A Glorious Summer Solstice to You!

Greetings to all sun worshippers! The longest day of the year is once again upon us, courtesy of the ancient Greek god Phoebus Apollo who drives his mighty Chariot of the Sun across the sky each day. Apollo is more than a sun god too -- he's also the god of music, prophecy, healing and poetry. Plus he's bisexual as fuck. Which makes him an appropriate deity to highlight during Translesbigayapalooza, doesn't it?

To bring more sunshine to your day, here's some contemporary images celebrating Apollo's ongoing popularity among those who have a discerning eye for divine male beauty --

Now, I know that final image looks suspiciously like Ryan Gosling. But this model for Apollo is actually Janie Junebug's beau, Willy Dunne Wooters, who is often featured at her blog Women: We Shall Overcome.

Summer Solstice is here again!

You think I'm a day early with this post, don't you? Hee hee! Well, I'm not. *sticks out tongue*

Summer Solstice arrives on Friday, June 21, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, the successor to what we used to call Greenwich Mean Time). Because of the time zone difference, it means that the Summer Solstice arrives here in Alberta on Thursday, June 20, 2013 at 11:05 p.m. tonight. So we get a jump on the rest of youse guys. And of course, we really get a jump on those of you in the southern hemisphere welcoming the Winter Solstice today/tomorrow, LOL!

But no matter when you celebrate --

[And click here to enter my Chocolate Stanley Cup Giveaway, if you haven't done so yet!]

Glorious Sunshine

Happy Summer Solstice! Who doesn't enjoy the longest day of the year and all that glorious sunshine? So celebrate the sun in your own way today. Maybe do some ritual sun worship . . .

. . . or dress up in a crazy costume and embody the sun yourself!

Or just find your favourite sunbeam and have a nice snooze.

Or write a blog post!

The Longest Day of the Year

And the Goddess named Herself the Unquenchable Heat of Life. Sparks were struck from Her dancing feet so that She shone forth as the Sun, and the stars were caught in Her hair, and comets raced about Her, and Element Fire was born.

I wrote this down many years ago as part of an invocation ritual but failed to note the author's name. It might have been the late, great Shekhinah Mountainwater, but I can't remember for sure now.

Anyway, Summer Solstice blessings to you all!

Today is Summer Solstice!

We are one with the infinite Sun

Forever and ever and ever!

Every Summer Solstice, my Rare One and I like to sing this chant as we walk around our back yard and garden. We drum to the plants and trees, encouraging them to take full advantage of the longest day of the year. The Green Man supervises us from His spot on the little garden shed.

One year a neighbour heard our drumming and inquired about it a few days later. She subsequently came to my drumming circle a few times but (being a devout Christian) I don't think my emphasis on the Divine Feminine sat all that well with her.

But who knows what may grow from Summer Solstice drumming!

Summer Solstice

Today is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. We celebrate the longest day of the year and the shortest night. I hope everyone is outside today doing something fun in glorious sunshine! Solstice blessings to you!