Midsummer pagan rituals are an ancient tradition that continues to be practiced in various parts of the world. Also known as Litha or the Summer Solstice, this is a time when pagans and nature-based practitioners celebrate the height of summer and the abundant energy of the sun. One of the central themes of midsummer pagan rituals is honoring the sun, which is seen as the source of life and vitality. Many rituals take place outdoors, often at sunrise or sunset, to connect with the powerful energy of the sun. People may gather around a bonfire or light candles and perform chants or prayers to express gratitude for the sun's warmth and light. Another important aspect of midsummer pagan rituals is connecting with nature and the earth.
Another important aspect of midsummer pagan rituals is connecting with nature and the earth. This is a time when the natural world is in full bloom, and pagans celebrate the vibrant energy of the plant and animal kingdom. Some rituals involve dancing or walking barefoot on the earth to establish a connection with the land.
RESERVATION DOGS Season 2 Premiere Recap (S02E01): The Curse
The Reservation Dogs are back after the big storm rocked the community. In “The Curse,” Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) tries to break the curse she put on the NDN Mafia when bad things start happening to everyone.
In season one, we met the Reservation Dogs, Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack and Cheese (Lane Factor). They were planning on leaving Oklahoma for California. That was the dream of their friend Daniel (Dalton Cramer) who died the year before. When the time came to leave, Willie Jack and Cheese decided to stay. Elora and Bear got into an ugly fight prompting Elora to leave with their rival Jackie (Elva Guerra) instead of Bear. All of this after Willie Jack found a White Wizard ( Todd Jenkins) to put a curse on Jackie and her gang the NDN Mafia.
Willie Jack wakes up and tells Daniel’s picture that a lot of bad things are happening. Uncle Brownie (Gary Farmer) stopped the tornado, but he’s not right in the head. Leon (Jon Proudstar) keeps losing things. He thinks the Little People are messing with him. Bear is still seeing the Spirit William Knifeman (Dallas Goldtooth). Cheese is spending more time with Uncle Charlie (Nathan Apodaca aka Doggface), but that’s actually a good thing.
Other things that happened after tornado:
- A horse landed in Kenny Boy’s (Kirk Fox) junkyard. He thinks the creator blessed him. Ansel (Matty Cardarople) cried when they found the horse.
- Big (Zahn McClarnon) is still going on about Bigfoot and the catfish heads he found, that no one else saw.
- Bucky (Wes Studi) is still having issues with his white girlfriend.
- Someone stole Mose (Lil Mike) and Mekko’s (Funny Bone) bikes.
- Elora left with Jackie, making her an enemy. Willie Jack thinks it’s all her fault.
RESERVATION DOGS — “The Curse” — Season 2, Episode 1 (Airs August 3) —Pictured: Elva Guerra as Jackie, Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan. CR: Shane Brown/FX. Copyright 2022, FX Networks. All Rights Reserved
Elora’s GPS on her phone is messed up. They decide to stop at a convenience store for snacks. Jackie finds a Medicine Man fortune teller machine. The Medicine Man tells her “He who hoots with the owls at night cannot soar with the eagles in the morning.” Then he gives her a card that says “Your medicine has grown weak. You must turn away from the path that you are on.” Jackie dismisses it. They buy a map and a knife before leaving.
Bear walks by Daniel’s house and sees a For Sale sign in the yard. Spirit appears, on his way to another appointment. Bear tries to tell him about how bad he feels lately, but Spirit can’t listen to him. He tells Bear to grow up and take some responsibility.
Cheese and Willie Jack walk up as Spirit disappears. They walk to their secret hangout and argue about whether or not they are cursed. Willie Jack is convinced while Bear says it’s all coincidental. When they get to their secret hideout, they find a construction crew there. A crew member tells them that a rancher bought the land. He’s building a mega church. Willie Jack is even more convinced they are cursed! About the same time, Elora Danan’s car breaks down.
Spirit’s next appointment is with Uncle Brownie. Brownie is convinced that he’s a Holy Man now. He decides to get rid of all of the colonizer stuff in his house. The Rez Dogs show up and ask Brownie for help. He says he can’t because he’s trying to be a better man. Willie Jack goes inside his house anyway to talk.
Brownie told them not to mess with bad medicine and they did it anyway. But worse … it’s white man’s medicine. He says they have to go to the source of the curse to reverse it. He won’t help them because he doesn’t mess with bad medicine.
RESERVATION DOGS — “The Curse” — Season 2, Episode 1 (Airs August 3) —Pictured: Lane Factor as Cheese, Gary Farmer as Uncle Brownie. CR: Shane Brown/FX. Copyright 2022, FX Networks. All Rights Reserved
Cheese tells Brownie to alphabetize his VHS tapes. Brownie offers him Sonics if Cheese will do it for him. Cheese also asks to watch Big Trouble in Little China.
Elora and Jackie start walking. A man named Victor (Josh Fadem) stops and offers them a ride. He’s a little creepy but they get in anyway. Jackie gives Elora the knife since she’s sitting in the back seat.
Victor is on his way to a huge cross since he’s a Christian and all. He turns on country music and talks about how Gary Allen speaks to him. After 15 minutes of rambling, Victor turns on a dirt road. The girls question the turn and things turn really scary. Victor tells them to keep calm, but Jackie is ready to kick him in the face. She tells him to stop the car and he refuses. Jackie kicks him in the face and tells Elora to stab him. Elora stabs Victor in the shoulder and he stops the car. The girls jump out and Victor takes off … with all of their bags and money.
Willie Jack and Bear go to the bar where she found the White Wizard. He says he can’t reverse the curse. The barfly next to him tells the kids to get a job. The White Wizard says they need a level five wizard to undo his spell. And they’re all dead. The kids leave to continue their search.
Aunt Bea (Kimberly Guerrero) is cutting Bucky’s hair when the kids walk up. Auntie Dede (Dorothea Porras) is also on the porch and tells Bear that she could have been his momma. She knew his dad back in the day. But he’s gone now, leaving Bear “all dad-less.”
Willie Jack asks Bea for some more of Jackie’s hair, but Bea pretends she has no idea what the girl is talking about. Bucky offers to sweep up his own hair. Willie Jack doesn’t know what the big deal is. Bucky warns them against using medicine on people, but it’s too late.
After they leave, Bear gets really quiet. Bucky catches up to them and says he will help them break the curse. They need something personal from the person they cursed, but it doesn’t have to be hair. Willie Jack says they could ask Jackie’s aunt, but they don’t know where she is. Bear says Jackie’s auntie works at the IHS clinic … she’s the receptionist (Jana Schmieding).
RESERVATION DOGS — “The Curse” — Season 2, Episode 1 (Airs August 3) —Pictured: Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan. CR: Shane Brown/FX. Copyright 2022, FX Networks. All Rights Reserved
Elora and Jackie stop at a restaurant and bond over the fact that they lost someone close to them recently. Jackie is also impressed that Elora actually stabbed that creepy driver. Elora is afraid he will die.
Bear waits for Willie Jack outside with Bucky. Bucky catches up with Old Man Fixico (Richard Ray Whitman) and they talk about Man Moons. Willie Jack tells Bev about the curse and how she needs something from Jackie to reverse it. Bev thinks she’s crazy and dismisses her.
Bear gets annoyed and says there is no curse. He’s hungry and ready to go. Willie Jack is a little sad, saying she would help him reverse a curse. Willie Jack also texted Cheese to let him know that Bucky is helping them. When Cheese tells Brownie, Brownie gets excited and decides they need to go. Bucky doesn’t know what he’s doing.
On the way to get food, Bear decides he needs to go. He asks Bucky to stop the car and gets out. He tells Willie Jack that he supports her before leaving. Bucky makes Willie feel better, saying string theory explains it all. He says they are all like vibrating notes in a song. Take away a part and the song changes, but the song never dies.
Elora and Jackie walk along a dirt road, contemplating stealing a car. They find a house with several cars parked in the yard. Jackie looks at the car on the end and easily find the keys inside. Someone comes out from behind the house and sees Elora get into the car. The person yells at people in the house, telling them that someone is stealing their car. Elora and Jackie take off running as a truck full of guys with shotguns drive up behind them.
Watch the Reservation Dogs on FX on Hulu.
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RESERVATION DOGS — “The Curse” — Season 2, Episode 1 (Airs August 3) —Pictured: Elva Guerra as Jackie, Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan. CR: Shane Brown/FX. Copyright 2022, FX Networks. All Rights Reserved
Other activities may include making flower wreaths or gathering herbs for magical or medicinal purposes. Midsummer pagan rituals often involve both individual and collective acts of celebration. Personal rituals may include meditation, journaling, or solo walks in nature to connect with the sun's energy. On a community level, people may come together to create a sacred space adorned with flowers, herbs, and symbols of the sun. Group rituals may involve singing, drumming, or dancing in ceremonial circles to harness and amplify the collective energy. Furthermore, midsummer pagan rituals are often associated with fertility and abundance. The summer solstice marks the peak of the growing season, and pagans may perform rituals to bless the crops and ensure a bountiful harvest. Some rituals may focus on honoring deities associated with fertility, such as the Goddess of the Sun or the Green Man. Overall, midsummer pagan rituals are a time of celebration, connection, and gratitude. Pagans and nature-based practitioners use this occasion to honor the sun, connect with the natural world, and celebrate the abundance of life. These rituals provide an opportunity to align with the cycles of nature, tap into the sun's energy, and strengthen the bond between humans and the earth..
Reviews for "Herbal Magic: Incorporating Plants and Flowers in Midsummer Pagan Rituals"
- Jennifer - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to attending the Midsummer pagan rituals, but I was left disappointed. The whole event felt disorganized and lackluster. The rituals themselves were confusing and seemed more like a mishmash of random practices rather than a cohesive celebration. The performers also seemed unenthusiastic, which didn't help in creating an engaging atmosphere. Overall, I left feeling underwhelmed and wishing I had spent my time and money elsewhere.
- Michael - 1/5 - I attended the Midsummer pagan rituals with high hopes, but unfortunately, it was a complete letdown. The event was poorly planned, with long pauses between rituals and a lack of clear instructions for participants. The lack of an engaging atmosphere made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the experience. Moreover, the rituals themselves felt shallow and lacked depth. I expected to witness something profound and meaningful, but instead, I left feeling disconnected and unfulfilled. I wouldn't recommend this event to anyone seeking a genuine pagan celebration.
- Sarah - 2/5 - The Midsummer pagan rituals failed to meet my expectations. The event lacked structure and the rituals felt disjointed. It seemed as though the organizers were trying to incorporate too many elements without fully understanding their significance. As a result, the overall experience felt shallow and disconnected. While there were moments of beauty during the performance, they were overshadowed by the lack of coherence. I left feeling confused and unimpressed. This event needs significant improvements in order to be worth attending.