Midsummer's Eve Full Moon

 

Midsummer's Eve Full Moon

Wednesday 23^rd June 723

As sun he goes down, on glad Wodnesdaeg,

The twenty third day, Ærra Litha hewn.

Begins joyful eve, of feast of Saint John,

On the bright night, of the merry Hay Moon.

The Midsummer's Eve, also a full moon,

At twilight the powers, are at their height.

Three liminal moments, captured in one,

Light fires to keep, the night warm and bright.

Staying up jolly late, greet Midsummer's Day,

Gathering herbs, and flowers to protect.

From evil spirits, and wanton fairies,

Young maidens with yellow garlands bedecked.

Folk a gathering, yellow 'chase-devil',

Drunken debauchery, into the night.

Deep dusky twilight, magic and ritual,

Our ancient rapturous, Midsummer rite.

Copyright Andrew Rea, Æfterra Litha 2021

Introduction

This was Midsummers Eve, a full moon and at evening twilight became a triply auspicious moment. This was the last time this would happen before conversion to Christianity became complete, as this triple liminal moment would not occur again until 788.

One of the most powerful plants was known as ‘chase-devil’, now called St John’s Wort.

Wodnesdaeg is of course Wednesday or Wodens day.

Ærra Litha is June.

The feast of Saint John was set on the 24^th June by the church and adopted the mid Summer festival. As evening precedes day the poem is set at sundown on the 23^rd.

There were 17 Midsummers Eve full moons in the Anglo-Saxon Christian era:

609 Monday, 674 Friday, 693 Monday

712 Thursday, 723 Wednesday, 788 Monday

807 Wednesday, 826 Saturday, 845 Tuesday, 864 Friday

902 Wednesday, 921 Saturday, 959 Thursday, 978 Sunday, 997 Wednesday

1016 Sunday, 1035 Tuesday

I have stopped at 1066

Eluene and Poesity Chat up reading

A reading of Eluene with some friends in a virtual pub and

at about 2 1/2mins the poem Poesity Chat Up

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIqhh1AlZjo

Wassail the Apple Trees - Youtube Link of Zoom fun with some friends

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3FlqaEXNKY

A rough first reading of my Yorkshire Poetry Poem Leading into the Land Charm

 

Bare in mind that I have had a pint of something strong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB6HVpgjJlk&list=PLW6ghSB6vp60MVcSUQWwF-hnEKfYWv0kU&index=9

Elizabethan May - with some friends on line

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYY0qj72RvQ&list=PLW6ghSB6vp60MVcSUQWwF-hnEKfYWv0kU&index=2

Some of my poems on YouTube

Thou art Ealfscyne             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSVfgZBXOiE 

 On the Spindle Side          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spMipoGqWP4 

 Ealfred                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ZJ-gIYlSE 

 Dark Forest Rite               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHmQ2PD8Ty4 

 Wassail the Apple Trees    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42k41Paprl8 

 The Corn Dolly                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CEsTx0gxVo 

 Twelfth Night                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTOt3BWCmrM 

 Kissing Friday                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VrMlwtFkyY 

 A Maying                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpaSCb8V3Hc 

 Return ye Haetesse           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-L0RpTcWhU

Lunar Phantoms

 

In the ever still, soft Lunar landscape,

strange flicker appears, in corner of eye.

Hidden spirits seen, in a moon day dream,

of ashen landscape, and obsidian sky.

The sound of breathing, masks stillness around,

Selene's still spectres, are shy to appear.

Behind a grey rock, or in crater deep,

on distant mountain, on dry distant sphere.

Moon apparitions, in long Lunar night,

stark Earthshine shadows, on grey basalt rock.

Strange spangle flicker, on regolith plain,

while back connecting, your spacesuit to dock.

On the distant dry, other airless world,

those silent spirits, form a link between,

Chang'e and Zorya, Selene and Luna,

mankind and moonscape, whilst staying unseen.

The longer your stay, the more that you see,

to Earth sick veterans, shy phantoms emerge.

Conjured Selenites, called into being,

change and movement, the need and the urge.

Introduction

Sometimes when one changes one's gaze or looks around, you may see a movement but when you look again, you see that there is nothing there. If you wear glasses, this tends to happen more often due to reflections.

On the moon, one is always looking at the surface through a glass visor or window.

I predict that when we have a long-stay presence on the moon that our need to see movement coupled with the unchanging stillness of the lunar landscape and occasional flickers in the peripheral field of vision could become interpreted as Lunar Phantoms.

This poem puts a pagan spin on this.

Copyright Andrew Rea Candlemas 2021