Summer Solstice
We celebrate the noon of Summer with this rite, held in honor of the blazing God of the Sun. All of nature vibrates with the fertile energies of the Goddess and the God. The Earth is bathed with warmth and light and life of the Sun. The Wheel turns again…… Since Yule the light has been growing ever stronger. At Ostara the light became greater than the dark, and the light has kept on growing until to day, the middle time of light. Litha, Midsummer, Summer Solstice. From here the light begins to fade again, until once more, the wheel will turn to darkness and Yule. But today the Sun is high, the light is bright, the Earth is warm. As the Lord of the Sun blazes above, the fires of our celebration shall blaze below.
East: As dawn came early in the East of this longest day the air was fresh with newness, heavy with dew. As the Sun brightened the sky the birds began to sing, butterflies sought out nectar in the perfume scented air. This is the dawning of the longest day. So Mote It Be.
South: The Sun rose high in the sky, bright, hot, glowing. Passion burned and power was wrought. Dogs panted in the heat, cats lie in sunbeams. There is a stillness as heat waves shimmer upon the roadways. This is the fullness of the longest day. So Mote It Be.
West: Sunset took its time reaching the western sky, setting gently down into the water “pshhhhhshhhhh” as the blueness cools the embers. Schools of minnows dart as one, ducks bob among the waves. This is the evening of the longest day. So Mote It Be.
North: Midnight approaches, still barely dark. The earth has cooled only slightly. Night sounds of crickets and owls and deer crunching through the grass. The mysteries of the night creep slowly through the mist. Quickly the darkness deepens only to turn once more toward dawn. This is the short night of the longest day. So Mote It Be.
While the Goddess remains constant at the hub of the wheel, the eight festivals mark phases of the God in his aspect of vegetation Lord and Sun God. From birth to death to rebirth the wheel ever turns. Though the Summer Solstice marks the zenith of the sun and the day of longest light, it is also a day of sadness because from this day the light begins to decline. The days shorten and though this is midsummer we are moving back toward winter. Everything has its season. The first cutting of hay has been baled and barned. Red hot radishes are celebrating their season. Our Oak King awaits the end of his season as the Holly King begins His reign. So farewell our Oak King. Welcome our Holly King.
Mead of honey… June the Honey Moon…
We offer this drink to the spirits of the land.
Let us all drink, and as they drink, all add their blessings
As we pass the cup each of us say something in praise of the season.
(I praise the warm summer rain)
We stand in awe beneath the Sky Father
We stand in love upon the Earth Mother
We celebrate this season- the summer warmth
The abundant earth- this Litha rite
Let the fire be lit, not only here on this midsummer day, but also in our hearts and minds for all our lives! “May the fire be lit”
The magic of Midsummer would not be complete without noting the Fairies. Like Shakespeare’s “Midsummer’s Night Dream” or Wendy Froud’s “A Midsummer Night’s Fairy Tale” This is a fairy story. It doesn’t begin “once upon a time” or “in a land far, far away”……It begins here in the world we know, in a forest called Old Oak Wood. Now many folk in our modern world will tell you fairies don’t really exist, but that doesn’t stop the fairies from going about their daily business, anymore than their disbelief in humans would cause us to disappear. To humans that are determined not to believe in them, they remain quite invisible. Yet anyone who has ever suspected that Nature Herself has a spirit and a soul can learn to see Her children, the fairies, flickering through shadows of field and wood. (Wendy Froud)
Meditation:
Sharing with the talking stick:
We give thanks to the Great Goddess of the Earth. Mother grant us your blessings. Grant us full orchards and fields of ripening grain. Be with us in our lives as you were to those of old. Grant us your love and blessings.
Let blessing be!
All: “Let Blessing Be.”
O Lord of the Sun, great eye of the heavens. Grant your light and your blessings to this land, protect us from the powers of blight and darkness. Be with us in our lives as you were to those of old. Grant us your wisdom and your blessings. Let blessing be!
All: “Let Blessing Be.”
Feast:
Close:
Spirits of the Air and East, thank-you for joining our Solstice feast. Birds and bees and tops of trees, hail and farewell. So Mote It Be.
Spirits of Earth and North, thank-you for coming forth. Badger and troll and buffalo, hail and farewell. So Mote It Be.
Spirits of Water and West, thank-you for this Litha blessing. Undines and whales and fishes tails, hail and farewell. So Mote It Be.
Spirits of fire and South, thank-you for the joy in this house. Mouse and dragon and firefly, hail and farewell. So Mote It Be.
Great Sun God- Holly King- Lord of the waning year. Thank-you.
Goddess Mother- Fairy Queen- Lady of the fields. Thank-you
The circle is open yet unbroken, merry meet and merry part until we meet again.
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