DIY Summer Solstice Ceremony - and we don't charge extra for the tangents

Is it the heat or is it the ADHD?

Somehow, among many tangents including a discussion of Mystic South plans (or lack thereof), Looney Tunes, agrimony, and popcorn (Gradh is a fan), we attempt to outline a DIY Solstice ceremony for you.

If you're a neurospicy pagan, you'll probably understand.

Or you could just log into YouTube and watch it live at Stonehenge.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Gradh got internet in his grove and is now on Blue Sky as Gradh the Druid.

You can find out about Cecilia and her steampunk and urban fantasy books at: https://ceciliadominic.com

If you'd like to know more about Cecilia's journey and current witchy practices, check out her Witch of the Words Substack: https://witchofthewords.substack.com/

And finally, here's the podcast Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/newmoonpodcast/
 
Please follow us there to get more info about podcast episodes and tips from both of us. 
 
Credits:
Our awesome editor: Casey Miller
 
Intro and Outro:
Now We Ride by Alexander Nakarada | https://creatorchords.com
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:19

Hello, and welcome to the New Moon Collective Conversations between a Witch and a Druid on magic and psychology in midlife. I am your witchy host, Cecilia Dominic.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

And your rascally druid, Graw.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

I like that rascally druid. Your hair is definitely showing. Graw's kind of growing his hair out and it's uh getting fluffy.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

It's everywhere today.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Yep. We're hitting our our early summer humidity. I am I'm feeling that as well. I have my big headphones on and although I too am growing out my hair. Uh and yeah, we might have to trade trade advice regarding products after this. So we can, you know, you can make the most of your curls.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Yeah, sure. I um CeraVay is my is my secret.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

Yeah, I'm a big fan of the Love Your Curls, which is out of Canada, but it's black and woman-owned and good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Love your curls. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

Yeah. And so now that we have we have uh given shout-outs to companies that are not our sponsors yet, let's jump into it. So of course, you know, part of summer besides the heat and the humidity is that the summer solstice happens in June. This year it is, I looked this up the other day since I kind of might have accidentally for uh volunteered to host a ceremony in my sacred circle for the neighborhood witches. Whoops. Uh so it is actually happening at 4 a.m. on Sunday, June 21st. I will not be getting up at 4 a.m. I am not a morning witch, but you know, we might be doing a nice, you know, midday sort of thing.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Yeah. Yep. Yeah, but it's a sunrise thing. Um, you know, I I I like to log in on YouTube. They will um televise the summer solstice at Stonehenge. So that's that's a fun thing I like to do. Um I mean it's pretty much one o'clock in the morning for us, right? So but if you can stay up that late, it's fun to to experience it. And it's on like it's it's not just at one o'clock morning. They've kind of got this whole streaming thing they've got going while it's going on. So you get to see all the gathering and the things going on. And that's cool. Watch. I would probably not want to go there when it was so crowded. Yeah, but uh that's a there's a lot of people there.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

Yeah. Yeah, I'm I'm sure there is, instead of like the place. And I would imagine there's other standing stones that are also fairly crowded, but not quite as much.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Yeah, I I guess it has, I mean, there are a lot more than just druids there. Um so it's become a sacred place for a lot of a lot of um alternative beliefs, I guess if we want to call it alternative beliefs. So um alternative spiritual path.

SPEAKER_03 3:53

The origin that original spiritual beliefs.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

So uh it would be it would it's cool to watch it on on you know it happening. And then of course, what I like about uh I'm not gonna mention another druid um podcast, but one that I I like to listen to, um always points out that you know for us in the northern hemisphere it's summer solstice and in the southern hemisphere it's the winter solstice. So like it's gonna get much colder in Australia now.

SPEAKER_02 4:31

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

You know, it's so it's opposite. So that's that's kind of a cool thing to think about. The whole earth together is going through this transition simultaneously.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

Mm-hmm. Yeah, the growing light for them, growing dark for us, which I mean, let me tell you, I am so over it getting, you know, not getting dark until fully dark until after nine o'clock. I know, so annoying. I hate it.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

It is. It is bizarre to walk out. I really like when like in the shorter days when you walk out to take the, you know, you I take the dogs out at night and you can see the stars. I like that. But you can't really do that at nine, nine o'clock on a you know, summer night.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

No, it's and it really throws off my internal clock too. I'm like, because my body does not like to eat dinner until it's dark, but I cannot eat that late. So it always just feels wrong.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Is you know, I I once upon a time I did some theater.

SPEAKER_03 5:42

Really?

SPEAKER_00 5:42

You first play was Midsummer's Night's Dream. I was uh I was one of the fairy attendants of Oberon.

SPEAKER_03 5:51

Oh nice.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

And um I've often wondered, Midsummer is not the solstice, right? Midsummer's Bell Time. Isn't that how that goes? Um is the beginning at the end. It's kind of when the days start getting shorter.

SPEAKER_03 6:09

So yeah, I think technically it might like I think some it's referred to uh it refers to Belltain because yeah, that's also the the day of the fairies.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

Uh but yeah, no, I'll have to look a little bit more into that is like what does midsummer actually mean? Because uh it's you know, it's the midpoint of the of the the light and dark cycle. So yeah. Uh maybe. And it's also like time to time to start switching your thoughts from okay, what have I planted to okay, how can I take care of what I planted in order to be able to harvest then at the three harvest beasts that are coming up.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

Right. Oh right. I was just checking on my apple trees today.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

Ah, how are they doing?

SPEAKER_00 7:00

Look really good. They look really good, they look very healthy, and I'm happy about that. The June bugs are coming, the Japanese beetles. Haven't seen any yet, so I haven't put the nets on the apple trees yet. But the uh the uh wild blackberries are starting to well, they're probably about midway on their growth to becoming they're still red, but uh the Japanese beetles love those things and they pack every year. So they're attracting the beetles from all over the neighborhood. I am the guardian of the forest. I stand between the development and the wild. So I I get it all, including copperhead snakes. But the uh um there's nothing eating them like we are in a drought. Um we've had some good rain days over the last week, however, everything is still pretty dry.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

Um so we we need rain to do some rain dancing for every we are we are something like seven inches behind for the year, something crazy like that. And it's yeah, and we ended up with like no rain, no rain, no rain, then like a week of rain. And so suddenly I'm going from oh no, are my plants getting enough water to oh well I lost like four to root rot because they got so much water all at once and they're not used to it, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

Oh no, yeah, real bummer. So they're raised planters, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:50

A couple of them in the raised beds, a couple of borage. I mean, I was moving the borage out of the raised planters anyway because they were um I found out that they have pyrolizidine alkaloids in them and they can spread those to those chemicals to other plants in the bed as well. And so those are essentially chemicals that can damage your liver. And so borage flowers are fine. The ones that they have are not liver damaging, but like their leaves, their stems, their roots, they have the ones that are. So yeah, I moved them out into the front bed, and I think like four of the five I moved out there are fine, or three of the four. Uh one of them, one of them not so much. Um and then I also lost like a colindula to root route, which is a bummer. Um, and uh, and like my chamomile that I grew from seed and that wintered over from last year also, which was a bummer. Yeah, I think the the raised beds are holding water a little bit more than we we thought they were going to, because yeah, they're made them too watertight. They they made them too watertight, exactly. They're not draining as a little bit more. Well, at least you didn't suggest they burn them.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

Which is the the true solution.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

It's burning it.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Destroy fire. No, your house isn't the code. Well, an electrical fire might just be the answer.

SPEAKER_03 10:23

Get your squirrel. Yeah. Um well, okay. So yeah, speaking of fire, though, is like so midsummer that's also a a time for jumping the bonfire, right? I mean, it seems like every feast is a time for jumping a bonfire.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, all of the fire festivals are bonfire jumping.

SPEAKER_03 10:45

Mm-hmm. Is this one actually technically a fire festival?

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Uh no, the solstices and the equinoxes are not, but there's always fire involved in something because you consecrate the circle with fire and water. I mean, for the full blown ceremonies, you know, when you have multiple people, they uh, you know, and and can do the full ceremony, they uh druids uh will consecrate the circle with earth and fire, water and air and spirit. Um, I've seen that done on the longer ones. But for the individual ones, you know, you don't have to go through all the the ritual is just poetry, is what it is, it's just to enrich your experience. So um my little peppering ad into I like to you know spice my own ceremonies and most of my stuff that I do, I've never really led a ceremony like that. And so I've not really spoken it that way. It's just something that I do inside, like and internally when I'm thinking about it. Um, and I've always associated earth with fortification, fire with vivication, water is the uh purification, air is clarification, and spirit is unification.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

Oh, I like that.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

So when I am sending peace, you know, giving peace to the to the quarters, you know, for earth, I always envision this gentle, you know, kind of earthquake vibration going through the earth and out to the north for the earth. And we talk about the great bear and the starry north, and that's one of my favorite spirits. Um, I spend a lot of time with that, with that spirit, and then for the south, it's the uh stag. Uh I hit a button, I thought I disconnected you. And um, and so the stag and the fire, I always you know see this uh light and you know uh internal glow spreading across through the south. And then when it hits the south pole, it just goes all over the whole earth. Same way with the with the earth, and then for water, it's a gentle rain, like a mist that rolls to the west. And then for air, it's breath, and then you can see the gentle breeze blowing across all you know to the to the east. And I usually have my stopping point when I'm visualizing that at Stonehenge. So I'm going west, it's a really long trip, you know, because to go all the way around, you know, you gotta, and I try to, you know, envision all of the you know, starting small, like my yard and my neighborhood, and then states, and then you know, country and ocean, and then other countries. Um, and then for the spirit, it's just like this. Um I like to think of it, it looks like you know, like a sonic boom, but like a gentle, like just the wave that emanates out from the circle encompassing everything. That's my visualization during those peaceful moments, like when you're giving peace.

SPEAKER_02 14:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

I don't what uh what is uh you know I always want to say Wiccan and I say self that it's not that it's not yeah, so what has your coven done or a coven done for that?

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Uh uh well one of the online covens that I I guess I'm still in, um like at the start of their rituals, the the leader will we'll also call the the spirits of the directions. And so it's and when I do it personally, like when I'm working in my sacred circle, yes, I'll start at the east and say, you know, welcome, spirits of the east. Please bless and uh aid this working, and then go to the south and then to the west and then to the north, and you know, say spirits of fire, spirits of earth, you know, whoever I'm talking to, and you know, visualize that as well. And you know, just welcoming in whoever wants to help, but also asking for protection.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Um, what would I wouldn't call it a faction? Some some druids, some uh pagans will do like banishing as part of their circle calling, and they'll welcome all of the you know positive, influential, and the good aspects and banish the evil or the bad aspects of it. And I've always um believed that like uh we do what we have a practice, what we call the light body exercise, and that's basically you know, when I'm barefoot on the earth grounding myself, and you're calling in the earth's energy and sending it out into the universe, and then you're also receiving the star, you know, the energy from the universe and translating it into your body and then down into the earth, it's like this as above, so below, you know, as above, so below, and you are connected with everything um that that's just positive. Like we're just you know, we're we're being still to find that peace within. And so when I ask for spirits and and powers and you know the and animal spirits to come, the the bad ones are like, oh, that's that that's that grah, and we don't we don't want to mess with him. Like, you know, he's yeah, he's not gonna tolerate it. And he's gonna have he's got you know the bear and the stag and the otter and the hawk and that spirit of place there that he works, and they're pretty formidable. I think we're just gonna stay away from all that.

SPEAKER_03 17:20

That's all about all about intent, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:23

Uh yeah, and I think that the banishing is you just I don't know, like uh uh what was it? I uh I have a friend who has all of these bells and jingle jangle things on her staff. And one time and she said, Oh, that's just to let the evil spirits know I'm coming.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

Nice. So I was like, okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Yeah, they know to get the hell out or to get the heck out or whatever.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

Yeah, I wonder if some of the you know the need for banishing is from people who've had experiences where they feel like they need to have it needs to be at an actual intentional part.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

I have encountered some um uh people, especially when um I was at you know like Mystic South and with um uh oh what was another thing I wanted to again think of. Was it Magus? Anyway, they um they talked about having these negative encounters. You know, I I have not had that myself, but uh you you're you are correct. There are people that have experienced it.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Yeah, and so maybe they're they're thinking, let's just go ahead and you know, be proactive here.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Yeah. If that makes you feel more secure in your circle and safe, then you do that.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Yes, and so we were talking about you know building together a solstice ritual for our for our listeners. And so we have we've already got the first part, which is you know, however your intro goes, draw your circle, call the quarters, as some call it. Uh do what you need to do to call in light beings and repel dark beings, however that looks for you. And you know, I always thought it was interesting once I started studying witchcraft and the and the pagan religions, how it's like even the Christians start with the sign of the cross, which is basically drawing a circle.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 19:43

Yeah, they just kind of go across, which is kind of what you were just describing, going north, south, west, east.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Yep, and then you go around. So that's when you see the the the cross and the circle. That's that is um yeah, and then I guess some uh what if was it Byzantine cross is where the lines go outside the circle? Uh yeah, I and it's you'll see it in the Episcopal Celtic cross too. The circle.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

Yep. And so since the solstice is a time for you know spiritual alignment and enlightenment and shifting from planting to nurturing anticipation of harvesting. What sort of practices do you think would be helpful to incorporate into the ritual? Like what did the what did the druids do?

SPEAKER_00 20:44

Um, it's been a while since I've actually done a summer solstice ritual. Um the last one we got ran out of a park. No, that was the winter.

SPEAKER_03 20:56

That was winter.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

That was right. That's right. Yeah, but it sounds like I know for all that effort.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

You know, there are okay. So for me, right?

SPEAKER_00 21:18

It's it's it's the it's it's the ending, it's the drawing down of summer and coming into the time of the harvest, right? So we're for me, um, this is the point of like you know, the hottest. Of course, we've both been in the south, and we both know that July, August are the hottest months in the South. So it's yeah, you know, we're we're we think of, you know, oh, summer's end, you know, it's the June 20. No, July is coming, man. And August. And it unmerciful, um just sticky uh humidity. So but for me, looking at, you know, that point we are, you know, the winter solstice, our southern hemisphere is the furthest like from the sun at that moment, right? And then the way we're tilted, and it's uh you know, we are going to start the path where we start becoming that equal again, the equinox. So we go to the autumn equinox, and it's from that period of um from summer, and then we go to Lunissa and into the equinox, and then Sawan. This is those are my favorite times of year, so things really start peaking for me in that summer heat. But that is definitely of me being a fire, you know, Sagittarius. I like the change, I like, you know, um, this is the time of year I like to, you know, I really like to travel, I like to go up in the mountains when it's you know, like this time. It's been really nice in our current location because you wake up in the morning and it's like 53 degrees to 60, and then by the noon, one o'clock, it's like 80. So it's real extreme. But in the morning, it's like it's so nice, and then um to go out at night when it's already cooled off, and it's like this the mountain breeze, right? I'd love to feel that in the summertime because the canopy is creating this kind of uh air movement, so air is moving up the mountain, you know, and it's cooling as it goes under the tree. The tree canopies, so it's really awesome. And I right now everything's so lush, and I mean everything was really a bright, bright green for a couple of weeks, but now things are more of a like a deeper hue. It's not as fresh green, it's more like you know, the chlorophyll-making green. We're in high chlorophyll you know, oxygen CO2 absorption. And so I I really love it. So and you can't like to walk into the woods, you can almost just disappear. Like can't be seen. So which reminds me, I got a brand new green cloak.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

I had a gray one, and I needed one that matched my um my new embroidery that I had. So I I have one that um it's really light, so it's gonna be fine for summer.

SPEAKER_03 25:13

Oh nice. You're you are a very well-dressed druid.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

Thank you.

unknown 25:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

And so getting getting back to our question, since we were thinking about okay, what do we incorporate into our ritual? Well, it sounds like yeah, I was thinking, yes, with growth and everything, a a plant would be good, or you know, a baby plant. Like I still have some some seedlings that are not super big. And maybe a crystal to, you know, set an intention with the crystal, you know, making sure it's a crystal that will that is okay to put in plant soil. Uh so maybe something simple like a a quartz. And to, you know, yes, something like that. Or even smaller. So he just held up a probably like what one inch little quartz tower.

SPEAKER_00 26:01

This sits on my desk.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I have one that's probably about that size. It's a treminalated, terminalinated quartz, which has little bits of tremoline in it, so it's you know protective between who's on the screen and and me. That's cool. Yeah. But yeah, so an intention baby plant. Yes, I see he has his a toy bear or a little bear statue. But yeah, so it's you know, so calling the quarters, bringing out your your plant, or you know, blessing the plant, blessing the crystal with the intention. Yes, definitely can bring some fire into it as well, because according to my sources, the this was also a time of fire that the the Celts lit bonfires to help bolster the sun's energy, I guess, because the sun was about to start getting less powerful. It's like, okay, let's give them a little oomph.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Yep. Um there's always fire, man.

SPEAKER_03 27:04

There's always got to be fire, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

And if you you know, if you can't if you can, if you're inside or you're you know, you're urban and you're working, it's it's led candles are also fire. It's energy, so it works.

SPEAKER_03 27:20

Exactly. And so you crystal plant, fire, LED candle, yeah, and then you know, water it with your intention, and then put it somewhere sunny so that you can watch it, watch it grow. And I would say, even or especially if you have a plant or you can somehow incorporate a yellow flower and to to take back the yellow flower, because the Christianization of the summer solstice became St. John's Day, which is a few days later, so the beast of St. John. And it was uh believed, might still be believed, that the best time to harvest St. John's wort, which is a healing plant, is on St. John's Day, and that is when they are blooming. And they have really pretty yellow flowers.

SPEAKER_02 28:10

Cool. Mm-hmm. I used to take a St.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

John's supplement. That was a while ago.

SPEAKER_03 28:19

It's best known for its uh antidepressant properties.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

Yes, that's what I was thinking.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

However, it interacts with a heck of a lot of things. A heck of a lot of prescription medications, so it's kind of like if you're on any prescription, it's probably best to not take it.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

Really?

SPEAKER_03 28:40

Yep. So yeah, it's like check your check your interactions, check with your check with your professionals.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

I uh I I take viants.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

And I have been warned multiple times not to take anything um with vibants. And um I stubbornly have learned not to, well, I was being stubborn and was still doing the pre-workout stuff because you know I'm grasp the box. So um the stubborn interactions of uh pre-workout and viance are over the top. So uh bit much even with a bit much. Yeah, like it's definitely like I don't know, Roadrunner juice. So the um uh if you don't understand the Roadrunner and the Coyote, I'm sorry for that reference.

SPEAKER_02 29:52

Me.

SPEAKER_00 29:56

I have some what a coworker who does not know any of my references at all. Uh I've quoted space balls like 20 times and nothing.

SPEAKER_03 30:10

Oh, that's a bummer.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:12

Um okay, so I learned something interesting about roadrunners the other day. They're carnivorous.

SPEAKER_00 30:19

What?

SPEAKER_03 30:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

So they're like raptor? Like vulture type? Are they like are they like eat live stuff or they eat dead stuff?

SPEAKER_03 30:32

No, I think they eat live stuff. Yeah, because somebody told told me a story about a roadrunner eating a baby bird.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 30:41

So they so it it puts a whole different spin on that cartoon, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 30:47

He's always eating bird seed. Coyote was always baiting him with like seeds. Wow. No, I'm not I mean a lot of birds are creative, right? They eat insects and they eat right, but I guess this one is kind of cannibalistic because it eats it eats birds. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:17

I know, yeah. That cartoon is no longer so black and white, is it? The the morality of the city. Oh, it's very dark.

SPEAKER_02 31:29

Anyway, that yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:32

That was a tangent. Okay, so what we're doing.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

80 days power activate.

SPEAKER_03 31:37

Exactly. Uh oh, that reminds me. So are you still planning on going to Mystic South?

SPEAKER_00 31:44

No, I am going to the East Coast Gathering. So I have, I have, and hopefully, hopefully, I'll get to go to Glastonbury for the winter, for the winter gathering. What I'm hoping for. We've discussed it. It's just a matter of um family members' health. That's uh that's a real thing this year. So we've we've had uh we've had schedules rearranged already.

SPEAKER_03 32:21

Well, I'm sorry to hear that in the muscle bun that you're not gonna be at this success because I was actually gonna get us some matching t-shirts this year.

SPEAKER_00 32:29

Some what?

SPEAKER_03 32:30

I was gonna get us matching t-shirts this year.

SPEAKER_00 32:33

Oh, you were? What were they gonna say?

SPEAKER_03 32:35

We're gonna have the immune collective on the front and then the little spell I wrote for the bookmarks on the back.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

When is it?

SPEAKER_03 32:40

It's in July.

SPEAKER_00 32:42

Yeah. Oh, I have not I have not signed up for it, and I have not um and I did not uh reserve a hotel, so I uh and that is because someone has to stay here with the dogs in July, and I'm not sure of the exact dates.

SPEAKER_03 33:04

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Dog duty.

SPEAKER_03 33:07

Oh well, maybe next year.

SPEAKER_00 33:11

Because when someone goes out of town, we get to eat all the popcorn we want.

SPEAKER_03 33:16

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

The boys know that, like, oh, mom's going out of town, dad's gonna feed us popcorn. Because my partner does not like popcorn at all.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Like reflex, which is amazing.

SPEAKER_03 33:34

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I'm not a fan, but I'm okay with people eating it around me.

SPEAKER_00 33:40

Oh man, buttered popcorn is the best. And I make really good popcorn because I use olive oil.

SPEAKER_03 33:47

Oh, I bet that is good.

SPEAKER_00 33:49

Olive oil and truffle salt.

SPEAKER_03 33:51

Oh, yeah, you make a fancy popcorn.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

It is fancy.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 33:57

Yep. Good stuff. I'm a popcorn. We are definitely popcorn frogs around here.

SPEAKER_03 34:04

Okay, so here. Yes, you're eating. Yes, exactly. So popcorn, you can just I mean, you know, it they do kind of look like little stars. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

Well, I mean, you gotta cook it. You you have to pop them over a fire.

SPEAKER_03 34:23

Yeah, they need heat.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

And it's corn, harvesting.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

And it's it's transformative. I mean, it's a transformation of one form into another.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 34:33

So there we go. So we'll add popcorn to the summer solstice. Or if if you're not a fan of popcorn and some other corn thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:45

Yellow flower. Mm-hmm. We're being silly. Yeah, cornbread. Oh, I haven't had good cornbread in a long time.

SPEAKER_03 34:58

My husband makes really good cornbread, actually.

unknown 35:01

Really?

SPEAKER_03 35:02

Like the one thing it's the one thing he bakes.

SPEAKER_02 35:05

I'm gonna have to try some of his cornbread.

SPEAKER_03 35:08

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:10

Awesome.

SPEAKER_03 35:11

Yep. Well, we should probably think about wrapping up since we are very not focused today.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

No. It's a it's a it's a hot summer day.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's cloudy here, but it is still still hot.

SPEAKER_00 35:31

And notice this is one of my I don't know if this is true or not. I'm totally just I'm I'm winging it. But the I notice that people seem to drive slower and weirder on when it's hot. I don't know if it's because like they're like, you know, when you first get in your car and you know, maybe you have AC, maybe you don't, but if you're just making like a short 10-minute trip, it's not long enough to really cool off the car. So you're you're basically just hot. So um I've wondered if that affects people's driving. Because when I get warm, I get sleepy. Oh, and it's also this is about the time of year when I remove the comforter from the bed.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

To sleep with a comforter.

SPEAKER_02 36:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:26

So the duvet and the duvet, or as I say in Scotland, the duvey, um, came off last night. I was like, nope.

SPEAKER_03 36:38

Yeah, we have we have been sleeping without ours for a while. We have uh we have sheets and a lightweight blanket for if my legs get cold.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

But then I think you're a lower altitude than I am.

SPEAKER_03 36:50

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

It stayed cooler up here a little longer.

SPEAKER_03 36:55

Yeah, I mean we had a nice week last week where it was we were able to have the windows open for most of the week, but that is most definitely over now, which is a bummer. Because I like having the windows open. But yes, oh, and we also have so we have a sleep number bed now. And so if it gets when it gets really hot to sleep, we we can turn on the cooling function.

SPEAKER_02 37:16

Oh, it has that.

SPEAKER_03 37:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 37:20

What is that like?

SPEAKER_03 37:22

I don't know. We haven't tried it yet, but apparently it like cools off the mattress.

SPEAKER_00 37:26

Really?

SPEAKER_03 37:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

I have this green tea xynos, I think it's xynus, is the foam foam mattress, and it stays pretty cool. It just caves in where I'm at, where I'm sleeping. So it kind of like when I wake up in the morning, it's like I was packed in a case with foam and shipped and shipped to the morning. So there's this moment of like getting out of a out of a hole. I don't know if that was their intent. Well, I don't know. I mean it's comfortable. It doesn't, it's not bad, but not a bad thing for me. So for summertime sleeping. Oh, this little song that uh I learned when I was a kid, Fred. I like to sleep in boxers in the summer when it's hot, and I like to sleep in plaid pajamas in the winter when it's not, and sometimes in the springtime, and sometimes in the fall, I like to jump between the sheets with nothing on at all.

SPEAKER_03 38:36

Okay. There is that, okay. So yeah, there's that transitional seasons in more ways than one.

SPEAKER_00 38:46

So yes. Oh Off with the Comforter and on with just the boxers.

SPEAKER_03 38:53

Yeah. Yes, I I have like different length and coverage of pajamas as well. And you know, it's like, and these are all like little life rituals that we engage in that we can bring as much magic to as we want. Because, you know, nature changes as well.

SPEAKER_02 39:10

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 39:12

That's right. And so how how do you close a ritual?

SPEAKER_00 39:16

Um the uncasting of the circle. So you just you go backwards, you thank the spirits, you know, they think the bear. Well, uh for me, West, everyone talks about the salmon in the West, and I I like to eat salmon, and so I feel really bad. Um it's an otter for me. So, you know, uh it's a playful otter. So uh anyway, the bear, the salmon, and the stag, and then the hawk, and uh and then the spirit of place, and then close the circle. A lot of um people are very particular about closing the circle. Um believe that if you don't do that, then you are tying everybody to that moment in time and energy, and that it can't it can't be released and go back out. So you've got to let it go so that it gets returned. Otherwise, you just sit it there and it's like idling a car. You don't want to leave your car idling, you don't want to leave your circle idling.

SPEAKER_03 40:30

Right. Yeah, I I pretty much do the same thing as like, yeah, I just go backwards in my circle, or you know, if it's just a brief thing, like I'll do like brief circles before and after tarot card readings, and yeah, it's you know either going back point by point or thank you, spirits, for your guidance and sight and protection. I release the circle, replace the protection, guidance and sight continue.

SPEAKER_02 40:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:55

So mod it be I um when I'm walking about, I always think of you know my spirit animals with me. Right. And you know, sometimes when I'm out somewhere, I I just feel the circle around me, right? I'm spirits are about me and can are helpful, you know. Sometimes, you know, I um and I think it's interesting that it comes out at work. Um, you know, I don't tell people that at work, but you know that um sometimes I'm protective and sometimes you know I when I feel that I, you know, my um leadership is needed, I turn to the elk. And then when I feel protective of my team and our projects or whatever, you know is going on, the client, whatever, you know, I definitely sense the bear. And um emotional intelligence is usually when I um you know that that's the power of water, and I try to remember that and be mindful, right? And uh, I think this time of year when energy is you know, we're rising, you're coming, you're coming up to the zenith, the zenith of the of the of the season of summer, and um there's a lot more energy about um I feel like the full moon now is like I find it harder to sleep, like to get to sleep and stay asleep during this time of the year, because there's the light, right?

SPEAKER_03 42:49

Yeah, so yeah, so much light.

SPEAKER_00 42:51

Yeah, there's light, and it's like I like to sleep in pitch black, right? I want to be in a cave, so it's um it is uh it I find it challenging. But anyway, the um there's just a lot more energy about unless people are driving in the heat, then I'm I think they're falling asleep, but that's also a thing.

SPEAKER_03 43:13

So yeah, unfortunately. Yeah, yes, so now is now is a good time for you know workings requiring give me a little extra oomph for your workings. And I was actually going to ask you, have you because I know you've mentioned some work stressors and you know wanting certain difficult, shall we say, situations to move on. Uh, have you tried agrimony?

SPEAKER_02 43:40

I have it.

SPEAKER_03 43:42

I give um and uh I'm you mean like making a tea out of it or uh or so I learned this from Grampony Brownies. Uh apparently, so do you What kind of what part do you have? Do you have the leaves, the flowers, the roots?

SPEAKER_00 44:04

Leaves.

SPEAKER_03 44:05

The leaves. Okay. So apparently, uh, and I believe this came out of uh Matthew Wood, who is an herbalist. So don't quote me on this, but he's a very spiritual herbalist. Uh, it's essentially like you can scatter the agrimony like near the situation that you want to move on, and it will help to get rid of it.

SPEAKER_00 44:26

Agrimon that the leaves will work on this. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna take a potato gun to work and fire that stuff across the so that is your assignment.

SPEAKER_03 44:39

Let us know how it goes. Because apparently it's uh it's a good uh yeah, it's good for helping things move on.

SPEAKER_00 44:48

So my office is like uh the original hardwood floors of an old motorcycle shop, and it's got crevices and cracks and all kinds of things.

SPEAKER_03 45:02

Oh, you got plenty of places.

SPEAKER_00 45:04

I'm gonna put the agrimonia in that spot at my door.

SPEAKER_03 45:08

Ah, there you go.

SPEAKER_00 45:10

I have uh some things I want to definitely move on.

SPEAKER_02 45:14

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 45:15

Agrimonia, huh?

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 45:18

I really, really, really need to go listen to my uh ovate studies.

SPEAKER_03 45:23

I have been so yeah, like herbs are cool.

SPEAKER_00 45:27

I I know, and I um I just have uh like I said, um with the energy rising and everything, finding it hard to sleep, just absolutely overwhelmed right now with and I it's been tough to focus, and uh I'm you know, I compartmentalize a lot during those times, but my brain is stressed, like I'm really trying to um keep order in all of the chaos, just projects and people and clients and druidry and yeah, you got a lot of stuff going on. Yeah. And you're and not like I'm unique. I know everyone is going through some stuff. So I know. I uh uh you know, not to not to get too political, but the uh the times right now are are pretty stressful, and you know, I um I love I love the United States' natural resources. I love our parks, I love our our um land and our our our um wildlife and habitats and I want to see those preserved. Yeah and trying to put my effort, energy, fine, you know, financial support and whatever to not to politicians, but to conservation efforts and to human rights efforts, the uh you know, southern environmental law, um things like that, uh Planned Parenthood and things that support people not politicians.

SPEAKER_03 47:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 47:34

Well, you know, perhaps we can uh throw some agrimony across the White House lawn.

SPEAKER_03 47:43

Move along. Yep. Yes, it's the cotton a bind herb, and so it helps to um it helps to loosen the binds.

SPEAKER_00 47:52

Oh, that's good. Okay. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 47:54

And I'll put the I'll put the reference for the Muffy Wood book in the in the show notes as well. It's uh I find it really balanced, nicely balanced between like the science and the and the spirit stuff.

SPEAKER_00 48:04

Oh, and if I don't know if this is gonna drop before June 14th, but uh you know probably not. Um Thunderstorms are awesome. Very clean. Did you know that when that the I saw this on a NASA post because the station had taken photos of lightning going out from Earth? So like you get lightning strikes below and then you'll get above. But lightning makes ozone. So I was like, that's cool. So lightning storms are awesome, and man, does the summer really give you some boomers?

SPEAKER_03 48:48

Oh, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 48:50

I love that. A good rain is like so cleansing.

SPEAKER_03 48:58

Uh, and a good book, yes. All right, so well, thank you guys so much for listening. If you feel so inclined, please do give us five stars, give us a rating, give us a review just to help more people find us to help us with our little podcast project, our you know, so that other people can hopefully benefit from our very random conversations.

SPEAKER_00 49:22

And how much we love the rambling. I always love to hear that.

SPEAKER_03 49:29

And I know we need to do like the grand ramble scale, like it'll start rating our episodes. Now he's trying to figure it out in his head. Turn it up to 11, another reference that the the young set will not get, sadly. Um, all right. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. And we will talk to you hopefully next month.

SPEAKER_00 49:59

So, you know, you're gonna be able to do that.