9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Magical Addition to the series, April 24, 2002
This review is from: Midsummer: Magical Celebrations of the Summer Solstice (Holiday Series) (Paperback)
Midsummer is a magical time of the year for most of us Pagans and this book reflects that magical spirit in its content. Ms. Franklin provides us with some basics and some fun for celebrating the Midsummer Festival or "Summer Solstice" in this book.
The book is divided in to sections covering the various pieces that make up this holiday: origins, customs, themes, magic and divination, herb crafting, recipes and rituals. The book also has several appendices of material to augment the information provided in the book.
Well researched myths, lore and customs cap this piece. The origins of this holiday are explored in history as well as geographically. From Mesopotamia to modern times, from China to the U.S., the various stories are told of celebrations of this holiday. There is even a "technical bit" that explains what a "solstice" is and how it occurs.
From the origins, the customs are then examined. Vigils in England, water and wells and washing in rivers, even the "Morris Men" come into play at Midsummer, and there are short overviews of these and more.
The origins and customs are not limited to pagan traditions. We see the incorporation of the Christian holidays and gain an understanding on why many traditional Christian Saint days and celebrations mirror the pagan. The "themes" section starts with some good explanations of this and goes into the "Wheel of the Year", light and dark times, and the various ways we pagans envision this holiday as part of our calendar. The longest day, oak trees and Druids, the Oak King and the Holly King all come into play as we come into the modern Midsummer traditions.
Midsummer is all about magic. From divination, to fairies, reading tarot cards, rune stones and working with our stones and herbs, all these play an important part on how we work our magic. There is a lot of information here on these practices and more, and while short, there are some very good overviews on divination, stones, and wands. There is an entire chapter dedicated to herb crafts, with an overview on how to harvest and dry herbs as well as their magical properties. This section is well done, with the usual advisories clearly noted for each herb, if needed. There are some small recipes for teas and salves, as well as mixes for some herb spells.
Ms. Franklin has also done a book on incense and she includes some basics on this as well in her book, along with some lovely recipes. Again, a nice addition to this book.
And, what book on a holiday would be complete without a section on recipes. These reflect the time of year, food availability, and accent special herbs that can be included at this time of year to make your dishes "magical". Elderflowers and clary sage are just examples of herbs specific to this time of year, as well as making "strawberry wine" and black mead. The wine and mead recipes are brief overviews but interesting with their associations. Again, if there are herbs that you should check out allergies to, these are clearly noted.
The last chapter covers rituals that you can use as a basis for your own practice. Ms. Franklin provides different themes for these based on traditional practices as well as giving a basic overview of the ritual setup and practice. There is even a small "handfasting" ritual if you are deciding this is the time of year you want to make special in your own life.
The appendices cover animal totems, the "Midsummer Calendar" which covers day by day celebrations of Gods, Goddesses, saints and other festivals of this time of year. This is a very interesting overview.
There is also a appendix of various correspondences, a "God and Goddess" listing for this time of year, sun symbols and a glossary. You may also want to check out the bibliography for further research and there is an index for quick reference.
Ms. Franklin has given us a well written, nicely presented book on celebrating this holiday in the calendar and it is a wonderful addition to the Sabat series by Llewellyn. This is a nice addition to anyone's library. boudica
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!, November 13, 2002
This review is from: Midsummer: Magical Celebrations of the Summer Solstice (Holiday Series) (Paperback)
This book is a fully rounded examination of the midsummer festival with history and lore, pagan themes and spiritual inspiration. It contains traditional Wiccan and witchcraft rites, along with Saxon and Druidic celebrations for the festival. I know for a fact that the Wiccan rites are authentic and I have never seen them published before. [I do worry that it may be a case of casting pearls before swine in some instances.] Along with stuff for the more serious Wiccan, the ritual suggestions would help beginners and experienced covens alike. There is a wealth of herb craft here, since midsummer is the traditional time for gathering herbs, which again, may appeal to ex[pereinced and beginner alike. I can't recommend this book too highly- the strongest in the series so far.
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