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Kyle's Litha Lesson
by Lori Dake, 2002
Kyle's Litha Lesson, by Lori Dake, 2002
Kyle is a little boy who lives in a big city. He lives in big apartment building with 12 other families, and every family is very different, but they all get along. Kyle has a mom and a dad and a big orange cat named Sneaky. Like every other family in the big apartment building, Kyle's family is different, too.Kyle and Sneaky watched the lightning streak across the dark skies. He sighed as he wished he could go outside and play as Sneaky's hair stood straight up. Every time the thunder rolled, Sneaky crouched in fear and his eyes grew wider. "It sure is a bad storm out there!" Kyle said to Sneaky. Kyle began to count between the lightning and the thunder. "One alligator, two alligators, three..." *BOOM!* A crash of thunder sounded across the sky. Kyle began to count again. "One alligator, two alliga..." And a huge flash of lightning lit the dark sky. "Wow!!" Kyle shrieked! "Mother Nature sure knows how to put on a light show!" Sneaky leaped off the window sill and hid behind a chair. His hair stood on end.
Kyle kept watching and keeping time, because he heard that the closer the 'alligators', the nearer the storm was above. Kyle started to become nervous - he couldn't even say 'one alligator' before the lightning would flash.
Then, the thunder and the lightning became as one... and Kyle's favorite tree outside was struck! "Oh no!" Kyle cried as he jumped from his chair. All of the lights in his apartment blew out, and Kyle became truly scared. As he ran into the kitchen, he bumped into his mom who was running towards him!
"Mom! Mom! I saw it!" Kyle cried into his mom's arms. Kyle's mom held him tightly and stroked his hair. In the dark apartment, Kyle felt helpless. "You know Kyle," his mom said gently, "it won't be dark forever." Kyle looked up with teary eyes. "The storm will pass shortly, and things will get back to normal." Kyle felt better. "Let's go find a flashlight," she said. "I think your dad has one in his tool box."
Kyle held his mom's hand as they slowly walked into the dining room. "Stand here for a moment," his mom said as she let go of his hand. She slowly walked towards the windows where she remembered the tool box was. Because she knew there were some very sharp and dangerous tools, she carefully opened the box and slowly removed the tools one by one. She laid them on the floor as her hands gently felt around for the flashlight.
Kyle's nervousness became relief as he saw a beam of light shoot across the room. "Got it!" his mom said happily. "Wait a second before you come over here, though," his mom said sternly. "Let me put this stuff away first." She held the flashlight in one hand as she put the tools away with the other. Kyle followed his mom's voice and the beam of light and reached for her hand. "Let's go get some candles lit," she said and Kyle nodded in agreement.
Together, they walked around the apartment and lit candles everywhere. Even though it was the afternoon, the dark skies hid the sunlight. Soon, the apartment was brightly lit, as though they had electricity again! Kyle felt very comfortable. "Now Kyle," his mom said, "Sneaky can get hurt from all of these candles, so keep a close eye on him." Kyle already knew that, but he knew she just wanted Sneaky to be safe. He picked up Sneaky and held him close to his chest.
Kyle and Sneaky went to look out the window and watch the light show again. He sadly looked at his tree, which had lost a large branch. He called for his mom to look, and as she looked, she smiled. "Mom!" Kyle exclaimed. "Why are you happy?" He looked at her in disbelief. "That's just part of the cycle of life, Kyle," she said calmly. "That branch wasn't making many leaves anymore, and I know just what to do with it." Kyle looked at her, very puzzled. "We'll have to wait for the storm to die down before we can get it."
As Kyle looked out the window, he saw their green car park in front of teh apartment. They saw Kyle's dad jump out of the car and run towards the front door. "Go let your dad in," his mom said. "The buzzer isn't going to work without electricity, and he probably can't see the keys well." Kyle agreed and ran downstairs.
As Kyle walked down the stairs with his flashlight, he saw his dad fumbling with the keys. He opened the door and saw his dad standing, dripping wet! His dad went inside and shook himself off. Kyle got splashed with some of the rain water, and he defensively put his hands up to block some of it. "Hahahaha!" his dad laughed. "You're all wet now, too!" Kyle didn't think that was very funny - not at all!
Kyle led his dad up the stairs and into the apartment. "Hey hon," his dad said to his mom. "The whole neighborhood is out!" Kyle started to tell his dad how he saw the whole thing happen. "Well then," his dad said, "we're for sure going to need to make use of that big branch out there!" Kyle's mom smiled, and Kyle realized that both his mom and dad felt the same way. "Why do you guys both want that branch so bad?" he asked. "Well,"his dad replied, "I guess it's because the branch has even more direct contact with Nature, and it would be a terrible thing to let something that powerful to go to waste!" Kyle understood, and soon he also began to get excited about the branch. After all, it was from his favorite tree!
When the storm died down to a sprinkle, Kyle's family got dressed to go outside so they could retrieve the branch. Kyle was careful to put Sneaky in teh pantry where there were no lit candles. "I'm sorry Sneaky," he said, "but we'll only be gone a few minutes." Sneaky meowed. "Besides," Kyle continued, "you don't want to get all went!" Sneaky didn't look very happy about being locked in the pantry, but Kyle figured it was better he would be better safe and unhappy, than to roam freely and get hurt! Kyle's dad carried a handsaw with him to remove the smaller attached branches. Kyle carried an old pillowcase to carry the little pieces. He didn't want to waste one little scrap!
Kyle's mom and dad picked up the branch and dropped it repeatedly on the ground. They wanted to make sure any insects living in the branch would have a chance to find a new home. Then, Kyle's mom held the branch while his dad cut it down to a usable size. "This is going to make a fine staff!" his dad exclaimed. "Look at how perfect it is!" Kyle collected the smaller branches and scraps into his pillowcase. Soon, it was ready to bring upstairs, and they all trooped back to begin removing the bark.
When they got upstairs, Kyle let Sneaky out of the pantry. Sneaky was very happy to be out, and ran to him. Sneaky rubbed his body against Kyle's legs and purred. Then, Sneaky stretched and curled up in his favorite sleeping place on a chair in the dining room.
As Kyle's dad began stripping the bark with his shiny blade, Kyle could hear his dad whispering something. "Dad," Kyle asked, "what are you doing?" Kyle's dad looked up at him and smiled. "Well, I'm thanking the Gods for giving us such a wonderful gift, and I'm adding my magick into the new staff." Kyle understood, and he wondered how he could help. Since Kyle wasn't quite big enough to use a knife, he knew he couldn't carve his small branches. Kyle's mom suggested he put the good ones into the one of his mom's buckets with some sea salt. "What's that going to do?" Kyle asked. "Well," his mom replied, "the water will slowly loosen the bark so you can peel it, and the sea salt will purify it." Kyle thought that was a really great idea!
Kyle did just that, and as he filled the bucket with water, he began queitly chanting some words he made up himself. "Thank you Goddesses, thank you Gods, turn this branch into my rods." He repeated these words over and over as he stirred in the sea salt his mom gave him, and also when he tossed in the few good branches. Kyle was going to make some really cool wands with those branches!
After Kyle's dad finished stripping the bark, the power came back on. "See," his dad said, "it's fun to do stuff in the dark!" Kyle and his mom both agreed, but Sneaky didn't. All of the lights and sounds made him jump up from his nap! The power was good to help everyone clean up the bark and leaves off the floor, but after being in the dark for so long, no one else seemed to want to use electricity, either! So, for the rest of the evening, they read from a book and played cards. Kyle's mom made sandwiches for a light dinner, along with a nice salad.
After a few days, Kyle's mom said he could check to see if his branches were ready to peel. Kyle ran over to his bucket, which was now on the back porch. He rolled up his sleeve and reached in the bucket. "Boy is this water COLD!" he shrieked. He couldn't understand how even in the summer, that the water could be so cold! He reached in again and quickly removed a branch. He tugged at a side and tried to peel off some of the bark. Just as his mom said, it started to come off, just like husking corn.
When Kyle was finished, he examined at his new wands. Was he ever surprised! There were carvings all over the place. He ran into the living room and showed off his new wands! "Look at this!" he said. "The Gods decorated them for me!" Kyle's dad asked to see one closer. Kyle handed it to him, and his dad's eyes widened. 'They sure did, Kyle!" he said. Kyle's dad knew that the water and salt had actually cracked the wood into designs, and pill bugs had made the starry lines. Even so, he wasn't going to tell that to Kyle. After all, the Gods lived in everything, so in fact, They had made the beautiful carvings and designs.
Kyle's mom asked to see another, and as she examined it, she suggested that they should be dedicated the next day for Litha. She noticed that there was an almost repeating pattern of runes, so she began to read them. "There's a difinite message here, Kyle!" she said excitedly. "See this one," as she pointed to a rune on the end of one side. This is the symbol for giving." Kyle looked at it, but didn't see anything special. "It just lookes like an 'X' to me," he said and shrugged. "Well, that maybe true, but you need to see this with your magickal eyes," she explained. Kyle checked his other wands, and sure enough, they all had lots of 'Xs' on them! "They're all gifts!" he said excitedly! "That must mean that my favorite tree gave me a present!" Kyle's mom smiled, because she knew Kyle was beginning to see the message she saw. "What else does it say, mom?" Kyle asked.
Kyle's mom went on to point out other obvious runes. "This one here is for fire... for knowledge," she continued, and this one represents an ox... for strength". Kyle showed her the other wands, and they all had the same messages on them, along with single cracks and the starry pill bug designs. Kyle knew these were very special wands indeed, and wanted to decorate them for Litha!
Kyle's dad didn't have very many messages in his because he removed the bark with a knife, but the same 'X' messages were on his, and a few starry designs remained. However, the staff had a large blackened tip to his, which was where the lightning struck it. Kyle thought his dad's staff was going to be very good indeed, because the Gods touched it directly!
Kyle's dad spent the rest of the day carving runes into his staff that had special meaning to him, and Kyle spent the day decorating his new wands. His mom let him go through her craft box for supplies, being careful to watch for pins and other sharp items. As his mom helped him find some copper wire, Kyle looked through her box of stones and crystals for just the right ones. Kyle chose jasper for one, amber for a second, and turquoise for the third. Kyle's mom explained to him that she collected these before he was born when she went on vacations together with his dad from different Native American resevations. "And maybe we can afford to go on a vacation to look for new ones later this summer!" she continued. Kyle thought how much fun that would be as he began to tie the stones onto his wands.
As Kyle and his mom tied the stones onto the tips of the wands, she explained what each stone is used for. "You made some pretty good choices here, Kyle," she said. Turquoise is helps you become wiser. Jasper is a good one for grounding - like maybe to use at the end of a ritual, when you want to go back to normal, and amber..." Kyle's mom paused a moment and smiled. "Amber is my favorite. Amber is a healing stone, even though it's not really a stone at all. If you rub it like this, you'll see it's also an attracting stone." Kyle's mom rubbed the stone with her fingers. She held it over the top of the bookcase - much higher than Kyle can reach. When she brought it back down to show him, Kyle saw the stone was covered in dust. "See what I mean?" his mom said. Kyle was amazed! "Wow!" he exclaimed. "This one really does have power!"
Kyle and his mom continued to talk as his dad slowly carved his staff. They worked many hours without stopping, because they were all so intent on their work. When Kyle finally realized he was very hungry, they all took a break to have a quick lunch from leftovers. After they ate, they resumed working throughout most of the day, and then set their new tools on top of their altar, and then had supper.
The next morning, everyone was up just before sunrise. Kyle's mom and dad woke up from the clock's alarm, and got Kyle to hurry up and get dressed. They were going to have a very busy day! Kyle knew that Litha was the longest day of the year, and they were going to celebrate the sun itself!
They all stood on their back porch to greet the sunrise in the east, and then went into the kitchen to make a big pancake breakfast. Kyle and his dad loved to do this! They used a couple pieces of plain white paper and taped them together long-ways. Then they placed the 'hats' on their heads - they were now five-star chefs making the world's best pancakes! Kyle's mom warmed a jar of strawberry preserves she made earlier in the year. When Kyle ate his breakfast, he remembered how much fun he had picking the strawberries at the farm they all drove to. He rememered how long the drive was, but it was alot of fun once they got there. And he also remembered how many strawberries that didn't make it into his basket - because he ate them right there!
After breakfast, everyone helped to make a big picnic lunch. Kyle and his dad went downstairs to the storage shed to get the cooler. They packed it with lunch meats and potato salad, and a large wedge of watermelon. They also packed some bottled water as well. Kyle's dad packed their ritual gear and Kyle packed a bag of toys to play with outside, like his frisbee and his bat and ball. Kyle's mom gathered her picnic gear, and then headed out to the nearby forest preserve.
Once they arrived, they located a quiet place at the woods. Since it was a Monday, many people were working and so the forest presevrve wasn't very crowded. They chose a small grove by a stream, and began to set up their picnic. Kyle and his dad gathered some wood to build a fire, and his mom laid out the table cloth. She set up three place settings and set the cooler and the dry food on the table.
Then, Kyle and his mom and dad set up their altar on a large nearby tree stump. As they waited for the true moment of the solstice, they dressed in their robes and nibbled on some carrot sticks. Once it was time, Kyle's dad removed his watch and began the ritual.
During the rital, Kyle and his mom and dad blessed their new tools, and thanked them for such a perfect day. At the height of the ritual, they saw a stag peeking out from the trees. They all became quiet, to see if the deer had a message for them. It rubbed its antlers on a tree, and pawed on the ground. It looked up at them again, and quietly walked back into the brush. Kyle thought that the God had said good-bye to them for the summer, but he knew He would be back at the next Soltice in winter.
After the ritual, they redressed in their summer clothes and enjoyed their lunch. Afterwards, they enjoyed the day, playing softball at the nearby diamond, and tossing the frisbee. Kyle had a truly wonderful day!