Pagan Blog Project Week 26
Midsummer
Rather than try to catch up
from behind, I'm going to carry on from current and then just back post as I
can until I'm caught up on the several weeks of posting I've missed. I've
decided not to beat myself up about it, I'm just going to hike up my proverbial
britches and carry on.
So. Week 26 it is.
June 21st is
considered the first day of summer in this part of the world. To me it is the
middle. To each their own of course, but I shake my head (mentally) when I hear
people going on about it being summer's beginning. I think of it as the top of the
climb up and out of winter. The apex and summit of the roller coaster of the
seasons. The longest day of light and the beginning of the slow slide back into
darkness. I like the longest day and appreciate it, but I get a little sad too.
I'm weird that way, I guess.
As I've written before I
love fall, but I really don't care for winter. I live in an odd state to feel
that way too. Colorado may boast 320 days of sunshine a year or some such, but
winter is long here.
I lit candles on Midsummer
and relished the light and warmth. I will light them again come mid-winter at Yule and miss the light and warmth.
One belief set holds that
the twin kings, Oak and Holly share the year, with one ruling from mid-winter
to mid-summer and the other ruling from mid-summer to mid-winter. Most of the
stories I've read on it have them battling for dominance in an eternal struggle.
I don't really prefer those. I like to think of it as their job, their task.
One rules and the other rests. My opinion only. Every one's mileage varies.
I recently saw an
article/blog post that stated that the Oak King and the Holly King were both different
faces of Cernnunos. I'm not sure how that sits with me. I tend to dislike
mixing my deities and making their names and faces interchangeable.
edited to add missing word
