Our Paths in the Valley

Summer Solstice Preparations

Currently, my own preparatory work for the Summmer Solstice Celebration includes:

Cleaning cattails our of the north end of the pond.

Weeding, mowing, and cleaning up around the teahouse by the pond. 

Weeding, cleaning, and painting in the Sacred Circle Garden. 

Cutting and stacking firewood for nighttime fires. 

Daily work with Tarot Magick. 

Preparing updates to the Months webpages on June and July. 

Reading two books by John Matthews and Anna Franklin that I have found useful in preparing for the Summer Solstice Celebration:

Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane to Mabon by Ashleen O'Gaea 

Midsummer: Magical Celebrations of the Summer Solstice by Anna Franklin

Lammas: Celebrating the Fruits of the First Harvest by Anna Franklin

The Summer Solstice: Celebrating the Journey of the Sun from May Day to Harvest by John Matthews

 

August Projects

Each day, I add new material to my webpage about Nature Spirits.

Nature Spirits, Fairies, Devas, Elementals, Little Folk: Glossary, Index, Quotations, Bibliography, Links, Resources.    By Mike Garofalo.  108K+, 8/12/2010.  

I have been busy reading:  

The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth.  By Robert Graves.  New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1948, 1975.  Index, 511 pages.  ISBN: 9780374504939.  VSCL. 

Animal Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small.  By Ted Andrews.  Llewellyn, 1993.  383 pages.  ISBN: 0875420281.  "Shows readers how to identify his or her animal totem and learn how to invoke its energy and use it for personal growth and inner discovery."  VSCL. 

Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with the Intelligence in Nature.  By Marko Pogacnik.  Scotland, Findhorn Press, 2009.  This is a revised, updated and expanded version of the 1997 edition.  Bibliography, 253 pages.  ISBN: 9781844091751.  VSCL. 

Walkers Between the Worlds: The Western Mysteries from Shaman to Magus.  By Caitlin Matthews and John Matthews.  Inner Traditions, 2004.  464 pages.  ISBN: 0892810912.  VSCL.  

Each day, I work outside in the early morning for six hours on home improvement projects.  I read indoors in the afternoon, when the temperatures are above 95 degrees. 

Next week, I return to work as the Media and Technology Services Supervisor for the Corning Union Elementary School District.  I was a bit surprised that, despite the serious budget problems in the State of California, that there was enough money available in the CUESD to return me to work part-time for the 12th year in a row.  After they lay me off, probably in August 2011, when I will be over 65 years of age, I plan to retire on Social Security. 

Building fences to hide my work and storage areas in
the South Field.  Someday soon, behind these fences
will be chicken coup and goats area. 

Water for ponds and animals will come from this well and
the solar panel that runs the well pump. In the distant
future, this 2.5 acre lot will have a nice home on the
property. 

Summer Plans and Projects

I am busy with numerous projects this summer: reading and research into Northern Neopaganism, nature spirits, and trees and spirituality; building a fence and storage area, and improving our sacred circle garden; learning the Chen 23 broadsword form and reviewing the last section of Sun 73 Taijiquan form; and learning how to use the Drupal Content Management Platform software.

The books I am reading are:

Dictionary of Northern Mythology. By Rubolf Simek. Translated by Angela Hall. Suffolk, England, D. S. Brewer, 1984, 1993. Extensive bibliography, 424 pages. ISBN: 9780859915137. VSCL.

Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds; A Collection of Ancient Texts. Translated, annotated, and Introduced by Georg Luck. Baltimore, Maryland, Johns Hopkins University Press, Second Edition, 1985, 2006. Index, bibliography, glossary, appendices, notes, 544 pages. ISBN: 0801883466. VSCL.

Teutonic Magic: The Magical and Spiritual Practices of the Germanic People. By Kveldulf Gundarsson. Loughborough, Thoth Publications, 2nd Revised Edition, 2007. Appendices, 341 pages. ISBN: 1870450221. VSCL.

Summer Eve

When I return from the gym at around 7:20 pm, after teaching yoga or taijiquan, I enjoy walking around in the garden, watering, and just sitting outdoors.  The air has cooled somewhat and the sun is very low in the western horizon.  The leaves of many plants are beginning to perk up again after a cool drink and less sunshine and heat. 

“That beautiful season - the Summer!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Inebriate of Air - am I -
And Debauchee of Dew -
Reeling through endless summer days -
From inns of Molten Blue.”
- Emily Dickinson, No. 214, St. 2, 1860

August: Poems, Quotes, Lore

Dog Days of Summer

The Dog Days of Summer, a period of 40 days starting July 3rd and ending August 11th, "are named for the Dog Star, Sirius, which is visible with the rising Sun at this time. Ancients associated this sky picture with the hot days that coincided with it."
-  The Farmer's Almanac

Summertime: Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Lore 

Lately, our temperatures in Red Bluff, California, have been in the upper 90's F during the day and in the low 70's F at night. Today, our temperatures in the North Sacramento Valley near Red Bluff are predicted to be 92F high and 65F low.  

During the hottest part of the day, in the afternoon, both Karen and I retreat indoors and read, write, nap, listen to music, watch TV and rest.  To stay cool in our study/office/library/media center, we use an evaporative cooler (swamp cooler) and fan. We let our big black dog, a 150 lb Rottweiler, come indoors and lie on the cooler floor of our study. 

Yesterday, I worked on my new webpage on the Yi Jin Jing Qigong or Muscle and Tendon Transforming Classic Exercises. 

I get up very early, around 4:30 am.  I walk and exercise outdoors starting at around 5:15 am.  I work outdoors on gardening and home improvement projects in the morning hours until around noon.  I can work outdoors even in the hottest part of the day for 60-90 minutes, then I must retreat and rest in the shade and drink glasses of cool water.  

"That beautiful season the Summer!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
And the landscape
Lay as if newly created in all the freshness of childhood."
-   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

July: Poems, Quotes, Sayings, Lore

Months and Seasons Quotes, Poems, Sayings, Lore, Myths, Holidays, Celebrations, Links, Celebrations, Facts, Resources, Gardening Chores
Winter	Spring	Summer	Autumn
January	April	July	October
February	May	August	November
March	June	September	December

 

Summer Light

“That beautiful season - the Summer!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Inebriate of Air - am I -
And Debauchee of Dew -
Reeling through endless summer days -
From inns of Molten Blue.”
- Emily Dickinson, No. 214, St. 2, 1860

Green Way Wisdom - July