The World is a Disco Ball !
More about the cosmic reality of the subject line in a little bit. I won't leave you twirling and sparkling for long, I promise.
And it is is all tied into Midsummer, which tale I now begin ::ahhhhhhhh::
The tale starts a few months back when D announces that his old coven used to stay up all night on Midsummer to greet the Sun. Everyone thought that was a great idea. And as time went by W and S from our circle decided to take on this Midsummer for us.
Everything about the night ... from the start last night to breakfast this morning was perfect. My heart was on the verge of bursting with joy for over 12 hours. Hmmmmm ... no, not really. It was more like feeling awash with joy in a peaceful and comforting way. Yummy!
All of us but L&L gathered at S's house at 6:00 pm for dinner. L&L were off to a black-tie dinner for her work; which meant we had the fun of seeing them in their formal get-up when they arrived later in the evening. What a beautiful couple they made ... looking like the little folks on the top of a wedding cake.
Dinner was yummy, with all kinds of good side dishes and each of us bringing what we wanted to toss on the grill. The Big Guy and I did brats I'd steamed in beer ... yes, Luna, the leftover Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. The brats were a big hit and were gone quickly.
After L&L arrived, the Big Guy socialized for a bit more and then headed home, as our rituals and ways aren't his "thing" ... he couldn't resist spending time with us, but when we started getting down to our business of the night, he hugged everyone and went home to our pups to hit the sack and smile at the thought of his pagan wife dancing in the dew and waiting for the sun to rise.
Food kept coming out all night, as W stole the neat idea that Four Quarters uses where they suggest what kind of food you bring to their gatherings by the first initial of your last name. So W assigned us food groups! It worked out great. I brought pasta salad and rolls. And Godiva liquor for our coffee. And, of course, wine.
I had no official duties, except for some circle and energy-wrangling later in the night. But with everything designed and executed by others. I was there to "be" there. Just relaxed in the arms of it all. Pure bliss. Letting others do what they wanted, and just doing the priestess thing when I felt something needed a nudge or a bit of energy or protection.
The little 'uns did an offering to the faeries at 10:30 or so. Out where they had built little houses for the faerie folk earlier. Their sweet voices rising up in chant was so wonderful to listen to from a distance (only they went to make the offering, with S leading them). She also had them making wands with crystal tips ... I am quite envious of some of their beautiful wands!
We did a formal ritual involving things faerie for the adults later (midnight or so). It was led by S and was so peaceful and comforting. Amongst other wonderful and magickal things, we offered our energy into some awesome essential oil that we mixed and blessed (yummers!). And S sang us the most beautiful lullaby, which she had written years ago for her children. Very peaceful. Well, except for a few faerie folk who were dancing about the edges of the circle. I didn't see them, but several others did. Although I did see the grass moving that they kept parting to peer at us. Well, I say I didn't see them, but later on I realized that what I was thinking of as "butterflies" wasn't so at 1:00 am ::smile:: There were definitely sylphs amongst us.
One of the highlights of the night for me was during the adult's faerie ritual. The little 'uns were in the camper parked in the backyard for them to hang out in (they had their own altar there and we adults had to ask permission to visit!). Little Z was called to the edge of circle by the energy there. Her Mom was leading circle, and motioned for her to wait. It was so sweet to see that Z knew circle etiquette. Her Mom cut an entry for her and she joined us, shivering in her bathing suit (the children had been swimming all evening). I motioned her to me and she cuddled up under my shawl. And the rest of the ritual, whether standing, sitting or moving, I had a little snuggle-faerie of my very own curled up against me. It was very special. Two of the older boys also wandered our way and came into circle. And that felt so right.
At 1:00 D and J led us in a bit of a more traditional "wiccan" ritual as we lit the bonfire. A rite to honor God and Goddess. It was very nice. Simple. No need for a full-on cast. We just offered our joy to the fire, through the extension of our blades, then offered them to the sky (for air), breathed on them (for water) and then touched the earth ... so that we blessed them with all the elements. I led us in that, and folks were so very present for that and the energy was the energy of fire which is the ember and not the flame, and I do think that is what kept us all awake through the night. With some beautiful readings D had written.
At 1 or 2 or so (time became a non-thing), we did an earth-healing ritual that was quite the experience. W led it and kept it simple. She circled us, taking us on a guided journey into and out of the earth, and then she and S stood at center, and we gathered up energy and they took it and sent it to the earth and sky. Interesting little bit of magickal something or other went on, as our energy was "leaking" a bit and I wrangled it back in for us. Which was okay, but probably the result of no formal boundary for our working. But for me what it did was allow me to gather it back in and channel it back to W and S, and they took it with a wonderful "whoosh" of taking in ... and they did an amazing job of offering it up. Those two worked so well together! Good stuff was accomplished by that one.
At dawn S played a song on her pipe to welcome the sunrise, and young Z read a poem. Perfect!
It was truly a magical evening ... with a little fun stuff that I'll write about separately. Food and laughter. And all of us awake (except for L's short nap, but it was so much fun having him snoozing away and snoring in the middle of us that it made it that much more wonderful). There was talk and silence, eating and just that tiny little bit of snoring.
I had forgotten how little "night" there is at Midsummer, as it has been so long since I've been up in the middle of it. The sky lightened by 3:00 am and the world started coming to its morning self. With the increasing chatter of birds, the morning swoops of the bats and a very impressive "fly-over" of a flock of heron. I didn't move for two and a half hours, as I watched the sky turn to rose and then orange. Peace washed over me, and the background sound of that was the voices of the Clan up on the porch. It was the sound of love in the steady heartbeat that is always there when we open up to listen to it.
Breakfast was amazing! T outdid himself!! And we were all home by 7:00 am ... racing to see who would fall to sleep first. I was asleep after letting the dogs out and slipping in bed by the Big Guy ... but was up again at noon. I didn't need a long sleep. I had a deep and peaceful experience of "spiritual shut-eye" over the night and was totally restored and rested.
No ... about that disco ball ...
The children had a neat toy for the pool which was some kind of a battery-operated light which was a floating disco ball that shot beautiful rainbows of light down and through the water in the pool. The porch we were sitting on looked out over the pool. And we could see the glow and flicker of the light very easily. They finally wore their little selves out, and it got very quiet. With just little bits of their laughter every now and then.
There is then total silence, and then for whatever reason (the magick of the night, we dare say), one of them calls out loudly ...
"THE WORLD IS A DISCO BALL !!!!!!"
And there was not a peep out of them for about 15 minutes after that.
May your world, my friends, be a disco ball ... ever turning and sparkling and offering you new vistas and visions... lighting up your nights with rainbows!