Summer Solstice
Litha Festival
The Litha festival celebrates the height of power of the Horned God, or the defeat of the Holly King and assumption of power by the Oak King. This is based on the narrative of the endless battle between the personification of Summer as the Oak King and of Winter as the Holly King.
Midsummer is the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The solar calendar marks this as the apex of summer. The Goddess is pregnant with abundance; the God is at the height of His virility. This is a time of joy and celebration, of expansiveness and the celebration of achievements. This is the peak of the Solar year and the Sun is at the height of its life-giving power. As the Light reaches its peak so this is also the moment when the power of the Sun begins to wane into the Dark.
Litha is ideal for fire magic, such as purifying flames and candle magic, and for gathering plants. This is a time of empowerment, healing, and self-awareness. Expand your ideas, continue projects, and appreciate bounty and success.
Festival of Litha
altar decorations and seasonal correspondences
Celebrate the Litha festival by decorating your altar with the plants and vivid colors of the season: red, yellow, orange, gold and green. Use oak, St. Johns wort, hemp, daisy, lavender, roses, thyme, wisteria, verbena, carnations and laurel.
Celebrate the season with the fresh fruits and vegetables that are so abundant now. Especially include strawberries, lemons, ginger, mead and anything grilled.
Herbs and Plants
- Cedar
- Lemon
- Pine
- Rose
- Mint
- Wisteria
- Lavender
- Sandalwood
Metals and Stones
- Amber
- Citrine
- Sunstone
- Emerald
- Carnelian
- Tiger's Eye
