All One Family
The longest day of the year, the lesser sabbat of Litha, is traditionally a time to celebrate the light. Known as the summer solstice, Litha’s long day combines with the shortest night of the year. Moving into the northern hemisphere, the sun has traveled as far north as it will. While we enjoy the long days of light, we know that now the length of the days will diminish and we will slide back, eventually toward darkness.
Represented by the sun, which is at its highest point overhead, the God is in his glory. He has grown strong and tall and reached the zenith of his life. He has conquered darkness and brought fertility and abundance, and he sees this in the abundant crops of the season. But from this height he sees what lays ahead, and the God knows that now it is all downhill: aging, diminishing, failing, and eventually death. Introspective and thoughtful, the God accepts that his sacrifice is necessary and will lead to rebirth. Quietly, the God gives thanks for all that he has enjoyed in his life, and he gives thanks for his strength, fertility, and power in the moment. The God is mindful of his blessings.
In this bright light, the Goddess also looks ahead, knowing that croning approaches. Both God and Goddess must come to terms with change and transformation. They celebrate their fertility, virility, and glory, realizing that the harvest is soon to come, and after that, the dark.
While the summer is a carefree time for teens, with school out, they are aware of the transitory nature of summer. Too quickly summer will end, and it will be time to return to school. So while the days are long, encourage your teens to rejoice in the warm sun and celebrate youthful energy, strength, and beauty, and encourage them to celebrate themselves. We know what lies ahead for them (aging, weakness, infirmity, and eventually death).
Too soon the days will grow shorter and darker. Too soon summer will end. And too soon our teenagers will grow into adults and move out into the world.
When we’re young, it feels as though we are invincible. Our strength, energy, and beauty is complete. We think we shall live like this forever. But like summer, youth is fleeting. Without the proper attention paid, many young adults find themselves saddled with responsibility, debt, mortgages, and families without having fully enjoyed their youth. As adults, we know that we are all mortal. The carefree days are limited.
Litha is a great time to introduce mindfulness. Not a big fan of sitting still or meditating, my daughter easily grabbed onto this simple practice. It helped her to look at her bounty and take stock of where she was. And it enabled her to do that without focusing on what was not done, what was lacking, or still in need.
In life I have learned that we are wired to always look for the negative. Maybe it is the old, reptilian part of our brain that is always on the look out for danger, but it is easy for us to slide into patterns of negative anticipation. And if you remember the basics of the Law of Attraction (like attracts like), guess what that will bring?
Practice: Count Your Blessings
A simple mindfulness practice that cultivates a positive outlook and also helps to take inventory of everything that is going well in life is a gratitude list. I know, it sounds so simple, but it can actually take a bit of mindful focus to get yourself or your kids into the habit.
Each night before bed, urge your teenagers to take a notebook and pen and create some quiet time without distractions. Suggest a structure they can consistently complete for the first week, like writing one full page of gratitude. They might find it hard to fill a full page, but ask them to commit to trying for the whole week.
I got my daughter a special notebook to keep by her bedside. It wasn’t to be used for anything else, just her “thanksgiving.” I also purchased a Pilot Hi-Tecpoint pen in purple, her favorite color. While these little details seem petty, they communicate care to our teens. Our gifts help them to know that we love and support them.
On the first night, sit together and go through the exercise. Suggest phrases to start out the list like “Thank you for…,” “I am grateful for…,” “I am thankful for…,” “With all my heart, thank you for…,” and “Thank you, thank you, thank you for…” Either start with these or make up some of your own.
The point is to get your teens to start identifying the bounty in their lives, everything from the smallest achievement—“Thank you for the loud alarm clock that doesn’t let me go back to sleep”—to the largest—“I am grateful that the school year is coming to an end, and I have the summer ahead of me to look forward to.” Even on a really hard, stressful day, it is possible to find something to be grateful for in the ordinary things we usually take for granted: I am thankful to wake up to the light. It beats waking up in the dark of winter. And it’s easier to get going.
Writing gratitude lists before bed not only helps your teens to inventory the good stuff in their lives, but it provides positive feeling endorphins, calms their worries, and prepares them for a restful sleep. As they write their gratitude lists, it is as if they are gathering nuts, berries, and fruits of the vine. These little treasures that they can value and conserve will be there when they need them most. Gratitude lists are sustenance for the soul, growing the light inside and out.