The Waxing & the Waning Sun

this article originally appeared in The Fellowship Journal of UUFLB in Summer of 2005.

June 21st this year and thereabouts most years, is the Summer Solstice, the Longest Day of the Year. It is sometimes called Litha, or Midsummer. But why is the first day of summer called Midsummer’s Day? According to the old folklore calendar, summer began with Beltane (May 1) and ended on Lughnasadh (August 1; pronounced “loo-na-sa”). This therefore made the Summer Solstice (Litha) midway between the two, thereby marking midsummer.

At Summer Solstice, the sun is now at the highest point before beginning to slide into darkness. The Sun God is celebrated as the Sun is at its peak in the sky. According to Norse Pagan lore, The God of the Waxing Year is The Oak King, and the God of the Waning Year is the Holly King. The Oak King rules from Midwinter (Yule) to Midsummer, the period of Fertility, Expansion, and Growth; while the Holly King reigns from Midsummer to Midwinter, the period of Harvest, Withdrawal, and Wisdom. At the two solstice points, these two twins symbolically meet in combat. At the summer solstice, the Holly King wins over his twin, and gains control of the waning half of the year. At the winter solstice, it is the Oak King who wins, and rules during the waning year. At some celebrations of this Sabbat this battle is reenacted.

The Goddess is seen in her aspect of the Mother. She is pregnant with the new God who is to be born again at Yule. At Midsummer, the God’s lifeblood begins to wane, and his powers decrease. The earth is yet warm and plentiful as the summer continues on, but at the end of the summer, the harvest will begin.

As like Beltane, Midsummer, too, was a lovers' festival. Lovers clasped hands over the bonfire, tossed flowers across to each other, leaped the flames together. In other midsummer lore, young men and women gather nine kinds of flowers and place them under a pillow. This is supposed to reveal in dreams the identity of the person to be wed. Shakespeare took the fairy legends and lovers' traditions and crafted them into A Midsummer Night's Dream where quarreling lovers, both mortal and otherworldly, madden each other through a potion brewed of magical herbs.

On Midsummer night, (the night before the day of the solstice) the veil between the worlds is thin again, and field and forest elves, sprites, and faeries abound in great numbers. This makes it a good time to commune with them, and it is customary to leave offerings such as food or herbs for them in the evening. However, there are legends and lore where we are forewarned then, to take care when walking in the forest mists, lest we stumble into in the land of faerie where time is suspended, and we can be lost to the world for longer than we know.

This Sabbat is a time to celebrate both work and leisure; it is a time for children and childlike play. Some Pagans dress up in bright colors. This is a time to celebrate the ending of the waxing year and the beginning of the waning year, in preparation for the harvest to come. What will you harvest from this year’s crops?

See you Sunday,

Trys

Sources:

* A Midsummer Night's Lore, by Melanie Fire Salamander

* The Longest Day: Traditions for the Summer Solstice, by Virginia Johnson

* Midsummer (Summer Solstice, Litha) Lore, by Maria Kay Simms

uploaded 10 june 05

Wheel of the Year Series