Litha

Today the sun shines for the longest of all days this year, it is Summer Solstice and we honor and celebrate the Sun God (or the Horned God) and his almighty power and strength.

Litha (Midsummers Eve) is the time of year when the Sun God is at his most powerful, we give thanks for all that we have received throughout the year and are yet to receive in the new year.

The Summer solstice, also known as midsummer, occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. For that hemisphere, the summer solstice is when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky and is the day with the longest period of daylight. Here in the South, our Solstice occurs on or around December 21st and in the North it happens in June.

Litha is the perfect time for drying herbs for magickal uses throughout the coming year, making Sage and Mugwort bundles for smudging and of course, to feast with family & friends.

When decorating your Altar or Sacred Space for Litha, it is traditional to use a yellow, gold, orange or red altar cloth and candles, fresh and brightly coloured flowers & fruits, a statue or symbol to represent the Sun God (or Horned God) and anything else you feel should be there such as crystals like Carnelian, Citrine and Obsidian.

[image source: witchywords.com]

In our home we place Ra, the Egyptian God above our Altar. Being an eclectic family of witches, we each follow a few different paths so we like to mix things up a bit to incorporate each others Gods and Goddesses.

Each Summer Solstice, we spend some time outdoors in the Sun, charge those crystals which prefer the sunlight to the glow of the moon. We feast on Summery foods and perform our own individual rituals as well as a family one all-together.

Nature is at it's peek, back in the day people would leap over the bonfire to ensure a good crop. Unfortunately these days and with soaring temperatures and drought stricken lands we may be unable to have bonfires or out door fires as we often have fire-bans during Summer (along with storm season!)

In Australia, the Sturt Desert Pea is the sacred flower of Litha. We celebrate the Sun Gods' ascendance where he is at his most powerful as the Goddess brings forward the bounty of the Earth.

How do you celebrate Litha? If you're short on time, just simply taking a moment out of your day to sit in the Sun and give thanks to the Gods is all you need, the Gods are not fussy and don't expect much from those who can't give (yes, some of them are a little "fancier" than others but as a general rule you don't need to do bit fancy rituals if you can't)

Blessings!

Lyllith Xx

Litha Wreath by Rowan Duxbury - www.positivelypagan.com Rowan has some fabulous handcrafted Pagan items listed for sale in her Etsy store, along with some wonderful information on her website.

This is my current Litha Sabbat candle which is now available to purchase via my online store.

I also have a wonderful Litha Herbal Incense blend which has been sprinkled on top of these candles.

Shop Here - www.LyllithsEmporium.com.au