Midsummer Ritual
A Ritual by Storm, and the Seattle Chapter

Circle is set up with posts at each quarter, basket of flowers by each post. Censing and asperging will be done as people enter the circle, as at Beltane. No altar: tool users will carry their own tools. Holly is invoked privately before the ritual begins and conceals herself North of the circle, along with Crows.

Sweep:

Black spirits and white, red spirits and gray,
Come ye, come ye, come ye as may.
Around and around, throughout and about,
The good come in, the ill keep out.

Cast Circle (Sun Court Leader):

A ring of pure and endless light
Bounds this meetingplace of souls
Our energy and love unite
Will serve to make this circle whole.
Our presence sanctifies this place:
Time is not the master here.
We invite joy and love to abide
And forbid unwanted spirits appear.

East:

Hail winged ones of the East, bringers of dawn:
Bring us thoughts that soar among the birds,
Skies swept clean by the winds of insight.

South:

Hail bright ones of the South, lords of noonday:
Dance the fires of your passion within us,
Set us ablaze with the summer's heat.

West:

Hail laughing ones of the West, sunset waters:
Bring sweet delight to those who thirst,
Cleanse our spirits, wash our cares away.

North:

Hail ancient ones of the North, trees deep-rooted:
Bring forth beast and bird, forest and field,
Let the sweet earth turn beneath us as we dance.

Invoke Oak (Sun Court Leader):

Hail Lady of the rising year, spring-born and summer-crowned:
Queen of Oak and Mother of Flowers,
Stir the abundance of life within us,
Dance with us at Summer's utmost height.

[crowns Oak with circlet of leaves and flowers]

Oak:

[poem about rejoicing in the Solstice]
[leads circle dance from the center]

All:

We are one in the infinite sun
For ever and ever and ever.

Dance is stopped by entry of Crows, signalled by drumming. Crows should have some black on (it's probably too hot to dress in black), and carry black-feathered wands. Crows circle Oak, cawing, and then begin their lines.

Crow 1: Winter will come

Crow 2: The corn will dry

Crow 3: The leaves will fall

Crow 1: The storms will fly

Crow 2 And you must fail

Crow 3: And fall

Crow 1: And die

Repeat three times, the third in unison sing-song mocking voices.

Sun Court Leader [to Crows]:

Over my dead body! Who do you think you are? [to people]
Will you stand by and let this happen?
No! Rally round and shield our lady
from the mockery of winter!

Sun Court Leader rallies people around Oak in center of circle. Crows approach people one at a time and touch them with their wands, asking "Why? Why?" People will give a reason for the summer to continue forever: Crows will respond with a reason why it cannot, and take the person out to the edge of the circle. Sun Court Leader is the last taken out. Heavy drumbeats throughout this process.

Oak:

It is so:
If I love the Spring
I must embrace the Fall,
and for the Sun's sweet sake
go into darkness.
In Spring and in Summer I was given this power
and now I lay it down.

Oak casts down her flowering rod of office and kneels, head bowed. Four Quarters surround Oak, carrying baskets of flowers, and Sun Court Leader leads the circle in a deosil procession to lay flowers on the wand.

All:

Aye ai aye ai aye ai aye ai
Aye oh aye oh aye oh aye oh

Near the end of the procession Holly enters the circle: crows and Holly join the very end of the procession. Holly makes a grand dramatic gesture of going to the center (waiting till everyone else has returned to the circle), then kneels to lay an evergreen spring by Oak.

Holly:

Bright sister, do not grieve. I will guard and guide the turning world in your place, until at the depth of Winter we shall meet again, and you will rise to take your place once more. [takes up flowering rod] But now, at the very balance point of the year, let us dance together, you and I.

[Holly raises Oak up, and Oak takes her place in the circle.]

Holly [to all]:

In winter and in darkness I will reign
And lead the dance till spring shall come again.

Holly leads Spiral Dance. She should break the line next to Oak so that she is the head of the line and Oak is the tail.

All:

Hoof and horn, hoof and horn,
All that dies must be reborn.
Vine and grain, vine and grain,
All that falls shall rise again.

Holly:

What is shoot shall become flower
What is flower shall become fruit
What is fruit shall become seed
What is seed shall become shoot
Ever and forever, as the Wheel turns.

Crow 1:

Farewell, Lady of the waning year.
Go in peace to your realms of autumn,
To watch over harvest and make ready for the dark.
Blessings on your presence.
Hail and farewell.

Sun Court Leader:

Farewell, Lady of the waxing year.
Go in peace to your realms of spring,
To cherish new life and make ready for the day.
Blessings on your presence.
Hail and farewell.

North:

Farewell, powers of the North!
Go in peace to your mountain realms.
Hail and farewell.

West:

Farewell, powers of the West!
Go in peace to your ocean realms.
Hail and farewell.

South:

Farewell, powers of the South!
Go in peace to your fiery realms.
Hail and farewell.

East:

Farewell, powers of the East!
Go in peace to your high realms.
Hail and farwell.

Sun Leader:

All spirits whom this circle has drawn
We thank you and ask that you now be gone.
The Witches' Law has always been
You must go out where you enter in.
With points drawn down we make the slash
Each to their own--sham ham phorash.

All:

The circle is open, but never broken.
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again!