SABBATH SERIES: LITHA/MIDSUMMER
Dance and delight my fair wxtches, Midsummer is upon us! We have finally reached the longest day of the year, and it’s time to honor it with exuberant jubilation! Our fifth Sabbath in The Wheel of the Year, officially over half way through our seasonal year, I know can you believe it?! Litha, also known as Midsummer or Summer Solstice, is a Sabbath where the Sun is our main focus and the time to really absorb its energy, and rays (literally). By doing so it is said that you can carry the light with you for the rest of the year- so get absorbing, and get glowing!
For many wxtches with a four season eco-system, Litha is the easiest Sabbath to honor through outdoor ritual as there usually isn’t freezing temperatures, snowstorms, or other weather restrictions keeping us from connecting through nature. It’s no surprise that this sabbath calls for activities and being outside. For many of us it can be difficult to connect to each seasonal shift, especially in those colder climates, but with Litha all our desires, visions, and goals are released of inhibitions and limitations thanks to the warmth of the sun and the help of its Gods and Goddesses.
Those of my fellow darklings who reside in the Southern Hemisphere, may want to hop on over to our Yule Sabbath Series Article to get a deeper insight on why Yule is such a powerful, and introspective time for wxtches and their craft, while also honoring the sabbath with ritual and lore. For those unaware, this is the Sabbath opposite of Litha on the Wheel of the Year, which is why we recommend this to our Southern Hemisphere readers at this time.
Litha and it’s Significance to Witchcraft
If we think of Yule, and how introspective that time of year becomes, Litha is the complete opposite (literally on the wheel). Instead of putting on the fireplace, grabbing a plaid fleece blanket, and curling up with a good book and a hot tea, wxtches are out in the world socializing with loved ones, taking trips to far off lands, exploring new experiences, and making new connections! Your craft will quite literally change from sabbath to sabbath the more you observe the seasonal changes, and honor even the slightest differences. The day of Litha’s celebration is a marker signifying the longest day of the year being upon us, granting us with sunshine for approx. 15 hours! Think of how much you can get done in that time. Litha is no more important than any other Sabbath, however it’s one that is shared amongst wxtches and non-wxtches alike, which is quite magickal in itself, is it not? When we start to see these parallels in both worlds, it becomes that much more potent. But it is up to the wxtch to set the intention of its importance in their Craft alone.
Midsummer is a great time to ask the sun to shine light on blind spots in your life- relationships that aren’t working, paths of abundance you aren’t aware of, self exploration you may have been running from. The use of this light is endless, and so powerful during this time of year- so use it wisely and gather it for use during seasons of darkness (natures seasons, as well as your personal seasons).
The Holly King Returns!..but didn’t we just get over winter?! *sigh*
Here we go again, the battle for light and darkness commences on Litha. The Green Man and The Holly King “compete” for their roles to either extend into longer days of light (The Green Man) or descend into longer nights of darkness (The Holly King). What our Celtic Deities may not know within their myth is that the results are always the same. This isn’t a groundhog seeing its shadow sort of situation. Every year on the Summer and Winter Solstice these two great Gods come together to assert their dominance, and although the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, with the sun beaming it’s light so bright, it is actually the day that the Holly King wins! To further explain why this is the case is to say, in the simplest terms, the day after Litha you’ll notice that the sun may set sooner (even if only by a minute). It is the gradually take over of The Holly King, buy making the days “shorter”. They continue to decrease in length until Yule, where The Green Man resurfaces in all his healed glory, and battles The Holly King, once again, beating him and lengthening the days.
All Hail the Gods and Goddesses of Direct Sunlight and The Wheels Peak
Pan
Our mischievous and lust filled satyr-goat holds a lot of symbolic energy for us at the Summer Solstice. Known to be a trickster of Greek Mythos, and quite the horny “devil”, it can be said that it’s due to this energy that many people find themselves single, or wanting to be, during the heat filled months. Pan is not a deity of coupling, but of chase, games, playfulness, exploration, sexual desire, pursuit and winning! He is also a musical sprite that uses his abilities to charm nymphs into sleeping with him. He also has a dark side, a warning to those who push boundaries too far into the realm of SA. As joyous as Pans energy can be, if you do not have discernment for your fellow beings, and become too selfish in your pursuits, you can get yourself in a world of trouble. Know when to say no, and also to listen and respect the no’s you receive.
Helios
Our Greek Sun God needs no explanation of his significance on this day. He quite literally “rules the sun”, or at the very least sets and rises its beaming rays each day. Quite literally a personification of the Sun, Helios is seen driving a chariot across the sky each morning and night to bring about each day, and also to set it. The Sun is an incredibly important contributor to life on earth, some would say this is why many ancient cultures and religions worshiped it so greatly. The Sun allows for plants to grow, provides heat that brings forth rain, and other weather changes that the Earth is dependent upon. Helios is significant on the Solstice because, as the Sun God, he is quite literally at his peak of power, only being matched by the star itself.
“Ceiling Fresco” at Nymphenburg Palace, Munich - By Johann Baptist Zimmermann (zoomed in)
Venus
The Goddess of the sea, of summer, and seaside adventures! This Goddess isn’t simply love obsessed, she is an explorer, and deeply connected to bodies of water. Wether you are someone who loves to swim, go seashell hunting, spend summer days out on a boat, sipping cocktails by the pools edge, the energy and radiance of Venus is within you and around you. A very lush energy, but once that can expand into the realms of vigor and exploration! Climbing the rocks along the seaside cliffs as a child springs to mind when I call in Venus’s energy. She asks us to look within and allow for the light within us to shine alongside the sun, and to feel deeply with the waves around us, splashing and weaving and crashing as they come. That summer fling that felt like a fleeting match struck on a windy day. The soft pages of beloved and worn book, comforting you in the summers wind. A strangers kiss, drenched in the hot summers rain. The laughter of friends as you sing along to summers tune over the radio. That is Venus enticing you to shine.
Green Man
You have most likely heard of the Green Man from previous articles throughout our series. As his name suggestions he is a man of green, made purely of the foliage at it’s most flourished and abundant. It is he who faces off against the Holly King each year to begin the turning of the seasons back to that of warmer and longer days, from the shorter, darker, and cooler days. He is not only considered a Pagan deity, but he was adapted into Christian mythology as well. More so that he can be found etched into walls of churches, catholic schools, and christian monuments as a symbol of Jesus’s Rebirth/Resurrection. But for us non-christian wxtches, the Green Man is one of fertility, abundance, luck, flourishing, and dun filled energy. Call upon him to turn the tides for you, when you’re needing to release darker days to brighter ones, he’ll answer.
Artemis
Ancient Greek Mythology tells the exciting tale of Artemis and her forever connection to the Summer Solstice. Artemis is known as the Goddess of the Hunt. She is a protector of the forest and all who inhabit it, but she is also understanding of the cycles of life and how everything has a end, but also a purpose even with that end. The Summer Solstice is one of great celebration, we have finally reached the longest day of the year! But it is also a recognition that come tomorrow the days will start to lessen, giving over to the longer nights. It is said in Hellenic teachings that Artemis was, as many of us do at the Solstice, dancing amongst the muses in the depths of the forest. Calling upon the Sun, and enchantments of music to dance along with her. It was in this moment, and entirely unknown to her, that Helios, stopped his chariot middway to nighttime…thus extending the day light! He was so taken by her, he couldn’t bare continue his one duty of “ending the day”, which is why we have more sunlight during the day of the Solstice than any other day. Thank you Artemis!!
Cernunnos
Similarly to The Green Man, Cernunnos has a “life span” that correlates with the lengthening of days, and the fertility of nature, that wraps up and retreats in the darkness of shorter, and cooler, days. But lets discuss how Cernunnos blesses us on the day of the Summer Solstice. Although this is the day that marks his decline, up until this moment he is helping the grass to green, the trees to grow tall, the flowers to bloom, the animals to expand their ancestry; he is the fertility God to the Earth and all those who inhabit it. If you’re looking to enhance your own fertility from a place of grounded, logical energy than Cernunnos is the God to look to. With fertility and birth also comes with a deep understanding of death and the cycles of life. Working with Cernunnos at the Solstice doesn’t have to come with energizing rituals, it can very much be a time of letting go, dropping sorrows, failures, short comings, into the soil to be transformed into something new come spring.
Pinterest - Artist Unkown
Choose Your Own Adventure: Litha/Midsummer Activities
Sometimes it can be difficult to plan for the Solstice, it can come upon us as quickly as Helios Chariot crosses the sky! So, if you’re finding this to be your experience I highly recommend taking a look at the list below for options that can be simple, quick, and still honoring of MidSummers Energy and abundance:
Rise with the Sun, Spend the Entire Day with Him, and Bring the Glow into the Night Time with a Bonfire
Make a Charcuterie Board Fit for Royalty
Make Your Own ‘Wine’
Buy or Build a Sunwheel and Safely Set it Ablaze and Roll it into a Body of Water
Make a Circle of Shells upon the ground and Dance Within It
Have a Picnic with a Deity of Your Choice
Make Your Own Candles and Anoint Them With Summer Solstice Energy, shells, glitter, and Oils
DIY Your very own Natural Popsicles, and Share them with Loved Ones or Neighbors
Swim in a Natural Body of Water (Creek, River, Bay, Lake, Ocean) - skyclad at night enhances mind, body, soul connection
Honoring Litha/Midsummer:
Our Solstice activities, although honoring of the energy, can be very separate of our practice within the craft. It’s important to create this bond within your own practice; upon the alter, within the home, or private temple. With that below are a few insightful elements to help enhance your craft, whether it be in ritual, spell-work, or updating the energy in your home. Make your space a magickal one:
Creatures: Dragonflies, Crabs and other Crustaceans, Sea Mammals, Humming Birds, Seagulls, Frogs, Turtles, Faeries, Sirens and Mermaids
Symbols: Sun, Sunflowers, Fire, Sundial, Seashells, Water, Pearls
Colors: Gold, Yellow, Rich Green, Sapphire, Turquoise, Coral
Food items: Oranges, Citrus Fruits, Strawberries, Ice Cream, Honey, Lemonade, Honey Cakes, Iced Tea
Crystals: Pearl, Sunstone, Pyrite, Yellow Agate, Jade, Fire Opal, Carnelian, Emerald, Lapis Lazuli
Flowers & Herbs: Seaweed, Sunflowers, Dill, Ginger, Mint, Peony, Honeysuckle, St. Johns Wort, Jasmine, Roses
The items listed aren’t the only ones you can use to honor this Sabbath. Our lived experience is uniquely individual, and due to that what I consider to be Litha related, might not ring true to you. Now, there are a few items that are undeniable, but I highly encourage you to use your own discernment when adding items, symbols, colors, and activities to your Midsummer celebrations.
As always, it is a pleasure to have you, my fair wxtch, as a part of The Whisper Coven. I look forward to the next time we gather, cast, and manifest. Until then, stay spooky darkling xx.
“Le Bassin de Baignade” (The Bathing Pool) - By Hubert Robert
