New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
| Back when we still kept track of the days with the Julian calendar, June 11 was the summer solstice and also the start of the hay-making season, both presided over by peacemaker Saint Barnabas. Make a fire bundle with some straw and the other traditional plants carried by folks on Saint Barnabas's day: rose (love), lavender (peace), and woodruff (protection and plenty). Tie the herbs in a bundle with a red cord. Let them dry out, then burn them in a bonfire or your cauldron to ensure a pleasant summer blessed with abundance and sunshine. As you set the bundle alight, invoke Saint Barnabas's support with an incantation based on a traditional song:
"Barnabas bright, Barnabas bright, The longest day and the shortest night. I'll make my hay while the sun doth shine, And the bounty of summer shall truly be mine!" |
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