Summer sun, fairies, butterflies enchantment. And in enchantment, wonder. And in wonder, the stars and the moon. And in the stars and moon, magick. And in magick, Litha. And in Litha, celebration. And in celebration, blessings. And in blessings, love and light. And in love and light, nature. And in nature, strength. And in strength, Sun Queen- Have a blessed Litha, Summer Solstice.
The H.E.R.B.S. Project, an initiative by Dutch designer Nienke Hoogvliet, investigates if herbs, when used as a textile dye, can have the medicinal properties they are renowned for when worn on skin. The textile industry has a huge impact on nature and the workers in the industry, because of all the chemicals that are used […]
H.E.R.B.S. Installation: Dutch designer Nienke Hoogvliet investigates if herbs have a medicinal effect when used as a textile dye — Life & Soul Magazine
Are you looking to grow your own herb garden? There are three ways you can do this – from seed, planting a cutting or replanting a potted herb plant. Planting from seeds can be a long process as most herbs take some time to mature from seeds. That said it also rewarding watching the seeds […]
Grow Your Own Herbs: Getting Started with Seed Germination and Herb Starters — Life & Soul Magazine
A new children’s book, What Happened When We All Stopped, has envisioned an inspiring picture of the renewed, nature-rich world, offering readers – both children and adults alike – insight into how to rebuild the environment and tackle climate change. Author Tom Rivett-Carnac, a former Buddhist monk who has spent the last 20 years working […]
Post-lockdown world envisioned as a renewed, nature rich-world in new children’s book — Life & Soul Magazine
White stork chicks have hatched in the wild in the UK for the first time in centuries, the White Stork Project announced. Eggs in one of three nests hatched at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex. Observers watched as the parents incubated the nest of five eggs located in an oak tree.They were seen removing eggshells […]
Wild white stork chicks hatch in the UK for first time in centuries — Life & Soul Magazine
Do you know that stress and anxieties can overburden your mind with incessant worries? However, do you know that being mindful could somehow help you decrease your mental health disabilities? A strong mindfulness exercise can make a big change when it comes to modifying some of this stress. Mindfulness is all about feeling and seizing […]
Zenful Spirit: 9 Key Tactics for Mindfulness — ecogreenlove — Life & Soul Magazine
Midsummer is also sometimes referred to as Litha. Litha is(pronounced “LITH-ah”). The celebration of Midsummer’s Eve was from ancient times linked to the summer solstice. People believed that mid-summer plants had miraculous and healing powers and they, therefore, picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since Neolithic times. The concentration of the observance is not on the day as we reckon it, commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the pre-Christian beginning of the day, which falls on the previous eve. In Sweden and Finland, Midsummer’s Eve is considered the greatest festival of the year, comparable only with Walpurgis Night, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve.
It marks the first day of summer on traditional calendars, but it is actually the Midsummer mark for Pagans.
Litha marks the longest day of the year, the day when the sun reaches its apex and is aspected to zero degrees Cancer. This is a day that celebrates the God in all his glory. It is also the time of year when the Goddess is glowing with motherhood in her pregnancy.
For those of you familiar with Shakespeare, you might remember the play centered around the Solistice: “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream”. It is believed that Midsummer Night’s Eve is a special time for those who believe in the Faerie traditions. Like Samhain, this is a day where the veils are thin between the realms of the Sidhe (the Faerie realm) and the world of mortals. It is a time for merriment and the making of wishes.
On this day the Sun God is seen at his highest point in the sky, vibrant and strong. Together with the pregnant Mother Goddess, he rules the summer season. However, this is also a time of transition, for now, the Sun will begin its yearly descent and the days grow shorter until the Winter solstice. The Druids viewed this day as the wedding of Heaven and Earth, Alban Heruin. The Moon of this month was known as “The Honey Moon” in a testimonial to the honey mead that was drunk at the wedding celebrations so common to this time of year
Source: https://ravenhawksmagazine.net/2020/06/15/litha-midsummer-summer-solstice/
This video reminded me of an interesting project that was given to me to work on. A time when I moved from South Carolina to California back in 2003/2004 to start a new job. Young and filled with possibilities took a leap of faith and joined a high end designer in California to design his textile collection. He had an array of rich textiles from all over the world. It had been about 2 years since my graduation from Savannah College of Art and Design, very eager and excited to learn my way through the shades of textiles.
He had a screen printing facility in house. And back in time hand screen printing, making your own screens, huge printing tables were a big thing. Still maybe alive but not as much as it used to be back in the days. And my first assignment was to create 2 complete set of Pantone swatches with the screen printing pigment dyes on fabric. Kinda creating a fabric Pantone book/ binder for his library. Ha! Yup it was quite a task on hand. There were 2000 colors I had to create and print on a fabric and note the values of how I got that color. All I could think to myself is “what”? You want me to create these 2000 colors? My monkey mind got real busy with all kinds of stupid negative thoughts. But I was excited to be there and learn so I did not let my monkey mind override the truth. And the truth was I loved the opportunity given to me and if this is how it starts then so be it. Pulled myself together and got back on mixing colors. And it was a beautiful project. Easy, effortless and fun. In the beginning it was slow but as I started to understand the medium and the craft of making colors the task became fun, play and meditative.
Everyday from morning to evening for quite many months all I did was mix colors, until I reached a point to perfect the art of knowing colors and when and how much to add or subtract to get the desired shade or tint.
This practice, knowledge gave me insight into color and color making. The reason I share this as it has taught me a very valuable lesson. Lesson of being persistent and consistent, not to loose hope or to give up just because of what you think you should be doing or not doing in your mind. No job is small or big. No matter at that moment and time you don’t realize the value it is bringing you but hang on and walk through that project. You will be grateful for this task you were given to do. Every job/ task has a meaning, purpose. And it is given to you because only you could do it. And there is no one like you. Even though at first it looked like a huge task but if it wasn’t for this exercise I would have missed learning the importance of colors and it’s journey.
By the time I was done I did of course truly enjoyed the joy of colors. It was meditative, fun, soothing and healing for me. Every color has its own magickal presence, Vibration, vitality, strength and personality.
Matter of fact every task, job that I was given no matter how hard or easy the boss was or the task was it led me to connecting me to my trueself. My artist within. It is an opportunity for you to grow and know yourself within.
Green consulting firm Fifty Shades Greener is offering a free online training programme for anyone in the hospitality industry who wants to be a green champion in their workplace. The Ireland-based business has opened the training course, Become a Green Leader in Your Workplace, to anyone worldwide who works in the hospitality industry. The programme, […]
Fifty Shades Greener offers free training course for hospitality workforce wanting to be green leaders in their workplace — Life & Soul Magazine
Cambridge University Botanic Garden’s annual plant festival takes place online this week. The three-day virtual tour, which started on 26 May and ends today, centres around three key themes – Plant Science, Horticulture and Conservation, with features talks, tours and events made available daily. Videos, activities and tours from the festival can be viewed online, […]
Cambridge University Botanic Garden hosts Festival of Plants online — Life & Soul Magazine
Web series Living Big In A Tiny Home travels back in time to the Celtic roundhouses of Castell Henllys – an Iron Age Fort in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Situated in the rugged north Pembrokeshire landscape, Castell Henllys is a reconstructed Iron Age hill fort. Archaeological excavation of the site has enabled the National Park Authority to […]
Living Big In A Tiny Home travels back in time to a Celtic Iron Age Fort in new series, Tiny Homes of the Ancient World — Life & Soul Magazine
“The past has no power over the present moment”- Eckhart Tolle.
It takes commitment to be in the Now. It takes commitment from you for you to experience the Now. It takes commitment to be still, to relax, slow down. It takes being persistent and consistent. It takes desire, will power and focus every moment, every day to be in the Now. Your future depends on your now and in the now how you choose. And in your choice the knowing. And in your knowing the understanding. And in understanding the knowledge. And in knowledge the guidance. And in guidance the awareness. And in awareness the truth of you the soul. If you are living in the past and future how will you know what you are choosing? And why did you make that choice? How will you know why an experience or an event happened in your life in the now and what choice did you make for this to happen?? What is happening in your present in the now is a result of your choices. To change your now you have to be in the now to know what needs to be changed. You cannot live in the past and future for change to happen now is it? You need to feel your feelings and emotions in the now in order to change the past and build the life you want for your future. Now is where your power lives. It is where your soul lives. And to be in the now commit to meditation, commit to having a spiritual practice everyday. Commit to questioning your beliefs, belief system. Commit to being completely honest with yourself. Only you can help you.
Make a choice to commit to you and then follow the next step to take action on the commitment you just made. And then the next step will show up. Do not think 10-50 steps ahead. Just doing one step and walking one step at a time. That’s how we live in the now. Your next step what you need to do will be shown to you. Your feelings, emotions, negativity, judgement, control, jealousy, guilt, fear, arrogance, hostility, self centered etc are all caused by not staying and practicing to being in the now. Times are such where this is your only savior. Be still. Be Mindful. Learn about you the good, bad and the ugly. If you take care of your now your future will take care of itself.
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