What is Litha?
Litha is the celebration of the sun at its peak strength at the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year on June 21. This is the time for flower crowns and picnics, enjoying the warmth of the Sun and bounty of the Earth. Let out your inner child and cultivate a playful and open energy.
It was a major holiday in Norse traditions and is still celebrated with feasting and fires in many Scandinavian countries and across Europe. This is a time of joy as we enter the abundant growth phase of the agricultural year. The seeds have been sown, the flowers are blooming and the first harvest will soon be upon us (celebrated at Lughnasadh on August 1st). Take a moment on this day to connect with the sun and everything beautiful that is growing in your life. Want some ideas on how to do this? Then keep reading!
There is a bittersweet energy to Litha, for while we're celebrating the Sun's strength, from this day on it grows weaker and weaker. In the mythology of the Oak King and the Holly King, while the Oak King enjoys his strength, the Holly King is also born today and grows stronger until he overtakes him on Mabon. There are many different interpretations of that story, some having the Holly King win on Litha and rule the waning half of the year. Whichever interpretation you use, it reminds us to honor what we have in the moment, because the Wheel of the Year is always spinning, and life is always changing
Decorations
Sun symbols
Bonfires, candles, fire images
Wildflowers, daisies, sunflowers, oak branches
Activities
Connect with the Sun
One of my favorite ways to celebrate Litha is to watch the sunrise and sunset. Find a hill that faces east for the sunrise or west for the sunset and meditate as you witness the sun's emergence (or setting) at it's full strength. Try to quiet your mind and notice if you get any nuggets of inspiration as you watch the sun. I like to envision the light of the rising sun connecting to my heart and the light growing stronger inside as it rises in the sky. Part of my daily prayers is to honor the sun and Litha is a great time to start a sun devotion. Here's how I connect to the sun:
To the Sun above, Father Sky, thank you for your warmth, light and illumination.
You are the spark that sustains life, your light is turned into food, and this I am light made alive.
I am made of you and thus, I am you.
May I shine bright like you, sharing my warmth and light freely as you do.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hail and Welcome Sun!
Another way to connect with the Sun is to charge up magical tools in the Solstice sunshine. This is especially powerful for any manifestation tools. The Sun is the masculine energy and so anything you want added power, strength, confidence, and endurance infused into is a perfect item to charge. Crystals, mojo bags, a sigil, a piece of jewelry, herbs or infusions are all great things to set out to absorb this peak solar energy. Don't forget you're magic too, sunbathing and absorbing the Sun's power into yourself is also a beautiful way to work with this peak energy.
Light a Fire
Bonfires are a traditional way to continue carrying the Sun's light into the evening. Let the wood soak up the Sun's rays during the day and then light it as the sun is setting. This fire is potent, and you can use it to raise your energy and burn away what no longer serves you. Dance around it clock-wise, gazing into the flames and letting the fire speak to you. You can practice fire scrying, a divination method that uses flames to give us messages. A traditional way to celebrate Litha is to leap over the bonfire for good luck. Make sure this is safe before attempting!
Want to include fire but don't have an outdoor space to do so? Candles are just as good. You can even do some candle magic to specifically imbue an intention for the coming months. Set it in the Sun for a bit durung the day and then light it as sunset. You can meditate with is and also try fire scrying.
Honor the Masculine
If you are trying to connect more with your masculine energy, Litha is a perfect time for that. Doesn't matter if you're male, female or non-binary – we all have a masculine and feminine side. If you need more focus, confidence, power, strength, or endurance, create an intention bag as stated above and infuse those qualities. Commit to a daily practice, sign up for a martial arts or fitness class, or begin taking herbs like maca to enhance vitality.
Masculinity gets a bad rep these days, but there is so much good in healthy masculinity. It is the structure and safety for the feminine to bloom within. Without form the feminine dissipates and loses its potency. The masculine creates the space for the intuitive, creative feminine to dance. If you find that you have blocks to the masculine, I invite you to explore that on Litha. As someone who grew up Catholic and connecting with a very specific flavor of the Divine Masculine there, I found that getting to know the Green Man has been very helpful in me exploring a broader understanding of the masculine energy. To learn more see my post here.
Gathering Day
As this is the peak growth of many herbs, Litha is also known as Gathering Day and is an ideal time to collect herbs for magical uses throughout the year. Saint John's Wort, Mugwort, Chicory, Vervain and Yarrow are thought to be especially powerful when harvested at this time. Use these herbs medicinally or magically to create protection spells, amulets or wards. Once gathered, let them soak up the Sun's light before hanging them somewhere shady to dry.
Celebrate Love
If you are in a relationship this is a perfect day to get handfasted (pagan marriage rites) or renew your vows. If you're not ready to take that leap yet, it's still a beautiful day for a romantic picnic. Take time to tell your beloved all the reasons why you love them. Be playful and let your inner child be seen by your love. Pick flowers and adorn your partner. This is a potent day for sex magic if you practice that.
If you are looking for love, there's a Swedish practice that says if you place seven flowers under your pillow on midsummer eve that you will dream of your future spouse. I also recommend laying in the Sun's light and dreaming of your ideal love. Feel the warmth of the Sun warming your heart as you enjoy the daydream of a perfect day with your future love. Candle magic and solo sex magic are also potent practices to use on this day to attract a new love to you.
Inner Child
Something about the start of summer brings me back to the joy of childhood. School is out, the days are long, and this was the best time of year for play and adventures as a kid. Tap into your inner child by dusting off an old hobby from your childhood. What brought you the most joy as a kid? Climbing trees, catching frogs, dancing and singing, playing games with friends, art – whatever it was, find space to enjoy that on this day. If you have children around you, watch how they play and get inspired. Notice how a tall tuft of grass can amuse a child, how they giddily chase a butterfly, how they sing freely and dance however feels good – without fear of judgment. How can you bring more of that play into your everyday?
This is also a great day to honor the children in your life. Celebrate them, tell them how special they are to you, and do things to make them smile. Even if you don't have children yet, I encourage you to bless the descendants, the ones who will inherit this Earth. It's common to pray to our ancestors, but I also include those who have yet to come into my daily prayers. Here's an example:
To the Descendants, those who will come next, I honor you
Thank you for the constant inspiration to build a better world.
May I work today to create a home worthy of your inheritance.
Hail and Welcome.
Play with the Fairies
Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream is a great example of the connection between Litha and the fae. While Beltane is more closely associated with the fae, they also like to visit on this day too. If you work with the fae or the nature spirits of the land, this is a great time to leave out offerings. When you set them out, take a moment to sit and listen. Feel around you energetically and you may notice their playful energy flitting about. If you would prefer these sometimes mischivous creatures to not come into your home (as things sometimes start to go missing...) you can made wards with iron you charge in the Sun and place at doors and windows.
Honor Mother Earth
While the Sun gets a lot of attention at Litha, don't forget to connect with the abundant Earth all around you. Mother Earth is in her early pregnancy from her dance with the Sun God at Beltane, and she is richly growing all around us. Notice the berries ripening on the vine, the flowers that have passed and are now seeds beginning to form. As you lay out absorbing the Sun's rays, also take a moment to ground into Mother Earth below. As you feel the Sun warming you, know that is how Mother Earth feels as she is kissed by his rays everyday. You are the child of Earth and Sky, feel that beautiful space between that you get to occupy. Give thanks to Mother Earth for the beauty and bounty she shares with you.
Protection Magic
Since the Sun is associated with the masculine energy, this is a perfect time to make protection wards or amulets. A simple way to do this is to create on intention bag. Research crystals and herbs that connect with your intention and lay them in the Sun to gather it's energy. Then place them in a bag and carry it with you to bring the strength of the Sun with you throughout the coming year. I particularly like yarrow and hematite for these bags for courage and grounding – but find what stones and herbs speak most to you.
Get Outside
Plan a picnic or cookout for this day and celebrate this beautiful weather with family and friends. Take a hike on your favorite trails, sit by a beautiful body of water, pick wildflowers and create a beautiful arrangement for your alter (always asking permission and giving thanks when you do). Paganism is a spiritual practice than is grounded in the experiential natural world around you. It's not about doing things in a prescribed way or going to a magnificent church to find the Divine. Our Divinity is all around us, we just have to listen and make space for the connection to occur. So go get your butt outside and worship with your presence and admiration.
Fortify your Goals
While many of the ancient pagan traditions have to do with farming, we don't tend to live as closely to the land as our ancestors did. So while you may not be blessing your fields for an abundant harvest, you can still bless your goals and projects, whatever they may be. Take time to journal about what you are growing this season. Make your goals very clear. Then think about how you can tend to thoe goals as you would a garden. Do they need to be fertilized with some new ideas? Do you need to weed around them to create more space for them to grow? Do they need pruning because they've gone in too many directions and aren't producing well so scattered? Envision your goals growing to fruition, ripening and being harvested. How do you feel when you see them achieved? You can create an intention bag as stated above and place it to your heart and pour into it all that joy and success you feel at achieving your dreams.
Bless the Water
One of the understandable fears of the ancient pagans was drought. You can tend your fields as much as you like, but without rain, a harvest could be destroyed. If it rains on Litha, while you may not get to sunbath, you can dance in the rain! Welcome the water and encourage it to keep the land refreshed this summer. If its a sunny day, go to your favorite body of water and give gratitude. Here's an example prayer:
To the waters of life
May you flow freely this season
Quenching our thirst and renewing the land
I welcome the rain and the life it brings
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Wear a Crown
Flower and leaf crowns are a classic way to celebrate Litha with people in many European countries still wearing them to this day. A wonderful way to help Mother Earth and create a base for your crown is by cutting down invasive bittersweet vines and weaving them into a circle. From there you can pick wild flowers and leaves to adorn your crown. If you don't have access to fresh flowers or want to create a crown that will last, you can get fake flowers from a craft store and attach them with wire or hot glue. If you make one out of flowers, it's traditional to place it under your pillow at night to have dreams of your future (especially in love).
Recipes
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberries are at their peak ripeness at Litha so its a perfect time to enjoy a strawberry shortcake! Try this recipe from Nora Cooks.
Protection Tea
Mix equal parts dried Fennel, Ginger, Saint John's Wort, Nettle, and Mint in a glass jar. Place out in the sun at the height of Litha to absorb the suns rays and/or make sun tea. Serve hot or iced.