Willowman Festival announces some wonderful additions to the Creative Intentions Solstice Ceremony with a sculptor coming along to do an interactive - get involved - Kundalini willow spiral, where people can weave wishes into the sculpture which will end up about 8ft tall... this will be burned at the end of the ceremony and parade on Sunday night therefor igniting the wishes and firing up all our dreams!

June 20-21 is a very important day for our planet and its relationship with the sun. June 20-21 is one of two solstices, days when the rays of the sun directly strike one of the two tropical latitude lines.

Summer Solstice (meaning "standing-still-sun) marks the first day of summer and is the longest day of the calendar year. It is a day when the sun and daylight are celebrated. In healing circles the Summer Solstice is a day for recognizing and honouring the sun for its energy gifts of bringing light and warmth to the planet.

The bright glowing orb we call The Sun is celebrated in many traditions at the summer solstice. There are fire dances, bonfires, and in the olden days, the ancients rolled fire wheels down the hills. There's also a long tradition of ritual bathing, dipping in the cleansing waters. Fire and water are celebrated at the summer solstice, along with the Earth as Mother Goddess, at her most abundant.

It's a celebration of the Earth, the feminine and the living natural world. It's one of the four cardinal turning points of the solar calendar, along with the Winter Solstice and the Spring and Fall Equinoxes.

For those living in harmony with nature's cycles, it's the season to harvest herbs and honey. Many couples still marry in June, at the peak of nature's abundance. Some traditions would feed the newlyweds honey-laced foods for the entire first month, which is where "honeymoon" comes from. The full Moon in June is the Honey Moon.

The summer solstice coincides with the Sun's ingress into Cancer, and the official start of the season. Cancer is the water cardinal sign of the mother, nurturing, and family. It's a high spirited time, when solar light is radiant and the feminine energies are in abundance, too. There are parades, picnics, festivals and celebrations of all kinds in the Northern Hemisphere at this time, often outdoors.

Becoming aware of these solar turning points tunes you into the natural rhythm of the seasons. The summer solstice is the peak of sunlight, and the Sun as radiant manna of all that grows, has been celebrated with feasts, dancing and just being together. After the solstice, the days begin to shorten slowly toward the Fall Equinox, when days and nights are equal again.

Join them at Willowman festival this year for their “PARADE OF LIGHT” … bring along lanterns or join in a workshop and make your own!

Willowman Festival 2014

Hillside Rural Activities Park, Knayton. North Yorkshire. YO7 4AN

Dates: 19th Jun 2014 - 22nd Jun 2014

Price: Tickets for adults (with camping) from £65.00