old fire
and rekindling a new one and solemnly and communally eating of the first fruits of new corn.
Other fire goddesses -- such as Pele (Hawaiian) and Heartha
(German) -- should be remebered. It is the fire of life they
represent, the fire in our bodies, of our passions, the purifying
fire of love. This is a good day to barbecue or do other fiery things. Court a lover; make love; go dancing.

[Earth Walker]

JUNE 11
MATRALIA (ROMAN)

Not only do we have holidays for women who are mothers, but
this day we celebrate those who are motherly without having
borne children. Mater Matuta, the Goddess of Dawn and Death,
and also of harbours and the sea, received homage from women who were not mothers themselves. Honour your aunt or friend
who is childless. They are our support system.

JUNE 13
FEAST OF EPONA (CELTIC)

From the Iron Age in Britain through Roman times, the worship
of the horse-headed Goddess Epona was celebrated on this day.
In ancient Hungary, she was portrayed as a magical white horse,
a taltos, and her worship was practiced by many other central
European tribes. The horse represented mobility, agricultural
power, and sadly, also a warrior's tool. The Goddess would
appear in the form of a horse to transport her shamans to other
magical realms of existence, such as the world of the spirits.

JUNE 14
BIRTHDAY OF THE MUSES (GREEK)

Yes, even the Muses had a mother. She was the Goddess
Mnemosyne (memory), who was herself a Muse. Her daughters
brought humanity the joys of inspiration and, in a way, the age of
technology as well.
The nine Muses are Calliope (epic song), Clio (history), Euterpe
(lyric song), Thalia (comedy), Melpomene (tragedy), Terpsichore
(dance), Erato (erotic poetry), Polyhymnia (sacred hymns), and
Urania (astronomy). The creativity of women is the food of the
spirit. Support the arts today; stimulate your creativity. When was the last time you went to see a play? Do something cultural
today that you have never done before. Break the cahins of
your old habits.

JUNE 17
MARRIAGE OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE(GREEK)

This day is All Couples' Day, gay or straight -- the celebration of
married love, loyalty, and faith in each other.
Orpheus was a great musician who loved his wife so much that when she died of a snakebite, he followed her into the land of
the shades, where the dead live on, and asked the Queen of the
underworld to let her return. He used his artistic power to play
his lyre with such beauty and called forth such sweet notes that
he charmed the dark spirits below.
Eurydice was released to him on the condition that he should lead her back into the world without ever looking behind him to
see if she was really there. He obeyed until he was almost to the surface, but just before he reached the world of the living, he lost
faith and looked back. The spell was broken, and Eurydice had to
go back to the land of the dead after all.
Let this story demonstrate how deeply lovers can bond with each other, and also how overprotectiveness can ruin everything.
Celebrate by taking a vacation together, exchanging gifts,
giving a party -- and making a reality check on your possessiveness. Leaving a space between yourself and your true
love where "angels can dance" is the secret of having a long-
lasting relationship.

JUNE 21
SUN ENTERS CANCER
Cancer is the sign of the crab. Take some time off to pamper
yourself. Slow down; pay attention to your home. Look within
and be aware of your feelings and honour Yemaya Olokun,
Yoruba Goddess of the depths of the sea.

JUNE 21
SUMMER SOLSTICE

Happy midsummer to you all! Now the Earth has reached the
midpoint on her journey around the sun. From this time on, the
daylight hours will begin to shorten again. This peak of the summertime is Midsummer, Summer Solstice.
The Goddess of this season is Litha (North African, European).
She is abundance and fertility, power and order. If you wish to
conceive a divine child (and whose child isn't!), lie with your
lover tonight. Tonight is lovers night all over all the world.
Renamed by the christians as St. John's Day, Midsummer is an
excellent time to perform divinations about affairs of the heart.
For protection in the coming year and purification from sorrow,
jump over a balefire or a candle (or your trusty hibachi) in your
backyard. If there is something that bothers you a lot, write it on
a piece of white paper with red ink, smear it with honey, fold it
gently and burn it in the flames, saying:

I give my sorrow to the flames, the Goddess of Fire will
consume my pain. it is done.

If you are single, it is a good night to cast a love spell.
Another Goddess associated with this season is Cerridwen, who
usually has her cauldron of rebirth handy as she brews the ingredients of our lives. Her sacred animal is the sow, so eat some pork tonight if you are not a vegetarian.
Ishtar (Babylonian), Astarte (Canaanite), Aphrodite (Greek),
Yemaya or Oshun (Brazilian) are all love Goddesses who may be
celebrated with fires and fruit offerings tonight. The fiery
Goddess Aine (Irish) is honoured with torchlight processions
around the fields; cattle are driven through fires to purify them
from sickness. The wheel of the year is turning; from the high point of summer, we now face the coming winter, even though
its first signs are far away.
Summer Solstice is a magical time for wishing. Walk to the nearest river, ocean, bay, brook, or lake and, chanting to yourself
(the Muses will tell you how), float a flower with your kiss on it -- traditionally a rose -- into the waves to carry your wish home.
It is a message to the Cosmic Mother (whose symbol is the rose)
on the waters (her life-giving element) to send something to her
daughter or son -- yourself.
Here is a chant to make a midsummer wish:

Yes, you are here in the soft buzzing grass.
Yes, you are listening among the flowering gardens.
Yes, you are shining from the most royal blue sky.
Yes, you are granting me what I wish tonight:
Grant me a healthy life rich with high purpose,
A true partner to share my joys and my tears,
Wisdom to hear your voice giving me guidance,
Wealth to give to others as you have given it to me.

JUNE 24
LADY LUCK (EUROPEAN)

Lady Luck, Fors Fortuna, she who rules chance -- today we light her green and orange candles to stimulate her lucky power and to be lucky enough to receive her favors. But Fors Fortuna is
really a trinity of goddesses, the Three Fates. Think how often
during your life you have prayed to the Fates. "Oh, if I only got
a chance!" we say. "Opportunity only knocks once!"
Who are these crotchety old ladies who control everybody's
chances? The Old Ones are indeed fussy. They are almost forgotten by most people except when we are in trouble, at
which point we all get "religion." But what kind? The Old religion!
In her neutral aspect, the Triple Goddess, as a ruler of fate,
consists of Lachesis, who controls the length of the threads of
life; Clotho, her older sister who spins and weaves the tapestry
of our lives into a beautiful work of art; and, finally, Atropos, the
oldest of them, who controls endings with her shears and cuts
the threads of life when she feels it is time. When the fates are
not honoured, they reveal their dark faces -- the Furies Alecto,
Tesiphone, and Megaera. The three of them share one life, since
without ending, there is no beginning. They are pictured often as
old maids spinning in a dark cave (in our deep minds), sharing
one eye among them; thus the saying "the fates are blind."
But the fates can be brought up from the forgotten crevices of
the old mind into the brilliant sunshine, where they can see much
better and be part of our modern lives, where we need them.
So remember the three maids -- the Norns (the Norse Goddesses
of fate), the Fates, the Furies -- and turn them back into the
three Graces -- three lovely naked women entwined in a dance.
Light three candles (gold, green, or silver) and pray to the Fates
for good luck.

[Silver Venus]

Thanks so much for taking your time to post these up!! I always find your listings so helpfull and brilliant! :D and will follow them accordingly next month ~ which is a very feminine month!
:) I am really looking forward to Summer Solstice and loved the words ~I give my sorrow to the flames, the Goddess of Fire will
consume my pain. it is done.
Thank you :heartthro

[sherry]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mystique
[B] JUNE 11
MATRALIA (ROMAN)

Not only do we have holidays for women who are mothers, but
this day we celebrate those who are motherly without having
borne children. Mater Matuta, the Goddess of Dawn and Death,
and also of harbours and the sea, received homage from women who were not mothers themselves. Honour your aunt or friend
who is childless. They are our support system.

This is so strange how this one is just like me and is on my BIRTHDAY.....................COOL:)

[treefae]

bump

[treefae]

bump anyone have the spring ones?