For Midsummer, I
wrote a ritual for Prairie Shadow Protogrove in a Germanic hearth
culture to mirror the honoring of Sunna that we had done at Yule.
Once again, Nerthus was our Earth Mother and Heimdall our Gatekeeper,
and we invited the Kindred through the Gates of the Fire, Well, and
Tree. A friend who's been attending our rituals brought home-made
mead which we used for the Waters of Life, and we offered
bright-orange tiger lilies from my garden to Sunna. The Kindred
accepted our sacrifices, and sent us blessings of growth and physical
well-being as determined through tarot card divination.
Midsummer is
always one of my favorite Pagan holidays, because I love the summer
and the sun and Her light and warmth. Being able to do a ritual with
a good number of Pagans whom by then I mostly knew well was
absolutely wonderful; being less nervous performing ritual, I was
able to get into it and feel the presence of each of the Kindred as
we welcomed Them. I felt Sunna's pleasure at the fiery color of the
lillies, and was so blessed by Her light (and also thankful for the
shade of our Tree)!