Midsommar is more than a horror movie taking place in Sweden but is a pagan practice going back centuries and is practised to this day, gaining popularity every year.

The Summer Solstice 

June twenty-first is the cross-quarter day of the Summer Solstice, or as some call it, Midsummer and Litha. It is the longest day of light in the year, with the shortest night of darkness as the northern pole of the Earth tips toward the sun. It marks the first day of summer astrologically and the midpoint of summer beginning in spring. 

The growing season is in full bloom as farmers tend to their summer crops. The Solar God and Goddess are sprinkling their blessings of fertility all across the land. The first day of Summer coincides with the sign of Cancer.

Throughout prehistory, Midsummer has always been a celebration marked by the Megaliths aligned with the sun’s rays rising and falling in perfect angles. It is the last fertility sabbat of the year as the sun slips into waning in preparation for the first harvest in August.

The Longest Day Of The Year

The sun reaches its most northward point and stops for three days before returning to its course on rise and set. Celebrations of feasting, dancing, and singing were among many common traditions. The Celts celebrated with bonfires, and one of the traditions was jumping over the bonfire to bring good luck and fortune. 

Others would set wheels on fire and roll them down the hill into a body of water. Many celebrate this time of year as a day of inner power and brightness. Some even use this day as a traditional handfasting day, like Beltane.

In some folk traditions, this is the battle between the Oak and Holly King, where the Oak King is defeated and retreats to the Underworld for respite while the Holly King takes over to rule the dark half of the year. The Oak King represents daylight and takes over from Yule to Midsummer, and the Holly King represents darkness and takes over from Midsummer to Yule. 

In Fairy mythology, the time between Beltane and Midsummer was said to have been a liminal time in space during which the veil is thin, allowing the fae to venture freely between the realms of our world and the Otherworld. If there have been occurrences with items going missing or being misplaced, this was said to be the fae playing tricks!

A Fairy Not So Fairy

However, mostly the fae that ventures into our realm is benevolent and is said to be a blessing when they choose you as the host of their adventure, so be sure to leave cream, honey, or sugar cubes out for them for food and drink as well as gifts to thank them for their time. Once Midsummer passes, the veil begins to build again, and they must return to their realm.

In mythology, the Solar God is honoured at his peak of power. After today, the Solar God will slowly lose power as the sun wanes and slips back into the year’s darkness. The romance of Beltane has strengthened the bond between the two lovers, and the promise of the womb child brings joy and happiness to the two. 

As the day lingers longer than any other day of the year, the Solar God smiles down on the fields with his blessing of growth and plentifulness. His Goddess consort stands by his side with a smile. Today, they revel in the Light of creation that shines down from the Solar God onto the fields of sustenance.

Shadows And Light And The Wheel Of The Year

From the darkness came the Light; from shadows of perpetual hardship, the Light blossomed over time into a shining ray of hope. The ray of hope entails that even at its final peak of power, the sun may wane and grow dark, but it never completely disappears. 

There are always dark days ahead and light days behind, but once past those dark days, the Light continues to draw you in as a bug to a zapper.

As the bonfires are lit in reflection of the sun during this Fire festival, one must also note the festival is a water festival with the Goddess at the peak of her power and flowing from her first trimester into her second with child. 

 Her power wanes, as does the Solar God’s power, as they share the energy throne and age into the Mother and Father of the Wheel of the Year.

Kasey

The Summer Solstice Ritual

Ritual Correspondences

Altar cloths: red or bright yellow.
Candles: white, red, and gold.
Plants: lavender, orchid.
Tree: Oak.
Herbs: honeysuckle, lavender, mint, roses, feverfew, meadowsweet, vervain.
Stones: amber, jet, cat’s eye, bloodstone, garnet, ruby.
Oils: Lavender, Jasmine.
Icon of the year: Sun Symbols, Sun Wheels, Fairies.
Decorations: summer flowers, sun wheels.
Sabbat Mythos: Goddess is a Mother, pregnant with her strong Consort.
Sun position: Sun is 0 degrees Cancer.

The Goddess Speaks of Midsummer

The Star, at his height, burns the hottest a
And its bright rays of vitality
Shine the longest
As he reaches an infinite point
With the Mother Goddess
Drinking on every warm note
His energy has to offer
As her womb grows bigger
With the blossoming fruit of the earth
And her roots have reached
The maximum depths
Drinking from the core of life
As she harvests the last bit
Of stamina offered under the sun
Before the waning days begin
And her preparations turn
With the Wheel of the Year
As the earthly clock ticks
Half past the hour
In the days of the dying King
And the Sage of time
Is born
Watch as I kiss the sun
In one last embrace as it sets to the West.
And the culminating power
Slowly relinquishes its last burst of light
Illuminating the sky in pink
And oranges
Scouring my fields
With a final breath of vitality
And gracefully returning
To the imminent dark abode
As his last act of sacrifice
So we will all sustain in this life
And into the next
With the touch of light
Glowing in our souls.