If you look far enough out, it seems that eventually you begin to see in. Out there, the year is turning to midlife, and we are turning with it.
In earth's annual orbit, the north pole will be angled most directly at the sun on June 20, at 11:47 PM PDT, marking the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. The season of building, expansion and outward expression that began at the winter solstice will now, almost imperceptibly, begin to fade.
So too, the powers, youth and strength of the Oak King, the bright monarch of the growing season, will turn to decline. Like the Oak King, by midlife, we find our powers are not what they were. Inevitably we rail against our change in physical stature, our loss of keen vision, vigor and respect in the eyes of a culture enraptured by youth.
By midsummer, the Oak King, betrayed by age, is vanquished by the dark Holly King, Ruler of the Waning Year. Outwardly, it seems so simple -- the old replaced by the new. A young upstart, with strength and different music takes our place. But on second look, nothing is as it seems.
It is not death that the Oak King finds at midsummer, it is transformation. At his zenith, the Oak King no longer needs vigorous strength to make his way, or radiant illumination to light the path. At midsummer, he, like we, find that the way Home is inward, down into dark brilliance, the fertile anxiousness that accompanies those who feel discovery at hand.
The eyes that now require reading glasses see inward with improved clarity. The body that is no longer tireless, that prefers a chair, can sense the shifts in a room full of emotion. The once tight skin that swathes the body relaxes, filling spaces and creating storylines. The physical world becomes less material. Intuition, rather than the senses, envelope the body. We turn Inside Out -- an utterly different creature, equipped for an entirely different journey from midlife on. The reign of the Holly King has begun.
Upon transformation, in our altered guise, we possess new skills and the power of an entirely different world, for that is our path as the material falls away. Sadly, the riches of the universal world are not noticed by all. Many look, few See. But to travel the path of the Holly King, the path of apparent decay, is to seek and find the Land of Joy, freedom from the world's illusion, where the thrill of Self-discovery and the beauty of one's companions outweigh the supple limbs and the struggles of youth.
We die a little each day, and to each day we are born again. Life is a brilliant opportunity in all its forms. Relish the gifts offered by each season and when June 20 rolls around, may the summer solstice find you seeing outside in.