Thursday, June 21, 2007

Midsummer's Night Dream



June 21st marks the summer solstice. For people living in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the day with the longest span of daylight. Starting tomorrow, daylight will begin to shorten bit by bit and it will start getting darker earlier.

"Just for fun, my family invented a religion like the Shakers we called Stillwater. I'm eldress, and we have a big celebration on Midsummer's Eve. It's really a state of mind. Stillwater connotes something very peaceful, you see, life without stress. Nowadays, people are so jeezled up. If they took some chamomile tea and spent more time rocking on the porch in the evening listening to the song of the hermit thrust, they might enjoy life more.

Stillwater believers are very hedonistic. Life is to be enjoyed, not saddled with. Do you know that lovely quotation from Fra Giovanni? He was an old monk from away back who wrote to his patron, 'The gloom of the world is but a shadow: behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. Take joy.' That's the first commandment of the Stillwater religion. Joy is there for the taking."

~ Tasha Tudor, from The Private World of Tasha Tudor

In honor of the day, following the grand traditions of a variety of spiritual beliefs worldwide ~ Pagan, Catholic, Stillwater, and others. . . the 'chick is going to take a break tonight, sit on the deck, enjoy the evening, and relax.

Take joy.

3 comments:

Michael Thomas said...

Honest to God, the Chicken Little needs to go before I make it into a roadkill snack.

Roadchick said...

Don't be hatin' on the chick. Would you feel better if she were a different color?

heather said...

ya know, to be honest with you i was thinking the same thing till i figured out that you could mute the damn thing. lol

wasn't still water the band in almost famous? something like that anyway. sounds like a cool religion. where do i sign up? wait! is beer allowed? yes? good! sign me up. :-)