Summer Goddesses

Summertime is considered by many people to be the firm domain of the God, where he/they are at their peak but this is also a time of Goddess and while most people associate Goddesses as being spring or winter holders, summer is also a season of the divine feminine. Here are a few of the wonderful women of the summer.

Demeter & Persephone - the Greek Goddesses are abound from mid spring through to the autumn, when Persephone must return to her dark lord!!

The Horae are the Greek Goddesses of the seasons and Auxo was the Goddess of summer, although later forms of Horae would have Theros as summer.

Another Greek deity, Aphrodite, is seen by many people as a summer Goddess, as she is most often depicted with scallop shells and roses. Venus, her Roman counterpart, is also a summer deity.

Hera can also be associated with the summer through her mother Goddess position and cuckoos as one of her birds (peacocks being the main one).

Yemaya, a Yoruba Goddess, is the ocean (and often a River deity) and is another mother Goddess. She is often associated with Isis in her form of Stella Maris.

Isis is the principle Egyptian Goddess and is very much a Goddess of Summer, mother of the winged Horus and re-animator of the corn God, Osiris, her husband.

Keeping to the Egyptian pantheon, we have to add Sekhmet, lion headed Goddess to the list of summer Goddesses. Sekhmet bears a solar dis on her had and is a solar deity, one of the few female solar deities. Wadjet is the other Summer Goddess of Egypt I'd like to mention. Another lioness head, she is depicted as having a snake on her head, also occasionally depicted as being a snake with a woman's head. Her festival is Midsummer.

In the myriad Indian pantheon, Shakti is all seasons, the divine mother of all and can therefore represent the summer. She is often depicted with a swan and a snake.

Amaterasu is the Japanese Sun Goddess and is depicted with rays of light spreading out from her head.

Most mother Goddesses can be seen to represent summer, although some are clearly more autumnal than others.

In the summer, most of us try to spend time at the sea, on beaches or near large bodies of water. This is very much a Goddess domain and in visiting these places, spending time there, making offerings, we are connecting with the summer goddess.

Enjoy the warm days filled with light and sunshine xx


On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1
The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Give thanks and get tactile!

Giving thanks is not the first thing many pagans think of, except at the end of a ritual, thanking any beings that have been asked to attend.

At this time of year especially, when food is so abundant and the weather is (hopefully) half decent, it is a good time to give thanks. Thanks for the bounty, for the sunshine, for the fresh air and the people you love around you.

This is also a psychological benefit, especially for people who are suffering depression or are in a rut. thinking about what you have, rather than what you don't have can be uplifting and have a positive effect on the way you view yourself and life around you.

Whenever I am down because life has thrown me a whammy, I like to think that ok, this sucks, but at least I have...

The gods honour us in so many ways, it's nice to think about them and offer a small prayer or offering.

Something else that I love about this time of year is the abundance of food. Most pagans I know love their food. I am no exception and finger food is one of the most sensual, enjoyable ways to eat at this time of year. Summer is an especially good time, as we are less likely to be having soups/stews/casseroles, and more likely to be having salads/burgers/fajitas/hummus/strawberries etc. getting your hands on your food, especailly at a barbeque is a wonderful way of feeling closer to your food, to nature and adds a new dimension to the food itself.

My book is now available in paperback as well as Kindle. It is aimed at early teens as well as adults, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please pass the links on. Thank you and have a wonderful summer!

Here is the link and the description:

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/279-1528994-5900510?ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Paperback:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/279-1528994-5900510?ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Description:
"The Old Ones wove the light of the world into that small stone, a part of the primordial fire from whence everything formed. That small stone has the power to end everything as we know it"

16 year old Charlie Larson leaves California for 6 weeks in the Scottish Highlands. Before long he is thrust into a new world of magic, myth and mystical beings where he is the only person who can rescue his kidnapped brother and save the human world!

Taken from Celtic/Scottish lore, this story weaves the modern world into the fabric of the Sidhe (fairy) world in rural Scotland.

Hawthorn, Tree of May-June

The Celtic Tree Month is currently that of the Hawthorn and comes to an end on the 9th of June. This is a modern invention but it is a useful tool for insight into the time of year and into the different aspects of many trees.

The Hawthorn (also named Mayblossom, May bush, Mayflower, Haw, Lady’s Meat among other things) is a stunning, twisted and beautiful tree. It is associated with marriage and with hope and is both a fire and water tree, symbolising its mutability, balance and magical importance. It is energy/inspiration and also healing and fertile.

Hawthorn trees are found round healing wells in Ireland and Scotland and have a strong link with fairyland/the fairy realms and fairy lore. It is one of the tees of the bale fire and a purifying tree. It was said to give sight of the faerie to humans.

Use Hawthorn for clearing and purifying, for prosperity and fertility, marriage and love, protection and happiness.

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin