Litha

I apologise for the late posting. With current circumstances its been quite difficult to balance being home schooled at a university level ( I'm studying my postgraduate course) and my Witchy home life. Today's informational posting will be less DIY and more about encouraging you to think about what you wish to do.

Today we will be talking about Litha!

Litha, also known as the Summer Solstice and Mid-summers day. Is all about celebrating the SUN!. There are of course many different ways to celebrate depending on your belief system but in general any solar deities, summer deities, even love deities are celebrated and worshipped during this time.

Many use stone circles as part of their celebration, such as Stonehenge, famous for it's spiritual symbolism and the solstice celebrations. With ritual celebrations that lasts from sunrise and sunset- usually observed in masses.  2020 was the first year I know that Stonehenge was closed off to our community as a preventative for the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. Many  National Heritage staff did however prepare a live video feed of Stonehenge that was globally available. So i watched my very first Stonehenge Solstice experience through the digital lens of the world.

Actual things you can do for Litha:

Many create a bonfire as the sun comes under the fire element . Other celebrate the Masculine energy of the sun; which in theory makes sense due to the popular holiday "Father's day" is celebrated around the same time. Midsummer mead is a popular drink, as is seasonal food and flowers as part of feasts , rituals and Altar decorations. I myself made some chamomile lemon cake for the Solstice and decorated my Altars with a Solar theme.

It's not pretty but it tastes fantastic

I have freshly picked lavender which i am in the process of drying and i have been planting autumnal flowering wild flowers as well as trying new recipes. My father has been baking buttermilk bread and making mozzarella and my mother had a go at making pizza dough which was beyond successful.

So even your quarantine diy's are perfect for Litha . Handfasting marriages are also common around this time of year and alfresco dining. So go outside and enjoy the sun even if its cloudy and raining. Even BBQ's count so have fun.

I must admit i was laxed on my own decoration and celebrations for Litha- especially on my altar this time. Perhaps that's why i developed a vitamin D deficiency (joking of course). But this is just another argument towards "you do not need to have all the bells and whistles to celebrate" I kept my celebration simple And luckily my Witchcasket subscription came with a sun theme which made decorating a lot easier for me this time around. I had sunstone on my altars, Marigold petals and some artwork sent to me which sits on my main Altar quite contently. I  also made some witch bells, and recently some home made/grown cherry Jam.

If you'd like to see more detailed information and a couple of rituals please follow the link below. Or write your own rituals. You know who to honour, what the main themes are and have more than enough of a capability to celebrate in a way that feels right to you.

https://www.learnreligions.com/litha-rites-and-rituals-2561483