Celebrating Litha

Litha (20-21st June 2020)

Also known as Summer Solstice, Midsummer or Midsummer’s Eve, is the longest day and shortest night of the year where the sun reaches its peak.

From Litha until Yule the hours of the sun will become shorter. Litha celebrations are in recognition of this and to give thanks to the sun for its warmth and fertility. Also to celebrate as the goddess transitions from maiden to the mother phase.

Litha is traditionally celebrated by jumping over a bonfire for protection, fertility and health. Another custom is to burn herbs as symbols of fertility and asking for good fortune during the rest of the year (harvest season).

It is also traditional to have a candle burning all day to symbolise and honour the sun.

Rituals of cleansing (see what is smudging) and re-dedication to the path are also often performed at Litha.

Other ideas are to:

• decorate your altar (see how to create an altar) with
  • a chalice filled with water
  • the sun tarot card
  • summer flowers such as roses, daisies, sunflowers
• bonfires
• walks in nature
• divination related to love and romance
• go fairy spotting – as the veil is this at the summer solstice
• drumming, singing or dancing (especially outside around a fire)
• watch live streamed Stonehenge events such as:
  • Wonderland Festival accessible via Facebook here
  • or English Heritage steamed event via Facebook here
• use colors related to summer, fire, love and divinity
  • white, yellow, orange, green, red
• use/burn herbs/incense such as
  • cinnamon, lavender, rose petals, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, vervain
• use/diffuse oils such as
  • frankincense, lavender, sandalwood
• use crystals such as
  • tiger’s eye, citrine, yellow jasper, green aventurine, sunstone, carnelian
• eat/make offerings of foods such as
  • oats, bread, honey and summer fruits

A simple and sweet ritual idea

(See casting a circle)

A simple Litha ritual could be to set intentions that you would like to manifest using rose petals throwing petals in one at a time into a cauldron or bowl. This could be done with others taking it in turns to put in petals and passing around a rose.

You could also put in further offerings such as herbs, or you may have anointed candles (see candle magick) relating to your intentions or Litha and then all close your eyes and focus your attention on the bowl and your intentions inside it and visualise them coming to be, see it as if they have already happened and feel how it will feel. Let this energy of excitement, joy and gratitude generate within you and inside the circle. Let this build up and when it hits its peak, imagine it flowing like a cone of power from the floor of your circle and out of the top into the universe.

Once you feel the energy has dropped and the ritual is complete, you will need to close your circle (See casting a circle) and then you can take the petals and any other contents of the bowl and send them to the wind or water as an offering back to the earth.

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