Almost sunset, A butterfly basking on the high hedge -- The longest day.
Are we all sun-seekers, like this butterfly, a Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus? It is so good to feel the sun especially at the beginning of the day, but of course on this the longest day of the year and if you are lucky enough, the sun may still be giving warmth and light well into the evening.
The hedgerows that have been left to themselves are full of life, playing their part in the wheel of the year. Abundance is everywhere in the natural world and that gift is also ours to give to others.
As the wheel of the year turns today we are entering a different period when the darkness begins to grow. Whilst we celebrate the light of the sun we will also see the increasing energy of the dark cycle, a period for inner growth as the wheel moves towards Lammas at the beginning of August.
I have been slowly making a set of Ogham sticks (see my last post) and I have just completed another two, representing the symbols for oak and holly. In the Celtic Tree Ogham, oak is the seventh tree representing the letter D and holly is the eighth tree representing the letter T. The qualities of both trees are significant: oak representing longevity and strength, whilst holly represents stillness and protection (these are just some of the qualities attributed to these trees).
Again, my thanks Glennie Kindred for her blessings on my journey:
A Different View 