Litha In A Week: Ritual and Celebration

Blessed Litha, everyone!

In celebration, I thought I’d offer up some rituals and celebrations you can incorporate into your day! From mundane activities to full-out circle-castin’ ritual, make every step of your day (and life) a magickal one.

The Lesser Sabbats (equinoxes and solstices), of which Litha is one, are a great time to think about changes to be made in your life; as they mark the changing of the seasons, so do they mark periods where we learn what changes we’ve made and what we plan for the future.

Celebrations

Get Back to Nature

Go for a hike and explore the world around you! If you have children, prepare a scavenger hunt where they collect different items from their surroundings (though be sure not to collect live plants out of respect). They might even want to take photos of what they find!

Body Movin’!

Host a drum circle or a Spiral dance, something to get your body moving. It’s a great activity for larger groups, and you can raise of ton of energy this way. Be sure to provide refreshments after such an activity — they tend to be draining, and some lemonade and fresh hummus with pita points do wonders.

Charitable Acts

Let the light of the sun shine through you as you help others. Donate clothes, food, and other necessities to homeless shelters. Do something for charity works. Plan a neighborhood or beach cleanup. Donate your time and efforts to a local children’s hospital. Whatever you do, make sure the intent is to make the world a better place.

Host a BBQ

4 July is right around the corner for those of us in the US, so fire up that barbeque and get grilling! Decorate your home and outdoors with colors of the sun, and feast on lots of summery foods like watermelon, strawberries, and fresh green salads. Organize games like volleyball, Frisbee, and Red Rover to get people — especially kids — outdoors and enjoying the sunlight. Water sports are definitely good, too, with water balloons and super soakers!

Honor the Season

And of course, there are your rituals and prayers to recognize the sun and the gods of the season. Set up your altar with symbols of the season like candles, fruits and vegetables, and appropriate colors. You may also wish to perform one of the rituals detailed below!

Rituals

Journal Ritual

Obviously, I enjoy writing, finding it cathartic and relaxing in this busy world in which we live. Since you all are reading, I’m guessing you like to write, too! I also imagine that many of you, while we would prefer it this way, don’t have easy access to privacy, space, or resources to hold a full-on ritual. It can feel like you’re stuck doing nothing at all to celebrate, and that sucks!

This ritual, called the Journal Ritual, is a great way to escape for just a bit and even afford yourself much-needed privacy: It’s funny, people tend to interrupt prayers, meditation, and reading, but it’s not often someone is interrupted while writing.

So grab your journal! It can be a handwritten journal or your laptop; the intent is what’s important. Find a comfortable spot and get settled. If desired, light a candle or some incense.

Then consider what you want to accomplish during your ritual. Are you celebrating a Sabbat? Looking to offer thanks to Spirit? Perform some bit of magick? Whatever your intent, gather those thoughts, then allow yourself to write what you are thinking.

As the sun sets on this solstice, Litha, I am reminded that the light that shone for the longest this day also shines within my heart. Tonight I honor the gods and goddesses of Litha, those who bless our lives with their own light, love, and gifts of creativity, for everything they have provided me. I also honor the bounty of Mother Earth, which nourishes my body as well as my soul.

Whatever you write, imagine a full ritual playing out on the pages. You may include casting a circle, lighting candles, or even chants if you want. You might find yourself entering a trance-like state as you write (I won’t lie, it’s a pretty cool feeling). When the writing has come to an end, your ritual will have completed, and you may close the book.

Solitary Litha Ritual

Like many of you, I imagine, I’m a solitary practitioner. There are some times when I might join a group for different activities, but much of my worship and reverence is done on my own. To that end, here are some solitary Litha rituals for you to do! You may take, leave, combine, and otherwise incorporate any of the elements in these rituals to create your own.

• Litha Ritual of the Summer Solstice (The Cauldron Pagan Forum)
• My Solitary Litha Ritual (Witchery: Trapped In the Broom Closet)
• Solitary Activities for Litha (College Wicca)
• Solitary Midsummer/Litha/Summer Solstice Ritual (The Wiccan Life)
• Wiccan Litha/Summer Solstice/Midsummer Sabbat Solitary Ritual Guide (The Wiccan Way)

Litha Fire Ritual

This ritual can be held in a group or solitary. If working with a group, assign “roles” and what to say ahead of time. This is best performed outside, but can be done indoors as well!

(Personally, I’ll be doing this ritual myself in a solitary fashion. It’s one of my favorites. )

If your tradition requires casting a circle, consecrating a space, or calling the quarters, do so now. You may want to assign different people to each quarter or to each method of casting.

Begin by preparing wood for a fire, but don’t light it yet. If you can’t have a huge bonfire (which is preferred and oh-so-cool), use a tabletop cauldron or fire-safe pot, and prepare the fire in there instead.

Say:

Today, to celebrate Midsummer, [I/we] honor the Earth itself. [I/we] [am/are] surrounded by tall trees. There is a clear sky above [me/us] and cool dirt beneath [me/us], and [I/we] [am/are] connected to all three. [I/we] light this fire as the Ancients did so long ago.

(Continue [I/we] and so forth as necessary.)

Start your fire, then say:

The Wheel of the Year has turned once more. The light has grown for six short months… until today.

Today is Litha, called Midsummer or Solstice by my ancestors.
A time for celebration.
Tomorrow the light will begin to fade
As the Wheel of the Year
Turns on and ever on.

Turn to the East and say:

From the East comes the wind,
Cool and clear.
It brings new seeds to the garden
Bees to the pollen,
And birds to the trees.

Turn to the South and say:

The sun rises high in the summer sky
And lights our way even into the night.
Today the sun casts three rays:
The light of fire upon the land, the sea, and the heavens.

Turn to the West and say:

From the West, the mist rolls in,
Bringing rain and fog,
The life-giving water without which
We would cease to be.

Finally, turn to the North and say:

Beneath my feet is the Earth,
Soil dark and fertile,
The womb in which life begins
And will later die, then return anew.

After this, build up your fire even more, until you have a good strong blaze going.

If you wish to make an offering to the gods, now would be a good time for it. You may cast your offering into the fire after saying:

Midsummer is a time of rededication
To the gods. The triple goddess watches over me.
She is known by many names:
She is the Morrighan, Brighid, Cerridwen.
She is the washer at the ford,
She is the guardian of the hearth,
She is the one who stirs the cauldron of inspiration.
I give honor to You, O mighty ones,
By all your names, known and unknown.
Bless me with Your wisdom
And give life and abundance to me
As the sun gives life and abundance to the Earth.

I make this offering to you
To show my allegiance,
To show my honor,
To show my dedication
To You.

Conclude your ritual by saying:

Today, at Litha, I celebrate the life
And love of the gods
And of the Earth and Sun.

Take a few moments to reflect on what you have offered and what gifts of the gods means to you. When you are ready, break down your circle, release the quarters, and anything else as your tradition dictates. Allow the fire to burn out on its own.