EARTH

Now you will close the ceremony and open the Circle.

Begin by giving thanks to the Ancestors and the Deities.

“Beloved Ancestors, You Who have gone before, Your wisdom and Your example guide us. We pray that You will be with us and aid us as we go forward, that we may call upon the strength and knowledge of the past, even as we build the future. We thank You for Your presence and Your aid this night, and always. May You Blessed be in all things. We offer You our love and our respect! We bid You Hail and Farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and farewell!”

PRIEST
“Divine Lover! Holy Consort of our Holy Goddess! Lord of ever-lasting love, strength, and vitality, we thank You for Your presence and Your aid this night, and always. We offer You our love, and our respect! We bid You Hail and farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and farewell!”

PRIESTESS
“Most Beloved Mother Goddess, holy and ever-abundant Womb of Creation! You Who created and Who sustains all! We thank You for Your presence and Your aid this night, and always. We offer You our love and our respect! We bid You Hail and farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and farewell!”

Now thank each Quarter. Start in the North.

NORTH
”We thank You O God in Your form as Green Lord of the North: Sorcerer –Lord of Midnight and of Winter! We are grateful for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! From our hearts -With love and with respect- we bid You hail and farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and Farewell!”

Using the Wand, pull down the tower of white light which was erected when the North was called.

Now turn to the West.

WEST
”We thank You O God in Your form as Blue Lord of the East: King –Lord of Sunset and of Autumn! We are grateful for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! From our hearts -With love and with respect- we bid You hail and farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and Farewell!”

Using the Wand, pull down the tower of white light which was erected when the West was called.

Now turn to the South.

SOUTH
”We thank You O God in Your form as Red Lord of the South: Lover –Lord of Noonday and of Summer! We are grateful for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! From our hearts -With love and with respect- we bid You hail and farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and Farewell!”

Using the Wand, pull down the tower of white light which was erected when the South was called.

Now turn to the East.

EAST
“We thank You O God in Your form as Golden Lord of the East: Hero - Lord of the Dawn and of Spring! We are grateful for Your guidance and Your aid in this our holy ritual! From our hearts -With love and with respect- we bid You hail and farewell!”

ALL
“Hail and Farewell!”

Using the Wand, pull down the tower of white light which was erected when the East was called.

Now you must open the Circle. Begin in the East. Take up the Athame and point it toward the Eastern Quarter. Devoke the Circle, walking Tuathal around it, imagining the barrier of light disappearing, returning into the tip of the Athame. Now speak the charm:

“Behold: As Above, So Below! As the Universe, So the Soul! As Within, So Without! May the Circle be Open, but never Broken! Merry Meet –Merry Part –and Merry Meet again!”

Now have everyone cleanse and release all excess energy.


VARIATIONS

ACT OF POWER '>2
Oak and Holly Kings

Our second Act of Power for Midsummer is a mystery play: The Oak and Holly Kings. You should recognize this theme from Yule, where we spoke of it also.

The idea of the Oak and Holly Kings is that Young God/Oak King rules the Summer months while the Old God/Holly King rules the Winter. Each of These is at the height of His power at the respective Solstice. But even though He will reign for many months afterward, the respective Solstice marks the beginning of His decline in power. Thus while the Oak King is at His height at the Summer Solstice, He will be declining thereafter. This is dramatized as a struggle between the two forms of the God.

For this Act of Power you will need three people: one to represent the Goddess: one to represent the Oak King: and one to represent the Holly King. If you are creative and into costuming, their appearance can be made quite dramatic: but this need not be so.

When you have spoken a bit about the holiday, explain the nature of mystery plays. You might say something like:

"From ancient times Pagans have used mystery plays to dramatize important aspects of theology. It is a kind of allegory -presenting complex ideas in simplified, humanized terms. The point of a mystery play is the underlying ideas which it portrays. Behold now the mystery of the Oak and Holly Kings:"

Let the person representing the Goddess step forward. She might say something like:

"Behold -I am the Goddess, Mother of all things. From the most ancient times I have existed, and unto the farthest future I shall Be: Indeed, I am beyond all considerations of time. I am existence Itself. I experience Myself through all things: each of you is part of Me. From My bountiful womb all things come forth -and to Me they shall in their time return. I am the Earth: The Moon: The Universe Itself. I am the essence of all things.

"In My time I was the Maiden, and I painted the sky at dawn and the flowers of the fields with the many colors of My palette. I brought life and joy to the world. I danced with the Young God, Lord of Life. The touch of the Sun warmed the Earth, and life flowered everywhere.

"I have become the Mother, and with the God at My side I bring forth the bounty of the Earth, that all creatures may thrive. Enjoy, O My children, the warmth and beauty of these months. Make merry and celebrate the beauty around you. But do not forget to set up a store for the future.

"For in My time I shall become the Crone. For though He is at the height of His youthful powers now, the God shall one day die, and the Earth shall fall to Winter. It is ever thus: when the rose is at its most fragrant, it has already begun to rot. No sooner is the fruit ripe, than it must fall. When the Sun has reached its greatest height at noonday then it will begin to sink, ultimately into sunset. So too this longest day: from this point of greatest power, the reign of the Sun shall diminish and the powers of night increase. days shall grow shorter hereafter, nights longer. Death shall come to the crops; the leaves of the trees shall fall. The Young Lord will pass away and the Old Lord shall reign in His place.

“For I am the Goddess, and I have two Consorts: Life and Death."

Let now the person portraying the Oak King come forward. Let the Oak King and the Goddess join hands.

Oak King
"I am the Oak King: Young God of Life. Hero and Lover of the Goddess. It is I Who make the young plants to bud and flower: I Who make the crops grow in the fields. I am the Green Man: I make the forests team with life. I arose with the Ram and melted the snows of Winter that Earth might breath free. I gently warmed Her with the Sun's rays and nurtured the seeds which sprouted in My name. The Goddess turned to Me in love -all things were green! Our union made the Earth bloom and humankind rejoice. I am the Lord of the Sun, and this longest day is the time of My greatest ascendancy. In Me all things rejoice, and life is made sweet under My rule."

Holly King
“Indeed! I challenge you, O Lord of Life!

The Goddess steps back and the two Kings engage in a mock struggle. The Kings can grapple with each other or have a choreographed mock sword fight, or they could use quarter staves, according or whatever works best for you. At length the Holly King vanquishes the Oak King, who falls to the floor.

Oak King
“I am wounded! I am struck! In the midst of my greatest power I am cast down!

Holly King
"It is even so. Now the longest day shall pass, and darkness will begin to overtake the Sun. Though He shall yet reign a time, He shall diminish: days shall shorten, nights shall lengthen, Summer shall ebb into Fall, and in My turn, I shall reign in His place. I am the Holly King, Lord of Winter and of Night. I am Lord of wisdom and of wealth. I am the Kindly One, Giver of Gifts. In the dark of night, torches shall blaze at My feast, gifts be given, songs sung, and visions sought. The world shall turn in upon itself, and rest beneath a blanket of snow. Think upon this -look upon the conquered Lord of Life- and know that all things are transitory. All situations, all possessions, all power shall meet change and fade away. What will you retain? Only the emotions and the wisdom which these things give you -therein lies wealth. The love you know, the joy you experience, the lessons you learn -these things you must prize. Turn your thoughts then to those you love, to the experiences you treasure. Appreciate them. When you go forth from this place, look upon these things with new eyes. Make sure they know you value them. Savor your life, do not rush through it. For when, at the end of your life you meet Me, as Lord of the Gate, that savor shall be what you take with you as you leave this world."

Now lead the people in a gratitude circle. You might do it like this:

"Let us consider the words of the Holly King. What things in our lives are we most appreciative of? What people do we love most? What experiences have formed us, and what activities do we treasure? When we leave this world, what things will we take with us, stored in our heart? Who and what will we carry forward in our soul? These are the things in our life that we should place our emphasis on -not transitory crises or material things. The hustle and bustle of life, the pleasure to be had from things -there is nothing wrong with these. They are there for us to enjoy -to bring gaiety and pleasure to our lives. But they are not as important as what we love, and we will forget these momentary pleasures when the time shall come that we must go. Therefore let us now focus on those things that mean most to us, and resolve to show them our appreciation for their presence in our lives.

"Divine Mother Goddess, Divine Father God, help us always to be mindful of those things which mean most to us in life. Let us not lose sight of their significance, but treasure and nurture them. Help us to be grateful and to show our appreciation and love, that the bond may be always reciprocal. And as we go forth from this place, may we be all the more conscious of these things in our life, and of the important role they play. So Mote It Be!"

ALL
"So Mote It Be!"

Now continue with your ritual.

ACT OF POWER '>3
Citrus Healing

Our third Act of Power is a spell which is used for a working in which everyone present is focused upon the same goal: for example the healing of a specific person, or peace in a time of troubles. The spell involves a citrus fruit such as an orange or lemon. This Act of Power, which would be appropriate for almost any ritual where such working was desired, is especially appropriate to Midsummer because citrus fruit is normally regarded as a solar symbol.

For this act of Power you will need an orange or lemon, preferably fairly large, and a number of pins ideally with heads of red, white, or blue.

Begin by discussing the goal that is intended. Have everyone focus upon the goal, visualizing it strongly in their mind.

Pass the fruit around the Circle. Have each person hold it for a moment, concentrating upon the goal, and visualizing the fruit filled with white light.

Now pass the fruit around a second time, but this time let each person stick a white-headed pin into the fruit, while affirming the group goal. For example each person might say: “By my will, may Mary be healed.” Or whatever the goal is.

Send the fruit around a third time, and this time let each person stick in a black-headed pin, while affirming: “May all blockages be removed!”

Then send the fruit around a fourth time, this time sticking in the red-headed pins and affirming: “By all the power of three times three, as I do will so mote it be!”

Now, begin to toss the fruit back and forth around the Circle, while chanting a simple form of the goal, such as “Heal.” Continue tossing the pin-laden fruit, moving faster and faster. When the energy has built for a bit, let the ritual leader take the fruit the next time she catches it and hold it toward the center of the Circle, instructing everyone to focus energy into the fruit, while chanting three more times the word “Heal.” As this is done, the ritual leader gradually raises up the fruit, and after the last chanting let everyone imagine the energy rising higher and higher, taking shape in the Astral to become manifest in the physical when the Circle is opened.

After the ritual, dispose of the fruit by burying, or keep it in the Temple as it slowly and fragrantly dries.