June, the Month of Juno

The Month of Juno

The sixth month of the year, June, was originally called Junonius, after the Great Goddess, Juno; her counterpart among the Greeks was Hera. This month was sacred to her and therefore, according to the Greeks and Romans, was a lucky month in which to be married. This month was called by the Angles and Saxons the “dry month’, and sometimes the “earlier mild month”–July being the second mild month.

This month has enormous energies for calling upon and working with elementals of all types and with the tides of psychic energy flowing freely, enabling even the most staid of people to experience unusual happiness.

The celebrations of this month are mainly about survival and loss. June 1-2 is the Day of Carna, goddess of physical survival, doors, and locks, in Rome. The fourteenth is recognized as the birthday of the Muses. The Night of Teardrop, Feast of the Waters of the Nile, in Egypt, celebrating the goddess Isis and her sorrows is the sixteenth. The Summer Solstice takes place around the 21. June 24 is the Burning of the Lamps in Egypt at Sais, a celebration of Isis and Neith, and in Greece on the 27^th is the Arretophoria, a nymph festival honoring the maiden and Amazon goddesses.

June’s correspondences: The colors of this month are orange and golden-green, while the scents are lily-of-the-valley and lavender. Creatures of this month, whether of this realm of existence of not, are the monkey, frog, toad, wren, and peacock of the animal kingdom, the butterfly of the insect world, and its nature spirits are sylphs and zephyrs. Plants of this month are the oak tree, lavender, orchid, and yarrow, while the herbs are skullcap, meadowsweet, vervain, tansy, dog grass, parsley, and mosses. The stones that represent June are the topaz, agate, alexandrite, and fluorite.

The moon of June is the Mead Moon. However, it over the years has come to be known by other names as well: Moon of Horses, Lover’s Moon, Strong Sun Moon, Honey Moon, Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, Moon of Making Fat, Aerra Litha (Before Lithia), and Brackmanoth (Break Month).

The power flow of this month is of full but restful energy; to protect, strengthen, and prevent. A time of Light; Earth tides are turning. A time for decision making, and taking responsibility for present happenings. Work on personal inconsistencies. Strengthen and reward yourself for your positive traits.

The Deities that work well to be called upon in this month are Aine of Knockaine, Bendis, Cerridwen, Green Man, Ishtar, Isis, and Neith.

The fresh smells and sights of summer are what truly evoke the magick of the season. The wonder of a firefly night show, the sweetness of a freshly mowed lawn, or the majestic beauty in a summer thunderstorm with the smell of electricity riding the air all remind us that summer is here, at least for a little while.

Summer awakens all our senses. Freckles dot bronzed skin that once was pale. Blades of grass tickle bare toes. It just makes us happy. It's casual, it's fun, it's carefree, and it's delicious in a way that is different from any other time of year. It's a season to celebrate, and a season to celebrate in. It's time to just take a break.