The Teenager’s Guide to Pagan Sabbats: Midsummer/Litha

Ever feel like Light and Darkness are in an endless battle for your soul? Imagine that skirmish encompassing the world. Then you’d have some concept of the never-ending struggle between the Oak King and the Holly King, twin representations of the Sun God.

If you’ve ever had a day when everything went right, you felt at your absolute peak, and if you were a superhero then your personal sun would be shining so brightly you’d need to wear sunglasses indoors, then you’d have some idea of what it would be like to be the Oak King at Midsummer (Litha). Or a rock star.

Midsummer (Litha) falls each year on the Summer Solstice, around June 21. In the pagan world, the Wheel of the Year is divided into eight solar celebrations or sabbats. In the Northern hemisphere (southern hemisphere will celebrate in reverse) the holidays are:

1. Ostara (Vernal Equinox)
2. Beltane (May 1)
3. Midsummer/ Litha (Summer Solstice)
4. Lammas (August 1)
5. Mabon (Autumn Equinox)
6. Samhain (Halloween)
7. Yule (Winter Solstice)
8. Imbolc/Candlemas (February 2)

Summer begins with Beltane (May 1) and ends with Lammas (August1). The Summer Solstice marks the midway point between the two festivals. Hence, the name “Midsummer.”

The Oak King ~Warrior of Light

The Sun God transforms throughout the year in an endless cycle of birth, life, love, and death. The Oak King represents the Sun God’s Light aspect, and rules the earth for six months, from his birth at Yule until his peak at Midsummer. He is the Greenman, a potent symbol of hope, light, sex, fertility, and abundance.

The Holly King ~ The Dark Lord

The Sun God transforms into the Holly King during the waning half of the year, a time of darkness, cold, dormancy, and scarcity.

Midsummer/Litha

The Oak King’s battle to bring light and fertility to the earth reaches its peak during the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice. The lengthening days have helped the fields sprout with new life and the promise of a good harvest. The veil between worlds thins, and the denizens of Fairy join in the rejoicing. Magic, mischief, and merriment abound. Singing, dancing, and drumming through the night ensure a good harvest. Bonfires ward off ill-meaning spirits. Lanterns set afloat on rivers and lakes carry wishes. But by the long day’s end, the Oak King weakens. The Holly King, the Dark Lord, is reborn. His power begins to rise.

Make a Midsummer/Litha Altar

Use a red or yellow altar cloth to symbolize the sun. Decorate the altar with summer flowers and fruits, and a sprig of oak to symbolize the Oak King.

Look for Fairies

They are most easily seen at dusk, dawn, and during the solstices, which mark the change of seasons. Some are invisible to the naked eye, but appear through a camera viewfinder or in photographs. Entice fairies with shiny offerings, like moonstones, (or Midsummer stones such as Amber, tiger’s eye, and emerald) in a fairy-friendly setting where there is running water, a tree, and flowers.

Party Up

Midsummer celebrations should be noisy, joyous events, so be sure to dance, drum, dress in hot colors, and feast. Send the Oak King off in style.

Blessed be.
©2014 Ariella Moon

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