Fall’s last breath is fast approaching
And I would be remiss not to honor the ancient Holly King during this, his time of dominance.

The mythology tells us:
Since the Autumnal Equinox,
The Holly King has been gaining in power, but his counterpart – The Oak King, will soon begin to re-emerge,  moving us towards his peak at midsummer.

The Holly King and Oak King are personifications of the winter and summer.
The two kings engage in an ongoing “battle” within the turning of the wheel.
Each ruling over their portion of the cycle of death & rebirth, and dark & light, reflected in the seasons of the year.

During the warm days of Midsummer the Oak King is at the height of his strength.
The Holly King – The Dark Father, regains power after the day of their equality – the Autumn equinox,
his strength then peaking during Midwinter.

The Holly King’s realm is the underworld,
and it is there we go to be reborn. 
His realm is the dark.
All creation begins in the dark.
Within the dark are the held dormant seeds of new worlds, experiences  opportunities…
We plant our “seeds” within the dark, burying them within to be nurtured and to germinate. 

{He is also the father of all that is “ever green” ?}

The Winter Solstice – aka “Midwinter”, is the Holly King’s day.
He is the father of transformation and one who guides us to birth new ways.
The winter solstice is the marker for the New Year.
It is when we make “New Year’s Resolutions”…
Planting our “seeds of intention” to shed our old ways and give way to the new.
A tradition based on the gifts and meanings of this seasonal transition
– which the Holly King represents. 

Once the winter solstice has passed,
the light begins its return as the hours of daylight gradually increase.
After the Winter Solstice, the Sun and the Son – The Oak King, are reborn. Eventually sharing equal power with The Dark at the Spring equinox.
From there, they – the bringers of light, rule
as they move us to the peak of the Sun’s (the son’s) dominance
– the summer solstice.
Then slowing fading towards the equally shared day of light & dark,
at Autumn’s equinox
…and so the wheel turns and the cycle goes on.

To me, the tale of these two kings is not really a battle, it is an ancient creation story. Yet another way to guide us through the ongoing cycles of the seasons
death and rebirth…
Of laying to rest and renewal…

~ Jill ?
Channel * Psychic-Medium * Energy Healer
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