"LITH-a"
Southern Hemisphere Date: December 22nd
Northern Hemisphere Date: June 20st
It marks the longest day of the year. Midsummer is a classic time for magick of all kinds. Believed that whatever is dreamt of on this night will come true for the dreamer. A celebration of passions and success. 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 powers of nature reach their highest point. The Earth is awash in the fertiliry of the Goddess and God. Bonfire's representing the Sun, were lit to rouse love, purification, health, and fertility. Also known as Midsummer, it is a classic time for magic of all kinds.
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.
Other Names: Midsummer, Litha the Scandinavian way is Leetha with the "th" more like a "t."
Correspondances:
Colors: Blue, green and yellow
Deities:
Symbols: Dried Herbs, Potpourri, seashells, summer flowers, fruits
Herbs: Lavender, Chamomile, Roses, Daisy, lily
Food: fresh vegetables, summer fruits, pumpernickel bread, ale and mead.
Incense: frankincense, lemon, myrrh, pine, rose and wisteria.
Candles: blue, green, gold and red
Gemstones: All green stones (emerald and jade).
Activities and Traditions
Practicing any kind of Magick
Play under a lawn sprinkler
Paint each other with water-soluble paints
Decorate your front door with birch boughs, fennel and roses
Have a picnic in a city park and bring boats to sail on the pond (boats)
Bless some water and then water the plants you planted at Ostara
Take an herb walk and identify growing herbs
