Upon Litha

Litha, the Summer Solstice, is the day we say goodbye to the Sun, as he descends into Winter. For many, this is represented by a God or Goddess who journeys into the Underworld and is reborn around the Winter Solstice. That is a little abstract for me at this point in my spiritual journey. I have been thinking a lot about what I actually believe right now and it has less to do with Gods and Goddesses than it does with the Earth itself. From my earliest self, I have found God within the elements of the Universe, and it is this base of my spiritual inspiration that I am focusing on right now.

The sun and the moon. The power of the ocean, fire, and wind. The warm, soft support of the life-giving earth. These are the things which fill my heart. Madeleine L’Engle speaks of the “wildness” of Creation, and this is exactly what moves my soul. The Rune of St. Patrick from her book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet speaks to me.

At Tara today in this fateful hour
I place all Heaven with its power,
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And fire with all the strength it hath,
And lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness
All these I place,
By God’s almighty help and grace,
Between myself and the powers of darkness.

Harry Belafonte’s song, “Turn the World Around” makes me sing along with the Universe.

We come from the fire
Living in the fire
Go back to the fire
Turn the world around

We come from the water
Living in the water
Go back to the water
Turn the world around

We come from the mountain
Living on the mountain
Go back to the mountain
Turn the world around

Oh, oh so is life
Ah, ah so is life
Oh, oh so is life
Ah, ah so is life

Do you know who I am
Do I know who you are
See we one another clearly
Do we know who we are

Water make the river
River wash the mountain
Fire make the sunlight
Turn the world around

Heart is of the river
Body is the mountain
Spirit is the sunlight
Turn the world around

We are of the spirit
Truly of the spirit
Only can the spirit
Turn the world around

These are the elements upon which my beliefs lie. These are the things which have moved me since childhood – the parts of my belief system which are stone, which do not change in light of the details which revolve around them as the Earth to the Sun. Ultimately, at the base of everything, The Universe is what I need.

Goodbye, Sun, have a safe journey into winter, and thank you for blessing us with your power.