Litha Summer Solstice

Information and Correspondences for Litha
Summer Solstice in the month of June
Beautiful time of growth

Longest day and shortest night of the year. It's the first Sabbat of the
waning year. It's when the Mother is at her peak sexually and fertility
wise. 
Everything is in full bloom and the promise of the harvest is still a
ways away. Persephone goes to rejoin her grandmother Hecate in the
underworld. Her Mother Demeter distraught by her absence stops all growth and death
begins. The Goddess who was born at Yule has now grown to maturity. 

Midsummer Incenses

The Complete Book of Incenses, Oils & Brews

By Scott Cunningham

Midsummer Incense #1

2 parts Sandalwood 

1 part Mugwort 

1 part Chamomile 

1 part Gardenia petals 

a few drops Rose oil 

a few drops Lavender oil 

a few drops Yarrow oil

Burn at Wiccan rituals at the Summer Solstice (circa June 21st) or at that time to attune with the seasons and the Sun.

Midsummer Incense #2

3 parts Frankincense 

2 parts Benzoin 

1 part Dragon's Blood 

1 part Thyme 

1 part Rosemary 

1 pinch Vervain 

a few drops Red Wine

Another like the above recipe.

Litha Incense  

From The Real Witches' Kitchen by Kate West

2 tsp. Sandalwood 

1 tsp. Wormwood 

1 tsp. Chamomile 

1 tsp. Rose petals 

a few drops jasmine oil 

a few drops lavender oil 


Sweet Summer Incense 

2 Parts Sandalwood 

1 part Mugwort 

1 part Chamomile 

1 part Gardenia petals 

a few drops Rose Oil 

a few drops Lavender Oil 

a few drops Yarrow Oil

***************************************

Litha, Midsummer, Summer Solstice Ideas

Wear green, white, blue, and yellow to celebrate the Sun and the Earth.

Burn candles that are blue or yellow - as with the Spring celebrations, use candles with embedded flowers and herbs if possible. Your incense should be a Midsummer mixture of chamomile, lavender, mugwort and rose or rose petals.

Decorate your altar with a green or white altar cloth and symbols of the sun and Earth.

Mark the Quarters with small potted trees decorated with Sun symbols and blue and yellow ribbons. As you tie the symbols and ribbons to the trees, say something like this:

From Earth below to Sun above

I honor the Lord and Lady with love

The fertility and warmth you bring

Blessings upon me, your praises I sing


For this bounty and all that you grow

Accept these tokens and candles aglow

Each ribbon of yellow and blue that I tie

Symbolizing the bond between Earth and sky


When you cast the Circle use your wand, but tie small chimes to it beforehand so that they gently tinkle and ring to appease the fey.

Your Midsummer Circle is a good time to make your seasonal candles. Before the Sabbat:

determine how many candles you want to make - at least one for each season;

list all the herbs and flowers you will need;

make note of the colors that will work best for each candle;

then buy a quantity of pre-made beeswax sheets, wicks, and herbs

when you are in your Circle, make the candles by spreading the herbs and/or flowers onto the individual wax sheets, then place the wick on the outer edge of the sheet and roll them up tightly while saying something like this:

Herbs and flowers, wax and wicks

In you, the power and magick I fix

When next your called and made aglow

Let your power and magick flow

Next you need to offer them to the Lord and Lady and the fey. Try saying

something like this:


With these candles offered you

Comes my awe for each season new

Let your work be eased and light

With love and cheer and flame so bright


Midsummer Oil

Put in soap or anoint candles

5 drops lavender 

4 drops rosemary 

4 drops rose

Add a piece of dried vervain, a small citrine, clear quartz crystal, and a sprinkle of gold glitter. So magical and beautiful!

Summer Magical Cleansing Bath 

This is wonderful for emotional and physical pain... (add one more part Thyme and 3 parts red clover for a healing bath to wash away female cycle pains) 

3 Parts Sweet Marjoram 

3 Parts Thyme


Original Summer Solstice Blend

3 drops Basil Oil    

1 drop Clove Bud Oil    

1 drop Ginger Oil    

3 drops Neroli Oil  

2 drops Orange Oil  

3 drops Petitgrain Oil  

Note, for best effect (and for a skin soothing balance to the irritant spice oils) this blend should be diluted in a deep orange Calendula Infused carrier oil.

This oil can be used for the following purposes: 

As a meditation aid, anoint your chakra points (mix no stronger than a 5% dilution) 

As a personal blend to wear on pulse points on the day of the Solstice (5% dilution) 

To mix with wood-base and burn as an incense in the evening of the Solstice. 

To anoint your altar, or altar candles (10% dilution)


Sun Oil 

4 drops Frankincense Oil 

2 Drops Cinnamon Oil 

1 Drop Petitgrain Oil 

1 Drop Rosemary Oil 

a scant pinch of genuine Saffron

 

Litha Oil 

5 drops Orange Oil  

4 drops Lavender Oil  

3 drops Ylang-Ylang Oil  

2 drops Sunflower Oil

 

Midsummer Oil Recipe

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews

By Scott Cunningham 

4 drops lavender oil 

3 drops Rosemary oil 

1 drop Pine Oil 

Use Sunflower oil as your base here.


Honey Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup honey
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup strong chamomile tea
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Assorted berries and additional honey
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-in baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat butter and honey until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream, tea and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, spice, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan .
Bake 30-35 minutes or till a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Serve with berries and additional honey
Find another recipe here for Honey Cake

June 21 - Summer Solstice (Midsummer/Litha)

Although the name Litha is not well attested, it may come from Saxon tradition -- the opposite of Yule.  On this longest day of the year, light and life are abundant.  At mid-summer, the Sun God has reached the moment of his greatest strength.  Seated on his greenwood throne, he is also lord of the forests, and his face is seen in church architecture peering from countless foliate masks.

The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of St.  John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with horns and cloven feet (like the Greek Demi-God Pan)

Midsummer Night's Eve is also special for adherents of the Faerie faith.
The alternative fixed calendar date of June 25 (Old Litha) is sometimes employed by Covens.  The name Beltane is sometimes incorrectly assigned to this holiday by some modern traditions of Wicca, even though Beltane is the Gaelic word for May.

Tarot Cards: 
Empress, Strength or Sun 
  
Altar Decorations: 
summer flowers, love amulets, seashells, summer fruits, potpourri 
  
Herbs: 
chamomile, elder, fennel, hemp, larkspur, lavender, mugwort, pine,
roses, St. Johns Wort, wisteria 
Mugwort, Vervain, Chamomile, Rose, Honeysuckle, Lily, Oak, Lavender, Ivy, Yarrow, Fern, Elder, Wild Thyme, Daisy, Carnation.
  
Incense: 
frankincense, lemon, myrrh, pine, rose, wisteria Myrrh,
 
Gods & Goddess': 
Aphrodite, Astarte, Freya, Hathor, Ishtar, Venus, and other dietes
presiding 
over love and beauty 
  
Colors: 
blue, green, yellow 
  
Gemstones: 
emerald and jade, all green gemstones 
  
Food: 
Garden fresh fruits and vegetables are made into a variety of dishes and eaten by Pagan's who choose to celebrate this day.
fresh vegetables, summer fruits, pumpernickel bread, ale, mead 

Woods Burned:
Oak Sacred Gemstone:
Emerald Special Activities:
An Ideal time to reaffirm your vows to the Lord and Lady or your dedication 
  
Lore: 
Longest day and shortest night of the year. It's the first Sabbat of the
waning year. It's when the Mother is at her peak sexually and fertility
wise. 
Everything is in full bloom and the promise of the harvest is still a
ways away. Persephone goes to rejoin her grandmother Hecate in the
underworld. Her Mother Demeter distraught by her absence stops all growth and death
begins. The Goddess who was born at Yule has now grown to maturity. 

)0(

Please be sure to follow my blog https://cherylscreationsblog.blogspot.com/
Follow my Kitchen Witch Blog http://craftykitchenwitch.blogspot.com/
Follow me Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/CheriliciousC
My Tiktok @craftykitchenwitch13
My Youtube Witchy Woman Cheryl
Please be sure to follow Me, Thanks










Comments

Post a Comment

Remember if You can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

Popular posts from this blog

Ears-OLD WIVES TALES, SUPERSTITIONS, OMENS AND FOLKLORE

EARS While the superstition of burning ears dates back years, there is no real indication of where it came from. Many superstitions that still exist today date back to the medieval days and are often rooted in pagan religions or the church. In the case of the burning ears, it is said that if your ears are burning, someone is talking about you. Now if you want to know if they are saying good things or bad things, remember this " Left for love, Right for spite! ". If your right ear itches, someone is speaking well of you. If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you. Pinch your ear, and the person talking of you will bite his own tongue. If the right ear burns, it is a sign that some one is thinking well of you; if the left ear burns, it is a sign that some one is thinking unkindly of you; but if both ears burn, friend and foe are fighting about you. - Pennsylvania. If your ears burn, people are talking well of you; if your ears are cold, the contrary. -...
Read more

Medicinal Pickled Garlic

Image
  I have been making this wonderful Medicinal Pickled Garlic for years Here is the original recipe that I use. I want to share with you. I use this in recipes when I need some healing magick or just on it's own for real strength and healing. It is so good and so good for you. It takes awhile to peel all those garlic but it's well worth it, I separate each garlic into pieces and then I take a large knife and slightly smash each clove. makes it so much easier to peel each clove, I use each and every clove small and large and sperate them into the jar. Any honey will work and I buy Apple cider vinegar by the gallon because we use it for so many things. Medicinal Pickled Garlic  According to Gladstar’s book, “Garlic is the herb of choice in treating colds, flu, sore throats and poor or sluggish digestion… makes a potent internal and external antiseptic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial agent effective for treating many types of infection.”   That is some powerful stuff!...
Read more

Medicinal Pickled Garlic

Image
With cold and flu season coming up soon once again I am thinking ahead this year so I am making some medicines to have ready to fight back fast. According to Gladstar’s book, “Garlic is the herb of choice in treating colds, flu, sore throats and poor or sluggish digestion… makes a potent internal and external antiseptic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial agent effective for treating many types of infection.” That is some powerful stuff!  There is much more information in the book, it is a wonderful addition to your homesteading or prepping library. Peeled garlic cloves (enough to fill a jar) Raw apple cider vinegar Raw Local Honey Fill a mason jar with garlic cloves; use any size jar you like.  Fill the jar with apple cider vinegar to cover the garlic completely.  Place the jar in a warm place for 3-4 weeks. Medicinal Pickled Garlic ~ After 3-4 weeks, strain off the liquid(this is when you will add the honey).   Set ½ the liquid aside to use as you wis...
Read more