Summer Festival on 21.12.2012

There was so much hype about Mayan calendars and the end of the world potential of 21.12.2012, that, now the date has been and gone and we’re all still here, it seems a slight anticlimax: just Christmas as usual, presents under the tree, too much turkey stuffing, and torn pieces of wrapping paper still decorating the floor.

Not that we were expecting the world to end. Our take on the numerological significance was that it might be a major energy shift, the start of a new way forward. So we went as far as shifting our summer festival one day, to celebrate it on the actual day of the solstice, 21.12 itself instead of on the nearest Saturday. How better could we deal with a portentous date than by gathering  friends and family together in our circle and creating some positive energy around us all.

The day was hot, hot, hot, and friends came Friday-late, after last bits of Christmas shopping, finishing off work and escaping the clutches of town. They disappeared into the swimming pool to cool off and so all the preparation was even more last minute than usual. But our festivals have a way of panning out and it all came together in perfect timing, so that we went into the circle in the soft half-light after sunset, when the heat had faded from the day and a warm glow lingered in clear skies.

Our summer festival theme is air, so it was about making windmills, flags in chakra colours, prayer flags and blowing bubbles, anything that blows in the wind and captures the lightness of air.

Our long table was filled with a confusion of windmill making, salad preparation, tea and champagne drinking, with the Christmas tree in the background for the first time, mingling festivals and reminding us of the next one on the list... usually we get the tree on the day after the festival, but with Christmas on the Tuesday already it seemed a shame to leave it so late.

The vision prayer has become a fixture at our festivals now and had a strong energy said all together, and if the energy shift is about new beginnings I can’t think of a better prayer for it:

THE VISION PRAYER
I have a vision where all people are at peace, fed and housed,
every child is loved and educated to develop their talents,
where the heart is more important than the head and
wisdom is revered over riches.

In this world, justice, equality and fairness rule.
Nature is honoured, so the waters flow pure and clear and
the air is fresh and clean.  Plants and trees are nurtured
and all animals are respected and treated with kindness. 
Happiness and laughter prevail

And humans walk hand in hand with angels.
Thank you for the love, understanding, wisdom, courage
and humility to do my part to spread the light. 
May all the world ascend
So be it

The next morning I went into the circle early, as the sun was rising, and the energy felt  wonderful, full of beauty and vibrancy, or perhaps it was just the flags catching the sunlight and the cool morning air.