Aloha Daughters of the Goddess,
I am in the homeland of Hawai’i writing to you! Yesterday I swam in the Ocean while canoes raced all day in honor of the Kamehameha Day celebrations. King Kamehameha is celebrated each year in June with parades, races and much Aloha. I walked back to the house with salt water on my skin while a gentle blessing rain came down from the sky. I could taste the salt water and sweet water on my lips. I looked down on the grass beneath my feet to see a pink Plumeria with orange and gold color in the middle of it’s petals and smelled the sweet fragrance. May we all be blessed with the season of Summer as we come together in community prayer. Please make sure to mark your calendar also for the welcoming of our Kahuna Pahia as we fly her to the Bay Area in August from Hawai’i to learn from Her teachings and receive her blessings.
Celebrate Summer Solstice and Goddess Athena
Goddess of Wisdom, Crafts, Arts, Order & Goodness
Tuesday, June 20, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Waning Moon in Taurus
Concord Locale/Directions given upon rsvp
$30 exchange per gathering/$15 first time attendance
see our participation page for series package discounts
Summer Solstice, or Midsummer, falls at the precise moment when the Sun’s power is at its zenith. It is the time of year when the noon sun appears to be farthest north from the celestial equator. “Solstice” is Latin for “sun stands still” (sol “sun” and sistere “to stand”). It is called Summer Solstice because to the naked eye the sun appears stationary in its northern and southern progression. It is the longest day and shortest night of the year. From the moment of Summer Solstice, the Sun immediately begins to wane. The journey into the harvest season has begun. Midsummer has been one of the important solar events throughout the evolution of humankind. It was an indicator that the year was about to begin waning, thus winter would be again returning.
The axis of Stonehenge, which aligns with the monument’s entrance, is oriented in the direction of the midsummer sunrise. The Teotihuacan Temple of the Sun, a pre-Columbian temple located in Mexico, was also oriented to the sun’s passage at the Summer Solstice. During the time of the ancient Egyptians, Sirius (the dog star) rose on the Summer Solstice (today it rises August 10) heralding the beginning of their new year, just before the season of the Nile’s flooding. Summer Solstice has been part of humankind’s celebrations throughout time and across the globe. Midsummer is the time when everything is abundant and flourishing. Flowers smell their sweetest, colors are their most vibrant, trees are their greenest, berries are their sweetest.
Athena was the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature. She was fierce and brave in battle; however, She only took part in wars that defended the state and home from outside enemies. Athena is slow to anger and has a calm temperament. She chooses to use intuitive wisdom over war. She will only fight for those things with a just cause and never fights without a purpose.
She was the patron of the city, handcraft, and agriculture. Weavers and metalsmiths are under Her divinity. She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She is also a Solar Goddess and is shown with the symbolism of this with Her mirror. Tough, eloquent and independent She also aids as the Goddess of Philosophy and presides over education, elegance, cosmic knowledge, humility, education, enlightenment, intelligence and creativity. She was Zeus’ favorite child and was allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt and aegis. Her holy tree was the olive tree and Her animal is the Owl. She became the patron goddess of Athens after winning a contest against Poseidon by offering the olive tree to the Athenians. It is evident that Athena and Athens derive from the same root; Athens (or Athenae) is in plural form, because it represents the Sisterhood of the Goddess that existed there.
Please prepare for this ritual by planning to bring to Her altar a cause you are passionate about, and something you would like to learn more about. How do you interact with your anger and how do you want Her to guide you in being more strategic and precise on what you are passionate about. Bring your celebratory and empowered self to Summer Solstice! We will have a parade procession to the park. Bring water bottles to leave as well as food easy to open/no cans, fruit, vegies, nuts and birdseed for the people and animals who live in the park. A White, Orange, Green, or White Candle and a stone of your choice that you resonate with. Bring a Flag, banner, steamer of clothing that represents how you live loudly and proudly in the world!
If you are interested in coming to a ritual please see our participation page for more information.
