Litha Sabbat
June 21
Preparing Your Altar
• Altar candles should be blue.
• Incense may be lavender or musk.
• Circle may be decorated with summer flowers and fruit.
• Circle candles remain the usual colors for the elementals (green, yellow, red, and blue).
• Have a small amount of water in the cauldron. Do not fill the altar water bowl completely; leave room to add the water from the cauldron.
• Have a red votive candle in a heat-proof bowl on the altar.
• Have nine herbs and a bowl on the altar: betony wood (or basil), chamomile, fennel (or lavender), lemon balm (or dianthus), mullein, rue, St. John’s Wort, thyme, and vervain.
Instructions for the Ceremony
The text is for solitary use but may be thus altered for family or coven participation. The envisionings are suggestions only.
Sweep circle area; lay out circle and altar items; bathe and robe. Light incense and altar candles. Ring bell three times and say:
The circle is about to be cast and I freely stand within to greet my Lady and my Lord.
Take center candle from altar, light each candle of the circle and move around the circle north, then east, south, and west, and say:
(N) I call upon light and earth at the north to illuminate and strengthen the circle.
(E) I call upon light and air at the east to illuminate and enliven the circle.
(S) I call upon light and fire at the south to illuminate and warm the circle.
(W) I call upon light and water at the west to illuminate and cleanse the circle.
Take athame in upraised hand, begin circle at north and move around the circle north to east to south to west, and say:
I draw this circle in the presence of the Goddess and the God where they may come and bless their child, (name).
Lower the athame at the north, and as you walk around the circle, envision a blue light shooting out from the point and forming the circle boundary, and say:
This is the boundary of the circle. Only love shall enter and leave.
Return to altar and ring bell three times. Place point of athame in the salt and say:
Salt is life and purifying. I bless this salt to be used in this sacred circle in the names of the Goddess and the God, (names).
Pick up salt bowl and use tip of athame to drop three portions of salt into the water bowl and set salt bowl back in its place. Stir three times with athame and say:
Let the blessed salt purify this water that it may be blessed to use in this sacred circle. In the names of the Goddess and the God, (names), I consecrate and cleanse this water.
Take the salted water bowl in hand and sprinkle water from it as you move deosil around the circle (N-E-S-W-N) and say:
I consecrate this circle in the names of the Goddess and the God, (names). The circle is conjured a circle of power that is purified and sealed. So mote it be!
Return the water bowl to the altar and pick up censer; take it around the circle to cense it; return censer to altar. Take anointing oil, make a Solar Cross ringed by a circle on your forehead, and say:
I, (name) am consecrated in the names of the Goddess and the God, (names), in this their circle.
If working with family members or a Green-focused coven, open a door in the circle with the athame now for all to enter. Use anointing oil to trace a Solar Cross in a circle on their foreheads as each person enters, having said some kind of greeting, such as the Wiccan, “I come in perfect love and perfect trust.” Then close the door with the athame.
Take the wand and hold it aloft with both arms open and upraised at the north of the circle (envision a powerful bull arriving) and say:
I call upon you, Elemental Earth, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I have body and strength, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to the east, raise up wand (see devas, fairies, or an eagle in flight) and say:
I call upon you, Elemental Air, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I breathe and think, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to the south, raise up wand (see a dragon) and say:
I call upon you, Elemental Fire, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I consume life to live, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to the west, hold wand aloft (see an undine, a sea serpent, or a dolphin) and say:
I call upon you, Elemental Water, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I feel and my heart beats, we are kith and kin!
Return to altar and use wand to draw the symbol of infinity (an 8 lying on its side) in the air above the altar, the sign of working between the worlds. Set wand on altar and raise up athame in both hands overhead and say:
Hail to the elementals at the four quarters! Welcome Lady and Lord to this rite! I stand between the worlds with love and power all around!
Set down athame and pick up goblet of wine. Pour a little into the cauldron. This is a libation to the Divine in which they are honored by offering to them the first draught, then you take a sip. You may prefer to have a bowl specifically for the libation. Ring bell three times and say:
I celebrate life on this midsummer day! Sadness is cast aside and joy flows within as the high summer now begins.
Take red candle and light it from the center altar candle. Hold it up in your right hand and say:
The light of the sun, the God of Life, shines round me and in me for all the world to see.
Set candle in bowl and place on pentacle. With finger tips, sprinkle water from the cauldron upon the altar and say:
The Lord and Lady of the Greenwood have made their pact. The Lord rises into the Lady and prepares to descend into the corn, in both ways to be born again of the mother.
Pour the water from the cauldron into the purified water bowl and say:
The life that enters the Lady’s care is sanctified and purified in her love.
Ring bell nine times. Raise arms upward and say:
As the sun moves on his course, so the course of life moves closer to death that life may come again. Soon will the Lord of the Corn move into his realm to become the Lord of Shadows, but now he shares with me the joy of his life and his love.
Arms down, take up the athame and hold it over the candle and say:
As the God and Goddess share their light and life with me, so do I share with others and offer comfort as is meet.
Set down athame, put herbs in the bowl, and mix with the athame. Add the herbs to the candle and say:
I call upon the powers imbued in these herbs that the midsummer fire be empowered. Herbs of the earth; symbols of the planets, of life and of love, your scent fills the air and drives away care.
Set down athame, hands (palms down) rest upon the altar, and say:
Lord and Lady, you fill my life with your bountiful love and gifts. I call upon thee both for your continued blessings and offer my petition to thee both that your love and caring remain with me always. May I pass this joy to others. So mote it be!
Re-dedication Ritual
Optional, but I like to do this. If you do not do a re-dedication with this Sabbat, then you should proceed to Cakes and Wine.
With wand held aloft, say:
At this time of midsummer joy, I re-affirm my love for my Lord and my Lady through my re-dedication.
Arms upraised, say:
Lady and Lord, (names), I call out to thee! I hold you in honor and know that I am one with all the things of the earth and sky. My kin are the trees and the herbs of the fields; the animals and stones through the seas and the hills. The fresh waters and deserts are built out of thee, and I am of you and you are of me.
Lower arms and say:
I call upon you to grant my desire. Let me rejoice in my oneness with all things and let me love the life that emanates from my Lady and my Lord into all things. I know and accept the creed: that if I do not have that spark of love within me, I will never find it outside myself, for love is the law and love is the bond! And this do I honor when I give honor to the Lady and the Lord.
Kiss your right palm, hold your hand high, and say:
My Lady and my Lord, known to me as (names), I stand before you both and dedicate myself to your honor. I will defend and protect thy spark within me and seek thy protection and defense of me. You are my life and I am of you. I accept and will ever abide by the principal of harming none, for what is sent returns. So mote it be!
Take up the goblet of wine, slowly pour the remainder of wine into the cauldron, and say:
As this wine drains from the cup, so shall the blood drain from my body should I ever turn away from the Lady and the Lord or harm those in kinship with their love, for to do so would be to break trust, to cast aside the love of the Goddess and the God, and to break my own heart. Yet through their continued love I know they would heal my heart and spirit that I might again journey through the cauldron of rebirth to embrace the love they freely give. So mote it be!
Dip forefinger into the anointing oil and again make the sign of the Solar Cross over the third eye (center of forehead). Then make the sign of the pentagram over the heart, followed by the Sacred Triangle (for the triple quality of both Deities) touching solar plexus, right breast, left breast, solar plexus. Refill the goblet for Cakes and Wine.
Cakes and Wine—Ring bell three times. Feet spread and arms upraised, say:
I acknowledge my needs and offer my appreciation to that which sustains me! May I ever remember the blessings of my Lady and my Lord.
Feet together, take up goblet in left hand and athame in right. Slowly lower the point of the athame into the wine and say:
As male joins female for the benefit of both, let the fruits of their union promote life. Let the earth be fruitful and let her wealth be spread throughout all lands.
Lay down the athame and drink from the goblet. Replace the goblet on the altar and pick up the athame. Touch the point of the athame to the cake in the offering dish and say:
This food is the blessing of the Lady and the Lord given freely to me. As freely as I have received, may I also give food for the body, mind, and spirit to those who seek such of me.
Eat the cake, finish the wine, and say:
As I enjoy these gifts of the Goddess and the God, (names), may I remember that without them I would have nothing. So mote it be!
When all is finished, hold athame in your power hand level over the altar and say:
Lord and Lady, I am blessed by your sharing this time with me; watching and guarding me, and guiding me here and in all things. I came in love and I depart in love.
Raise up athame in a salute and say:
Love is the law and love is the bond. Merry did I meet, merry do I part, and merry will I meet again. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again! The circle is now cleared. So mote it be!
Kiss the flat of the blade and set the athame on the altar. Take up the snuffer and go to the north quarter, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace, Elemental Earth. My blessings take with you!
Lower arms and snuff the candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Go to the east, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace, Elemental Air. My blessings take with you!
Lower arms and snuff the candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Go to the south, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace, Elemental Fire. My blessings take with you!
Lower arms and snuff the candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Go to the west, raise up arms and say:
Depart in peace, Elemental Water. My blessings take with you!
Lower arms and snuff the candle, envision the Elemental Power departing. Return to altar and set down snuffer. Raise up arms and say:
Beings and powers of the visible and invisible, depart in peace! You aid in my work, whisper in my mind, and bless me from the Otherworld, and there is harmony between us. My blessings take with you. The circle is cleared.
Take up athame, go to the north quarter, point athame down and move widdershins around circle (N-W-S-E-N). Envision the blue light drawing back into the athame and say:
The circle is open yet the circle remains as its magical power is drawn back into me.
When you return to the north, having walked the circle, raise up the athame so the blade touches your forehead, and envision the blue light swirling around back into you. Return to altar and say:
The ceremony is ended. Blessings have been given and blessings have been received, may the peace of the Goddess and the God remain in my heart. So mote it be!
Set down the athame. Put away all magical tools and clear the altar except for candles or any objects that need to burn out or work for a stated time (such as candle magic). The cauldron or libation bowl contents are poured onto the earth (if not out in the yard, then into a flowerpot containing soil and perhaps a hardy, leafy green plant).
Traditional foods include red wine, sweet breads (which contain glands from veal), herb bread, and pastries.
Litha Activities
The following are some suggestions for Litha activities, some of which you may want to incorporate into the Sabbat, while others would be more suitable during the day.
• Tie a sprig of rowan, a sprig of rue, and three flowers of St. John’s Wort with red thread and hang over the door.
• Make amulets (simple charms) of protection out of herbs such as rue and rowan. If you make new amulets each year you can dispose of the old in the midsummer fire, but we like to simply recharge the old one for another year until it starts to deteriorate, then burn it.
• Create a pouch for psychic dreams (mugwort and bay leaves in a cloth of lavender, blue, or yellow and sewn with red thread) and place under your pillow.
• Make a Solar Wheel as a terrific family project—everyone can make one for their bedroom. Wind palm or grape vine into a circle, twisting as you go. Cut two short lengths of stem to be just a bit larger than the diameter of the circle and place one across the back horizontally and the other vertically crossing in back of the horizontal one and coming forward to the front of the circle to secure both, then adorn with symbols of the elementals (stone, feather, ashes in a pouch or a small candle, and a shell) and festoon with yellow ribbons. Hang in a tree outside or indoors as a reminder of the God’s protection.
• Make a Witch’s Ladder (another fun family project) using three colored yarns (red, black, and white for the Triple Goddess) braided together to be three feet long. Add nine feathers all the same color for a specific charm (such as green for money) or various colors for a more diverse charm, tie ends and hang up. Colors are red for vitality, blue for peace and protection, yellow for alertness and cheer, green for prosperity, brown for stability, black for wisdom, black and white for balance, patterned for clairvoyance, and iridescent for insight.
• You can burn the old Yule wreath in the Litha fire.
• Make a rue protection pouch out of white cotton. Add two or three sprigs of rue, bits of whole grain wheat bread, a pinch of salt, and two star anise seeds and hang indoors (can do one for each bedroom).
• Tie vervain, rosemary, and hyssop with white thread and dip the tips into a bowl of spring water (you can buy bottled spring water in grocery stores) and sprinkle the water about the house to chase out negativity, or sprinkle your tools to cleanse and purify.
• Gather herbs like St. John’s Wort, vervain, and yarrow.
• Soak thyme in olive oil, then lightly anoint your eyelids to see the fairy folk at night.
• Tie a bunch of fennel with red ribbons and hang over the door for long life and the protection of the home.
• Look for the fairy folk under an elder tree, but don’t eat their food or you’ll have to remain with them for seven years (which I suppose would be a lot of fun unless you have other plans!).