Shabbat Summer Solstice Shalom

today feels important.  it needs marking, attention paid to it.  there hasn't been any community for me around solstices and equinoxes in years, and as such, it's been harder to hold on to as a social holiday.  like everything else we eventually shed, it seems to be the rituals and traditions we manage to keep close that end up defining us.  or maybe just me.

I had wanted to make a point of being out on the meerpeset at around 8, 8:30 this morning to adjust the rosemary so it was right where the sun first touches the ground to mark the clock of my current habitat, but my sleep schedule has been wonky due to alarms and bomb shelter runs, so I was up around 3 or 4 this morning, but fell back asleep until around 10.  no worries, I can catch that tomorrow.  it's just about noon, though, so I want to see what I can still do today.  I've had some ideas, so I thought I'd share.

 

 

 

my first thought for the day is usually 'bonfires', and while I don't have a space to build and burn a bonfire, I can do a little something something with candles.  god help me, but instagram was where I went first...no, that's not true...I did an internet search of 'summer solstice rituals' and was quickly unsatisfied with the results and remembered that on insta, one can find these cute graphics that are excellent quick reference guides.  I looked up @animamundi first, and will share their info-square below, but @thewitchoftheforest was more what I wanted, so I shared hers first.  

I haven't unpacked any of my crystals or stones because I simply have nowhere to put them at the moment.  there's still no furniture, and the damn table I was so happy about in my last post collapsed already, so I have even LESS space to put anything.  so frustrating.  anyway...the one rose quartz that I think I can access is a little ball at the end of a silver hair stick, and as silly as it may be to wear 'fancy jewelry' to sit around the house and maybe mop the floors, maybe it's important, too.  and I'm doing a small ritual with some storm water, honey, lemons, ginger, turmeric, candles, grapes, and rosemary, and crowning myself with the fancy silver hair stick for the solstice (even though gold would be more appropriate).

  

 

the few things I do have in a special dish on what is usually my altar came from the sea, so they don't feel like the right things to put out in the noonday sun.  I will incorporate them into whatever I've gotten up to when the moon is overhead.  for now, while my ritual items are baking out in the Israeli sun, I'm cooking a nourishing meal for my Sabbath Bride.  I was napping when She got here, tired from my day of babysitting a new pair of kiddos.  they were adorable, and exhausting, and after I got home, I just zoned out for awhile until the alerts went off right around dinner time...so it was down to the bomb shelter, after which I went straight to bed in case we were in for a busy night.  so when Shabbat arrived, She just slipped into the bed with me, and inhabited my dreams.  She didn't mind that I didn't light the candles, say the prayers, or fix a meal.  and She helped me figure out how to honor the Solstice by creating a simple altar from what I had.

 

 

 

 

on the kitchen counter, there was some rosemary that was drying in a glass dish, and I filled the dish with water and put it out on the altar as well.  then I started preparing the meal.  it turned out that I had bought a different kind of chicken than I thought, so I put all of it (a pound and a half?) in a pot with some olive oil, and sprinkled it liberally with a specialty salt mix, pepper, paprika, turmeric, oregano, and parsley and let it cook through.  I was reminded of when I was a kid, and liked to mix up various substances in the bathroom with playful joy, and hoped it would turn out ok.  once it was cooked, I threw in some carrots, celery, and garlic, then poured in a packet of chicken noodle soup I had mixed with water in a bowl, and let it simmer while I made a big salad to go with it the stew when it was done.  when the salad was ready I served up a bowl of stew, and ate it in front of the altar, followed by the salad.  they were both delicious, and my Bride is pleased. 

 

 

since it's the Solstice, Shabbat can stay later than any other day during the year, and I'm taking advantage of that by not worrying about 'getting everything done' before sundown.  my Shabbat Bride knows I'm currently messy and struggling, and She's also willing to put up with me while I figure it all out.  even if She doesn't get to stay for my whole ritual, She will still be part of it, and will be honored by it.  time is relative, and an extra soul does as an extra soul chooses.  the bathroom floor will get mopped eventually, the day needs magick.  so, it's time to bring in the fruits and things that have been charging all day in the sun. 

I skimmed off the top layer of honey and stirred it into the rosemary water, where I also squeezed in the juice of the two lemon halves.  the whole lemon went back in the fridge for tea later, along with the grapes (not for tea, for eating).  the lemon seeds were planted, and the ginger and turmeric were sliced up to dry for tea; the sun-charged storm water was added to the rosemary/honey/lemon wash.  after a nice rest out on the meerpeset (with an ice pack) I caught a buzz before getting ready for that purifying shower I've been looking forward to all day.

 

rosemary snowglobe!

 

 

 

in the shower, I anointed my third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sex, and the base of my spine with my Solstice solar rosemary lemon storm elixir, then poured some of the liquid down my front and back.  it felt invigorating and smelled wonderful!  after my shower, I put what was left of the ritual water back in a jar, lit my candles, and prayed over my bread and grapes.  then Shabbat left, and I offered Her a dark chocolate square with orange bits for the road, which She gladly accepted.  I didn't end up finding the moon before I slept again; I think she might have been a very slim crescent in the very early hours of the morning, and it's a bit cloudier than usual...we'll see. 

 R E D   A L E R T

  

 

ugh.  bad hit in Tel Aviv.  no bueno.  

 

 

well, I didn't catch the moon last night, but I did catch the sun this morning, and it looks like the rosemary is in just the right spot.  I shifted it to the left about 3/4 of an inch because I'm particular, but that is the spot where the sun first hits my meerpeset on the (morning after the) Summer Solstice.  and the ginger and turmeric are drying, and I made a delicious brunch from last night's chicken and salad.  since the war seems to be escalating slightly, and Homefront Command has tightened the restrictions again, I don't think I'll be going anywhere today, but as always - we'll see. 

 

 

enough cleaning got done for it to feel like I did something, and I may do more, if I don't fall asleep first.  as much as I want to repair or replace my table, now I'm fixated on getting a clothes rack so I can hang up my shirts and dresses already.  I'm tired of the suitcases and want to feel more like I live here.  everything costs, though, and I haven't been working due to the conflict/s.  all I can do is take care of myself and see that I'm being nourished on as many levels as possible.  remembering to visit with the Shabbat Bride on this Summer Solstice is one way to support my spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health.  

 

  

  

 

 

I flipped the mattress, too, so I'm looking forward to taking another nap here, soon - though I'm also trying to stay active so as not to get completely out of whack with time and schedules.  I'm hoping things go back to 'normal' quickly.  Blessed Solstice, welcome to the dark half of the year, and as those of us in the Northern Hemisphere swelter through summer's heat, remember that the wheel is turning towards autumn, and let your mind rest briefly on what's to come, and how to plan for it, as far as we can plan for anything.  much love ~

bs post I wrote last week and didn't 'publish' because I knew it was bs...

well, my table came this morning, and I'm so happy.  it's nice to have a place to sit down and eat a meal in my own apartment without having to balance the plate on my lap.  there are still boxes everywhere, and probably will be for awhile, but that's just because I don't have any shelves for books, clothes, or chachkis!  I'm also grateful for the day off of work - I've been needing to catch my breath from all the activity.  I'm so proud of myself; even if I'm tooting my own horn, so be it.  I sent my stuff over,  I moved here, I'm learning the language, and I got a job in just under four months.  now, I'm nowhere near an expert in anything, yet, I'm just pointing out how I'm taking the proper steps to get where I need and want to be.  

 

the job isn't bad, but it does take a lot of physical energy - everything takes a lot of energy when it gets hot - and it's only halfway through May.  Hebrew school also takes a lot of energy, but it's obviously more mental energy.  I wonder sometimes if my mind is still elastic enough to pick up another language, and I'm glad it's not completely new to me...I think it helps to have heard it throughout my life.  that said, I can't understand most of what the kids I'm working with say to me!  I ask them to repeat what they say more slowly, but we often don't manage to connect.  it's fun when we do, though!

 

random internet stock photo of kids

 

I'm worried about money, because I finally had to break into that last $1000 I had in my American bank account.  there's nothing I can do right now about needing groceries, and payday apparently comes once a month.  knowing how Israeli paperwork goes, I'm not hopeful that the process of receiving my first paycheck will go quickly or smoothly, but we will see.  I should probably find out of there's a food bank somewhere.  in the event that you enjoy this blog, feel free to 'gift me a hot chocolate' through the link in the sidebar.  or just click HERE.  I would really appreciate it, and thanks in advance.  I'm happy to exchange any donations for a tarot reading, if you leave a comment on this post with a method of getting in touch with you.  or, just click HERE. 

www.paypal.com/paypalme/mysteriamb

 

I was off of work because it was Lag BaOmer Thursday night and Friday - which is celebrated for being the 33rd day of counting the days between Passover and Shavuot, and other reasons you're free to look up because I don't feel like doing it for you.  I just sort of assumed things were closed, so stayed home putzing around my apartment, not taking into account that it was also Shabbat, and anything I didn't get from the store right now I would be without until after work hours on Sunday (unless I can squeeze in a trip before work tomorrow).  I need to put ALL the Jewish holidays on my calendar, now.  so while I finally figured out that the grocery stores were open during the day (it's apparently more of a school holiday than a national holiday), I didn't have the motivation to get to one before they closed for Shabbat.  oh well. good thing I bought that bag of pasta!

now that I shouldn't/can't/don't want to splurge on things like pedicures, I wish I had brought my nail polishes, the polish remover, the pumice stone, and the little toe separators.  there was definitely room for them in the lift, and it would have been a few less items for me to re-buy.  I could of course go without cute toenails, but it's worth the small amount of time and energy invested towards my own joy.

I really do dig my little apartment and hope I can stay here long enough to make it 'feel like home', whatever that means.  for me, it may just mean having a place for everything, a bunch more plants, and feeling comfortable enough to invite people over to chill...(having people to invite over to chill).  the only thing I'm missing is money.  I definitely wish I hadn't had to spend so much of my savings before I left the States so I had more to spend over here, but c'est la vie, and I encourage you once again to drop me a $10, $25, or $100 hot chocolate tip to help keep me afloat while I'm undergoing the stress of assimilating to living, working, and studying in a new country!  and leave a comment - let me know you're here, reading along.  thanks ~