Goddesses of Litha - Yhi, Australian Aboriginal Goddess of the Sun, Light & Creation
Yhi is also known as The Great Spirit, the Mother. Among the Gamilaraay people, she is referred to as Yaay, signifying “mother,” while the Wiradjuri people speak of Yaraay, the profound “giver of life.”
She is a female creator spirit and is seen as a personification of the sun and the ‘Bringer of Light’. As she is closely entwined with the concepts of light and creation she is an ideal Goddess to work with during the Litha season which honours the increase in solar energies with the summer solstice and themes of light, creativity, fertility, growth and abundance.
Along with bringing all life and vitality to Earth, she also created her male counterpart, Baiame the All-Father, and together they created animals and mankind.
Bahloo, the mischievous but benevolent Moon god is usually represented as her lover and in some stories she chases him across the sky - eclipses are said to happen when she catches up to him (an interesting reversal of many of the Western pantheons (Celtic / Greek /Roman etc) where Moon deities are usually exclusively feminine and the sun deities masculine).
HER MYTH
A tale woven around her in the mythology of the Gamilaraay people involves Yhi’s involvement in the creation of all life on earth.
The Earth is a barren place - no life, no wind, no warmth, no sound. Yhi resides in a state of profound repose within the Dreamtime (a mythological period of time which has no beginning or end but is full of potentiality awaiting creation - a core concept in Aboriginal culture and religion explaining how the Ancestral Spirits created life) when she is awoken by a whistle.
As she stirs from her celestial sleep and opens her eyes, her gaze is the light and power of the sun sending her warm rays down onto a barren Earth and miraculously imbuing life and vitality into the dormant landscape.
Goddess Yhi was seen to symbolise the dawn of consciousness and the awakening of all life, growth and abundance on earth.
In some ways she has crossovers with Goddess Oshun, the Yoruban Creator & Fertility Goddess of Water - in Oshun’s case it’s her flowing waters rather than the sun which also create and support the existence of all life on earth and likewise which brought vitality to an otherwise barren world.
How To Work With Her
Shine Your Light 🌟
If we have been hiding our light under a bushel, dimming ourselves or staying stuck in patterns of playing small in any areas of our lives, Goddess Yhi is the Goddess to work with to support us in coming out of the shadows and shining our light.
Goddess Yhi will suffuse us with her warmth, vitality and bright, sunny energy so we can not only be more comfortable and courageous being visible out in the world or in the communities we are meant to initiate or be an integral part of but so we’ll also be seen and be magnetic to those who are meant to work with us or hear our message.
She helps us to stand strong in our truth, to radiate our unique signature energy, to stand in our power and be an example to guide others - like a Lighthouse! She is a particularly wonderful guide for those of us who have incarnated on the earth at this time as a ‘Light-worker’- a healer, a guide or mentor or in whichever way you’re called to bring your unique light into the world - to heal and uplift humanity during this great Ascension on the Earth.
As we step into the light more and more, we may naturally start to attract more… challenges shall we say to sharing our light - something that many lightworkers and empaths can fear and so may shy away from shining their light in the first place. This Empowerment Message from the Goddess Power Oracle deck provides some guidance on handling this:
Goddess Yhi: The Sun
EMPOWERMENT MESSAGE:
When you shine your light into the world, you will attract various people and experiences that match or challenge your commitment to being empowered. Right now, you are receiving information to know which choice to make, which opportunity to take, and which person to trust. The Aboriginal Australian sun Goddess Yhi illuminates your path with her rays and brings clarity as she shows you what you need to know.
A bright light also attracts a lot of bugs, so know that you may also attract those who see themselves smaller as a result of your empowerment. This is conditioning that needs to be healed in many people in the world. All you can do is be incandescent and joyful, kind and truthful, and the world will begin to reflect that goodness back to you. The Goddess Yhi is happy to help you shine.
From the Goddess Power Oracle - Colette Baron-Reid
Increased Energy, Vitality & Light
Just as when Yhi turned her gaze on the earth it catalysed all growth and vitality on the land, so too can working with this Goddess catalyse an increase in vitality, energy/ life-force /chi for us.
Increasingly as we begin to cultivate more vitality, energy, spark and light and subsequently experience more growth in our lives as we expand our capacity to give and receive in all areas of life, so too are we increasingly in a stronger position to share that overflow of energy or light with others from a full cup.
The Sun Magick message from the Wheel of the Year: Litha Oracle by Lorriane Anderson provides excellent guidance on how to balance this:
Sun Magick
Keywords: life, energy, vitality
You are coming into great alignment with your soul, and as a result you are literally shining brighter than ever before. Your energy and vitality are slowly growing, and you may even experience physical bursts of energy when this card comes into your reading. Your vibration is rising and you are pulling yourself out of the shadows you have recently experienced.
As a symbol of growth this card invites you to be noticed. Don’t be afraid to let other people experience your energy: this is a positive card for those wishing to be in the public eye as it means you will be well received and, more than that, that people are already looking to you for your guidance.
The shadow side of this card is the pressure to be all things for all people. Know that sharing your light does not mean you have to be on constant display. You are allowed to keep some things to yourself and no one should have total access to your energy, especially not for free.
Don’t be afraid to charge for what your energy and time are worth, which is true whether you are selling something physical such as a product or service or in your personal life among your family and friends. Relationships should be give and take. It is not your responsibility to loan your light to other people: they must learn to activate their own light so you can both bask in glory.
Wheel of the Year Litha Oracle: Lorriane Anderson & Juliet Diaz
Rituals to Connect With Yhi
Sun worship - similar to the rituals suggested in the Litha post which celebrates and honours the increase in solar energy from the solstice - doing any rituals that honour and celebrate the generative powers of the sun would help you to connect with Yhi - for example:
Do a sunrise or sunset ritual such as lighting a candle and setting intentions around how you could be shining your light in the world if nothing held you back
Do a solar-focused yoga practice outdoor in the sun including a lot of sun salutations and vigorous flow poses to activate your vitality
Herb-craft your own sun-infused flower remedy - soak a flower that represents the sun such as sunflower or calendula in water in sunlight for at least a day and then you can create your own mother flower essence remedy using alcohol to preserve it. For more details on how to create a remedy and dosage go here
Crystal healing - to increase your vitality, life-force energy and shine your light, you can work with any of the below solar crystals by either wearing jewellery with these stones, carrying around tumblestones or do a ritual such as laying down and placing the stones around your solar plexus chakra in particular and call on Goddess Yhi to support you to heal any blocks to shining your light.
Sunstone - imitates the power and light rays of the sun, supports us to step out of the shadows and into our power
Yellow calcite - brings warmth and energy and enhances physical vitality
Amber - fosters a sense of illumination and vitality, enhances creativity and joy and supports us to come out of our shell and shine our bright light in the world.
References:
Goddess Power Oracle - Colette Baron-Reid
The Witches’ Goddess - Janet & Stewart Farrar
The Wheel of the Year: Litha Oracle - Lorraine Anderson & Juliet Diaz