Celebrating the Glory of Midsummer --from Esther Leisher
One warm Midsummer Day a few of us took our children to the mountains, to a meadow with a willow-lined stream. The children played in the pools and running water until lunch time, when we spread our blankets. In the drowsy quiet after lunch they asked me to tell a story. A year before I would not have been able to tell even the Three Little Pigs, but Waldorf homeschooling requires doing the impossible. I learned to tell stories, and to make stories. That lovely summer day I asked for 10 minutes to make up a story. The title of a story I always meant to read came to mind. I took it as the theme and made my own story, "The NoonDay Witch."
Here is the beginning of my story. I told it from beginning to end while the children drowsed on the blankets. But this time I will let you finish it in your own way. How would you tell this story? How would you end it? Remember that every thing that you love and honor returns to help you when you need it. The Forester will be rescued by those he has honored or helped.
Once upon a time on Midsummer day, in the drowsy noon time, a woodcutter in the forest fell asleep over his lunch and lay in the flooding sunshine in deep sleep. As he slept he dreamt that a tall lady with abundant red hair clouding around her face came to look at him as he slept. She touched him coolly, deliberately, above his heart and a symbol burned into his chest.
He seemed to hear her speaking. She said, "Now you belong to me. Anyone who falls asleep at noon on Midsummer day belongs to me. I will whisk you away to my dream kingdom where you will be my slave until next Midsummer. You will love me, desperately and gladly serve me, but I will be cruel to you. Even if you could, you would not leave me, but I will never return your love.
"A year from this very day I will return you to this same place. But no joy will come of it. Your family will have mourned you, thinking you had been eaten by a wild beast. They will have moved away and forgotten you. You will be weary, exhausted and weak, and all that you loved will be gone."
She turned along the path, and he walked after her, yearning, longing, wanting only to be near her, to touch her red hair. But always she was just ahead, near and beckoning, but never close.
The forest where he had been sat silent. . . empty. . . . and his ax lay there abandoned and forlorn like a marker that said: "He was here, but now he is gone." But the tree dryads had seen, and when evening came they drifted out of their trees and whispered to each other. "He was a good man. He always asked us reverently which trees he might cut for wood. And he cared for the young trees, clearing the brush so that they could freely grow. We must not let him be enslaved by the NoonDay Witch."
The story cotinued and was part of one of the lovely Midsummers of our lives. But there were others. Other celebrations were more organized, with picnics and plays (I wrote a play about the elements one year--earth, water, air, and fire--in which each group of elementals speaks to human beings at Midsummer).
Bonfires are an old European tradition, but I always felt that Midsummer is the time to dance and to sing and to offer your singing and dancing to the Universe so that it will go up to the heavens where it will sound in the realms of space and return like a soft rain of blessing. Here are some possibilities for dance-like activities.
The in-breathing and out-breathing of Earth. Contraction, Expansion.
Holding hands in a circle, move forward three steps, backward three steps, arms and clasped hands forward as you step forward, then let them stretch out to your sides as you step back so that the circle contracts and expands.as you sing (to the tune of "Music Shall Live"): "All things shall perish from under the sky. Love alone shall live, love alone shall live, love alone shall live, (drop hands and turn 360 degrees). never to die." (Join hands again)
You can use any other song that has a 3/4 or 6/8 time.
To express the Earth's weaving of the green growth forces.
Form two lines. One line stands still, holding hands, but stretched out so that the other line can weave through them, ducking under the joined hands. Then switch. The other line now weaves in and out under the hands of the first line. Then both lines join to form a snake that weaves in and out among the trees or bushes, finally returning to form a circle and begin another circle dance.
This circle dance should have lots of rhythm, lots of emphasis on feet on the earth. Use a folk dance, or make your own with alternate criss-crossing of your legs, one leg moving behind the other, then in front, ending in a stamp, stamp, stamp. A simple repetitive folk dance tune, played on simple instruments works best. Find a tune or make one up. Get a folk dance recording if nothing else.
The Earth's Heart Beat
We stand between Earth and Heaven, sensing both. To make the earth sensing into a ritual, dig a small-diameter hole in the earth, 2-3 feet deep, in a quiet spot. With reverence and soft walking, let each child approach and put her hand into the hole to feel the Earth's heart beat. As each one leaves the sacred space, wrap a bit of vine (or simple bracelet of yarn or crepe paper?) around their wrist to show that they have been to the holy grove (or whatever your sacred space is) to feel the Earth's heart beat.
Fire Ring in the Forest or Meadow
If the celebration goes on into the evening, sit around a camp fire and sing.
"Peace I ask of Thee, Oh River (Mountains)," "Kum Bah Yah," "Dona Nobis," "You are My Sunshine," "June, Lovely June," and anything else you can think of. Be sure that at least three moms know the songs. Then end with "Jacob's Ladder," gather all your songs together with cupped hands and lift and release them to the heavens.
Preparing Yourself for Midsummer
To subtly imbue the activities of the day with deeply felt Midsummer Thoughts, soak in the wonder of summer. You have to do it in the days before so that it will already be in you.
The climbing sun uprears his blazing head. (Early morning, feel the joy, the power, the expansion.)
Lose yourself in the warmth and light. Lose your self to find your self in this warm and sun-drenched hour. You belong to the universe, and as the Earth-soul goes out in summer you go with it.
Set free your god-like powers and set them winging into the Universe. There you will find your Self in the Warmth and Light and will know that it is part of the World All. --Esther Leisher
Comments (1)
Esther,
Thank you for all the midsummer ideas!
Heather
Posted by Heather | June 6, 2005 3:16 PM