Midsummer (or Summer Solstice - I could never figure out why the FIRST day of summer is called "Mid" summer...) has always been a conundrum for me.
It's not a historic celebration based on the lore for either Norse or Gael cultures, as a general rule (there are limited exceptions). I tend to focus on the Big Ones - The Norse Jol, Winternights & Sigrblot, and the Gaelic Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, & Lunastal. But that doesn't mean we can't make an offering to gods on any other days of the year we choose.
And I generally don't like to mix my pantheons in a single ritual. It just feels very wrong.
One of those limited summer solstice exceptions is on the Isle of Man. To the present day, residents bring green rushes up to the top of the mountain, and present them as 'rent' to Manannan MacLir, Gaelic god of the Sea and the Otherworld. I really like the symbolism of landholders merely being 'renters' in the natural world, with a responsibility for the condition of the property. And so, I cut my rushes, headed up our little mountain to a huge boulder, and made my offerings. I added an apple branch (MacLir was known to have an apple branch wand that contained silver apples), a seashell, and a vial of rum (what man of the sea doesn't appreciate rum?!)
On the way back down, I couldn't stop thinking about how this was a day to honor the god of the sea...and naturally, I thought of Njord, Mac Lir's Norse counterpart.
So, once back home, we got out a whole new set of ritual tools, lighted a candle, and walked around our pond. Using gold coins, I offered them into the pond calling on Njord, Frey, and Freyja, and honoring the Vanir. I figured the pond was best, as we know Njord does NOT like the mountains :-) )
It worked. It's the first time I've honored members of different pantheons in a single day, and I liked it. I felt that it brought different aspects of my practice together, without a forced co-mingling of the pantheons. This may be my habitual practice on the summer solstice moving forward...
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