Summer Solstice Magic

Sun-Kissed Spirits The Soul’s Steed: Horses in Thracian ...

Summer Solstice Magic

It’s June. My favorite month.

In the northern hemisphere. it’s time to celebrate the Summer Solstice. The air is filled with enchantment.

The days are long, warm, and perfumed with the scent of lavender. Jasmine and roses in my garden are overflowing with blossoms, and fireflies light up the night.

In Bulgaria and other Slavic countries, June 24, called Eniovden, is a sacred day that marks the celebration of St. John and the arrival of summer.

According to folk tradition, herbs gathered on this day are at the height of their power: healing, enchanting, and even dangerous. On Eniovden, 77½ magical herbs are woven into a giant wreath. Girls pass through it as a rite of passage into adulthood—and to protect themselves from samodivi (woodland fairies) and repel zmeys (dragons). The latter are known to abduct young girls as brides, so the wreath becomes their shield.

Samodivi: Guardians of Nature

As you know if you’ve read anything I’ve written, I’m fascinated by samodivi. They protect nature and possess ancient knowledge of herbs. If one of the fairies favors you, you’ll become her soul-sister and a powerful healer.

In In my urban fantasy fiction series, The Cursed Ring, Kalyna is a samodiva, and her soul sister is an old woman named Sultana. But Kalyna is so much more. She protects nature from the evil fairies called Yudi. Kalyna has a magical bracelet that becomes a snake whip to help her defeat the evil Yudi.

Zmey: A Different Kind of Dragon

The Bulgarian zmey is unlike other dragons of this name found throughout Eastern Europe.

One of the most haunting legends from my childhood was about a zmey with glowing eyes and a burning desire for human brides. Stories tell how he lives high in the mountains or deep within forests. He’s always watching, waiting, and when he chooses a girl, no one can stop him.

In The Cursed Ring series, the zmey lives on as a man called Goran. The mysterious, seductive, and rich vintner has piercing eyes and small hidden wings. His vineyard produces blood-red wine that holds ancient spells. He loves the finer things—fast cars, beautiful women.

Don’t let his charm deceive you.

He’s dangerously powerful and demands a steep price for those how seek his favors. And… he’s on first-name basis with the legendary Dracula.

Yellow Bedstraw

Let’s return to the wreath. While each herb has a special role, the crown jewel is yellow bedstraw, which gives its name to the holiday (Enyovche).

Girls keep bouquets of it all year for healing and protection because they believe the herb protects against Samodivi, zmeys, and diseases (which were personified).

Another Eniovden ritual involves decorating a young girl with the herb and parading her around the village as Enio’s bride, commemorating a tragic love story between a girl named Stana and a boy named Enio.

Fortune-telling is also common on Eniovden. Girls tie rings to flowering herbs and place them in water. The village’s eldest woman draws each ring and reveals the girl’s fate—wealth, marriage, or other blessings.

Yellow bedstraw also protects pregnant women from Navi, demonic creatures with birdlike bodies and distorted baby faces. At seven to eight months pregnant, women step through a wreath of yellow bedstraw three times for protection.

The herb is worn in belts to prevent back pain during harvest and added to children’s baths to ward off illness like polio.

Raskovnik – The Unlocker

One of my favorite magical herbs found in the wreath is the Raskovnik (Water Clover, Marsilea quadrifolia).

It’s one of the most secret magical herbs. People believe that the herb has strong alchemic ability and can transform iron into gold. More common, however, is the belief the herb can brings the person who finds it love, happiness, luck, and wealth. I wish the list included eternal youth as well… Some say the raskovnik makes whatever its owner desires come true.

According to legend, the herb can unlock any padlock or closed gate. It has the power to make buried treasures rise from the ground: it does this by splitting the ground at the place where a treasure is hidden, so that people can locate it. But if the herb breaks, it’ll lose its magical powers.

In some regions of Balkans, the treasure itself was a giant man in chains. He’d would request that a raskovnik be brought to him. The raskovnik would break the chains and the man would disappear into the ground, replaced by a cauldron filled with gold coins.

It’s said only a turtle or a hedgehog can find it.

Chamomile & Salt Pouch

In these stressful times, let’s return to Mother Nature’s wisdom, which still speaks in every flower and leaf. The following is a simple healing ritual for peace and cleansing you can try.

Place chamomile and coarse salt into a linen pouch. Carry it with you or place it under your pillow at night. Tradition says it drives away restlessness and brings soft, peaceful dreams.

Oracle of the Slavic Soul

We previously published a book about magical herbs (77½ Magical Healing Herbs), and now we’ve taken the herbs in that book and created oracle cards, “The Oracle of the Slavic Soul.” It’s more than a deck—it’s a sacred experience. Rooted in ancient traditions and blooming with herbal magic, each of the 78 cards helps you heal, explore, and grow.

And beyond the cards?

You’ll unlock rituals, stories, and soul-deep practices to reconnect with your intuition and the natural world. If our project is successful, we plan to publish an art book celebrating these magical herbs in full color.

Support our campaign and step into the wildwood of spirit, where every leaf whispers wisdom.

Soulmate & Sacrifice Urban Fantasy

We’d also love to have your support for our Urban Fantasy campaign, launching July 8, 2025. You’ll meet Kalyna and his sister Morena. Stefan, the soulmate who doesn’t remember his past. Goran the seductive dragon. And so much more.

He’s her fated mate. She’s his curse. A dark fae romance steeped in Slavic myth and Thracian blood rites.

Wishing you a magical, healing, and joyful summer.

Author Nation Cohort Campaigns

I’m thrilled to be part of Author Nation’s new Kickstart Together cohort in partnership with Kickstarter! This program unites indie authors to support each other, share resources, and elevate our campaigns.

Back three or more cohort campaigns and get a VIP Swag Bag ($100+ value) at Reader Nation on November 7, 2025, at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas!

See all the details at https://www.readernation.live/kickstart-together 🎉