The Epic Odyssey of Dr. Shi-hua Wu of China - The Miracle Worker from China

Overview

This story begins in the northern provinces of China where life was a cruel experience in survival.  Dr. Wu was born in a tiny farming area outside the town of Jingyuan in the province of Gansu.  It is where his story begins and then we follow him to the bustling cities of Xi'an, then Beijing where millions of people live.

It was the 1950's as he pursued his medical education in the capital of Communism in the midst of heightened Cold War tensions.  Suddenly his journey leaps across the ocean and lands in the metropolis of Chicago in the heartland of America before finally winding up in the capital of the nation, Washington, D.C.

It is a long, hard journey of nearly 80 years yet to this day Dr. Wu can still be found walking over three miles to the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. every morning between 7:30 and 8:30 am.  Then again, he may be walking in the far reaches of the frontier of rural China where he provides precious medical treatment to the villagers, which he does several weeks every year.

Before completing the first part of his goal of mastering TCM, he earned the reputation of being a gifted man who studied under some of the greatest Chinese TCM Masters of the 20th century.  His teachers and mentors included Masters like Professor Mi Bo Rang, Professor Chen Keji, Professor Zhou Aixiang, Professor Qian Boxuan, Professor Fang Yao-Zhong, and Professor Lu Daopei.

Li Shizhen, Father of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Soon invited to America to work with pioneering doctors and scientists in the study of cancer, he quickly establishes himself as an expert researcher in the world of high tech Western medicine.  He contributes major breakthroughs in molecular biology research and soon the student becomes the teacher and hundreds and hundreds of students in both nations will get to work with the Chinese Master Dr. Wu.

Dr. Wu and Chairman Lin Jun, All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese

After extensive education, experience at some of the best medical facilities in China and America, and research in famous laboratories, one might think it was time to rest but not Dr. Wu.  He went on to earn appointments to most major efforts in the world in the People's Republic of China, the United States, and the United Nations to bring together the greatest contributions in both Eastern and Western medicine.

This effort could result in the best and most thorough preventive health care practices and medical treatment in the world.  Dr. Wu is on many committees, associations, and organizations sharing his goal of bringing together people and improving the quality of life for everyone by combining Eastern and Western medicine.

The Early Years

Dr. Wu was born in Gansu Province in the rural area outside Jingyuan, a town of about 160,000 people in Northern China.  His birth was December 25, 1935 according to the Chinese Lunar calendar.  Today Jingyuan has grown to about 450,000 people but the surrounding area remains primarily an agricultural region with some of the harshest climate conditions in China.  All of his siblings remain involved in farming in the region.

Far removed from the bustling population centers of Eastern China, Jingyuan was a very poor area and deadly droughts were common when Dr. Wu was a young boy.  During droughts, the farmers had to walk to the Yellow River 25 miles away with their donkeys carrying large water jars to get water, a grueling trip that took one day each way.  This trip took place every week.

Eighty years ago the water of the Yellow River was far too polluted to drink but was used only for washing and cooking where it could be boiled before being consumed.  The only source of good water was from the rains.

Often the weight of the water urns when filled with water for the return trip would cause the donkeys to fall down exhausted further delaying the water.

One small bowl of water a day was available for the entire family to use to wash their face and hands.  Dr. Wu did not wash his face in order for his family to have a precious few more drops to use.

When he was born, China was going through tremendous changes. Thousands of years of powerful dynasties ended in 1912 resulting in the formation of China's first Republic in history.  However, the first Republic was more interested in copying Western cultures than preserving their own ancient culture.  Tensions grew between Nationalists and Communists trying to take control of the Chinese Republic.

In 1937, Japan attacked China and for the next decade, China was embroiled in external wars as the internal fighting for control of China's future continued.  World War II broke out and the Republic of China was to suffer over 20 million deaths, the second highest number of World War II deaths behind the Soviet Union.

With the help of the United States China was able to avoid falling to the Japanese throughout the war because both the Chinese Nationalists and Communists fought the Japanese.  Finally, after the end of World War II in 1945, the internal conflict intensified and by 1948, the civil war broke out.  By 1949, the Communists had seized control of the nation and it became the People's Republic of China.

Dr. Wu grew up as one of six children of a poor farming family and was the eldest son with two brothers and three sisters.  His father wanted him to continue the family farming tradition.

Parents of Dr. Wu

His father, one of seven children who all grew up to be farmers, expected Dr. Wu and his siblings to follow in his footsteps.  His father's brother, Dr Wu's uncle, also insisted the eldest son and all the children must continue the family tradition and become farmers.

The First Family Member to attend School

However, his paternal grandmother had other ideas so she took charge of his upbringing intent on making him the first family member to go to school and the first to leave farming and achieve a professional career.  She intended to protect her grandson from the wishes of his father and uncle.

It was the first major turning point in his life.  Without her support and faith in him, he would have become a farmer like the previous generations of his family and like all his brothers and sisters.  His grandmother took charge of his education.

Dr. Wu meets Chinese political leaders

She had observed his early traits and recognized he loved to study very much and she sent him to Primary school at age six.  To make sure her grandson could continue his education she had him sleep at her place.  The government provided free public education to all who wanted it though few children from poor, rural areas went to school.

Dr. Wu was the top student in his class academically and demonstrated leadership throughout all seven years of Primary school.  During that time his interests changed from wanting to be a social worker, to a teacher, and then to a principal of a school.

Three generations of Wu family honor Dr. Wu in China

Wu would spend the next three years, 1953-56 in Middle school but he needed financial support because the nearest Middle school was in the provincial capital of Lanzhou, a three day walk each way from Dr Wu's village.  This would be his preparation for a professional career and the most popular career at the time was engineering.

In Middle school, the entire curriculum taught a single profession in order to waste no time in preparing students for the professional world.  Thus, there were separate schools for teachers, for engineers and for health careers.  Dr. Wu was intent on becoming an engineer and working his way into a high-level position.

High school classmates of Dr. Wu

He and four school mates who attended Middle school lived in the same area and they would make the three day walk together to be safe on the long journey.  When he first arrived at the Middle school, the government stopped admitting students to the engineering school because there were enough engineering students already in school to meet the future needs of the country.

It was the beginning of a very difficult week for Dr. Wu failing to get into engineering school and having no money for a hotel.  His only choice was to attend high school, also in Lanzhou, but it would be a three-month wait before the next term began and Dr. Wu had no money to stay.

Dr. Wu Chooses to Attend Medical School

It was during that first week he accidentally came across one of his former Primary school teachers, Li Gmanj Too, from his village who had moved to Lanzhou to teach in Middle school.  His friend was now teaching in the Health School and told him to enroll in the high school and then go to Professional Health School because there would be positions as a doctor in the countryside and in hospitals in the towns where they would need help.

Graduated from Health School in Lanzhou

The advice was a major turning point in the career of Dr. Wu.  For the first time he considered a career in Traditional Chinese Medicine thanks to the unexpected advice from his former teacher.  At the time, Dr. Wu was facing many difficulties and his accidental encounter opened the door to a new career that would change his life and stimulate his passion to help people for the rest of his life.

It was the same time Mao Zedong, founding father of the People's Republic of China, reinstated Traditional Chinese Medicine as a professional career.  The new government provided financial support to those students enrolling in TCM but few of the top high school graduates were accepted.

When Dr. Wu decided to become a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the 1950's his goal was to bring medical help to the rural provinces and regions of China by helping to restore the ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as introducing the modern Western medical knowledge and techniques that could help his people and his country.

Dr. Wu doing Chinese six point pulse reading

To achieve this required a commitment to decades of work in order to master the various elements of TCM including herbal medicine, acupuncture, exercise and dietary therapy, all of which he combines in his practice.  It also required years of study in Western medicine in order to combine the two disciplines.

Dr. Wu agreed to pursue the medical field knowing the competition in China would be tremendous.  So once again, he made the long walk back home and three months later repeated his walk back to Lanzhou for high school.  Just like Middle school, the government paid for everything.

He was one of 280 students in his class and at the end of the three years of high school only 27 of the 280 qualified to take the test for admission to medical school, which recruited only the top students from a number of surrounding provinces.  Just 17 of the 27 achieved the test score necessary for admission into medical school.  Dr. Wu was at the top of the list.

Professional Medical Education

In 1956 Dr Wu entered a four year medical program and by the end of the 2nd year was number 1 in his class of 100 students and was told he could skip the last two years because of his excellent academic record, but Wu wanted to absorb all of the education possible so he completed all 4 years.

But that was just the beginning of his work because by now he dedicated his life to bringing together the medical knowledge of Eastern medicine ( TCM) with the high technology of Western medicine and use both in concert to provide the patient with the best medical practices the world has to offer.

With first Chinese American, Gary Locke, to be elected Governor of Washington 

This was quite ambitious for a young man from Jingyuan, a very poor area in Gansu Province in rural Northern China.  As Dr. Wu pursued his lifelong goal of bringing both ancient and modern medicine to the far rural reaches of China, his journey would lead him to Xi'an, one of the four ancient capitols of China, to Beijing, and then across the ocean to Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C. in the United States.

After his initial training at Lanzhou Professional Health School from 1953-1956 he then attended a five-year C.M.D. program, combining Western medicine and TCM studies, at Xi'an Medical University from 1956-1961.

Upon graduation he was selected to undertake further TCM training at the University from 1961-1966 as an apprentice to Professor Mi Bo Rang, one of China's foremost senior TCM Master Physicians.

When Professor Mi transferred to the Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Materia Medica, located in Xi'an, Dr. Wu accompanied him as a protégé and assumed directorship of the academy's Clinical Research Division for the treatment of Leukemia and Tumors with Traditional Herbal Medicine.  In this capacity, Dr. Wu studied oncological applications of TCM from 1968 to 1971.

Some of the many students receiving Dr. Wu scholarships

Later in 1971, Dr. Wu began a period of postgraduate work in Beijing.  While training at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he earned a C.M.D. degree in 1973.  He enjoyed the privilege of working directly with such renowned TCM Masters as Professor Chen Keji, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Professor Zhou Aixiang, Senior Fellow of the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Professor Qian Boxuan, a gifted TCM gynecologist; and Professor Fang Yao-Zhong, an expert on various difficult and complicated diseases.

Following that from 1973-1974 Dr. Wu pursued further postgraduate training at the Institute of Hematology affiliated with the People's Hospital of Beijing Medical University.  He focused on the use of TCM in treating leukemia and lymphoma, with direction from Professor Lu Daopei, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Professional Medical Experience

Throughout his career, Dr. Wu has maintained a continuous professional association with Xi'an Medical University.  Immediately upon graduation from its School of Medicine in 1961, he began practicing at the university's Second Teaching Hospital and teaching Western Medicine and TCM in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Medicine.

Additional Dr. Wu scholarship students

Dr. Wu holds the rank of Professor and Chief Physician in these departments.  He has also served as a clinician and instructor in the university's provincial outreach programs at Han Zhong from 1965-1967 and Wu Gong from 1974-1976.  To this day, he has continued to make annual trips to rural China to participate in the provincial outreach program providing life-saving treatment to those far removed from medical facilities and doctors.

Research Experience

Being a student, an apprentice, a protégé, and a teacher was not enough for this young Dr. Wu, from his earliest years in medical school he also had a passion for research in order to demonstrate new ways to use TCM to heal.

As a student, he worked on a promising exploration of acupuncture treatments to overcome deaf-mutism, which became his first published article in 1959.  Since then he has recorded his clinical experiences and research findings in four book-length monographs and over seventy articles and reports on a vast range of subjects.

Teachers from health school

These include many studies of leukemia and other topics in hematology, as well as a series of reports on tropical diseases based on his observations as a member of the Chinese government-sponsored medical team in southern Sudan from September 1979 to October 1981.  Most recent writings have concerned TCM treatment for such diverse problems as coronary heart disease, facial paralysis, soft tissue trauma and reproductive problems.

Dr. Wu's research ultimately brought him to the United States where he has been involved in four major studies.

Dr. Wu addresses Jinj High School students in China

From 1986 to 1990, he served as Visiting Professor of Medicine and Visiting Research Associate at the University of Chicago Medical School Cancer Center and Hematology Oncology Division, specializing in scanning electron microscopy research on hairy cell leukemia under the direction of Harvey M. Colomb, M.D., and Haim Gamliel, Ph.D.

In 1990 Dr. Wu accepted a post as Visiting Research Associate at the renowned Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York where he remained through 1991.  At Sloan-Kettering, with oversight from Zvi Fuks, M.D. and Adriana Haimovitz - Friedman, Ph.D., Dr. Wu investigated the mechanism by which fibroblast growth factor aided in the repair of radiation damage in endothelial cells.

More Dr. Wu scholarship studens

From 1991 to 1992, Dr. Wu served as Visiting Research Associate at Howard University Hospital, where he worked in the Washington, D.C. area with Pauline Ting, M.D., Ph.D. on inquiries in molecular biology focusing on opiate receptor subtypes, peptide assays, and neurohistopathology - immunohistochemistry.

From 1992 to 1994, Dr. Wu was Principal Investigator in the characterization and immunostudy of a new hairy cell leukemia cell line, conducted at C.P. Li Biomedical Research Corporation of Arlington, Virginia in collaboration with George Mason University under a grant from the National Cancer Institute.

When Dr. Wu first arrived in Washington, D.C., he opened a clinic in the basement of his home, a modest townhouse on Sixth Street near P Street in Chinatown.  Soon after he realized he needed a more desirable location and moved to the heart of Chinatown at his present location near the National Gallery, Verizon Center, and Chinatown Metro station.

Dr. Wu and wife prepare herbal tea

For the past twenty years, Dr. Wu has continued his work as a TCM physician and instructor at his clinic in Chinatown in Washington, D.C. and at clinics in the metropolitan area.  In his private practice, he serves a varied caseload and clientele of top government, military, corporate, and non-profit people in the pressure-laden environment of the nation's capital.

Many medical professionals refer cases to Dr. Wu because of his extraordinary success and his ability to combine techniques from the Eastern and Western medical fields.

He continues in directing an apprenticeship program for advanced TCM students, which is equivalent to the TCM Doctorate program in China.  He also belongs to a multitude of local, state, national, and international organizations dedicated to bringing Eastern and Western medicine together to help all people.

Memberships and Honors

Dr. Wu is a member of many medical societies in the United States and China.  In America his memberships include the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research and American Acupuncture Association and its Academic Research Committee.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing with Dr. Wu

In China, he is a member of the Chinese Medical Association, Society of Hematology, Society of Oncology, Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Society of Integration of Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Wu and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi

Throughout his career, Dr. Wu has received many honors, prizes, awards, and distinctions granted by Xi'an Medical University, the Shaanxi Provincial Government, and the Chinese Ministry of Public Health.

Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi and China President Xí Jìnpíng 

He has been Honorary President of the Society of Sun Si-Miao, a prestigious organization dedicated to the legacy of the great Tang dynasty herbologist.  Dr. Wu is a member of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese.

Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi and USA President Barack Obama

Dr. Wu became Honorary Professor at the Hematology Institute of Lanzhou Professional School.

The next year, 1996, Dr. Wu was one of the "Hundred Stars of Folk Medicine" at the Third Conference of World Traditional Medicine.

Dr. Wu with 100 year old Korean at XI World TCM Conference

In 1997, Xi'an Medical University established a scholarship in Dr. Wu's name and conferred on him the title of Special Consultant to the Institute of Integration of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Wu at TCM Conference St. Petersburg

President Bill Clinton honored Dr. Wu during an Asian-American Month ceremony in Washington, D.C. in 1996 and by the President of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Zemin, during his White House visit in 1997.

                     

Humble Humanitarian

Dr. Wu tends to ignore all the adulation and praise people have for him though the full impact of his influence on American medical care is obvious by his ever-increasing popularity.  His name is a household word in the TCM international community and in the nation's capitol as someone who combines the best of TCM and Western medicine to get results, even in the most hopeless and desperate of situations.

Patients include top ranking federal officials, Navy Seals, cabinet members, doctors, sports figures, and people from all occupations.  Yet there is a very humanitarian side to Dr. Wu as well.  Often he provides medical care regardless of whether the patient can pay.  During Chinese Culture festivals, he provides free herbal consultations for all who are interested or need help.  Every year Dr. Wu returns to China and travels to the Provinces to provide free TCM treatment to the villagers.

Media Attention

Dr. Wu has been the subject of feature stories in numerous newspapers and magazines including The Washington Post, USA Today and the Washingtonian Magazine. The Georgetowner Newspaper, a business journal from an exclusive area of Washington, D.C., endorsed him in their list of top businesses and professionals.  Numerous Chinese language papers have also written many features about Dr. Wu.

Dr. Wu in Red Square Moscow

Dr. Wu is also a frequent guest on radio and television shows about Traditional Chinese Medicine and alternative health treatment.  As noted before he serves on local, state, national and international organizations dedicated to bringing together Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine.

St. Petersburg, Russia 2014

Dr. Wu's Legacy

So now, the man from rural China has worked with the Masters of TCM, with world-renowned researchers in molecular biology and with the greatest medical minds in America working to solve leukemia and hematology issues.  In addition, yes, the young man from Gansu Province has even walked with Ambassadors and Presidents of the People's Republic of China and the United States of America.

With Chinese President Jiang Zemin at Chinese Embassy

Stature comes from the contributions one makes for the good of all humankind.  Such is the case with Dr. Wu, a diminutive 79-80 year old Chinese national who has spent nearly 60 years building many bridges that have and will benefit humankind in many ways long into the future.

He has worked a lifetime to bring ancient Eastern and modern Western medicine together so people could benefit from the accomplishments in the medical world for the last 5,000 years.

XI World Congress of Chinese Traditional Medicine, St. Petersburg, 2014

Well into his 6th decade of devoted service to the people of China and 3 decades serving the people of the United States, Dr. Wu has achieved an outstanding reputation for excellence in medical care.  With insight and determination, he has built on the work of many distinguished Masters who were his mentors and the result is his comprehensively informed and uniquely effective treatment style and often-astonishing results.

Leukemia patient healed by Dr. Wu

His files are filled with testimonials, notes and reports from patients who were told modern medicine could do nothing more to help them.  Many times the prognosis was terminal.  However, failure is not acceptable to Dr. Wu and at times, the patient and even their doctor acknowledged his treatment saved their life, significantly improved their quality of life, or gave them the ability to create life, when told they could never conceive.

On occasion, such letters even reference his treatment as "miraculous."  Perhaps Maurice Aonzo Allen, M.D. said it best when he wrote an essay about Dr. Wu.  He described him as "A Modern American Hero."  In his essay, he described how the Washington, D.C. area has the greatest concentration of healthcare delivery, education, administration, and research in the history of the world.

Couple with child thanks to Dr. Wu

People come from all over the world for his treatment of cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, and chronic diseases relating to aging.  When Dr. Wu came to Washington, D.C., treatment of these diseases was generally manageable, but still incurable.  Such was the state of the art of American medical practice existing when Dr. Shi Hua Wu set up practice in his basement in Chinatown.

Herbal medicine was generally unknown in America, and generally scorned if anyone did know about it.  However, Dr. Allen said, patients started finding Dr. Wu when seeking relief from health conditions that failed to respond to conventional medical therapies.  In most instances, Dr. Wu's Traditional Chinese treatment using herbs and acupuncture was successful.

Baby born to childless couple thanks to Dr. Wu

Soon patients came from hundreds and thousands of miles away for treatment by a Chinese doctor, who refused to give up on finding ways to help people, long after modern medicine had given up.  In the spring of 1995 Dr. Wu was one of very few qualified Traditional Chinese Health (TCM) practitioners between New York and Chicago.

In 1995, Dr. Allen began referring patients to Dr. Wu and soon realized Dr. Wu was having dramatic success treating people awaiting heart transplants that delayed the need for a transplant for years.  Within a short time, several hundred people in the region had overcome life-threatening illnesses under the skilled care of Dr. Wu.

Dr. Wu welcomed home to address Pen Ying City High School

Dr. Allen himself contracted renal cell carcinoma of the right kidney and other health complications resulted in a very poor prognosis until Dr. Wu began treating him with herbs and acupuncture.  After the initial surgery, conditions had improved so much thanks to Dr. Wu that the doctors eliminated follow up chemotherapy or radiation and follow up exams have showed no evidence of cancer or complications since.  This story is one of hundreds in the files of Dr. Wu.     

Today Dr. Wu continues his life's mission toward demonstrating that Eastern and Western medicine can work together to help people in ways we cannot imagine.  National leaders in the health care industry have stated that Dr. Wu stands alone as a trusted practitioner, respected teacher, and valued researcher, a true Master, as he occupies a pivotal place within the evolving world of TCM.

Dr. Wu at Qiao Ling Lei 70th birthday party 2012

Contacting Dr. Wu:

            Dr. Shi-hua Wu, CMD,  OMD

            Professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine

            US Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbologist (DC, MD, NY)

            Clinical Consultant in Acupuncture and Herbology

            807 6th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

            Phone 202-789-5466
            Fax 202-789-2094

            Text:  dr.shihuawu@hotmail.com

A Snapshot of China and America during Dr. Wu's career

What were the differences Dr. Wu faced between his home country of China and adopted country of the United States, the top two world superpowers as we enter the 21st Century?  What difficulty did a young man from the Chinese desert region face in wanting to build bridges between these two cultures?  What demographic and cultural characteristics did they possess?

Dr. and Mrs. Wu with children and grandchildren

Humans populated China over 1 million years ago.  Tools were discovered in China dating back 1.36 million years, man made fire dating back 1.2 million years.  The oldest fossil specimens of man are the Peking Man dating 750,000 years ago.  The Neolithic Age started 10,000 years ago and agriculture began 7,500 years ago.

Compare that to the United States.  America had no humans according to science until sometime between 40,000 and 17,000 years ago when people crossed the Bering Straight from Asia.  It was not until settlers from Europe overran the indigenous peoples in the 1500's in South America and 1600 in North America that organized civilization in terms of the formation of countries began to evolve.

Dr. and Mrs. Wu and grandchildren

Therefore, the most economically powerful nation in the world, the United States, is about 400 years old and the second most economically powerful nation that is rapidly gaining on the USA, China, is over 5,000 years old.  North America has had human inhabitants about 40,000 years while China has had human inhabitants over 1 million years.

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Author's note:  Several years ago, my organs were failing and I was near death from a combination of propane poisoning and Lyme disease when friends from the Navy Seals suggested I see Dr. Wu in Chinatown (Washington, D.C.) before I saw any other professionals.  His natural and ancient treatment with acupuncture and herbs most certainly saved my life, restored my health, and allowed me to regenerate damaged nerves.

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Summer solstice 2017: Crowds gather at Stonehenge on the longest (and hottest) day of the year

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By Telegraph Reporters 

21 JUNE 2017 • 11:59PM

The longest day of the year is here. Today is the summer solstice when the UK gets to enjoy 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight.

The sun rose at 4:43am today and sets at 9:31pm - plenty of time for an early morning run or a late evening barbecue.

What is the summer solstice exactly?

There are two solstices each year - one in the winter and one in the summer. The summer solstice occurs when the when the tilt of Earth's axis is most inclined towards the sun and is directly above the Tropic of Cancer.

It might seem like a day to celebrate, but it actually signals the moment the sun's path stops moving northward in the sky, and the start of days becoming steadily shorter as the slow march towards winter begins.

However, we won't notice the days becoming shorter for a while. The shortest day of the year isn't until Thursday, December 21, known as the winter solstice.

In the southern hemisphere the dates of the two solstices are reversed. The winter solstice occurs on the same day in June and the summer solstice the same day in December.

Summer solstice at Stonehenge, with the sun rising in the distance. CREDIT: PAUL GROVER FOR THE TELEGRAPH

What happens during the winter solstice?

At the winter solstice, the Earth's axis is tilted furthest away from the sun directly over the Tropic of Capricorn bringing only a few hours of daylight.

December 21 will be eight hours and 49 minutes shorter than the June solstice when the sun will set at 16:27 in London.

What does 'solstice' actually mean?

The term 'solstice' derives from the Latin word 'solstitium', meaning 'sun standing still'. Some prefer the more teutonic term 'sunturn' to describe the event.

Astrologers say the sun seems to 'stand still' at the point on the horizon where it appears to rise and set, before moving off in the reverse direction.

Why did people celebrate the summer solstice?

Pagans have always believed the summer solstice - also known as midsummer as it was the midpoint of the growing season - holds a special power.

Midsummer's eve was believed to be a time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest and when fairies were thought to be at their most powerful.

The day has inspired festivals and midsummer celebrations involving bonfires, picnics, singing and Maypole dancing over the centuries. Many towns and villages across Britain still celebrate the day. 

One ritual that's now died out was the lighting of fires with the idea that the flames would keep the dark days from approaching.

Thousands of garland-wearing hippies, druids and tourists will stay up all night to watch the sunrise at Stonehenge this year. CREDIT: PAUL GROVER FOR THE TELEGRAPH

Why is Stonehenge so significant?

Thousands of garland-wearing hippies, druids and curious tourists descend on Stonehenge in Avebury, Wiltshire every year to watch the sunrise.

The ancient prehistoric structure has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of summer solstice for thousands of years and is seen by many as a sacred site.

The Pagan monument is famously aligned to the solstices. The rising sun only reaches the middle of the stones one day of the year when it shines on the central altar. 

Despite it's obvious connections to the sun, the exact purpose of the mysterious circle still remains unknown.

Built in three phases between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C, the huge stones were brought from very long distances - the bluestones from the Preseli Hills more than 150 miles away, and the sarsens probably from the Marlborough Downs, 19 miles to the north.

Where can I celebrate the summer solstice?

Sunrise gatherings will take place at many stone circles across Britain this week. 

Stonehenge is of course the main place to celebrate the solstice. English Heritage, which runs the site, is closing the monument to normal admission today.

It will be slightly quieter at the National Trust's Avebury stone circle, Britain's second greatest prehistoric site, about 20 miles from Stonehenge, and also at the Castlerigg Stone Circle in Cumbria.

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June 21 - is Summer Solstice - An Ancient Celebration of Life!

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Summer Solstice: Legends and Lore about this Magical Day

By Mackenzie Wright

Summer Solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year. It's the point at which the days have been consistently growing longer for half a year, and will now begin growing shorter again for the rest of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurs on or about June 21st; in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs in December.

Putnam at Stonehenge

There are a lot of legends and lore about this day from history that can make for fun stories if you find yourself at a Midsummer bonfire or beach party.

Midsummer Night's Dream

If you're familiar with the Shakespeare play, you know that the bard wrote about the mischievous fairies coming out to play their tricks on human beings on this night. There is a reason that Shakespeare used this date for this story. In fairy legends and folklore, this is supposed to be a night in which the 'veil' between our world and the world of fairy and nature spirits are thin.

There are a lot of legends and lore about this day from history that can make for fun stories if you find yourself at a Midsummer bonfire or beach party.

It's said that if you hope to catch a glimpse of a fairy, this is the best night. You would first have to find a fairy circle-- a circle of stones in which fairies gather. Or, you'd need to create a place that would attract fairies. Ideally, this should be a natural area of your yard.

Leaving out offerings such as shiny things to play with (crystals, glittery balls) as well as food offerings like honey, milk and fruit will also be inviting to these spirits. One thing you should know, though-- fairies are thought to be very tricky, and have even been known to kidnap humans.

Also be wary of other little people, or ‘hidden folk’ on this night; along with fairies, you might run into trolls or evil nature spirits in the midst of this night. I can’t vouch for any of this, but if you do decide to wait up for them, you’ve been warned! Stay safe!

Stonehenge

The ancient Celts were said to celebrate the solstices at the standing stones sites, like Stonehenge. Modern Druids and Celtic reconstructionists continue the tradition of holding ceremonies here to greet the rising sun over the heel stone. It's said by those who've had the opportunity to sit in the circle of stones for meditation or quiet time that energy is quite strong and spiritual experiences are very common.

Magical Herbs

The Summer Solstices has long been associated with magic. In ancient times people would harvest wild herbs, plants and flowers at sunrise. This time was seen as capturing the magic of the various plants. People collected fern seeds because they thought it made them invisible. The made wreaths and garland of herbs to hang on the home and front door in order to ward off evil. St. John’s Wort was seen as a particularly magical herb on this day; it was collected to make a cleansing and purification bath, or was dried and carried to repel evil and negativity for the rest of the year.

Even the dew was seen as magical on the Summer Solstice. It was a common practice in Northern Europe for people to collect the morning dew and wash with it in order to assure a good, healthy year for yourself.

If you really want to take advantage of that dew, you can roll around in it naked. Though it may bring you good physical health, watch out for your neighbors. If they catch you, they’ll surely question your mental health.

  

The Sun festivals of ancient Ireland are still known by their old Irish names, Imbolg, Beltine, Lughnasa and Samhain. These Sun festivals are many thousands of years old; they have survived an imperial invasion and occupation for 800 years and the attempted erasure of indigenous consciousness by the catholic church for almost 1500 years. These Sun festivals are the gateway for today's Celtic Men and Women to celebrate with the Celtic Gods – Brigid at Imbolg, Bile at Beltine, Lugh at Lughnasa and Tlachtga at Samhain.

But the advice for anyone seeking connection to the Celtic Gods is to avoid the current catholic calendar of the so-called civilised world to time your ceremony. Pagans and Druids on a Celtic Path use Natural Time as their ancestors did – this means working with the alignments of the oldest temples to the four bright stars in the belt of the Zodiac. The Solstices and Equinoxes do not line up with particular Stars, they are turning points of the day / night balance such as when the Sun’s energy enters the ancient temple at Brú na Boinne (Newgrange) energising the God Dagda after the longest night of the year. The history and correct timing methods are shared below for those who wish to walk a Celtic Path.

Celtic Druid’s Summer Sun Standing 
Solstice is from the Latin and is made up from two words given roughly as: sol = sun and stice = stopped. Celtic Druí do not believe that the Sun stops so we use the old Irish word “Tairisem” which means standing still. In summer this Sun Standing happens in the month of June around the 20th, 21st or 22nd when we honour Éatain Eachraidhe, the White Mare Goddess. This is the highest point of the solar year when the Sun reaches it maximum height in the Sky. The Sun is at its highest at noon and shadows are at their shortest. There are almost 20 hours of daylight and only four hours of darkness if you are in Ireland at this time.

This is not a specifically Gaelic holiday and many Pagan cultures celebrate this time with many festivals known by a range of names - Denmark, Sankt Hans Aften. Wiccan sabbat Litha. Slavonia, St. John's Night. Alban Heruin. Gaul (old France), Feast of Epona, (white mare goddess). Roman Empire, Vestalia. Catholic countries: feast of St. John the Baptist – this was an attempt to shift the natives away for the true date by setting the 24th of June as bone fire night. Hopi Indians and Native Americans celebrate the summer solstice but I don’t know their names for this day. 

Putnam at Hopi Prophecy Stone

Etain, White Mare Celtic Goddess, Crom agus Corra
In Ireland, many people of all ages and religions do some sort of celebration for this day. The resurgence of the old Pagan ways and the need to believe in something truly spiritual for this day has many people visit the ancient sacred sites. We at Ireland’s Druidschool often hold a presence on Tara and we have multiple ceremonies. Our sunrise ceremony is very simple - we just stand or sit in silence facing the horizon where the sun will actually rise. We watch the clouds, the colours and the rising of the false sun and then the actual sun, and then the actual sun merge into the false sun. Magically - this is spirit rising within.

This longest day is sacred to the White Mare Goddess, who was known in Wales as Rhiannon, in France as Epona and here in Ireland She is called Éatain Eachraidhe (sometimes also spelt Edaín). In the recent destruction of the sacred valley in the Royal City of Tara the remains of a high status female (with horse and giant dog found nearby) was kept totally under media wraps. The high status female is wrapped in black plastic and stored in a warehouse in Drogheda. But Her spirit has returned to native consciousness and once again Éatain, the White Mare Goddess, is honoured with ceremony on Tara on the longest day of the year. 

We also watch the Sun rise from Tallaght Hill as the sun aligns with Lambay Volcano, the Pond called Linn Oir and then to the Cairn on the Hill of the Fair Gods. Much is written about this alignment in this website - words cannot describe the thrill of being at a complex of sacred sites that were laid out to work with the energies on this specific day.

We also hold Pilgrimage to Croagh Crom, Ireland's Holy Mountain (aka the Reek). Just south of the holy mountain is a triangular lake called Loughnacorra – this should read – Lough na Corra which translates as the Lake of the Crane Birds. At midday the Sun is reflected from the surface of Lough na Corra onto Croagh Crom and a powerful connection is made. This is the harmony of balance between God and Goddess expressed in the landscape.

Litha Legends and Lore

Myths and Mysteries of the Midsummer Solstice

Litha, or Midsummer, is a celebration that has been observed for centuries, in one form or another. It is no surprise, then, that there are plenty of myths and legends associated with this time of year!

In England, rural villagers built a big bonfire on Midsummer's Eve. This was called "setting the watch," and it was known that the fire would keep evil spirits out of the town. Some farmers would light a fire on their land, and people would wander about, holding torches and lanterns, from one bonfire to another. If you jumped over a bonfire -- presumably without lighting your pants on fire -- you were guaranteed to have good luck for the coming year.

After your Litha fire has burned out and the ashes gone cold, use them to make a protective amulet. You can do this by carrying them in a small pouch, or kneading them into some soft clay and forming a talisman. In some traditions of Wicca, it is believed that the Midsummer ashes will protect you from misfortune. You can also sow the ashes from your bonfire into your garden, and your crops will be bountiful for the rest of the summer growing season.

It is believed in parts of England that if you stay up all night on Midsummer's Eve, sitting in the middle of a stone circle, you will see the Fae. But be careful - carry a bit of rue in your pocket to keep them from harassing you, or turn your jacket inside out to confuse them. If you have to escape the Fae, follow a ley line, and it will lead you to safety.

Residents of some areas of Ireland say that if you have something you wish to happen, you "give it to the pebble." Carry a stone in your hand as you circle the Litha bonfire, and whisper your request to the stone -- "heal my mother" or "help me be more courageous", for example. After your third turn around the fire, toss the stone into the flames.

Astrologically, the sun is entering Cancer, which is a water sign. Midsummer is not only a time of fire magic, but of water as well. Now is a good time to work magic involving sacred streams and holy wells. If you visit one, be sure to go just before sunrise on Litha, and approach the water from the east, with the rising sun. Circle the well or spring three times, walking deosil, and then make an offering of silver coins or pins.

Sunwheels were used to celebrate Midsummer in some early Pagan cultures. A wheel -- or sometimes a really big ball of straw -- was lit on fire and rolled down a hill into a river. The burned remnants were taken to the local temple and put on display. In Wales, it was believed that if the fire went out before the wheel hit the water, a good crop was guaranteed for the season.

In Egypt, the Midsummer season was associated with the flooding of the Nile River delta. In South America, paper boats are filled with flowers, and then set on fire. They are then sailed down the river, carrying prayers to the gods. In some traditions of modern Paganism, you can get rid of problems by writing them on a piece of paper and dropping them into a moving body of water on Litha.

William Shakespeare associated Midsummer with witchcraft in at least three of his plays. A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, and The Tempest all contain references to magic on the night of the summer solstice.

SCOTTISH CUSTOMS AND HOLIDAYS

A Midsummer Celebration

Summer Solstice - Litha

"The young maid stole through the cottage door,
And blushed as she sought the Plant of pow'r;--
Thou silver glow-worm, O lend me thy light,
I must gather the mystic St. John's wort tonight,
The wonderful herb, whose leaf will decide
If the coming year shall make me a bride."

In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four 'quarter-days' of the year, and modern Witches call them the four 'Lesser Sabbats', or the four 'Low Holidays'. The Summer Solstice is one of them.

Technically, a solstice is an astronomical point and, due to the procession to the equinox, the date may vary by a few days depending on the year. The summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer, and we experience the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Astrologers know this as the date on which the sun enters the sign of Cancer.

However, since most European peasants were not accomplished at reading an ephemeris or did not live close enough to Salisbury Plain to trot over to Stonehenge and sight down its main avenue, they celebrated the event on a fixed calendar date, June 24th. The slight forward displacement of the traditional date is the result of multitudinous calendrical changes down through the ages. It is analogous to the winter solstice celebration, which is astronomically on or about December 21st, but is celebrated on the traditional date of December 25th, Yule, later adopted by the Christians.

Again, it must be remembered that the Celts reckoned their days from sundown to sundown, so the June 24th festivities actually begin on the previous sundown (our June 23rd). This was Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Eve. Which brings up another point: our modern calendars are quite misguided in suggesting that 'summer begins' on the solstice. According to the old folk calendar, summer BEGINS on May Day and ends on Lammas (August 1st), with the summer solstice, midway between the two, marking MID-summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that summer begins on the day when the sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter.

Although our Pagan ancestors probably preferred June 24th (and indeed most European folk festivals today use this date), the sensibility of modern Witches seems to prefer the actual solstice point, beginning the celebration on its eve, or the sunset immediately preceding the solstice point. Again, it gives modern Pagans a range of dates to choose from with, hopefully, a weekend embedded in it.

Just as the Pagan mid-winter celebration of Yule was adopted by Christians as Christmas (December 25th), so too the Pagan mid-summer celebration was adopted by them as the feast of John the Baptist (June 24th). Occurring 180 degrees apart on the wheel of the year, the mid-winter celebration commemorates the birth of Jesus, while the mid-summer celebration commemorates the birth of John, the prophet who was born six months before Jesus in order to announce his arrival.

Although modern Witches often refer to the holiday by the rather generic name of Midsummer's Eve, it is more probable that our Pagan ancestors of a few hundred years ago actually used the Christian name for the holiday, St. John's Eve. This is evident from the wealth of folklore that surrounds the summer solstice (i.e. that it is a night especially sacred to the faerie folk) but which is inevitably ascribed to 'St. John's Eve', with no mention of the sun's position. It could also be argued that a Coven's claim to antiquity might be judged by what name it gives the holidays. (Incidentally, the name 'Litha' for the holiday is a modern usage, possibly based on a Saxon word that means the opposite of Yule. Still, there is little historical justification for its use in this context.) But weren't our Pagan ancestors offended by the use of the name of a Christian saint for a pre-Christian holiday?

Well, to begin with, their theological sensibilities may not have been as finely honed as our own. But secondly and more importantly, St. John himself was often seen as a rather Pagan figure. He was, after all, called 'the Oak King'. His connection to the wilderness (from whence 'the voice cried out') was often emphasized by the rustic nature of his shrines. Many statues show him as a horned figure (as is also the case with Moses). Christian iconographers mumble embarrassed explanations about 'horns of light', while modern Pagans giggle and happily refer to such statues as 'Pan the Baptist'. And to clench matters, many depictions of John actually show him with the lower torso of a satyr, cloven hooves and all! Obviously, this kind of John the Baptist is more properly a Jack in the Green! Also obvious is that behind the medieval conception of St. John lies a distant, shadowy Pagan deity, perhaps the archetypal Wild Man of the Wood, whose face stares down at us through the foliate masks that adorn so much church architecture. Thus medieval Pagans may have had fewer problems adapting than we might suppose.

In England, it was the ancient custom on St. John's Eve to light large bonfires after sundown, which served the double purpose of providing light to the revelers and warding off evil spirits. This was known as 'setting the watch'. People often jumped through the fires for good luck. In addition to these fires, the streets were lined with lanterns, and people carried cressets (pivoted lanterns atop poles) as they wandered from one bonfire to another. These wandering, garland-bedecked bands were called a 'marching watch'. Often they were attended by morris dancers, and traditional players dressed as a unicorn, a dragon, and six hobby-horse riders. Just as May Day was a time to renew the boundary on one's own property, so Midsummer's Eve was a time to ward the boundary of the city.

Customs surrounding St. John's Eve are many and varied. At the very least, most young folk plan to stay up throughout the whole of this shortest night. Certain courageous souls might spend the night keeping watch in the center of a circle of standing stones. To do so would certainly result in either death, madness, or (hopefully) the power of inspiration to become a great poet or bard. (This is, by the way, identical to certain incidents in the first branch of the 'Mabinogion'.) This was also the night when the serpents of the island would roll themselves into a hissing, writhing ball in order to engender the 'glain', also called the 'serpent's egg', 'snake stone', or 'Druid's egg'. Anyone in possession of this hard glass bubble would wield incredible magical powers. Even Merlyn himself (accompanied by his black dog) went in search of it, according to one ancient Welsh story.

Snakes were not the only creatures active on Midsummer's Eve. According to British faery lore, this night was second only to Halloween for its importance to the wee folk, who especially enjoyed a ridling on such a fine summer's night. In order to see them, you had only to gather fern seed at the stroke of midnight and rub it onto your eyelids. But be sure to carry a little bit of rue in your pocket, or you might well be 'pixie-led'. Or, failing the rue, you might simply turn your jacket inside-out, which should keep you from harm's way. But if even this fails, you must seek out one of the 'ley lines', the old straight tracks, and stay upon it to your destination. This will keep you safe from any malevolent power, as will crossing a stream of 'living' (running) water. Other customs included decking the house (especially over the front door) with birch, fennel, St. John's wort, orpin, and white lilies. Five plants were thought to have special magical properties on this night: rue, roses, St. John's wort, vervain and trefoil. Indeed, Midsummer's Eve in Spain is called the 'Night of the Verbena (Vervain)'. St. John's wort was especially honored by young maidens who picked it in the hopes of divining a future lover.

"And the glow-worm came With its silvery flame, And sparkled and shone Through the night of St. John, And soon has the young maid her love-knot tied."

There are also many mythical associations with the summer solstice, not the least of which concerns the seasonal life of the God of the sun. Inasmuch as I believe that I have recently discovered certain associations and correspondences not hitherto realized, I have elected to treat this subject in some depth in another essay. Suffice it to say here, that I disagree with the generally accepted idea that the Sun-God meets his death at the summer solstice. I believe there is good reason to see the Sun-God at his zenith -- his peak of power -- on this day, and that his death at the hands of his rival would not occur for another quarter of a year. Material drawn from the Welsh mythos seems to support this thesis. In Irish mythology, Midsummer is the occasion of the first battle between the Fir Bolgs and the Tuatha De Danaan.

Altogether, Midsummer is a favorite holiday for many Witches in that it is so hospitable to outdoor celebrations. The warm summer night seems to invite it. And if the celebrants are not in fact skyclad, then you may be fairly certain that the long ritual robes of winter have yielded place to short, tunic-style apparel. As with the longer gowns, tradition dictates that one should wear nothing underneath -- the next best thing to skyclad, to be sure. (Incidentally, now you know the REAL answer to the old Scottish joke, 'What is worn underneath the kilt?')

The two chief icons of the holiday are the spear (symbol of the Sun-God in his glory) and the summer cauldron (symbol of the Goddess in her bounty). The precise meaning of these two symbols, which I believe I have recently discovered, will be explored in the essay on the death of Llew. But it is interesting to note here that modern Witches often use these same symbols in the Midsummer rituals. And one occasionally hears the alternative consecration formula, 'As the spear is to the male, so the cauldron is to the female...' With these mythic associations, it is no wonder that Midsummer is such a joyous and magical occasion!
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