{"id":5258,"date":"2011-06-01T01:10:02","date_gmt":"2011-06-01T06:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=5363"},"modified":"2011-05-06T02:50:27","modified_gmt":"2011-05-06T07:50:27","slug":"litha-correspondences-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2011\/06\/01\/litha-correspondences-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Litha Correspondences"},"content":{"rendered":"

History of Litha (MidSummer)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Also known as Summer Solstice, Litha, Alban Hefin, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia, Thing-tide, St. John’s Day <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four ‘quarter-days’ of the year, and modern Witches call them the four ‘Lesser Sabbats’, or the four ‘Low Holidays’. The Summer Solstice is one of them. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Litha is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the 23rd, dependant upon the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. According to the old folklore calendar, Summer begins on Beltane (May 1st) and ends on Lughnassadh (August 1st), with the Summer Solstice midway between the two, marking MID-Summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that Summer begins on the day when the Sun’s power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. The most common other names for this holiday are the Summer Solstice or Midsummer, and it celebrates the arrival of Summer, when the hours of daylight are longest. The Sun is now at the highest point before beginning its slide into darkness.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Humanity has been celebrating Litha and the triumph of light since ancient times. On the Wheel of the Year Litha lies directly across from Yule, the shortest day of the calendar year, that cold and dark winter turning when days begin to lengthen and humanity looks wistfully toward warmth, sunlight and growing things. Although Litha and Yule are low holidays or lesser sabats in the ancient parlance, they are celebrated with more revel and merriment than any other day on the wheel except perhaps Samhain (my own favourite). The joyous rituals of Litha celebrate the verdant Earth in high summer, abundance, fertility, and all the riches of Nature in full bloom. This is a madcap time of strong magic and empowerment, traditionally the time for handfasting or weddings and for communication with the spirits of Nature. At Litha, the veils between the worlds are thin; the portals between “the fields we know” and the worlds beyond stand open. This is an excellent time for rites of divination.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Those who celebrated Litha did so wearing garlands or crowns of flowers, and of course, their millinery always included the yellow blossoms of St. John’s Wort. The Litha rites of the ancients were boisterous communal festivities with morris dancing, singing, storytelling, pageantry and feasting taking place by the village bonfire and torch lit processions through the villages after dark. People believed that the Litha fires possessed great power, and that prosperity and protection for oneself and one’s clan could be earned merely by jumping over the Litha bonfire. It was also common for courting couples joined hands and jump over the embers of the Litha fire three times to ensure a long and happy marriage, financial prosperity and many children. Even the charred embers from the Litha bonfire possessed protective powers – they were charms against injury and bad wwweather in harvest time, and embers were commonly placed around fields of grain and orchards to protect the crops and ensure an abundant reaping. Other Litha customs included carrying an ember of the Litha fire home and placing it on one’s hearth and decking one’s home with birch, fennel, St. John’s Wort, orpin, and white lilies for blessing and protection.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Litha Sabbat is a time to celebrate both work and leisure, it is a time for children and childlike play. It is a time to celebrate the ending of the waxing year and the beginning of the waning year, in preparation for the harvest to come. Midsummer is a time to absorb the Sun’s warming rays and it is another fertility Sabbat, not only for humans, but also for crops and animals. Wiccans consider the Goddess to be heavy with pregnancy from the mating at Beltane – honor is given to Her. The Sun God is celebrated as the Sun is at its peak in the sky and we celebrate His approaching fatherhood – honor is also given to Him. The faeries abound at this time and it is customary to leave offerings – such as food or herbs – for them in the evening. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Although Litha may seem at first glance to be a masculine observance and one which focuses on Lugh, the day is also dedicated to the Goddess, and Her flowers are the white blossoms of the elder. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rededication to the Lord and Lady, beginning of the harvest, honoring the Sun God, honoring the pregnant Godddess<\/p>\n

Dynamics\/Meaning<\/strong>
\nCrowning of the Sun God, death of the Oak King, assumption of the Holly King, end the ordeal of the Green Man<\/p>\n

Tools, Symbols & Decorations<\/strong>
\nThe sun, oak, birch & fir branches, sun flowers, lilies, red\/maize\/yellow or gold flower, love amulets, seashells, summer fruits & flowers, feather\/flower door wreath, sun wheel, fire, circles of stone, sun dials and swords\/blades, bird feathers, Witches\u2019 ladder.<\/p>\n

Colors<\/strong>
\nBlue, green, gold, yellow and red.<\/p>\n

Customs<\/strong>
\nBonfires, processions, all night vigil, singing, feasting, celebrating with others, cutting
\ndivining rods, dowsing rods & wands, herb gathering, handfastings, weddings, Druidic
\ngathering of mistletoe in oak groves, needfires, leaping between two fires, mistletoe
\n(without berries, use as a protection amulet), women walking naked through gardens
\nto ensure continued fertility, enjoying the seasonal fruits & vegetables, honor the
\nMother\u2019s fullness, richness and abundance, put garlands of St. John\u2019s Wort placed
\nover doors\/ windows & a sprig in the car for protection.<\/p>\n

Goddesses<\/strong>
\nMother Earth, Mother Nature, Venus, Aphrodite, Yemaya, Astarte, Freya, Hathor,
\nIshtar, all Goddesses of love, passion, beauty and the Sea, and Pregnant,
\nlusty Goddesses, Green Forest Mother; Great One of the Stars, Goddess of the Wells<\/p>\n

Gods<\/strong>
\nFather Sun\/Sky, Oak King, Holly King, hur, Gods at peak power and strength.<\/p>\n

Animals\/Mythical Beings<\/strong>
\nWren, robin, horses, cattle, satyrs, faeries, firebird, dragon, thunderbird<\/p>\n

Gemstones<\/strong>
\nLapis lazuli, diamond, tiger\u2019s eye, all green gemstones, especially emerald and jade<\/p>\n

Herbs<\/strong>
\nAnise, mugwort, chamomile, rose, wild rose, oak blossoms, lily, cinquefoil, lavender,
\nfennel, elder, mistletoe, hemp, thyme, larkspur, nettle, wisteria, vervain ( verbena),
\nSt. John\u2019s wort, heartsease, rue, fern, wormwood, pine,heather, yarrow,
\noak & holly trees<\/p>\n

Incense\/Oil<\/strong>
\nHeliotrope, saffron, orange, frankincense & myrrh, wisteria, cinnamon, mint, rose, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, pine<\/p>\n

Rituals\/Magicks<\/strong>
\nNature spirit\/fey communion, planet healing, divination, love & protection magicks.
\nThe battle between Oak King, God of the waxing year & Holly King, God of the waning
\nyear (can be a ritual play), or act out scenes from the Bard\u2019s (an incarnation of Merlin)
\n\u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d, rededication of faith, rites of inspiration.<\/p>\n

Foods<\/strong>
\nHoney, fresh vegetables, lemons, oranges, summer fruits, summer squash,
\npumpernickel bread, ale, carrot drinks, mead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

History of Litha (MidSummer) Also known as Summer Solstice, Litha, Alban Hefin, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia, Thing-tide, St. John’s Day In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four ‘quarter-days’ of the year, and modern Witches call them the four ‘Lesser Sabbats’, or the four ‘Low Holidays’. The Summer Solstice is one of them. Litha is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the 23rd, dependant upon the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. According to the old folklore calendar, Summer begins on Beltane (May 1st) and ends on Lughnassadh (August 1st), with the Summer Solstice midway between the two, marking MID-Summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that Summer begins on the day when the Sun’s power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. The most common other names for this holiday are the Summer Solstice or Midsummer, and it celebrates the arrival of Summer, when the hours of daylight are longest. The Sun is now at the highest point before beginning its slide into darkness. Humanity has been celebrating Litha and the triumph of light since ancient times. On the Wheel of the Year Litha lies directly across from Yule, the shortest day of the calendar year, that cold and dark winter turning when days begin to lengthen and humanity looks wistfully toward warmth, sunlight and growing things. Although Litha and Yule are low holidays or lesser sabats in the ancient parlance, they are celebrated with more revel and merriment than any other day on the wheel except perhaps Samhain (my own favourite). The joyous rituals of Litha celebrate the verdant Earth in high summer, abundance, fertility, and all the riches of Nature in full bloom. This is a madcap time of strong magic and empowerment, traditionally the time for handfasting or weddings and for communication with the spirits of Nature. At Litha, the veils between the worlds are thin; the portals between “the fields we know” and the worlds beyond stand open. This is an excellent time for rites of divination. Those who celebrated Litha did so wearing garlands or crowns of flowers, and of course, their millinery always included the yellow blossoms of St. John’s Wort. The Litha rites of the ancients were boisterous communal festivities with morris dancing, singing, storytelling, pageantry and feasting taking place by the village bonfire and torch lit processions through the villages after dark. People believed that the Litha fires possessed great power, and that prosperity and protection for oneself and one’s clan could be earned merely by jumping over the Litha bonfire. It was also common for courting couples joined hands and jump over the embers of the Litha fire three times to ensure a long and happy marriage, financial prosperity and many children. Even the charred embers from the Litha bonfire possessed protective powers – they were charms against injury and bad wwweather in harvest time, and embers were commonly placed around fields of grain and orchards to protect the crops and ensure an abundant reaping. Other Litha customs included carrying an ember of the Litha fire home and placing it on one’s hearth and decking one’s home with birch, fennel, St. John’s Wort, orpin, and white lilies for blessing and protection. The Litha Sabbat is a time to celebrate both work and leisure, it is a time for children and childlike play. It is a time to celebrate the ending of the waxing year and the beginning of the waning year, in preparation for the harvest to come. Midsummer is a time to absorb the Sun’s warming rays and it is another fertility Sabbat, not only for humans, but also for crops and animals. Wiccans consider the Goddess to be heavy with pregnancy from the mating at Beltane – honor is given to Her. The Sun God is celebrated as the Sun is at its peak in the sky and we celebrate His approaching fatherhood – honor is also given to Him. The faeries abound at this time and it is customary to leave offerings – such as food or herbs – for them in the evening. Although Litha may seem at first glance to be a masculine observance and one which focuses on Lugh, the day is also dedicated to the Goddess, and Her flowers are the white blossoms of the elder. Purpose Rededication to the Lord and Lady, beginning of the harvest, honoring the Sun God, honoring the pregnant Godddess Dynamics\/Meaning Crowning of the Sun God, death of the Oak King, assumption of the Holly King, end the ordeal of the Green Man Tools, Symbols & Decorations The sun, oak, birch & fir branches, sun flowers, lilies, red\/maize\/yellow or gold flower, love amulets, seashells, summer fruits & flowers, feather\/flower door wreath, sun wheel, fire, circles of stone, sun dials and swords\/blades, bird feathers, Witches\u2019 ladder. Colors Blue, green, gold, yellow and red. Customs Bonfires, processions, all night vigil, singing, feasting, celebrating with others, cutting divining rods, dowsing rods & wands, herb gathering, handfastings, weddings, Druidic gathering of mistletoe in oak groves, needfires, leaping between two fires, mistletoe (without berries, use as a protection amulet), women walking naked through gardens to ensure continued fertility, enjoying the seasonal fruits & vegetables, honor the Mother\u2019s fullness, richness and abundance, put garlands of St. John\u2019s Wort placed over doors\/ windows & a sprig in the car for protection. Goddesses Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Venus, Aphrodite, Yemaya, Astarte, Freya, Hathor, Ishtar, all Goddesses of love, passion, beauty and the Sea, and Pregnant, lusty Goddesses, Green Forest Mother; Great One of the Stars, Goddess of the Wells Gods Father Sun\/Sky, Oak King, Holly King, hur, Gods at peak power and strength. Animals\/Mythical Beings Wren, robin, horses, cattle, satyrs, faeries, firebird, dragon, thunderbird Gemstones Lapis lazuli, diamond, tiger\u2019s eye, all green gemstones, especially emerald and jade Herbs Anise, mugwort, chamomile, rose, wild rose, oak blossoms, lily, cinquefoil, lavender, fennel, elder, mistletoe, hemp, thyme, larkspur, nettle, wisteria, vervain ( verbena), St. John\u2019s wort, heartsease, rue, fern, wormwood, pine,heather, yarrow, oak & holly trees Incense\/Oil Heliotrope, saffron, orange, frankincense & myrrh, wisteria, cinnamon, mint, rose, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, pine Rituals\/Magicks Nature spirit\/fey communion, planet healing, divination, love & protection magicks. The battle between Oak King, God of the waxing year & Holly King, God of the waning year (can be a ritual play), or act out scenes from the Bard\u2019s (an incarnation of Merlin) \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d, rededication of faith, rites of inspiration. Foods Honey, fresh vegetables, lemons, oranges, summer fruits, summer squash, pumpernickel bread, ale, carrot drinks, mead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}