Midsummer's Eve is a traditional time for picking herbs. While there's some disagreement on whether that's June 20th or 23rd - just before the Solstice or a few days later - I decided to go into my garden yesterday to collect flowers and leaves for a summer mandala. The heavy rains of the past few days had battered my roses and foxgloves and the ground was covered in fallen petals. I was drawn to collect some and create a sun wheel using them as well as leaves. Some of the things I picked were from wild plants in my lawn. I have deliberately let my grass grow long for the sake of insects and bees.
Earlier this year I decided to continue a project I did back in 2017,when I made a mandala each month using flowers and other found objects, inspired by the book I edited,
Every Day Magic - A Pagan Book of Days. This year, I have been doing one for each season. Back in January, I created a
winter mandala and then I did
one for spring in April.
Creating my summer mandala and meditating on it afterwards reminded me of the cycle of life that the Wheel of the Year represents. The fallen petals, which would soon wither and fade, show that even at the height of summer there is both life and death. The rains that caused the blooms to drop earlier than they might have done are also necessary for other plants to grow.
2 comments:
Smashing photo, Lucya. Looks like you're got some useful stuff growing in your lawn. Are they plantago leaves round the perimeter?
Thanks Jane! Yes, it is a type of plantago - I usually call it English Plantain. It also has Tutsun leaves and a clover in the middle.
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