Rose of Heaven

A day for contemplation and picnics, roses and bonfires, spirits and ancestors--the summer solstice has arrived!

Helati celebrates those who have gone before us; Rose of Heaven--also called Rosa Mundi or Rosa Caeli--is supremely a Mother God festival that calls us to meditate on the profound love and attachment God has for us and to recall where we are going after this life; the Summer Solstice is considered one of the two great Gates of the year concerning the movement of souls between this world and the next; and in pre-Christian times, the solstices have always been one of deep significance surrounding life and death: in short, Helati & Rose of Heaven combined on the summer solstice is a rather perfect combination.

Contemplation on the world beyond the veil of matter is an important part of how we mark the festival Rose of Heaven. Fasting before the holiday, presumably to be broken with a festive picnic later, is advised though not required. Fasting combined with the mugwort infusion described in the ECE (pg 214) would lend a mildly psychoactive helping hand to that contemplation, helping the celebrant to more easily overcome that veil of matter to experience firsthand the other world. One of the traditional meditations for the day references this as well:

You are the Brightness and the Glory, You are the refulgent light. Help us to know that You are the aim of all our lives, whether we strive consciously toward You, or whether we strive for You obliquely, believing our love to be for other things which are but illusion. Help us for some fragment of an instant to experience the wholeness of all creation, to travel the path to the Centre of all being, to the rose that is a flame and the flame that is a rose. (emphasis mine)

Note: I always caution my readers to err on the side of safety before dipping their toes into that sort of experience, as most of us do not live in an area where there are ready guides and experienced leaders in the community who could help people taking such herbs and seeking such experiences, as well as the simple precaution concerning allergies or adverse reactions to eating herbs you may not usually have contact with. Celebrating the day with contemplation and a family dinner is a wonderful way to mark the height of summer, no otherworldly visits required!

If you are celebrating Helati and Rose of Heaven in the traditional fashion as separate festivals, Helati is celebrated alone today and Rose of Heaven will be held on Rosea 16/June 29 this year.