Ten fun facts about the Summer Solstice or Litha

Ten fun facts about the Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and is  generally celebrated on the 21^st June. So those are facts that you knew already! Below are a few facts that you may or may not know about this wonderful time of year, a celebration of the wonderful strength of our amazing sun.

The common name used amongst Pagans for the Summer Solstice is Litha. Other names for Litha include: Lithia, Alban Hefin(Gaelic for light of the shore), Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia(Roman), The Feast of Epona(Ancient Gaulish) Thing-Tide, Sank Hans Aften(Denmak) and St. John's Day. If you have heard of any more I would love to hear from you!

The word Solstice comes from the Latin ‘solstitium’ meaning 'Sun stands still' because the apparent movement of the Sun's path north or south stops before changing direction.

Litha is often synonymous with Midsummer and is said to be associated with Faeries or the fey folk. Offerings of milk and honey were often left out for them.

Transformed by Ruth Calder Murphy

As well as faeries there were thought to be evil sprits around at this time of year therefore our ancesters wore garlands of herbs and flowerflowers to protect themselves. The most popular of these was St Johns wort which was known as ‘chase’devil’

Litha was known as Sankt Hans Aften in Denmark and was an official holiday until 1770.

Litha was celebrated with bonfires as a reflection of the sun. Folk would jump through the fires and it was said that the height that they jumped would be the height of their crops the following year.

The Chinese celebrate this time of year by honouring Li the Goddess of Light

The Druids celebrated the day as the wedding of heaven and earth. They believed this to be a very sacred day, seeing the wonderful long day as a blessing given to us by mother earth. Handfasting ceremonies became very popular during June and even today it remains popular to have a June wedding.

The full moon that occurs near the time of the Summer Solstice is often termed Mead moon, name for the drink made from honey, often served at handfasting ceremonies.

In Poland the night of merrymaking - also known as St. John’s Night or “Noc Świętojańska” - is still observed in some areas and some Polish communities in the United States

Dance like the maiden, laugh like the mother, think like the crone!

Dance like the maiden, laugh like the mother, think like the crone!

Sparkly blessings to you for a life full of love and wisdom, blessings, Alison xxx

How to make fragrant sparkly faerie dust to attract fairys to your garden.

Sparky Fairy Dust

Do you want to attract the faeries into your garden? The faeries love all things sparkly, they also like anything sweet so this is a perfect combination of sweet and sparkly! This is a very simple recipe that is guaranteed to bring the fairies into your home. The fae folk are always around us but sometimes they just need a little encouragement to draw them a little nearer.

This simple recipe is very easy to follow and children will enjoy making it with adult supervision.

Astarte Moon sparkly faerie dust.

Ingredients.

1 cup granulated sugar

Handful of and flower petals that you may have in your garden.

Hundreds and thousands, or other cake decorations of your choosing. I find those little silver balls are a big hit!

Lavender flowers.

First of all you need to go foraging for the petals that you are going to use. If you have flowers in your garden then that is great. Brightly coloured flowers are good to use but it’s not too important what variety you use. You can use dried petals if you have them. The lavender gives the fairie dust a lovely smell but again it is not essential. If you do not have a garden or do not have any flowers in bloom then take a walk down to your nearest park. Search out some lovely weeds that you can use, daisies and dandelions are good. Hedgerows are a good place to find wild flowers growing.

When you have found the flowers that you are going to use take your sugar and pour it into your mixing bowl. Next add your flower petals and lavender if you have any. Finally, add your hundreds and thousands or any variety of cake decorations that you choose. You may like to use a few different varieties; anything may be used as long as it is biodegradable. The more exciting and more sparkly, the more the fairies will love your faerie dust!

When you have finished making your fairy dust you can store it in a sealed container. Placed in a nice glass jar it will even make a lovely decoration. If you have used fresh flower petals then they will dry out over time but that is fine, the fairies will still think they are wonderful.

If you are ready to use the faerie dust straight away then it’s time to sprinkle some in your garden! Again this is an activity that children will love to do! Take your faerie dust and just take a minute to charge the dust with your intent. Hold your hands over the faerie dust and feel your energy going into the dust, focus on it attracting fairies into your life and the lives of the people around you. Next sprinkle the faerie dust where you would like the faeries to visit. You may already have a space in your garden dedicated to fairies, a faerie house maybe or a particular tree? If you don’t have a garden you could use a window box or sprinkle a little bit around a plant pot.

There are of course other ways that will attract fairies into your garden and thus enhance the power of the faerie dust. They love wind chimes and anything bright and shiny so you could try some brightly coloured plant pots or garden ornaments. Faeries and water sprites not surprisingly also adore water so if you have a pond in your garden that is wonderful. If not you might consider building a small water feature, the sight and sound of running water is very attractive to faeries. It is also and extremely relaxing thing to have in your garden and you will be amazed by how good it makes you feel. Meditating next to running water is extremely beneficial. If a water feature is out of the question then even something as small as a birdbath will suffice.

Flowers to plant in your garden to attract the faeries include: sunflowers, daisies, cosmos, rosemary, thyme, purple coneflower, pansies, and foxglove. Apple cherry and pear trees are firm favourites, as indeed are any tree or bush that bears fruit. Faeries also love wild flowers so if you can leave a patch of garden free for nature you will have a wonderful patch of nature for you and the fairies to enjoy. You will have the added bonus of having friends such as butterflies visit your garden more often too!

Faerie blessings to you, Alison 

Do you believe in magick? On positive affirmations and soul direction.

Believe in magick, your world will be more alive and vibrant with it's beauty.

Do you believe in magick? The magick of the unknown, the unexplainable? I believe that having this belief makes our world a more vibrant, more alive planet to live upon. We cannot possibly explain everything with science, as hard as we try, and I don't think that we are meant to. We are not meant to know it all, we are meant to keep exploring and trusting our instincts, our souls know the way and we need to listen to what they are telling us. Sometimes that means looking at information in a new way, re-considering our beliefs and perhaps throwing some of those beliefs out of the window and replacing them or adapting them. This is all a process of change and transformation that we all need to go through to develop within this beautiful, wondrous, magickal world we dwell in.

If you ever feel that you are struggling, find an affirmation for yourself, perhaps choose one of the many that I am putting on my blog, many more to come, and repeat it to yourself over and over again. Our world is strange and unexplainable sometimes and often we wish we could predict an outcome, but it is MAGICKAL!! 

So my affirmation for today is just simply: I believe in magick, my soul knows the way.

Magickal, wondrous, fairy skipping, rainbow chasing, starlight dreaming, unicorn riding, blessings to you, AstarteAlison xxxx

Symbols and Associations for Litha

Symbols and Associations for Litha

Symbols: Fire, Fey, Magic, Protection, and the Sun.

Nurturing and love are key actions related to Midsummer. Now is a good time to pay special attention to protecting your home and nurturing your loved ones.

Traditionally people stayed up all night on Midsummer's Eve to welcome and watch the sunrise. They lit bonfires were lit on tops of hills, by holy wells, at places held sacred to honour Sun. At Litha fire represents the Sun at the peak of its strength.

Incense: Lemon, Myrrh, Pine, Rose, and Wisteria.

Food: Vegetables that are in season, salad greens, hot and spicy food to reflect the fire of summer, lemons, oranges, summer fruits, pumpernickel bread, ale, carrot drinks, honey, mead.

Mead is regarded as the drink of the sun, with magical and health restoring properties.

Colors: Blue, Green, Gold, Yellow, and Red.

Gold and green are particularly appropriate for Litha. Not only do they represent the sun and the verdant forest, but they represent the colors of Faerie Fire Magic.

Summer fairy by O-l-i-v-i

This beautiful picture in wonderful Litha colours is by o-l-i-v-i.deviantart.com

Use these lovely summer colours to bring warmth and light by wearing the colours and using them to decorate your house.

Goddesses
: Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Juno, Vespa, Venus, Aphrodite, Yemaya, Astarte, Freya, Hathor, 
Demeter, Ishtar, all Mother Goddesses

In ancient Rome, Juno was the goddess who watched over women and marriage. Together with Vesta, the protector of virginity, these two mighty goddesses were sacred to Roman women. The month of June was named for Juno with the feast of Matronalia.

Gods:
Father Sun/Sky, Oak King, Holly King, Arthur, Zeus, Prometheus, Lugh, Ra, Sol, Gods at peak power and strength

Similar to the Roman god Mercury, Lugh was known as a god of both skill and the distribution of talent. Animals/Mythical Beings
Wren, robin, horses, cattle, satyrs, faeries, firebird, dragon, thunderbird

There are myths, legends, and even Shakespearean wrote that Midsummer is a time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. Use this to seek out fairies

Gemstones:
Lapis lazuli, diamond, tiger’s eye, all green gemstones, especially emerald and jade.

Tigers Eye Pentacle Earrings available astarte-moon.co.uk

Wear a gemstone if you are able today to signify your Litha celebrations or place one in a place special to you.

Herbs:
Anise, mugwort, chamomile, rose, wild rose, oak blossoms, lily, cinquefoil, lavender, 
fennel, elder, mistletoe, hemp, thyme, larkspur, nettle, wisteria, vervain ( verbena), 
St. John’s wort, heartsease, rue, fern, wormwood, pine,heather, yarrow.

Mistletoe and St. John’s wort were often used as house protection, why not make a wreath to do the same for your home?

Trees: Oak, Holly, Fir

Tree worship has long been important at Litha. The Oak King who has ruled the waxing of the year represents strength, courage and endurance, and therefore the Oak has always been particularly significant at Litha.

Sourceshttp://www.astarte-moon.co.uk/shop/

25 Ways to Celebrate Litha! How will you celebrate the summer solstice?

25 Ways to Celebrate the turning of the wheel to the Summer Solstice.

Watch the sun rise and set on this longest midsummer day.

Keep a candle burning all day as a lovely homage to the power of the sun.

Celebrate solar energy at Litha by decorating your home with yellow, gold, orange, and red.

Cherry Quartz Sun Catcher

Go outside into the countryside or your local park and enjoy being at one with our mother earth.

Make or buy pretty Sun-Catchers to hang in your windows to welcome the sun into your home at Litha.

Leave out milk and honey as an offering to the Fae folk

Make a list of everything you wish to manifest during the next six months

Practice candle or fire divination.

Make a sunny Litha decoration from dried oranges.

Deck your house with Birch, Fennel, St. John’s Wort, Orpin and White Lilies, traditionally popular at Litha.

Tie Vervain, Rosemary, and Hyssop with white thread and dip the tips into a bowl of spring water and sprinkle the water around the house to chase out negativity.

Have an outdoor breakfast picnic to welcome the summer Solstice.

Make a pledge to our Mother Earth, Gaia, for something that you will do to improve the environment and then begin carrying it out

Go bird watching. Take a guidebook, so you will know what you are looking at. The birds may bless you with a feather.

Paint images of the sun or make sun models from discarded packaging and hang them up around your home.

Wear gemstones in green or warm colours such as tigers eye or malachite.

Tigers Eye Pentacle Protection Earrings

Make solar water by leaving a bowl of springwater under the midday sun for a few hours and then use to drink or cleanse your crystals.

Lavender is abundant at this time of year, collect some, hang it upside down and then make into herb pillows for restful sleep.

Leave any crystals or items of jewellery you would like to imbue with the sun’s energy out in the sun for a few hours during the day of Litha.

When you get the opportunity at some point during the day of the summer solstice, stand with your feet firmly grounded and raise your arm and palms upwards towards the sun. Imagine the sun’s vital energy coursing through your body filling you with love and light.

Burn sun oils and incense such as Orange Essential Oil and Frankincense to welcome warmth and light into your home.

Build a fairy house with your children to welcome the fae folk into your garden.

Bring roses into your home, as this is the Goddess flower for this time of the year.

Make a garland out of garden flowers, or a daisy chain.

Tie a bunch of Fennel with red ribbons and hang over the door for long life and protection of the home.

However you spend this long midsummers day of Litha, alone or with friends or family, enjoy it and try and spend some time in Mother Nature. Sing and dance if you feel like it, do whatever comes naturally to you to celebrate summer and enjoy the day.

Litha blessings to you, Alison xx

Sources: 

Cassandra Eason:Pagan in the City: How to Live and Work by Natural Cycles in the Everyday World Glennie Kindred:Sacred Celebrations : A Sourcebook
http://www.astarte-moon.co.uk