Litha | Summer Solstice

Celebrated since the Stone Age, Litha or Summer Solstice, occurs on or around June 21st in the Northern Hemisphere. Both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids have hinted at celebrating the Summer Solstice with their specific design in relation to the sun's movements.

One the Summer Solstice, the power of the sun is amplified. It is a time of blooming and blossoming, the Northern Hemisphere redolent with light. Having a large bonfire, or lighting a whole host of candles, is a beautiful way to symbolically honor the sun's fire and heat. Litha is also a day of balancing fire with water. Having pools or bowls of water and symbols of rivers, lakes, and the sea are a way to recall this balance.

Herbs and flowers are abundant at the height of summer, which also encourages the balance of masculine and feminine at this time of year. Both energies support one another during Litha in rituals which honor unity and commitment. This is the natural reason for marriage and renewal of vows on Litha.

You may wish to honor all things related to the sun, fire, and summer's bliss through lazy picnics, making daisy chains or flower crowns, and floating candles in handmade stick rafts upon the water. Above all, allow time to lie back and relax at length in the warmth of our dear Sun. Once the Summer Solstice passes, we witness the fading of the light once again.

 

Notable Mentions

Litha is derived from the Old English word lithe, which means gentle or serence.

The symbol of Litha is Pan, depicted as a faun or satyr, which symbolizes fertility and nature.

Druids celebrated the Summer Solstice as the wedding of Heaven and Earth. The Goddess manifests as Mother Earth and God as Sun King. To honor midsummer, the Celts held bonfires on high hilltops to celebrate the distance between the earth and the sun, which is at its highest point all year.

In the Welsh language, Summer Solstice is called Heudldro'r Haf.

Finding a snake stone on the Summer Solstice is a sign of prosperity and good health. A snake stone is a stone with a hole all the way through it. Folklore states that in the summer venomous snakes would lay on stones to warm themselves and hiss at each other creating energetic bubbles that hardened into the stones creating the "snake stone."

 

How to Celebrate Litha

Pan and God's Eyes

The Greed God Pan, part-goat and part-man, he with cloven hoof and lustful grin, wandering through hill and dale, intoxicated creatures great and small with his mirth. The god of wild groves, shepherds, and flocks, Pan takes leisurely naps in the heat of the noonday sun is then very sensitive to any disturbance to his sleep. At times Pan was regarded as a chaotic, destabilizing force; from him the word panic stems. Other times, he was revered as a source of fertility and renewal.

He was either worshipped with wild feasts accompanied by the Nymphs in grottoes, or his image was set up under the trees, where his worshippers brought it simple offerings such as milk or honey. Mountains, caves, old oaks, pine trees, and the tortoise, were sacred to him. His attributes are the pan pipes, a shepherd's crook, a garland of pine leaves or a twig of the pine tree, his signature tree. Pan, as an archetype and symbol, stirs our mixed feelings towards our own animal impulses and our complex relationship to nature.

 

God's Eye Protection Weaving Ritual

Litha is the time of the year when we celebrate the Sun God, robust with generative power. At Midsummer, potential is at its peak, with everything in a state of fertility and growth, and the yearning for divine protection naturally arises. The Sun is an ancient symbol of protection and so it is with the God's Eye. For this reason, it's a tradition within Pagan communities to make a God's Eye amulet on solstice. The God's Eye symbol is found in many cultures, virtually the same presentation around the glove. The act of weaving a God's Eye is a form of prayer, bringing the protective eye of God very directly into the realm of day-to-day life. It's an invocation for God to literally watch over the weaver and the person whom the weaving is created — a beautiful ritual to perform for yourself or a loved one.

Keep your God's Eye in a visible spot, exposed to the sun, until the veil thins again and then you can burn it. It's traditional to hang the amulet in the sunshine, then burn it in the fires of Samhain (October 31st).

Instructions

To begin, gather a few skeins of natural wool yarn in different colors, along with short, straight sticks. Locate your scissors and glue too! Lots of naturally dyed wool can be found locally — ask around! Walk your yard or local park for sticks gifted from the trees.

Pause over your materials to bring to mind the person for which you are creating this weaving. Hold their image in your mind, their well-being in your heart. Call up your prayer or intention, perhaps saying it aloud as you begin.

1. Hold two sticks crossed together and tie a loop of yarn around the center. Wrap several times to form an X at the center, securely joining the sticks together. Bring to mind the four directions of air, fire, water, and earth as you wrap.
2. Begin your weaving by wrapping yarn around one stick.
3. Moving clockwise, wrap your yarn around the next stick and the next as you press the yarn tight to the center. You may choose to repeat your intention or prayer continually as you wrap.
4. Keep wrapping slowly and tightly, taking care to line up the strands of yarn on each stick next to one another without overlapping.
5. Partway through, tie off the color you are working with in a knot on one stick and begin from there with the next color by looping and tying a knot to make a secure start. Repeat this step if you have more than two colors.
6. Finish weaving by tying a final knot. You can also add a loop to hang your weaving. A spot of glue on the final knot and loop will secure the end of the yarn.

The four points of the weaving represents the four directions of air, fire, water, and earth, lovingly holding God's Eye in the physical world with all the energy of the elements powerfully upholding the intention or prayer of the maker.

 

The Litha Altar

An altar is a collection of items which create a hum in your being whenever you are near. it's a reminder of where you are in the turning of the year — and a soulful expression of who you are in its turning. There are no rules, only suggestions based on those who have come before us.

Colors | orange, amber, gold, purple, pink, green

Nature | oak leaves, acorns, honey, bees, antlers, amber, daisies, nectarines, apricots, ferns, birds

Symbols | sun, wheel, mirrors, fairies, flowers, mead, sunflowers, Pan

Botanicals | elderflower, basil, oregano, mugwort, saffron, thyme, verbena, chamomile, fennel

Stones | moonstones, citrine, carnelian, emerald, jade

Spiritual | deities, amulets, talismans, images, all personal to you

Elemental | earth/soil, air/feather, fire/candle, water, feminine & masculine symbolic objects

Atmosphere | abundance, relaxation, celebration, apex, fullness, warmth

 

Cast Your Circle

To cast a circle is to invoke a sacred vessel to hold your ritual. Guidance is provided here.

Prepare

Clean your space and cleanse your body with a bath or shower. Turn off all devices, be still and remember your intention. Choose a location indoors or out. You can use a compass to locate and mark the directions of north, south, east, and west with a stone or crystal. Walk your circle clockwise and purify its entirety with incense. Place your ritual tools and offerings in the center and light your candle. Here are some suggested offerings for Pan: milk, honey, wine, and cheese.

Begin

Invoke the Four Elements

East - Air - Knowledge

I face East, the direction of the rising sun & all beginning. I call upon the element of Air & the creatures of flight. I welcome the beauty of new life & understanding to this circle.

 

South - Fire - Action

I face South, the direction of sustained activity & service. I call upon the element of Fire's forms of flames, lightning, & electricity. I summon the quick coyote & welcome powerful action to this circle.

 

West - Water - Intuition

I face West, the direction of the setting sun & visions. I call upon the element of Water in all her forms & depths. I trust my emotional strength & welcome its true instinct to this circle.

 

North - Earth - Wisdom

I face North, the direction of guidance & all paths home. I call upon the element of Earth in her nurturing solidity. I feel my body grounded by soil & stone. I stand & welcome its wisdom to this circle.

 

Pan Invocation