A Solstice of Fire and Light by Angela R. Watts

The Firekeeper, assisted by a small crew of other Community members, ritually kindles the Fire as the rest of the Community chants and our Community drummers make rhythms. The Fire is located in the center of our main Community ritual circle area.Įach year, one of the elders in our Community serves as the PSG Firekeeper. On the evening of the opening day of the Pagan Spirit Gathering, we light the PSG Community’s Sacred Fire during our Opening Ritual.

We harvest the Mugwort in a special ceremony at Lughnassad time during our Green Spirit Festival in early August.

The Mugwort we use is from the Mugwort Circle, a tall hedge and ritual circle around our Maypole at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve in Wisconsin. In creating each year’s Sacred Fire, we also include dried stalks of Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), a ritual herb long associated with Summer Solstice celebrations. This kindling a new fire from remnants of a previous one is an ancient Pagan practice representing continuity with the past in the on-going spiral journey of life. Before the Sacred Fire is lit, we add ashes and charred wood from the previous year’s Community Sacred Fire. As was done by Celtic, Germanic, Scandinavian, Baltic, Roman, Greek, and other old European Pagan peoples, we use Oak wood as a fuel for our Sacred Fire. Called the Sacred Fire, it represents the Spirit of the PSG Community and its celebration of the Sun at Summer Solstice time. Some of these traditions are forms of ancient Pagan practices, while others are more recent in origin.Ī Community Summer Solstice Fire has been part of each PSG since it began in 1980. They are sources of illumination and inspiration that are an integral part of celebrating Summer Solstice and creating Community.Ī variety of traditions involving sacred work with Fire have developed over the years at PSG.

The Fires of PSG symbolize Sun, Summer, Community, Culture, and Celebration. The Pagan Spirit Gathering, also known as PSG, is one of America’s oldest and largest celebrations of Summer Solstice and Nature Spirituality. Sacred Fires and Sacred Flames have been an integral part of the Pagan Spirit Gathering since it began in 1980. Originally published in Winter 2009 pp.22-24

A Solstice of Fire and Light by Angela R. Watts