A Wandering Fox

The Summer Solstice is in a couple of days and I'm excited. I've been feeling the Norse Solar Goddess Sunna poking at me over the last few months. I'm working on a kid-friendly ritual to honor Her with my family, without the wasps and sudden possession this time! Yes, last year, I hosted a Summer Solstice ritual with a local group (before I had joined ADF).  We had the ritual in a shelter at Delaware State Park (Ohio) and I was unknowingly standing under a wasp nest that was beneath a sign.  I was stung 5 times--once on my thumb and 4 on my thigh.  Some of the attendees were surprised by how I handled it.  I wasn't crying, cursing, or hating the wasps or myself.  After some ice and a few minutes to sit, I just moved the altar and continued.  Don't get me wrong, it hurt!  But whether I was sitting or performing the rite, it'd still be hurting, so I decided to go on with ritual that I had worked so hard on planning.  Honestly, the worst part of the stings came in

 This is a Copy/Paste from my Hearth Fox Blog : Boo! I've been sick this Vestalia and haven't been able to do my usual stuff, minus a deep spiritual cleanse of my home and a re-warding. First I cleansed my home by asking the Norse Solar Goddess Sunna to cleanse my property and vehicle with sunlight. Then I went inside and opened the windows and curtains for that spring breeze and sunshine. The weather has actually been pretty nice this Vestalia, with temps in the 60's-75F. I've been spending a lot of time outside resting, reading, and crocheting. Inside, I lit the sage bundle by saying, "In the names of Hestia-Vesta and the Vestals, I light this sage to cleanse my home of all unwanted energies and entities. You are not wanted here and must leave!" I walked my home counterclockwise to banish those unwanted energies. Then I declared what energies and entities are welcome. I cleansed the home again with energy, to get those pesky nooks and crannies, like

( Copy/paste from my Hearth Fox Blog )  The Vestalia is a Roman festival honoring the Hearth and Home Goddess and the Living Flame Vesta; I also honor the Greek Hearth and Home Goddess Hestia and the spirits of the Vestals.  I've been celebrating this holy time for a few years, since learning about it back in the early 2010's, when I was exploring Roman and Greek Paganism.  The festival is from June 7th to the 15th.  This is one of my most important holy times, especially now as a Priestess of Hestia-Vesta (a Hearth Keeper for Hestia and a Vestal for Vesta--Their words, not mine).   You may notice that I often hyphenate Their names, because sometimes They appear as one goddess and other times as two, purely a personal choice, not a historical one. My Vestalia Shrine. June 9, 2023 Starting in the back, left to right: a statue inherited from my grandmother representing family love, a satchel of my kids' altar stuff, a red protection satchel sitting in a bowl one of my kids

 There we go, not only did I submit Essay #9 on Friday, but I just mostly finished my Vestalia ritual, which can be found in the  Rituals page .  It is  mostly  done, I just have to figure out the Working part, other than blessing black salt and sprinkling it about my property part.  Oh, and also find a Vesta prayer that I like for this rite.  Because this is my 10th Vestalia, I want to do something else special for it.  Maybe a re-dedication to Vesta and the Vestals?  Or perform some divination and see what They want from me.  I'm already a Hearth Keeper for Hestia and a Vestal--seems that as such I should probably ask what They all want.   I won't be doing the ritual until the 9th, so I have some time to think. Once the essay gets approved, I'll post it on the Dedicant Path Essays page, too.  I hope it gets reviewed soon.  I need to know if it passes before I start on the next.  I spent a month working Essay 9, mostly because of writer's block and overthinking.  I'