The Water Mother, herbs, trees, flowers. Her time is the summer solstice, and Sobótki or Kupala was one of the four major fire festivals in Polish tradition. This was a most holy time, combining the two sacred elements, fire and water. Kupala comes from the root word "kupati" which means to bathe. Pagans gathered the "dew of Kupala", that is, the dew that fell on solstice eve, and annointed with it. The holy fires lit on the eve of Kupala were purifying; circles were formed around them, and the celebrants jumped over them in order to be cleansed. Cattle were also rounded up and driven across the flames. Small straw poppets represented Her, dressed in a gown and adorned with necklaces and ribbons. These poppets were burned or drowned at sunset. Important to the celebration were flowers, trees, and herbs. Celebrants set to wreaths woven of nine different herbs to the waters this day, and bathed in the sacred water. Poles and other Slavs had the ceremonies reflected in other cultures at Beltaine/May Day. Groups of women would go out into the woods and select a birch tree (it was considered sacrilegious for men to touch the tree to be used). The tree was honored and felled, and then stripped of all but the uppermost branches, which were woven to form a crown. The tree was then returned to the village, where it was set upright in the circle and adorned with ribbons. It was felt that herbs cut on this night had extraordinary magickal or healing powers. At dawn on Kupala purple loosestrife, sacred to the Goddess, was gathered. (author's note - please do not use purple loosestrife in your workings if you live in North America - it has become a hazard here, choking out indigenous wetlands plants and providing no nourishment for the local fauna)This herb had the power to repel demons in its roots. During the daytime, saxifrage was gathered for its power to break things, even the most dense of metals. But the most sacred flower to the Goddess and the one most elusive was the fern. Legends say that there is only one evening all year long that the fern opens its "fire-flowers", sacred flower of the Goddess, and that is on the eve of Kupala. Anyone finding this flower gains the magick to read minds, to find treasure, and to repel all evils. To gather it, the seeker had to go to the forest before midnight. The flower would climb up the stalk of the fern, and then at midnight, would burst into ripeness, exploding with a burst of light so bright that none could look at it. A circle must be drawn around the fern in order to gather it. Demons would try to trick the seeker into wavering from his pursuit. The brave soul who sought the fern must not waver, nor answer the voices who spoke to him during his task, or all would be lost, and he would sacrifice his life. Trees were believed this night to walk, pulling up their roots and speaking among themselves in a tongue only the possessor of the sacred fire-flower could understand.Of course, ferns don't flower .... or do they?

Queen of the Baltic Sea, the Sea Goddess. Folk tales tell us that Jurata fell in love with a human fisherman, much to the jealous ire of Piórun, the God of Thunder. He caused a great lightning storm, which chained the fisherman to the bottom of the sea and caused Jurata's amber palace to shatter. It is said that to this day, any time there is a lightning storm on the Baltic, you can hear the fisherman's cries, and small pieces of Jurata's amber palace wash up on the shore.

February 2nd, this is the time of purification and protection. Candle-making is the prime focus of this holiday; the sacred beeswax is used to make candles that will not only light the home through the balance of the dark days preceding spring, but which will protect the home from the ravages of the thunder and lightning that accompany the tumultuous showers that arrive every spring. These candles are saved to bless and mark the fields as they are turned for planting. A special taper is made also at this time, and it is used should the maker pass from this world to illuminate their path to the OtherWorld. It is also believed that candles made at this time will protect against colds and illness to which the throat and lungs succumb in this coming time of wet and damp weather. It is from this practice that the Catholic Church borrowed the festival of St. Blaise, on February 3rd, at which it is traditional to bless throats.

The tradition of the day following the Spring Equinox in Poland. The boys will be found hiding in doorways, courtyards, behind trees and even dousing those who remain in bed to hide; they will be everywhere in search of girls to drench with water. The girls of course must return the favor. There are two explanations for this traditional drenching, called "oblewanki" in Polish - one is pagan and the other Christian. The pagan one is that Easter is a spring festival and that this Polish-made downpour summons the rains for the spring sowing - something that expresses the meaning of our English rhyme, "April showers bring May flowers."