Happy Father

& a great harvest to come. His potency ensures the continuity of life in the face of the oncoming darkness. He is ever-living, ever-returning with virility, fertility & strength. He guides us in our own personal growth, just as he guides the crops & creatures of Earth. His marriage with the Goddess now makes Him Her protector as well as her lover.

In the Oak King/Holly King myth, the Sun King has two separate personalities. These personalities are so strong that, to some, they become different entities, the Oak King & the Holly King, each ruling one half of the year. The Oak King was born at Yule to the Great Mother, & in his light & splendor begins to turn the Great Wheel & start the lengthening of the days. The beginning of the sun's decline is symbolized by the return of the Holly King, the Spirit of Winter, at the moment after the Solstice. It is on mid-Summer that the dark half of the sun god begins to gain power. Often, mock battles are played between representatives of the two gods who fight over the attentions of the lady Goddess. At the Summer Solstice the dark Holly King (as the Wren) slays his light twin the Oak King (as the Robin) & begins his half-yearly reign which ends with the Holly King's death at midwinter when the scene is reversed & the Oak King is triumphant. The eternal dueling of these light & dark brothers gives life to the primary tenant of western Goddess worship, "there is darkness in the light & light in the darkness." Although the Dark God is defeated, he has weakened the God of Light who has now begun to die. As everything in nature comes to its peak & then declines, so too must the God in His aspect of the Sun. With decline comes transformation, & so it is with the God, who takes on many aspects & wears many crowns.

The Earth Mother is also at Her finest at this time. The Goddess is becoming Mother, the seed that was planted earlier in her womb is growing with the son/sun. She blossoms just as the earth blossoms with abundance. She basks in the light of her lover & grows with child each day. The land is glowing with flowers & ripening fruit as the Goddess glows and ripens, as well. Like the animals & plants, we feed off of this warmth, & take a moment to celebrate & rest on this Sabbat.

Thinking back to our ancestors, we know that they found this to be a peaceful time. The crops were planted, their animals had usually birthed by this time & they had a slight lull as they awaited the time of the first harvest. Among humans there is change in the type of energy. Where spring made us sprightly, Summer makes us passionate. Flesh is revealed; sensuality is at its highest expression; heat makes us languid, yet the cooler nights are energizing.

Mid-Summer is said to be a mystical time when the forces of magic are increased and fairies roam our world. Fairies, elves & sprites are purported to be most easily seen at Mid-Summer, dancing in fairy rings. As portrayed in Shakespeare's "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream," This is the night when mortals have strange experiences, & when faeries troop across the land. Summer Solstice is a "day outside of time," & the strange experiences one might have are likely to be comic, harmless, or even beneficial; it has an "upside down" quality about it - things are often reversed or mixed-up. It is a time for merriment & the wish making that you want carried into the next world.