The Wheel of the Year: Litha - the Summer Solstice
And so the Wheel turns again and we find ourselves already at Midsummer, known as Litha. Celebrated around 21st-22nd June Litha is one of the four solar holidays (which includes the equinoxes and solstices) in the Wheel of the Year marking the summer solstice and the turning point in the year when the sun is at its highest point in the sky and the hours of sunshine their peak.
If you’re in the UK like me, I know you’re sat there going “hold on a minute, the sunshine reaches it’s peak? What sunshine? We have barely had any sunshine hours in the UK yet, how can it be peaking already?!’ I know. But the sun seems to have come out in force, finally showing up to the solstice party fashionably late.
Litha is an ancient festival celebrated by various cultures around the world. The term "Litha" is believed to be related to the word "liþa," which translates to "gentle" or "calm" in Old English. Litha has its roots in ancient agricultural societies that heavily relied on the sun for their livelihoods (1). It marks the halfway stage of the growing season - the traditional mid-point between planting and harvesting. The festival was an observance of the peak of the sun's power and the longest day of the year.
Litha honoured the increase in light, warmth and energy and was a celebration of abundance, growth and joy. It marked the shift to the Mother Goddess phase of the year (where Imbolc began the season of the Maiden and Samhain the season of the Crone) connecting it with themes of ripeness, fertility, creative power, pregnancy, growth and maturity. In Celtic mythology, the festival celebrated the masculine Sun-god, the Oak-King, the “King of Summer”, being at the peak of his virility and life-giving power and the creatrix power of the pregnant Goddess.
Bonfires were lit during Litha to honour the sun's strength and ensure abundant harvests. In Norse traditions, along with bonfires the solstice was also celebrated with feasts and ceremonies dedicated to Freyr, the fertility god (who we met very briefly in my most recent blog post on Goddess Freyja). Traditionally in many parts of the world people stayed up all night on Midsummer’s Eve to welcome and watch the sunrise and many still do at Stonehenge.
Energetically speaking, Litha is a potent portal to tap into and harness solar power and the increase in life-force energy we get from the sun. It is a time of intensification, of focus, development and determination as we connect with the sun to become stronger and claim our full self-power. Just as the sun reaches its peak, likewise we are called to radiate our own inner light. It’s a time to focus our energy and attention on those seeds of intentions we sowed back at Imbolc and nurtured during the spring festivals of Ostara and Beltane.
Now with this surge of solar, yang energy, we’re being called to think about what action do we need to take towards those intentions and dreams that have been germinating? Where can we shine our light more? What are we feeling inspired to create at this time? What steps can we take to increase our vitality? What actions can we take now to grow our projects or work to invite in more abundance we can then harvest later in the year?
Litha themes and areas of focus:
Abundance
Empowerment
Creativity
Light
Fire energy
Growth
Inspiration
Motherhood
Success
Vitality
Warmth
In the coming weeks during the Litha portal (which I personally loosely acknowledge and celebrate not just on the official solstice days but through the full six or so weeks until the next turn of the wheel of the year) I’ll do posts on a couple of Goddesses who embody Litha themes - watch this space!
LITHA RITUALS
Sun Magick - connect with solar energy, dose up on the sun’s radiance and warmth to fire up your own inner sun - connect with solar power by getting up extra early to watch and honour the sunrise (or by staying up all night as they do at Stonehenge) or if you’re Not A Morning Person it’s perfectly fine to honour the sun by a spot of intentional sun-soaking in the afternoon or a sunset vigil instead if that’s more your vibe!
Fire ritual - this could include anything from a large bonfire gathering to a candle ritual with a tea-light candle - set intentions and write them down and put them under the candle (you can include one tea light candle per intention) and visualise your intentions coming true as you stare into the flame. Keep the candle burning until it self extinguishes.
With the increase in life-force energy it’s time to get moving! Practice some sun salutations and breath of fire pranayama techniques to really get that fire energy stoked
Crystals to connect to/amplify Litha energy include sunstone crystal, orange calcite, honey calcite, carnelian and amber
Make a summer flower wreath either to wear or decorate your home/altar to honour and celebrate mother nature’s fertility, beauty and abundance at this time.
Celebrate a Litha feast with suitably summery or solar-focused foods - a solar-powered barbecue (which literally uses the sun’s power to cook foods) if you can get hold of one or even just grilling food over a flame, a colourful seasonal summer salad using a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in different colours (this prosciutto, peach and mozarella summer salad is one of my favourites) and with dessert to include summer berries or solar citrus fruits such as a blood orange pavolva or key lime cheesecake.
REFERENCES:
Seasons of the Witch - Litha Oracle - Lorriane Anderson & Juliet Diaz
2024 Witches’ Diary - Flavia Kate Peters & Barbara Meiklejohn-Free