So Beltaine was wonderful and amazing and magical! Those that were there know of that which I speak, those that were not will hopefully join us another time! But alas, the comings and goings of festival prep and then returning to mundania sure took a lot outta this self proclaimed daughter of the pagan path….. I have neglected by blog entries- so no more putting it off now it is time to get back on track! As the Wheel turns toward the Summer Solstice so do I…. so here is the next installment of my story of the Wheel of the Year… Without further adieu….
The Wheel turns toward Litha, the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. This is the time when the Young God is at his apex in strength as the Sun. He is transformed into the Oak King in all his glory of masculine power, a warrior and champion of the Goddess. His full strength is shown is the fullness and height of the Sun, The dark has been pushed back and the Sun reigns supreme, for a time. There is a duality within the God through out the year. Now he begins to duel within himself, he knows there are changes he must soon face, but the warrior within him is not yet ready to let go of his strength, even though he knows what will come to pass. The Goddess is transformed into the Mother, she is pregnant with the life of the harvest in her womb, her fertility abounds across the earth, she loves her children and is happy to give them the abundance of her life.
The Goddess and God celebrate their love and life together. Passions are expressed, Desires are fulfilled and Wishes granted. Yet, there is a touch of sadness between them as they both know this joyful moment will not last. In coming through this apex of the Sun, with all his strength and virility, the God as Oak King feels his own decline approaching. He fights with himself for a time, to try and reign supreme for all time, but the Goddess as mother, incubating the seed which will become the New God, shows him the burgeoning life which can not be denied in the ripening of fruits and grains. Life continues to grow despite the harbinger of death which darkness shall bring. The Light is still stronger, longer, but signs do show, shorter days will soon begin. The Warrior King has only so much time upon the earth before he too must die. He puts all his energy in giving warmth and growth back to the earth, back to his lover, his mother, his other half. The Goddess, in the prime of motherhood gives the gift of life to the Children of Earth through the fruits that begin to bear on vine and tree. The sweetness of growth is fragrant on the air, as the Goddess loves the earth just as she loves the God, always.
The Children of Earth celebrate with Magick spells, casting wishes for abundance and joy. They celebrate well into the night, lighting bon fires to honor the apex of the Sun that soon must decline. They know of the Sun’s strength, that it is the most powerful light in the sky and can bring Life or Death directly. The Children of Earth honor and support the energy of the Sun, harnessing it toward their own use in garden, forest and glen. The Children of Earth partake in the first fruits that have begun to ripen, the juice of berries running down a chin as a stream down a mountainside. For some Tribes, there is mock battle to show the conflict within the Sun King. He is split into two, the Oak King and the Holly King, the Dual God who must battle though they are father and son, two of the same seed, two halves of one whole. In these celebrated battles, at the Summer Solstice, it is the Holly King who will win, for the beginning of the end for the Oak King is approaching now that the longest day of the year has come and gone. The Children of Earth prepare for the harvest that is to come, watching fruit and grain ripen across the land. This is what Litha is about, the Apex of strength and life beginning to burgeon through and beyond the beginning of the decline. The Earth is abundant with the Energy of the Sun as the Wheel Turns once more…
Seanachai Moonfyre
Merry Meet! I am first and foremost a writer. When I am writing I am in my element! Much of what I write about, and do in my life is centered around a pagan spiritual base. I have been studying various paths and topics, working with energies, deities, and the elements for 15 years plus. I am the High Priestess of Spiral Grove an eclectic study coven. I say I was given this coven as a gift because that is what it truly is. Spiral Grove would not be what it is without the members who make it whole.