A Midsummer Night's Tea Party: Under the Stones and Sky

ParaYourNormal Blog is hosting a Blog Tea Party in honor of the Summer Solstice, 

and I am thrilled to be brewing my own pot of tea for it, along with some special treats at the end of this post!

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. In Celtic tradition, "midsummer" is the time to celebrate the strength and warmth of the Sun, which could banish negativity and bring abundance of blessings.

 Bonfires are lit and the Oak King, the King of Summer, is crowned at this time. 

So it would seem fitting to have a Midsummer Night's Tea Party in a magical grove

 underneath an old oak tree. 

Perhaps with some fairies to dance with...

“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact.” 

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

But I want to take tea with you somewhere else.

I've mentioned before my memorable trip to England with my husband in 2003. On that trip we took a magical tour called "Stones and Bones" which brought us, among other places, 

to Avebury and Stonehenge.

The Avebury Stone Circle is the largest in the world, split in half by road and town. 

One of the most powerful ley lines in Britain tracks through its entrance stone. In the center, a "male" stone aligns itself with the "female" Goddess stone. I have a great picture of my husband resting in front of the Goddess stone, facing her with his head on his backpack...you could actually have a tea party or picnic in this circle. (We opted to have a pint at the Red Lion Pub instead...the only pub in England that sits inside a megalithic henge!)

Our guide gave us dousing sticks, and sure enough, they spun around and aligned themselves to the energy path in the earth. (Unfortunately for this blog, my pictures are glued in a scrapbook. This is before we had a digital camera. So these are all from Pinterest!)

 We were privileged to be inside Stonehenge at sunset with a "special access" tour. 

We watched the magnificent sight of the sun lowering between the stones as our guide playing a haunting tune on his fife. 

Here is an excerpt from my scrapbook:

"The great expanse of land and sky that is Salisbury Plain made my soul billow out like a great wind. I caught my breath when I first saw the massive stones standing alone, waiting....The area has been etched in time; as I turned and looked at the plain around us, I could see several barrow mounds sloping the land. The Heel Stone in the distance marks the processional entrance to the henge. In fact, I could still see the creases of this road, the "Avenue," in the grass as it stretched out beyond the marker. This is the way that is aligned with the midsummer sunrise. At the Altar Stone in the center of the circle is a convergence of several ley lines -- so strong that I could feel the energy rumbling under the earth, and I lost my balance momentarily there. I will never forget that mystical feeling of standing on the track, and the magic touching me, moving me."

So I invite you to take Midsummer Night's Tea with me here, under the stones and sky on Salisbury Plain, so we can watch the Sun rise together along the ancient track.

“My soul is in the sky.” 

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

In honor of the Summer Solstice, 

The Wood & Stone Series Part Two is now up for PRE-ORDER on Amazon Kindle, and will be released on June 28th.

"He carved and sobbed and bled. He breathed stardust from the singing stone." 

The stones sing to William, filling his blood with music, compelling him to bring forth the magic in their timeless depths. But an appalling betrayal leaves the apprentice mason with terrible scars on his hands and a heart as hard as the stone creatures he carves. Banished from the cathedral guild, he is sent away in disgrace to work under another Master Mason, in service to the lord of a faraway town. 

But things are not quite what they seem to be, here in the town at the forest's edge...not the manor's statuary nor the ancient apple tree. And certainly not the Lord and Lady of Tylwyth Manor. What secrets do these hunters hold behind their strange eyes? 

Within the stone walls of manor and town, Will's heart must be healed for him to understand and control his developing power. And when a dire threat emerges from the forest to wreak havoc on the town, can Will use that power to save all that loves from destruction? 

Songs Within Stone is Part Two of Wood & Stone, a series of connecting tales of folkloric transformation, startling self-discovery, and love as timeless as a sarsen stone, told in medieval and modern settings. 

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...

WOOD & STONE PART ONE:

LOVE LIES BLEEDING 

is on a 

KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL FOR $0.99!

Only from June 20th until June 27th midnight, 

so get it while it's hot! 

Praise for LOVE LIES BLEEDING, WOOD & STONE PART ONE: 
"Centered on the very soul of myths and legends, the Celtic world, magical beings, life, tragedy and the final ultimate enchantment of happiness is full to overflowing with the magic of Lori J. Fitzgerald’s words." Amazon Top 500 Reviewer 
"Love Lies Breathing vibrates with magic. This story BREATHES." Christine, Reader 
"Beautiful imagery and a unique fairytale-esque world." Alyssa, Reader

Check out the other spots for tea in the Blog Party!