#midsummer night

Midsummer... 🫶🏻

When I decorated my shrine, I designed it to allow changes in the focal point during major feasts. As we approach the feast day of St. John the Baptist/Svatojánská noc/Kupadelné svátky (Midsummer Night), I’ve moved my St. John’s holy card front and center with some dried spotted St. John’s Wort below his image.

提起 by 仲夏夜 (徐滨&张炯敏)

LYRICS with PINYIN

你现在还好吗

真的很久很久没联络

怕你太忙 不敢打扰

谢谢关心 我最近也挺好

Nǐ xiànzài hái hǎo ma

zhēn de hěnjiǔ hěnjiǔ méi liánluò

pà nǐ tài máng bù gǎn dǎrǎo

xièxiè guānxīn wǒ zuìjìn yě tǐng hǎo

新的城市 新的工作

多少还有些不太习惯

想起那时 总有点遗憾

抱歉不该提起那段

Xīn de chéngshì xīn de gōngzuò

duōshǎo hái yǒuxiē bù tài xíguàn

xiǎngqǐ nà shí zǒng yǒudiǎn yíhàn

bàoqiàn bù gāi tíqǐ nà duàn

提起那段时光 多难忘

我不能忘 也不想忘

哪怕在回忆里失眠

也假装拥着你到天亮

Tíqǐ nà duàn shíguāng duō nàn wàng

wǒ bùnéng wàng yě bùxiǎng wàng

nǎpà zài huíyì lǐ shīmián

yě jiǎzhuāng yōngzhe nǐ dào tiānliàng

提起那段时光 别感伤

我怎能问你是否原谅 （早已原谅）

那枚戒指呢

是否还被你留在身旁（被我留在身旁）

Tíqǐ nà duàn shíguāng bié gǎnshāng

wǒ zěn néng wèn nǐ shìfǒu yuánliàng (zǎoyǐ yuánliàng)

nà méi jièzhǐ ne

shìfǒu hǎi bèi nǐ liú zài shēn páng (bèi wǒ liú zài shēn páng)

你现在还好吗

真的很久很久没联络

怕你太忙 不敢打扰

谢谢关心我最近也挺好

Nǐ xiànzài hái hǎo ma

zhēn de hěnjiǔ hěnjiǔ méi liánluò

pà nǐ tài máng bù gǎn dǎrǎo

xièxiè guānxīn wǒ zuìjìn yě tǐng hǎo

新的城市 新的工作

多少还有些不太习惯

想起那时 总有点遗憾

抱歉不该提起那段

Xīn de chéngshì xīn de gōngzuò

duōshǎo hái yǒuxiē bù tài xíguàn

xiǎngqǐ nà shí zǒng yǒudiǎn yíhàn

bàoqiàn bù gāi tíqǐ nà duàn

提起那段时光 多难忘

我不能忘 也不想忘

哪怕在回忆里失眠

也假装拥着你到天亮

Tíqǐ nà duàn shíguāng duō nàn wàng

wǒ bùnéng wàng yě bùxiǎng wàng

nǎpà zài huíyì lǐ shīmián

yě jiǎzhuāng yōngzhe nǐ dào tiānliàng

提起那段时光 别感伤

我怎能问你是否原谅 （早已原谅）

那枚戒指呢

是否还被你留在身旁（被我留在身旁）

Tíqǐ nà duàn shíguāng bié gǎnshāng

wǒ zěn néng wèn nǐ shìfǒu yuánliàng (zǎoyǐ yuánliàng)

nà méi jièzhǐ ne

shìfǒu hǎi bèi nǐ liú zài shēn páng (bèi wǒ liú zài shēn páng)

从前的朋友说起你

说你变得疏离 笑得勉强

我想我们都在学者疗伤

却总掀开伤疤 反复品尝

Cóngqián de péngyǒu shuō qǐ nǐ

shuō nǐ biàn dé shūlí xiào dé miǎnqiáng

wǒ xiǎng wǒmen dōu zài xuézhě liáoshāng

què zǒng xiān kāi shāngbā fǎnfù pǐncháng

提起那段时光 多难忘

我不能忘 也不敢忘

生怕冲淡那些过往

那是青春残酷的奖赏

Tíqǐ nà duàn shíguāng duō nàn wàng

wǒ bùnéng wàng yě bù gǎn wàng

shēngpà chōngdàn nàxiē guòwǎng

nà shì qīngchūn cánkù de jiǎngshǎng

提起那段时光 别感伤

我怎能问你是否原谅 （早已原谅）

那两班车呢

是谁赶上了最后一趟

Tíqǐ nà duàn shíguāng bié gǎnshāng

wǒ zěn néng wèn nǐ shìfǒu yuánliàng (zǎoyǐ yuánliàng)

nà liǎng bānchē ne

My version of the elixir, made from plants gathered on Midsummer Night, is supposed to steep 2-3 weeks. The most intense recipe I found for the elixir is made with herbs and alcohol and steeps for one year buried in the ground. Mine is more along the lines of Queen of Hungary Water and the plants have been steeping in wine vinegar. At the end of the 2-3 week period I’ll add either witch hazel or rose water in a 1:1 ratio. I’m leaning towards rose water so it will be potable, although I intend on using the elixir mainly for anointing during rituals.

The plants I gathered on Midsummer Night/St. John’s Night were: blackberry leaves, Virginia pepperweed, sheep sorrel, mimosa blooms, dandelion leaves, shiso/perilla, yellow wood sorrel, elderflower, and eastern prickly pear. I dried the herbs for two weeks before preparing the elixir.

In my original post about the elixir I note the medicinal and magical uses of each of the plants.

All except the prickly pear are steeping. I’ll add some prickly pear gel at the end after the witch hazel or rose water.

Midsummer Day my social media feeds were filled with beautiful photos of San Giovanni water, which made me curious about whether any of my own ancestors had a similar custom. In my research I ran across l'élixir de la Saint-Jean from France, where the majority of my mother’s ancestors were from (via Quebec).

In France, just as in Moravia, plants gathered on Midsummer Night were thought to be at the peak of their strength.

The most intense recipe I found for l'élixir de la Saint-Jean directed:

“Once harvested, simply mix equal quantities of the whole plants, their leaves or flowers as appropriate (see below) in a large glass bottle or terracotta pot and soak everything in alcohol. But what alcohol?

The choice of alcohol will, according to him, "depend on each person's taste ." You can therefore add Armagnac, Cognac, Calvados... the only requirement is that it must be organic.

Once the preparation is complete, seal the opening tightly because the mixture will spend a year in the darkness of a cellar or, better if you can, in the ground.

According to tradition, the Elixir of Saint John reaches its full potential when it has been buried for an entire solar cycle. Because the energies of the plants, energized by the sun, will be enriched by the strength of the earth. Light and darkness, heaven and earth, the elixir reconstitutes everything.

The elixir must be removed from the ground at the solstice (June 21) of the following year. The elixir is then ripe.

A large bottle is sufficient because only three drops three times a day are needed to benefit from the benefits of the solar cocktail.”

Of course, not a single one of the plants traditionally gathered in France or Quebec was among the ones available in the areas I forage (I live in the American south where the Arkansas River Valley meets the Ozark foothills). So I gathered the best of what our acreage had to offer and I did it in a collection of nine healing plants according to Czech/Moravian tradition

“In order for the herbs to retain their magical power, it must always consist of nine species.”—Czech lore

The plants I gathered were: blackberry leaves, Virginia pepperweed, sheep sorrel, mimosa blooms, dandelion leaves, shiso/perilla, yellow wood sorrel, elderflower, and eastern prickly pear.

I have allowed the herbs to dry over the last two weeks since Midsummer Night, except for the prickly pear, which I preserved as a soothing skin gel.

Today I gathered portions of the dried herbs and started my elixir. However, since we are having transportation issues at the moment and live in a dry county, I was unable to make the trip to a liquor store. I used the last of the alcohol I had on hand to make a mimosa blossom tincture and my Midsummer Iced Tea Punch. So I decided to make my elixir more along the lines of Queen of Hungary Water.

I layered the herbs in a sterilized jar and covered with wine vinegar and set them in a sunny window, where they will steep for 2-3 weeks. After which I will strain the vinegar and add either rose water or witch Hazel in a 1:1 ratio. At this point I will also add an amount of the prickly pear gel and will have included all nine of my healing plants.

Medicinal Properties of the nine plants:

Blackberry leaves — digestion

Pepperweed — diuretic, sore throat, fights scurvy

Sheep sorrel — immune support

Mimosa — calming, sleep aid

Dandelion greens — digestive, anti inflammatory, immune support

Shiso — immune support

Wood sorrel — digestion, scurvy, skin problems

Elderflower — cold, flu, cough

Eastern Prickly Pear — treatment for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Magical Properties of the Nine Plants:

Blackberry - protection, healing, and prosperity

Pepperweed - resilience, communication, and even protection

Sheep sorrel - cleansing, healing, and protection, particularly against heart disease. Historically, it's been used in rituals for love, fidelity, and banishing negativity. Some sources say it's linked to fairies and woodland spirits

Mimosa - Emotional and Spiritual Well-being

Dandelion - resilience, transformation, and hope

Shiso - protection, purification, and healing. It is often associated with warding off evil spirits and bringing good luck, especially during celebrations. In some folklore, shiso is seen as a symbol of purity and is used to cleanse and purify spaces or objects.

Wood sorrel - protection, healing, and good luck, often linked to its heart-shaped leaves and connection to themes of renewal and faeries.

Elderflower - protection, healing, and connection to the spirit realm. It's believed to offer protection from negativity, aid in healing emotional and spiritual wounds, and facilitate connections with nature spirits, ancestors, and the fae. Elderflower is also linked to new beginnings, transitions, and even love and marriage blessings

Prickly pear - resilience, protection, and endurance, particularly in harsh environments. Some belief systems also ascribe to it the ability to absorb and transmute negative energy, and to promote communication and understanding.