"Midsummer: Balancing the Darkness and the Light"

by Bronwynn Torgerson

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Mornings are still mellow, but the noonday sun is ablaze. Here in the Valley of the Sun, the weatherman speaks in triple digits. Water is our constant companion. Wilted, we trudge through the door at the end of our day, shed sweat-drenched clothing and collapse underneath our fans and a/c. Summer has come again, golden, burnishing and seemingly unrelenting. Is there no respite in sight?

Yet silent and subtle, tastefully understated, Midsummer is creeping in. After the height of the Sun's glory on June 20th, longest day of the year, the Sun begins to wane. For a scant handful of moments each day thereafter, we gradually gain more cooling, healing rest and repose of night. The year wheel turns slowly but inexorably towards Winter Solstice when we'll welcome the Sun back again, gaining once more light from darkness. Let us honor both ends of the cycle of life, and accompanying celebrations.

In the US, Canada and some other countries, Summer Solstice is regarded as the start of summer. In other countries, including Ireland, the UK, China and Japan, Summer Solstice is regarded as Midsummer. In Ireland, summer begins on May 1st and ends on July 31st. Similarly traditional East Asian calendars refer to Summer Solstice as "the extreme of summer" and not the beginning.

Summer Solstice, known as Midsummer has its own revelry and customs, sacred lore and odd associations. I'd like to share a bit of that with you today. I've organized this portion of my talk into four categories, all having to do with Midsummer. They are The Sacred, The Magical, St. John the Baptist and Contemporary Celebrations.

The sacredness of Midsummer comes from myths of the Dying God, the Sun who loses his life at Midsummer, to be born again at Midwinter. These themes of dying and rebirth among ancient peoples were sometimes literal as well as metaphorical. Among the early Celts was the practice of the Seven Year King, wherein a hero was chosen for his youth, vigor and valor and ritually married to a priestess symbolizing the Queen of the land. At the end of seven years, before the start of his middle-aged physical decline, the sacred King was sacrificed at Midsummer and his blood and bones given back to the land. He had always known that thus was his fate. The significance of the seven years' reign was based on numerology. Three is the number of heaven, meeting the number four of earth.

Sun gods were not except from death either. In the Egyptian pantheon, the Sun god Ra was the only God to suffer decline. Stories tell that he withdrew from the world of man for awhile, then with the aid of the Goddess Hathor, was renewed. A Polynesian god of a similar name, Raiatea married the daughter of the earth, Tu-Papa and dwelt half a year underground with her. Another Egyptian solar deity, Osiris, became the lord of the underworld after being slain by his brother Set. His physical form was resurrected by the love of his wife, the goddess Isis who bore his son Horus, the falcon-headed sky god.

The list goes on, with the cycle of splendor and love, disappearance and loss. Among the Babylonians, the goddess Ishtar's resplendent mate Tammuz is killed and goes to the Underworld. The Norse Baldur, 'The shining one' is slain by a dart made of mistletoe, the only living thing overlooked while Baldur's mother Frigga was gathering pledges not to harm her son. Like his Godly peers, Baldur travels to the world below. Some scholars of Christian lore, state that it is no accident that Jesus as a sacrificed god figure was assigned a birth date near Midwinter, and wonder if the crucifixion didn't take place closer to Midsummer? Overall, we must remember that to ancient peoples, a decline in the vitality of any living thing, be it a fruit fallen from the tree or a deer felled by an arrow in the field, signified death. It is not a far stretch then, to understand why the sun, annually losing its intensity and fire, was seen to go through cycles of death and rebirth as well.

As to the magic, Midsummer is one of those 'times between', the minute overlapping of Sunshine and Shadow. Hence, many superstitions arose about this 'not quite clear' time of year. June has long been associated with weddings, and predictably, some divinatory customs regarding future mates have come to be. To see a glimpse of your future mate in dreams, gather nine different kinds of flowers and place them under your pillow. Magical and healing herbs should be gathered on June 23rd. Hang St. John's wort over your doors and windows for protection and toss some into a fire as well. Garden herbs for cooking should also be gathered now for extra potency.

Midsummer's Eve is a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says, "Midsummer Night is not long, but it sets many cradles rocking." Irish maids melt lead into water and try to discern the shapes. In Spain, girls do the same thing with eggs. In Poland, girls fashion a wreath of wild flowers, place a candle in the middle and set it adrift on the river, foretelling their future by watching the wreath's fate.

Be wary at Midsummer, for the faery folk are all about. If you see a Willow 'o Wisp, like a firefly in the dark, it may betoken the location of some hidden treasure. Pixies are on parade though too, and are feeling mighty prankish on this night. Best to wear your jacket inside out, so the tricksters can't tell if you're coming or going and will leave you alone.

William Shakespeare did his homework well when he wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream. In that one play, there are herbal potions, fiendish faeries, befuddled mortals and misbegotten marriages. What a Bard!

St. John the Baptist got woven into the Midsummer's mix! Perhaps it partly because St. John, who baptized Jesus with water, then lost his head over Salome, was said to have been born at Midsummer. St. John's Day is June 23rd, near Summer Solstice.

But St. John has more in common with Midsummer than just his time of birth. The Catholic Church declared him the patron saint of beekeepers and of waters. Scripture tells us that prior to his ministry, John led the life of an anchorite, a religious ascetic who lives apart, renouncing the ways of the world and the flesh. When he emerged from the desert and began to preach, he was "clothed in garments of camel's hair", his loins girded in leather. He announced himself saying, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness!" John survived largely on a diet of locusts and honey. Here then, was not the priest or the scholar, but rather a wild man filled with the essence of God.

In June the hives are full of honey, which in ancient times was fermented and made into mead, a kind of honey wine. June being the month of marriage, our 'honeymoons' today are a romantic reminder of an earlier time, when couples would sweeten the dishes they cooked and shared together with honey for a month, in honor of their newfound love. Bees can be cultivated, but remain wild. Midsummer is that 'wild magic' time of year.

St. John is associated with water, because of his baptism of Jesus in the stream. In Mexico, on his day, People decorate wells and fountains with candles and flowers. Country dwellers go out and bathe at midnight in the nearest body of water. In the city, they celebrate at the bathhouse or pool with diving and swimming contests.

Midsummer Celebrations! There are annual observances of Midsummer in the US and in other parts of the world. In Scandinavia, people honor the heightened Sun with bonfires. The people dance, carry torches and toss floral wreaths, fashioned at May Day and kept to dry, into the fire. This mirrors the cycle of the year, in that the heightened Sun at Midsummer consumes the last of the tender green grasses of spring. In Denmark, Summer Solstice is a traditional time for visiting springs where healing waters are said to flow.

Morris Dancing, a festive rhythmic folk dancing tradition popular in the English countryside until the 1500's, is regaining popularity as an art form today. Perhaps previously incorporated into harvest celebration processionals, dances were traditionally passed down through a family line. Dancers adorn themselves with bells, may colorfully paint their faces, and dance with sticks, swords or kerchiefs.

The popularity of walking labyrinths has caught on in the United States, a contemporary counterpart to the torch lit processions to stone circles and sacred mounds in Europe's days of old. It is customary here at Midsummer to take a moment to pause and go within, to seek one's inner silence at the midpoint of the year and assess what the first half of the year has brought and what might lie ahead.

And with that segue, I would like to lead you in a short self assessment exercise. Your answers are your own and will serve as your guide through the cooler, darker half of the year. I have named this tool a SIP, a Seasonal Insights Profile, for a couple of reasons. When performed in a leisurely fashion, areas of circumspection are saluted with a quenching sip of a seasonal beverage. At Midsummer, anything cool and wet goes down well. As you are drinking in wisdom, you are also re-hydrating. Using the patterns of East, South, West, North and Spirit - the central heart of all things - as our guide, we will check in briefly with ourselves and see where things stand.

Raising your cup to the East, direction of Inspiration, take a drink of your water, iced tea or other liquid and ask yourself the question, "What have I learned?" This refers to areas of knowledge or awareness recently acquired. In this first half of the year, if you stop and consider, many answers should come to mind. Jot down just a few, to ensure that your mind is open and that you are still seeking and exploring. (My own answers: I am more aware of the historical aspects of the Immigration Issue, due to a recent informational service at WVUU; I have learned how to make herbal bath salts; I'm trying to learn how to use a scanner on my home printer.)

Another sip, and greet the South. Ask yourself, 'Am I passionate? Am I intimate?" South is the realm of those two things, and they are not necessarily synonymous. What fires you up these days? Is there a cause you find yourself speaking up for now? A course of action you are committed to? That's the passion. As for the intimacy, does your life permit you time for long heart-to-heart talks with friends, the luxury of dining with others and sharing laughter and stories as you gaze into one another's eyes? Are you held, hugged, touched? These things feed the soul. (My answer - when I start mourning for friends I have no time to see, I've clear a space and pick up the phone and start issuing invitations. Connection is crucial to my happiness.)

We lift our glass and hail the West, sphere of emotion. Our question is actually two simple words here, the Pulse and the Pace. Pulse refers to the water, blood and other vital nutrients flowing through our veins. How is your health? Are you putting something off? You deserve to be feeling your best. When you speak the word 'Pace' I want you to envision running water. Is the speed at which your life moves along like a tranquil garden pond where golden fish glide noiselessly by? Or is it more like a torrential downpour? Are you standing under Niagara Falls, letting the franticness of your life erode your peace and joy away? If it is the latter, give thought to how you can slow things down a notch. (My answer: I can always tell when my life is too fast, too busy, or too full. I start misplacing things. That's my signal to slow down.)

Another drink and we turn our focus to the North, home of basic creature needs and security. Is your home safe and secure? Does your job provide for your needs and a few of your desires? Is there sufficiency or lack, economically and materially in your life? (My answer: Because of my 'starving single parent years', whenever I feel a period of prolonged deprivation, I begin to hoard. This signals me to loosen the budgetary belt just a little, to find small rewards and gratifications for myself to get me through lean times.$10 a week will net me two movie rentals or a lovely bouquet of flowers for my house)

Finally, we pick up our cup a last time and gaze inward at Spirit, the realm of faith, intuition and spiritual practice. Are we honoring our relationship with whatever form our spiritual truth may take? Is there time for meditation, prayer, observing the sacred in nature, keeping a dream journal or delving into sacred texts? Our relationship with the Divine is our partnership with our deepest selves and must be honored, cultivated and sustained. (My answer: Once during a hectic and harried time in my recent life, I vividly dreamt that I was given a bundle of fragrant incense. The meaning was clear - I had the means to connect and communicate with the gods of my worship, I just wasn't setting aside any time. Now when I feel that nudge, I set aside moments to light my candles, send morning prayers or take down my round hide drum from the wall and drum for a vision or an answer. Spirit will not go unanswered for long.)

Lay your paper aside and clear your busy thoughts for now. Take a moment of silence to pledge to make a space for those things you need to bring into your life, to strengthen those areas that are weak, and above all, to be gentle and kind with yourself.

At Midsummer, we examine is bright and we acknowledge what lies in shadow in our lives. We become beings of Light, illuminating our own soul's way. Blessed be everyone and just keep shining!