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
I tend to view a lot of those "defining" stories as metaphors that may or may not be useful in getting a personal grasp on the idea of metaphysical reality. I think of June 21 as Midsummer, as well -- tho' I have to say, climate change is messing with that. Our springs stay so cool so long that our tomatoes have still not set a single fruit! The June bearing strawberries are still GREEN.
ReplyDeleteI love fall and like the restfulness of winter...summer frightens me, once the heat sets and the rain stops; I worry about fire. So Midsummer is a mixture of feelings for me as well.
My rhubarb and garlic are growing like gangbusters (as my beloved Grama would say) but we've had an unusual (and wonderful) amount of rain this year. And still there are fires. There's one burning today that's eaten 15 acres at last report. I hadn't even thought about summer=fire season.
DeleteMy neighbor is cursing all these days of rain. Now that I recaulked my windows... I am back to enjoying the rain. Must be related to having the name, Cloud. Although, now that I am working on building another Tiny House to resell... A stretch of dry conditions would be nice, too. :)
DeleteJennifer, I think I have forgotten all along to say, feel free to stop by one of these times going to an fro work. Check out the place. As we are neighbors or so. :) Blessed Be.
DeleteUsually here, on this side of the Cascades, it is not an issue. But it is getting far drier. And this year I've seen more and more dead trees -- I used to maintain that the conventional representation of the Persephone myth had it wrong -- it was not winter when she was with Hades and the world died, but in SUMMER. High summer, in Greece, after all, is dry and hot and everything is dormant or dead! The fall rains renew THAT world....and I feel the same myself. Summer leaves me feeling exhausted and dead....and I revive with the fall rains.
ReplyDelete