'Summers Queen'

At Midsummer — Litha, the Summer Solstice — the sun reaches its maximum height and the day its maximum length. Every tradition in the northern hemisphere marks this: bonfires in Scandinavia, the standing stones aligned to catch solstice light at Stonehenge and Newgrange, the ancient Celtic observance of the Oak King at his zenith. The Oak King rules the waxing year. At Midsummer, he is at his full power — and the Holly King, ruler of the waning year, begins his ascent.

The queen of summer knows what her season means. Maximum light. Maximum visibility. And already, quietly, the first movement toward the turning. She reigns completely, and she knows it is not permanent, and she reigns completely anyway.

This is for the woman who inhabits her power fully, knowing seasons are sacred and temporary both.