I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.
― Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Summer Solstice marks the year’s zenith , the time when the sun is highest in the sky and the natural world is bu
rsting with life and energy. On this longest day of the year, it is time to step into our own light, to stand in the strength of our own authority and claim our right to pleasure and abundance. The longest day is also, of course, the shortest night of the year. Traditionally, as in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and Bergmann’s Smiles of a Summer Night, this night is full of magic and mischief. It is a time of masks and merry-making and sexual adventure. To add to the confusion, on this night the door between our world and the world of faery is wide open, and, as in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, the little people often intervene, with unexpected results…
We last ran this workshop at Eden Rise, nr Totnes, in June 2017.
Eden Rise is a beautifully private venue created from the conversion of two barns, with excellent cooking and sleeping facilities, and a fine group room. It is set in glorious countryside with extensive views overlooking the sweep of the southern end of the Dartmoor National Park. Grounds include 7 acres of beautiful hillside with a maze, a fireplace for the Solstice bonfire, and the River Harbourne with a pool for an early dip.