Summertime

If you were with us in church on Sunday, you remember we celebrated the Summer Solstice (first day of summer).  Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong helped us, with a rendition of the song, “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess:

     “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.
      Fish are jumpin,’ and the cotton is high.
     Your daddy’s rich, and your mama’s good looking;
     So hush little baby, don’t you cry.”

It’s probably true that the arrival of summer in Southern California can be a little anti-climactic.  Of course, we do (usually) release “May gray” and “June gloom” and jump into what a friend of mine used to call “July fry.”  But it a very different experience from the Upper Midwest and Northeast, where a profound change can be seen in nature, going from the colors of brown, gray and white in winter to the brilliant greens of summer.

In the Pagan and Wiccan traditions, the Summer Solstice celebrates joy, warmth and laughter.  The gift of imagination is in full tilt, as we plan and experience outdoor activities such as picnics, barbeques with family and friends, trips to the beach, and summer vacations.  Days are longer, which gives us more time to enjoy the sun and soak in its warmth.

Warmth can also be very healing, and with the brilliant light of the sun, we can use our ever available imagination to think “outside the box,” creating a new story about an old event or situation.