I'm not sure -- it's in another language ;)

Diane

Time out to shop via the internet today! It's really too hot to be navigating shops outside today, and besides, my friend Kris has updated her online shop. If you have a thing for mythic art/goddesses/ancient Greece or Rome (like I do!), you'll become ecstatic perusing the offerings. Friends I have gifted with some of Kris' creations include Christina (who received the Muses pillow) and Ann (who might remember the Isis journal). And my hubby even got me one of Kris' paintings. I definitely recommend you check it out!

Hello!

I am happy to report I have reviews of two new CDs posted online at New Age Journal.com, one for Hudson River Wind Meditations and the other for Celtic Passage. Sounds True -- the publisher -- actually sent me a bunch of intriguing CDs and I have yet to review the others. Plus I have a bunch of books to get to as well...

No! That would be creepily "Logan's Run"-like, wouldn't it?

Funny how in yesterdays reflections, the question came up about if you could stop yourself from aging, would you do it? I gave an emphatic "no" to that.

Yet, today I'm taking this quiz in Time Out New York that reveals my real New York age. And it turns out I'm just 22 years old. Well -- it still feels good to shave two decades off my age. But I still maintain that this not-aging-thing would be very "Logan's Run."

Some concepts, I believe, should remain a mystery. Do we really want that deja vu explained? I don't.

However, Yahoo news explains that deja vu is simply a memory problem in this article. Party poopers, I say! Still, it is interesting...

How am I going to tie in Santa Lucia (celebrated December 13) with Midsummer? They are almost exact opposites on the wheel of the year, being about six months apart. Well, Santa Lucia does has to do with the Return of the Light and Midsummer has to do with celebrating the longest day of the year.

I mention Santa Lucia because my friend Ann has just sent me a picture of myself from some months ago as Santa Lucia -- apparently shown above. (I'm still trying to figure out how to insert photos using the feature supplied in this blog.)

And since Midsummer really is just around the corner, I am reminded of an article I wrote a few years back for my colleague Waverly Fitzgerald called "Honeyed Midsummer." You can find it in this edition of her newsletter. Better start getting working on that Midsummer schapps!

Back from vacation, too early. Have lots of fun pix to post, but I'll just post a few in no particular order. As I get back into my routine over the next few days I will fill out the photos with stories.  Hmmmm...I may not have this right but I might only be able to post one image per blog entry. Which is probably not right. Well, I guess I'll be posting and making blog entries about my vacation for the next week or so!

Hello again!

I guess I am dopey after the four hour car trip heading home. I can insert quite a few pix in a blog post if I want to, I have learned on further exploration.

Anyway, I will leave you with this one. We stayed up in a cottage in the mountains by a lake, and one day the hubby and I heard the sound of a cow bell. "What's that?!" we wondered and looked out the window. "It sounds like an animal," my husband said. "It's reindeer!" I squealed, and I ran out with my camera...

Sift through mail. Check for phone messages. Unpack. Rather not unpack yet, would rather turn on the computer and check out the photos from upstate. Still, unpacking does happen eventually. Weird to get used to bustling streets with people walking again. It takes me five minutes to walk to a newsstand here to pick up the Sunday papers, whereas it's a ten minute drive to get the papers up in the mountains. Today's Father's Day -- will have to think of something special to do for my husband, whose son just graduated from college a few weeks ago. Father's Day snuck up on me. The days just passed so quickly while away.

Still just love the reindeer photos and have to post them :)

While back in the day-to-day regular world once more, I look back at my vacation last week and think of how wonderful it felt to not have to be anywhere at any particular time, with no rush to get anything done.


Those were the canoes, and we went canoeing on the red one, there on the bottom.


This was the mystic fire pit -- doesn't it look peaceful?


And here is more fire wood than you would ever need for the fire pit.

I've already shown pictures of the delightful reindeer...

Now all I need to worry about right now is the final edits on a reporting piece and I do believe it will see the light of day soon!

I will say one thing I got used to -- checking email just twice a day (couldn't give it up altogether out there.) What a great habit to get into. Unfortunately, it just wouldn't work with me in my work system. People are in the habit of emailing me and getting a response pronto. I think if they only heard from me twice a day -- well, they would think I was off vacationing somewhere again!

Just back from celebrating summer solstice - or rather, summer soulstice - with Mama Donna Henes in Battery Park here in New York City.

Bright orangey-red streamers marked a cozy circle that stood out against the green grass. As participants, we each wore an orange sticker on our forehead, a symbol of strength and courage. Curious passers-by watched as we began the ritual precisely at the moment of the solstice. Some people even joined in the circle!

The elements of air, earth, fire and water were all represented in the circle. The sun was represented by mirrors, and we endeavored to capture the sun's essence in each mirror. Mama Donna walked around the circle, instructing each person to gaze into the mirror, where they would find the sun.

The celebratory mood was contagious and Mama Donna rocked out to her "Reverence to Her" chant and drummed away...

And the happy participants joined in as well...

A blessed Midsummer to all!

Wow, back-to-back Solstice celebrations. First Mama Donna's Summer Solstice event that I just blogged about yesterday. Now I'm back from the Swedish Midsummer event held at the very same park!

Midsummer, or the first day of summer, or the first day summer closest to June 24th which is St. John's Day, is a big holiday in Scandinavia. Summer days are very long in the northern countries, and on the longest day of the year, it seems the sun doesn't set, which leads to much partying outdoors. You can read a little bit about the customs at this National Geographic article.

It was a very windy day, and although I think I made my best flower crown yet with the free flowers I was given, the wind didn't seem to want to let me keep my crown on.

It was a little bit after six, when we noted that the midsummer pole, accompanied by fiddlers, was going to be brought into it spot where it was going to be, well, erected!

And with great fanfare, the pole was upright...

Where traditional dancing around the midsummer pole took place into the night.