🌻🌞Litha🌞🌻
🌻 Midsummer, or summer solstice
🌻 Art By: Lanajay_Art on instagram https://www.instagram.com/lanajay_art/
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🌞 When Is Litha?
🌻 Northern Hemisphere:
20-24 June
It is typically celebrated on the longest day and the shortest night of the year
🌻 Southern Hemisphere:
20-24 December
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🌞What Is Litha?
🌻 Litha is the celebration of the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The sun god is thriving and at his most vibrant peak, giving warmth to the earth and growth all around. We are celebrating the potential and successes that surround us. From now on the days will begin to become shorter again and darkness will begin to take over. The summer and warmth are still sticking around for a while, though, and it is still a very happy occasion. We are celebrating the pregnancy of the Triple Goddess with the Horned God. The Oak King is currently ruling the waxing half of the year while the Holly King is ruling the waning half of the year. The Holly King and the Oak King are battling with each other and the Holly King will eventually overrule the Oak King. Litha is a time for important magick and major spell work that needs to be put into action; It’s the best time to complete any huge magickal workings that need tackling. Before the darker days return, we must celebrate.
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🌞How To Celebrate It
🌻 Litha comes at such a positive time of year and your celebrations will reflect this.
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🌞Activities
🌻 Tackle the most challenging and most anticipated spells and rituals at midsummer, the ones that require the most energy from you; what better time to do it than when the world’s energies are at their peak! It’s the best time of the year for rituals to do with fire,faery magick, love, passion, energy and luck for the warmer times to come.
🌻 It’s also a good time to renew any tools or create or purchase any extra magickal tools you may require.
🌻Throw a midsummer bonfire or have a fire ritual. Or organize an outside gathering to simply enjoy the sun! There are loads of different ways that you can do this, a traditional midsummer bonfire would (obviously) be outside, although if this is not an option, a wood burner inside would also be fine. Burn pieces of old oak, light them on the evening before midsummer, then let them burn out as they reach the morning. It is also common to scatter herbs on the fire. Some Wiccans also burn the nine sacred types of wood (birch, rowan, ash, alder, willow, hawthorn, oak, holly and hazel) to bring them good luck and a good harvest. During the midsummer bonfire they would jump over the fire, then let the fire burn down completely and sometimes collect ashes from the fire and scatter them on the fields or on their herb garden to bring good fortune in the harvesting season coming in the near future. You could also keep some ashes for luck within spell work or rituals.
🌻 Create a god’s eye: it is typically made from wool or string and its purpose is to give protection and luck for the darker and colder days to come. Hang the god’s eye above your altar or on your door.
🌻 Go for a walk and enjoy the peak of summer! Collect things from the natural world that you need for magickal workings and to place at your altar. Have a picnic or barbecue or even just go to the beach or go for a bike ride.
🌻 If you work with the fae or just like to appreciate them, midsummer is the time for the faery rede. At this time, the fae will be riding magickal animals across the countryside, so hang out, either outside your house or in a nearby field, Bells and offerings such as sparkly decorations and food can be used to create the perfect area for the fae.
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🌞Altar Ideas
🌻 Light green, yellow, gold and red candles to represent the sun god at his peak and the green earth at its fullest.
🌻 Decorate your altar with summer flowers such as sunflowers, carnations,poppies and hydrangeas.
🌻 Place a ring of flowers around your altar or around specific items for protection.
🌻 Pictures of the sun or ornaments symbolizing the sun honour the sun god being at his peak.
🌻 Oak leaves represent the Oak King, who has been ruling for this hald of the year, but will be laid to rest soon. Oak in different forms can be relevant to Litha.
🌻 Gold, yellow and orange ribbons and cloth can be draped at your altar.
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🌞Food And Drink
🌻 Warm-colored vegetables such as butternut squash,sweet potatoes, carrots and tomatoes are all great to eat around this time of the year. They represent warmth and the wonderful produce we receive from the summer.
🌻 Home-grown or locally produced leafy green vegetables
🌻 Spicy foods
🌻 Curries
🌻 Spiced cakes
🌻 Spiced punch and rum
🌻 Anything with honey or as an alternative golden or maple syrup- bees are another representation of Litha, the midsummer full moon is acutally also known as the honey moon!
🌻 Barbecued food or flame-grilled food is good to eat too; once again it represents the heat and the sun’s energy.
🌻 Ice cream- not only is it cooling in the summer months, it also represents the colder days to come.
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🌞Crystals
🌻 Relevant crystals to carry around with you this time of the year, to meditate with, to use in divination and spell work, and to place at your altar are:
Emerald
Sunstone
Citrine
Yellow Tourmaline
Yellow Topaz
Calcite
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🌞HERBS
🌻 Seasonal fresh herbs are great of Litha, as is anything that represents heat, flavour and greenery and ties in with Litha’s celebrations.
Mint
Basil
Rosemary
Sage
Honeysuckle
Carnation
Paprika
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🌞INCENSE
🌻 Good incense to use during casting circles and burning at your altar around Litha time and for cleansing and consecrating, as well as for magickal workings, are:
Lavender
Citrus scents, such as orange and lemon
Musk
Pine
Rose
Summer Flowers
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