MYSTICAL AVALON | AVALON ESSENCES | JEWELS OF AVALON

The Gemini New Moon is the perfect time to set aside our prejudices and look at our world through new eyes.

What can we learn about the ideas of others; what changes can we make in our lives to give us more flexibility and make it easier to adapt to change.

The New Moon phase offers an opportunity for a new beginning, and in Gemini this opportunity takes us into the mental realm where we experiment with new ideas and ways of living our life before actually manifesting these ideas into form.

Gemini is the sign that is associated with the mind, but it also has to do with accepting a wide variety of ideas and experimenting with many different kinds of experiences. Gemini is wide open – everything is considered to have value for its own sake, and there is a keen desire to learn about many things.

Green said:

“Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

Blue interrupted:

“You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

Yellow chuckled:

“You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun.”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet:

“I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.”

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:

“I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood – life’s blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.”

Purple rose up to his full height:

He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey.”

Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: “Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening, thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak:

“You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

The rain continued:

“From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.” And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, to let us remember to appreciate one another.

Belief is something that grows in us …..

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A blue moon occurs about every two and a half years, making it a perfect time to do special magic and honor the Goddess.

This special ceremony can be conducted as a group or just as beautiful on your own. .

If with a group each member of the group brings an item to place on the altar that represents the warmth of the summer growing season. Some ideas would be:

• Fresh herbs or flowers
• Summer fruits such as strawberries, raspberries
• Solar symbols
• Sea water, sand or shells

Assign a member of the group to call each quarter. Each person should stand at their assigned quarter holding their unlit candle (and a lighter or matches), and facing the altar. If there are more than four of you present, form a circle.

• The person in the north quarter lights their candle (green if available), holds it to the sky, and says:

We call upon the powers of Earth,
and welcome you to this circle.
The sun’s heat has warmed the earth
and will bring us the bounty of the soil,
when the harvest time comes.

Place the candle on the altar.

• The person to the east should light her candle (yellow if available), hold it to the sky, and say:

We call upon the powers of Air,
and welcome you to this circle.
May the wind bring us fruitfulness
and togetherness of family and friends,
in this season of growth and light.

Place the candle on the altar.

• Moving to the south, light a red candle (if available) and hold it to the sky, saying:

 We call upon the powers of Fire,
and welcome you to this circle.
May the shining light of this season’s moon
illuminate our way at night,
as the sun has brightened our lives by day.

Place the candle on the altar.

• Finally, the person to the west lights a blue candle (if available), holds it to the sky, and says:

We call upon the powers of Water,
and welcome you to this circle.
Although the earth may become dry and parched
during the long hot weeks of summer,
we know that again the rains will come
and bring with them life.

Place the candle on the altar.

• Have everyone in the circle join hands and say:

We gather tonight by the light of the moon,
to celebrate the season, and rejoice.
May the next turn of the Wheel bring us love
and compassion, abundance and prosperity,
fertility and life.
As the moon above, so the earth below.

Go around the circle, share one thing they are looking forward to. Summer is a time of growth and development before the harvest arrives. What do you plan to manifest for yourself in the coming month? Now is the time to state your intent.

• Take a moment to reflect on the growth you’ve seen since Spring, in yourself and those around you.

A lovely way to finish is read and feel the energy of the Luna Prayer – see below for the words xx

Let go of fear – and you’ll discover a shining star

Trust in the healing power of love, for you are an ocean of light, reflecting the light of the sun, universe and stars

The flame of love resides in your heart, it engulfs all in its path

Through this light, new stars are born. Explosions of love

A glowing heart that moves the ocean tide

One eternal heart forever bathed in light

The night sky a tapestry of jewels. Dew drops form an ocean

Starlight fills your heart with the glow of ancient Suns

Through trees, mountains and valleys

You shine eternally

The exact date of each solstice changes by a few days each year – this is because of our calendar system where we count years of 365 or 366 days, but the Earth takes 365.256 days to complete one orbit of the Sun.

The exact orbital and daily rotational motion of the Earth, such as the ‘wobble’ in the Earth’s axis, also contributes to the changing solstice dates.

The solstices occur because the rotation axis of the Earth is tilted by an angle of 23.5 degrees from the vertical.  If the Earth’s rotation was at right angles to the plane of its orbit around the Sun, there would be no solstice days and no seasons.

Around 21 June, the Sun is at its most northerly declination (+23.5 degrees). This corresponds to the northern summer solstice and marks the longest day of the year for northern hemisphere observers. In contrast, this is the date of the southern winter solstice and marks the shortest day of the year for southern hemisphere observers.

Six months later {TODAY}, the Sun is at its most southerly declination (-23.5 degrees) and the solstices are reversed in each hemisphere – ENJOY XX