Ah, MidSummer. That time of the year when the days are long, fruits and vegetables are reaching ripeness beneath the warmth of the sun, and the natural world is buzzing and singing with life. It is also the time of Festivals and Gatherings across the world, with people coming together to celebrate the changing of the seasons, the turning of the wheel, and the ever-faithful journey of our solar system through the cosmos.
Being a traveler most of my life, and a visiting musician in this latest reincarnation of myself, I have had the priviledge of seeing a variety of flora and fauna all across our continent as I journey from South to North and East to West in pursuit of sharing my music and stories.
In the Spring and Summer of 2023 I had a lovely tour of the Southeastern and Midwestern United States, and as I journeyed from my home in Florida I visited friends and shared music in Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas and Ohio, passing through North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois and Missisippi on my ways.
All through my journey I was greeted by lush greenery and warm sunny days that were often accompanied by cool breezes and now and then sudden fierce rainstorms. Being out amongst the green wood has always touched off my creative juices, and a song of the coming Midsummer began to show itself as I spent time among the lush greenery and vibrant forest life at Moondance in Alabama during their May 2023 gathering.
As always, the chords, rhythm and melodies came along first, playing themselves through my mind whenever it wasn’t occupied with something else (like listening to my favorite online pagan radio stations or taking part in activities). Over the rest of May and into June in between visits to friends and venues in South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky, there were plenty of miles on the way where I lost radio signal or otherwise had silence on the drive, and here would be this song that would come to be known as “Midsummer Song” playing itself through my mind once again.
Many times I would stop at rest areas to work on the tune and the concept that was starting to become a non-stop thing in my mind, the melody beginning to wrap itself around other music and insist that I listen to it and not to anything else. The beauty of nature in the full swing of summer helped me to find the words and the ideas that would fit themselves onto the melody that was an almost non-stop earworm waiting to burst free from my throat in song.
Almost to the town in Missouri where Pagan Spirit Gathering was to be held, I pulled over in a Love’s Truck Stop and amongst the big rigs, between the back of my SUV and the front of my trailer, I recorded on my phone the finished tribute to the Summer Solstice, simply known as Midsummer Song.
Opening my eyes, on this Midsummer morning
“Midsummer Song” (c) 2023 by Meren King, from the album “Walking the Spiral: Songs from the Wheel of the Year”
Early dawn sunlight peaking through the trees
Laughter of Campmates floating on a cool breeze
Excitement and joy, at the thought of this day
All Hail, the sun at Midsummer!
The Oak King resplendent,on this longest day,
Celebrate, the Goddess so verdant
The wealth of our Mother, is growing
and ripening
in the warmth
of the Sun
Floating along, on a slow moving river
Diamonds of sunlight dancing on the soft waves
Dragonflies flit by as I gaze at the blue sky
The heat of the sun glistening on my damp skin
All Hail this wondrous Midsummer
The Holly King’s coming, But he’s so far away,
The sweet taste of summer still rests on my tongue
Succulent gifts from The Mother
Fresh from ripening
in the warmth
of the Sun
Greeting the Sun on this midsummer morning
Basking with joy in the warmth of his rays
Floating on sunshine. Through this summer Solstice.
Remember the sweetness of this midsummer’s day
Sharing the song with friends, I was very happy to be invited to play it at the Morning Summer Solstice ritual at Pagan Spirit Gathering 2023 where it became a part of that early morning celebration circle. It was also a favorite addition to both my Green Dragon Stage and Main Stage Acoustic concerts at that year’s gathering.
For the rest of my tour and while visiting loved ones during the Summer of 2023, I played “Midsummer Song” everywhere I could, sharing my joy at the wondrousness of the summer and the abundance of life living and growing on our twirling earth.
After many days traveling the highways and biways of the Midwest and Southeast, my summer tour culminated in a performance of this celebration song during the International Pagan Music Association’s yearly awards ceremony, held that year at the Starwood Festival in Pomeroy, Ohio.
Upon returning home to Florida, I got together with my friend Gina LaMonte and recorded this tribute to this time of year, complete with strings and woodwinds to bring to life the feeling of floating on sunshine in the river of life. You can find it here, on my “Walking the Spiral: Songs from the Wheel of the Year” album: https://merenking.bandcamp.com/track/midsummer-song-2
Celebrating the richness of the Summer Solstice; the strength of the Sun, of the Oak King, at this time of year; and the abundant life growing, blooming and ripening under the warmth of the sun, quenched by the storms of summer as the wheel turns, this song invites us to remember the strength of the Oak King, gifts of our Mother Earth and the abundance of life that the summer time brings.
All Hail the Sun and Our Mother at Midsummer!
For more information about Meren King, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to Meren’s sites on the web, check out Meren’s page on Pagan Song.
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