[june 21
midsummer, summer solstice
second spoke on the light side of the modern wheel of the year]
The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy.
—Henry Ward Beecher
Litha, also known as Midsummer, is the celebration of the summer solstice. It typically occurs on June 21, opposite of the winter solstice. A fire festival, we see the gods in their full glory after the death, sleep, and rebirth that occurred during fall, winter, and spring. Litha is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, when the sun is as far north as it is ever going to get.
The summer solstice was widely celebrated throughout northern and western Europe and is believed to have been a big feature in the Celtic communities throughout Britain, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Like many folk holidays, the Church did try to take over the solstice and moved most of the festival to June 24, which they renamed Saint John's Day.
Being in the light half of the wheel, Midsummer has fire festival associations, same as Beltane, and large bonfires are lit to symbolize the sun, sensuality, life, and fertility. Festivals that take place during this time of year tend to have similar themes and are differentiated by specific celestial events and minor nuances. This means many of the same themes that were present through Beltane are going to be around for Litha and the rest of the summer sabbats.
Where death is a large feature through the dark half of the year, life is a big, if not the biggest, feature through the light half. What brings light more than love, laughter, and fertility? They are vibrant and alive at this time; it can be seen throughout nature and flowers especially.
Midsummer has been celebrated throughout the world. Egyptians designed the Great Pyramids in such a way that when viewed from the Sphynx, the sun will set precisely between two of the pyramids during the summer solstice. On the coast of Peru, archaeologists discovered the ancient Chankillo observatory complex with buildings that aligned with the sun during the solstices. Stonehenge, which is thought to be over five thousand years old, is aligned with both the summer and the winter solstice. To this day there are still large festivals held at the henge every solstice and equinox.
The etymology of Litha is actually really interesting, because it was entirely created in the mid-twentieth century. That's not to say that this word wasn't around before then, but it wasn't used as it is today to describe the Midsummer festival. When Wicca was in its early creation phase, and the wheel was just being developed, the creators drew from Celtic and druidic influences. It is believed that Litha is derived from an eighth-century article called “The Reckoning of Time.” The name Litha was the last name for both June and July in ancient times. While this is somewhat accurate, Notes and Queries: A medium of intercommunication for literary men, general readers, etc. (the seventh volume in the series, written in 1889) gives us a better understanding on the topic.
In this book there are many notes on the Anglo-Saxon names of the month. It tells us that June and July are described as numbered months of the year. Month six is labeled as Se āerra Litha, which is translated to “the former Litha.” Month seven is listed as Se æftera Litha, which is translated to “the latter Litha.” In this dictionary, it states that “the name Litha is merely the definite form of Līthe, meaning mild, so that June and July are the mild, or warm months.”
At Litha, the Oak King is at his peak, but he is forced to look at the challenges that winter will bring. It is believed that the Oak King, who rules the sun and summer, is the Goddess's consort. This means that the Oak King is her partner in love, fertility, and abundance. When we talk about the garden goddess in this aspect, in a generalized way, we are really talking about embodiments for the season.
Because this is a summer solstice festival, any solar god can be worshipped. This means not only Celtic sun gods, but the sun gods in every tradition. While not necessarily worshipped by northwestern Europeans, there are a number of Egyptian sun gods and goddesses that can be acknowledged during this time. For starters, the cat goddess Bastet is closely associated with the sun and is one of the daughters of Ra. We also have Horus, god of the sky. His right eye was the sun and his left one was the moon. This would put him at both the winter and the summer solstice. There's also Nefertem, god of healing and beauty, who represents the first sunlight.
In Nordic traditions, we have the sun goddess Sol, who traveled across the heavens every day in a chariot drawn by horses with manes of fire.
Then there's Kupala, Slavic water goddess of trees, herbs, sorcery, and flowers. June typically start some of the rainiest seasons in most climates, so it's quite fitting to have a water goddess represented in this festival season.
Shadow work is intensely personal, and how you decide to connect with your shadow self is your business. Shadow work is the work we undertake to meet our most authentic self. The longer we avoid our shadow work, the longer our pain festers, leaving our true selves sick and injured. This is the importance of shadow work: to objectively look at ourselves without the goal to change and instead accept what is on the other end. The practice of shadow work teaches us that we can't run away from ourselves, and why would we want to?
Floral shadow work is one of the most intimate ways of approaching our shadow selves. Working with florals invokes the most tender, delicate aspects of our spirit that we tend to hide out of fear. Some of us never invoke the tender parts of our personality and may have even forgotten how to access them. The process is not an overnight journey, and you may never find that you are comfortable being tender. The courage to be vulnerable is a strength that not everyone has. Regardless, every person can work through this ritual and begin the task of accessing and healing their bruised and tender bits. The journey to self-love is difficult, but it is some of the most important work you will ever do.
Perform this ritual on a Sunday night, if you can. I have found that it is best to start your week lighter than you left it. If you feel called to do this on another day, that's absolutely fine too. There are no hard-and-fast rules; this is just another tool for self-care.
You can modify this ritual to your needs. If you live in a climate where you are unable to have a fire, feel free to substitute a candle, cauldron, or electric light. Or you could use another geographical feature and invoke a completely different element: old-growth forests, mountains, and the beach are great alternatives for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable using fire.
Before you start, you will need to have identified the traits of your personality that no longer serve you. Have these in a list or in your brain.
You will also need to consider any items that carry emotional baggage and weigh you down. This is absolutely vital to the success of creating vulnerable freedom within the boundaries and energy of the Litha season. Items that carry baggage might be things such as pictures of ex-partners, or a book, CD, or DVD that brings up bad memories. Don't torture yourself by holding on to physical stuff that hurts your shadow. Allow yourself to release that attachment to the pain and what it symbolized. You are no longer there and can let go.
You will need:
To start, light your fire. If you are in a safe place to be unrobed, the fewer clothes, the better.
Walk around the fire in a circle, making sure that it is lit from all angles. As the sparks become a flame, call on your higher power to join you in this circle of fire.
One by one, write each undesirable personality trait you are giving back to the universe on a piece of paper. When you are ready, take each piece and repeat the following:
I release this energy to you, Higher Power, with love and grace.
I ask that you relieve me of the burden I place upon myself.
I call myself to action in relieving this burden as well.
As it has been, it will not continue to be.
Guide me now, Higher Power, through the garden of my mind.
Walk with me as I navigate the shores of my spirit.
Lay with me in the fields of my youth.
For you have come before me, and you will be here after me as well.
My trust, I place in you.
So be it.
Throw the paper into the fire. Repeat this process until you no longer have any papers left.
Next, arrange the flowers you have brought with you in your hair. As you do, visualize your most tender parts being front and center. Allow the soft parts to lead the way as you close the ritual.
BASIC FLOWER CORRESPONDENCES
Following are a few flowers that could be used during this ritual:
African daisy: magick, intuition, psychic ability, protection
Bleeding heart: attract love, heal pain and depression, beauty, glamour
Bougainvillea: beauty, passion
Carnation: love, friendship
Chamomile: serenity, positivity, health and healing
Clover: prosperity, faery communication, protection
Daisy: friendship, health
Dandelion: divination, fertility, resilience
Foxglove: emotional healing, protection, faery connection
Heather: ancestral connection, heal trauma, protection, shadow work, past lives
Hibiscus: friendship, passion, lust and romance, intelligence
Honeysuckle: releasing sexual blocks, lust, intuition
Jasmine: sexuality, sensuality, joy
Lavender: clarity, cleansing, balance, relaxation
Lily: divine assistance, cleansing, legal success
Marigold: health and healing, reincarnation, vitality
Peony: cleansing, spiritual protection
Rose: abundance, friendship, love, secrecy, beauty
Snapdragon: hex and hex reversal, protection
Sunflower: happiness, power, strength, vitality