Dance in the Moonlight
June 23 is Midsummer’s Eve ~ the night women gather together to empower each other. It is a night for fairies and spirits. It is a time for rejoicing and dancing around bonfires.
It is a night to sprinkle dew on your face which the ancients believed would enhance beauty in the coming year.
If you live near a beach, it is a great night to dance in the moonlight and celebrate your feminine strength with those in your own Protection Circle. If you don’t have one yet, you can light candles to celebrate the support and love of your guardian angels who have passed on. Or, you can surround yourself with photos of people who have loved and cherished you. . .or those you dream of drawing into your life.
This quote from The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett speaks of the magic of the night for me:
It was time for the last ritual of Midsummer Eve:
floating wishes.
What will you wish for, Aliena?
Peace.
For all of you, I wish you peace.
If you’d like to learn about traditional Midsummer’s Eve and summer solstice celebrations, I recommend the blog Well Seasoned Woman from Sitka, Alaska. The photos are gorgeous, and the information interesting. And, the blogger is quite funny.
June 23, 2009 at 5:14 PM
This is certainly a lovely post. Might be just what I need to do tonight. Know of any good youtube videos on why the abused protect the abuser? Maybe I was searching with the wrong terms…I would settle for some good articles or post. I may not be looking deep enough there is so much about abuse on the internet
June 24, 2009 at 1:17 AM
Thank you, Lizzy. I hope you found your feminine power tonight.
You are correct. There is a lot about abuse on the Internet. It can be very overwhelming.
My first recommendation would be my post on March 13 about Rihanna which you should be able to find in my top posts on the right side of this web site.
I don’t think women “protect” the abuser in their lives as much as they are trying to protect themselves from escalating harm or from a life of poverty if they leave. Many don’t want to morph their children’s daddy into a convict.
At the same time, it is indeed difficult to admit to ourselves that the man we have pledged to love doesn’t love, respect, and cherish us. It doesn’t help that abusers typically blame their victims for the abuse.
The women end up wishing they could somehow be “good enough” to recapture the magic in their relationships.
It is tough to accept that what we thought was love is actually an attempt to dominate and control our lives.
Another factor is purely financial. A man serving time in jail isn’t earning a paycheck. And, when he gets out, he may no longer have a job and will have great difficulty as a felon getting one.
I think it is indeed unfortunate that mainstream media do not address the dynamics of domestic violence in a meaningful way. We hear too many myths without fully appreciating all the circumstances.
So, Lizzy, thank you for taking the time to visit my site and to try to understand. I hope I have answered your question. And, I hope you’ll come back and check out the information and resources available here.
If you have more questions, please ask away. I promise to do my best to answer them.
July 20, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Hey,
Did I ever thank you for your lovely compliment? If not – thanks so much!
Also, I sure appreciate what an amazing and empowered woman that you seem to be. Your words are intelligent and insightful and thus provide some good karma in the blogosphere!
Best,
Deb
July 21, 2009 at 9:06 AM
Hey, Deb!
Back-atcha!
If y’all down-under here in the lower 48 want/need a belly laugh, visit Deb’s site: Well Seasoned Woman (see blogroll). She’s brilliant, funny, and ever-so irreverent.
And, she knows the most amazing artists.
Best to you,
Caroline