June!
June is the sixth month of the yearin the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a lengthof 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poemconcerning the months entitled the Fasti. The first is that the month is namedafter the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greekgoddess Hera, the second is that the name comes from the Latin word iuniores,meaning "younger ones," as opposed to maiores ("elders")for which the preceding month May may be named (Fasti VI.1-88). See: Months invarious calendars also called the season of the unicorn.
In both common and leap years, noother month begins on the same day of the week as June. This month and May arethe only two months that have this property. June ends on the same day of theweek as March every year.
June is the month with the longestdaylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest daylighthours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
June in the Northern Hemisphere isthe seasonal equivalent to December in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.
In the Northern hemisphere, thebeginning of the meteorological summer is 1 June. In the Southern hemisphere,the beginning of the meteorological winter is 1 June.
At the start of June, the sun risesin the constellation of Taurus; at the end of June, the sun rises in theconstellation of Gemini. However, due to the precession of the equinoxes, Junebegins with the sun in the astrological sign of Gemini, and ends with the sunin the astrological sign of Cancer.
June is known for the large number ofmarriages that occur over the course of the month. According to one etymology,June is named after Juno (Hera). Juno was the goddess of marriage and a marriedcouple's household, so some consider it good luck to be married in this month.
In Iceland, folklore says that if youbathe naked in the morning dew on the morning of June 24, you are supposed tokeep aging at bay for longer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June
"I sing of brooks, of blossoms,birds, and bowers:
Of April, May, of June, and July-flowers.
I sing of maypoles, hock-carts, wassails, wakes,
Of bridegrooms, brides, and of their bridal cakes."
- Robert Herrick
Litha (lee-thah) - June 21st
Lesser Sabbat / Quarter Day
The celebration of Litha takes placeon the Summer Solstice and is a time of fertility and love. This day is alsocalled Mid-Summers Eve, Summer Solstice, St. John the Baptist Day, and Mean Samhraidh. This Sabbatmarks the official first day of summer although for pagans summer starts onBeltane and ends at Lughnasadh. This places Litha at the mid point of summer,hence the name "Mid-Summer". According to the old calendars days weremarked from evening to evening. Therefore traditional celebrations would beginat sunset on the day prior to the Sabbat. On the wheel of the year Litha is theopposite of Yule, which is the shortest day.
Mid-Summer celebrations were also observed by the Romans. They honored thegoddess Fortuna and it was a day of drinking and fun.
Litha celebrates the bounty ofsummer. The youthful energy that we saw at Beltane has ripened into maturity asthe courtship of the Goddess and God solidifies into marriage. The first fruitsand vegetables have ripened and the first flowers of spring have give way tothe lush fertile growth of summer. As nature move toward the bounty of theharvest ahead, we must place our trust in the sun and rain to do their part inthe continuation of the growing season. This time is sacred to the Sun King,his power is at it's strongest and he is in his prime and at the peak of hisstrength. The Goddess is also at her finest, she is becoming a mother and witheach passing day her pregnancy becomes more apparent. Lord and Lady walk handin hand glorying in their love for each other and the new life they havecreated.
This Sabbat is also vibrantly alivewith the magick of the Faerie Realm. Like Samhain the veil between the worldsis thin and the Sidhe join in mortal revelries. Strange things happen when theSidhe are loose in the world and it is easy to catch a glimpse of them. You canfind them dancing among the flowers, trees and faeire rings and it is a timefor merriment and making wishes.
Activities for Litha include gathering herbs like mugwort. This herb istradionally gathered today and girls would make wreaths to wear and hang in thehome. Fire also plays an important part in this Sabbat. Lit torches werecarried through the fields to ward of swarms of insects and other bad thingsthat could negatively affect the upcoming harvest. In Germanic lands smalllanterns were lit and then set afloat on rivers and other bodies of water asofferings for a bountiful harvest. Bonfires were built and were generallyattended by all and in many places the hearth fires were put out and relit fromthe Litha bonfire. It is also a good time to clear out old negative andunwanted energies from your life and your home. Healing rites and spells ofprotection are also favorable at this time.
Litha is a glorious time, one made for the celebration of all nature, the powerof the god, the goddess and the new life she carries and joy of just living!
written by Cat
"Now summer is in flowerand natures hum
Is never silent round her sultry bloom
Insects as small as dust are never done
Wi' glittering dance and reeling in the sun
And green wood fly and blossom haunting bee
Are never weary of their melody
Round field hedge now flowers in full glory twine
Large bindweed bells wild hop and streakd woodbine
That lift athirst their slender throated flowers
Agape for dew falls and for honey showers
These round each bush in sweet disorder run
And spread their wild hues to the sultry sun."
- John Clare, June
Junes Star Signs:
Astrology Sign Gemini: May 21- June 21
Gemini is the thirdastrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Gemini.In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation asa result of the precession of the equinoxes. In astrology, Gemini is considereda "masculine", positive (extrovert) sign. It is also considered anair sign, and is one of four mutable signs
Astrology Sign Cancer: June22- July 22
Cancer is the fourthastrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Cancer.In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation asa result of the precession of the equinoxes. In astrology, Cancer is considereda yin sign or alternatively feminine or negative sign, meaning it is moreintroverted. It is considered a water sign, and is one of four cardinal signs.Cancer is ruled by the Moon.
"If a June night couldtalk,
it would probably boast it invented romance."
- Bern Williams
June Birthstone : Pearl
Birthstone Colour: White
From one of the humblest oflife forms, the mollusk, comes the pearl -- a gem of unsurpassed beauty andelegance. Ancient civilizations had many stories to explain the origin ofJune's birthstone, such as the Greek belief that pearls were the hardened tearsof joy that the goddess of love shook from her eyes as she was born from thesea. According to Arab legend, pearls were formed when oysters were lured fromthe depths of the ocean by the beautiful moon and then swallowed moonlitdewdrops. And the Ancient Chinese thought that these gems originated from thebrains of dragons
Thescientific explanation for natural pearls is almost as mystifying asfolklore. When an irritant, such as a small parasite or a fish lodges inthe flesh of an oyster, mussel, or clam, a protective substance called"nacre" is produced. Over years, layer upon layer of shimmeringnacre coats the intruder, creating a lustrous pearl. Natural pearls arerelatively rare, so a process evolved in which a piece of shell or bead wasplaced inside a mollusk to stimulate the production of nacre. This resultsin a cultured pearl, which accounts for about 90 per cent of the pearlindustry.
Diversfind natural pearls in The Persian Gulf as well as in the waters off Japan, the SouthPacific Islandsoff northern Australia, andthe coasts of Panama, Venezuela, and California. Most of the cultured pearlindustry is in Japanese and Australian coastal waters. These gems come ina variety of colors, from pure white to pink, yellow, gray and black. They also come in different shapes and sizes.
Pearlshave been a passion and even an obsession of people throughout the ages. They have been ground up and used in cosmetics and as a medicine to treat heartand stomach conditions. Some cultures swear by pearls as anaphrodisiac. These gems have adorned crowns, clothing, and temples,and were said to be a favourite of Cleopatra.
Only thosewith royal status once wore pearl jewelry, but eventually these gems were seenamong all classes of people. They continue to be viewed as a mark oftaste and refinement as well as a symbol of purity, and they are often given tocelebrate a marriage or the birth of a child. Pearls are nature's perfectgift, suitable for all ages, and elegantly worn with everything from jeans toan evening gown.
Alternate Birthstones
June has two alternate birthstones. The first is Moonstone, a type offeldspar named because of its uncanny resemblance to the iridescent sheen ofthe moon. Varying in colour from clear to blue-white or peach, it wasconsidered by ancient civilizations to be a sacred stone, bestowing the wearerwith great spiritual understanding. Some believed that the Moonstonecould even make a person invisible! Mined in Sri Lanka, Brazil,India, Madagascar, and the United States, a gift of this stoneis symbolic of health and longevity.
The secondalternate birthstone for June is the Alexandrite. A yellowish or brownishgreen in colour, this gemstone has the unique characteristic of changing colorto a red hue when exposed to a glowing light source, such as candlelight. Because of this quality, it has been characterised by poets as "anemerald by day, a ruby by night." Alexandrite was first discovered inUrals in 1830 but is mined today primarily in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe,Brazil, Burma, Madagascarand Tanzania. It is a rare and expensive gemstone, symbolic of joy and good fortune.
Junes Flower: Rose
Roses are ancient symbols oflove and beauty. Roses are so important that the word means pink or red in avariety of languages (such as Romance languages, Greek, and Polish).
Roses the June birth flowercome in a variety of hues, each with a different symbolic meaning:
Red: love
* Pink: grace
* Dark Pink: gratitude
* Light Pink: admiration, sympathy
* White: innocence, purity, secrecy , reverence and humility.
* Yellow: dying love or platonic love
* Orange: passion
* Burgundy:beauty
* Blue: mystery
The rose is the nationalflower of England, theprovincial flower of Alberta (the wild rose),and the state flower of four USstates: Iowa and North Dakota , Georgia, and New York.Portland, Oregoncounts "City of Roses"among its nicknames, and holds an annual Rose Festival. Rose the June birthflower.
"Mine is the Month ofRoses; yes, and mine
The Month of Marriages! All pleasant sights
And scents, the fragrance of the blossoming vine,
The foliage of the valleys and the heights.
Mine are the longest days, the loveliest nights;
The mower's scythe makes music to my ear;
I am the mother of all dear delights;
I am the fairest daughter of the year."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
June Correspondences
Nature Spirits: Sylphs &Zephyrs
Herbs: Dog Grass; Meadowsweet; Mosses; Parsley; Skullcap; Tansey & Vervain
Colours: Orange & Golden-Green
Flowers: Lavender; Orchid & Yarrow
Scents: Lily of the Valley & Lavender
Stones: Topaz; Agate; Alexandrite & Flourite
Trees: Oak
Animals: Monkey; Butterfly; Frog & Toad
Birds: Wren & Peacock
Deities: Aine of Knockaine; Bendis; Cerridwen; Green Man; Ishtar; Isis &Neith
Power Flow: Decision Making; Prevent; Protect; Reward; Strengthen; TakingResponsibility; Time of Light
"This is June, the monthof grass and leaves . . . already the aspens are trembling again, and a newsummer is offered me. I feel a little fluttered in my thoughts, as if I mightbe too late. Each season is but an infinitesimal point. It no sooner comes thanit is gone. It has no duration. It simply gives a tone and hue to my thought.Each annual phenomena is reminiscence and prompting. Our thoughts andsentiments answer to the revolution of the seasons, as two cog-wheels fit intoeach other. We are conversant with only one point of contact at a time, fromwhich we receive a prompting and impulse and instantly pass to a new season orpoint of contact. A year is made up of a certain series and number ofsensations and thoughts which have their language in nature. Now I am ice, nowI am sorrel. Each experience reduces itself to a mood of the mind."
- Henry David Thoreau, Journal, June 6, 1857
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