It’s the glorious Summer Solstice, Slava! Modern Slavic Native Faith adherents have three occasions from the timespan of June-July for celebrating the indigenously Pagan Midsummer revels known as Kupalo/Kupały (from the Old Common Slavic verb kupati, “to bathe”) or otherwise named in reference to St. John/Ivan/Jovan the Baptist. The first occasion is the astronomical marker of the date of the Summer Solstice itself, which is today (it was exact at 9:42 p.m. CDT).

A Focus on Elemental Fire and Water

We had 15 hours and 39 minutes of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere as the Sun climbed to its northernmost station in the sky. Where I live, heavy rains from the past 24 hours finally lifted and the sun came out in mid-afternoon, introducing a decidedly humid climate that was ameliorated by some breezes blowing in off of Lake Michigan.

It felt quite comfortable and lovely when I set out to harvest wild-growing false chamomile flowers from my front lawn, which I wove into a floral crown to fit my head. Such flower crowns are a staple for Slavic ritual headdresses for Summer Solstice observances. You use whatever is native to where you live.

I wasn’t sure if the bundle of storm-felled oak branches from the mature trees in the backyard would be dry enough to use tonight, but thankfully, they were. A “living fire” (živa vatra in Serbian) is made at this time of Kupalo by the friction of rubbing oak (a “masculine” tree) with linden (a “feminine” tree). Prior to lighting the fire, I prayed before my altar to several Slavic Powers—it bears images of Svetovid, Triglav, Mokoša, and Perun—and presented the Gods offerings of amber incense and white wine.

I squealed with delight as the fire began to roar to life!

The rite was ecstatic, with dancing and singing and offerings tossed into the flames. I felt my Powers were in attendance and the energy was electric!

The counterpoint to the masculine fire, the gift of Svarožić (Son of the Sun) to humanity, is Elemental feminine Water. Tomorrow, during the day, it is considered a blessed thing to swim in a flowing body of water, as it is thought that the Sun enriches the waves with extra-potent healing magic. Slavic women toss in their flower wreaths for love divination to determine if they’ll marry soon and even find out from which direction their future spouses might arrive from.

As I have no desire to ever be in a long-term relationship again (lol), when I toss my wreath into my local river tomorrow, it will bear my prayers to the Otherworld.

Although I’m not yet sleepy, I know when I go to bed, I will sleep the sleep of the cleansed and purified. May Fire and Water bring you into balance, cleansing, and peace! Slava!