Day: June 21, 2015

 

 

 

The Balance of the Signs & the Elements for Sunday, June 21st

 

GEMINI STRONG
Agile, versatile, inquisitive, flowing, conversational, airy, many ideas. Can be volatile, superficial, changeable, restless and inconsistent.
LEO STRONG
Self-confident, generous, warm-hearted, powerful leader, dramatic. Can be overly proud, vain, extravagant, arrogant.
FIRE STRONG
Fire is enthusiastic, dynamic, and spontaneous, but lacks reflection. We are more courageous and adventurous now, with a tendency to act before thinking. There is little concern about what happened in the past. We are competitive and possibly impatient or bored easily.
EARTH WEAK
There can be a lack of desire, interest, or skills regarding practical affairs. We may not be very much in touch with reality. Difficulties concentrating, grounding ourselves.
AIR STRONG
We tend to favor rational, objective thought over emotions, impulses, and feelings at this time. We are more intellectual, fair-minded, and logical in our approach, Ideas flow easily and quickly, we are more communicative and guided by principles, and also somewhat dispassionate or impersonal.
WATER WEAK
There may be some insensitivity or lack of empathy now. We may be out of touch with what we’re feeling or with our emotional needs. We may be tougher than usual now, and more inclined to follow mental or practical considerations than we are to listen to our intuition.
CARDINAL WEAK
This is not a time that we tend to naturally initiate actions. We may be stronger at following up than starting anew. Survival mechanisms may be weaker now.

Astrology of Today – June 21, 2015

 

 

 

Astrology of Today – June 21, 2015


Summary:

The Sun enters Cancer today, where it will transit until July 22nd. Releasing ourselves from the past in some significant way can be a theme today with a Venus-Pluto quincunx and especially the energy of the Jupiter-Uranus trine that perfects tomorrow morning.

The Moon is in Leo until 12:58 PM.
The Moon is void for a short time, from 12:37 PM to 12:58 PM.
The Moon is in Virgo from 12:58 PM forward (until Wednesday, June 24th, at 1:40 AM).
The Moon is waxing and in its Waxing Crescent phase.
Mercury is direct and in its shadow until it reaches 13 Gemini 09 on June 27th.
Venus is direct and enters its pre-retrograde shadow today.
The Sun enters Cancer today (the Sun transits Cancer from June 21-July 22).

The Summer Solstice

 

 

 

The Summer Solstice

The longest day of the year is going to brighten up your life

Maria DeSimoneMaria DeSimone on the topics of summer solstice, summer, cancer, astrology
As the Sun enters Cancer each year, it’s the mark of the first day of summer — also known as the Summer Solstice. What makes this day so important? For one thing, on the day of the Summer Solstice the Sun appears to stand still in the sky. The Sun will grace us with his presence and warmth for an extraordinary length of time on this day. As a matter of fact, it’s the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Cancer ushers in the new season

The astronomical reason for this is because it is at this time each year that the Sun stops right over the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at the northernmost point of our planet. After a few days it will backtrack south towards the equator. The solstice occurs on June 21 and astrologically, it coincides with the start of the Cardinal Water sign Cancer.

Cancer is the sign associated with nurturing, mothering, and deep emotional connection as well as family. At the Summer Solstice, we’re reminded that Mother Earth sustains. The Sun’s rays allow Mother Earth to continue to do so. Everyone feels noticeably more vibrant in the summer months thanks to the extra rays of Sun beaming on us. Life is “in our face” at the Summer Solstice. It feels like nothing will ever die because there’s an endless supply of nourishment to our bodies and souls during this time.

 

@Tarot.com is a Daily Insight Group Site

The Solstice: Celebrate the Return to Love

The Solstice: Celebrate the Return to Love

a message from Sanat Kumara channeled by Meredith Murphy

To read more of Meredith’s insight, please visit her website, Expect Wonderful

Greetings Beloved Souls,

I am Sanat Kumara and I am here with you in this communication, to share with you about this time in your world. About the upcoming Solstice alignment. About your lives – what is emerging, what is possible, what is important and what might be the most significant aspect available to you, in your experience now. The experience of the return of love.

Love is returning to Earth in wave upon wave of higher frequencies energies being grounded here. Of course all things are made of divine light energy which is love, but the higher frequencies of love the quality of love that you experience as the emotional experience of love, that is what we speak of when we say, love is returning. Love is returning to Earth as you increasingly are embodying the higher frequency aspects of your being.

This is no small thing. It is making life very sweet that all this is happening.

You are living in an amazing configuration. A sphere of experience in which the arrangements are changing. The correspondence is changing. The ways of translating vibration are changing. The relationship to consciousness is changing. All of this is changing in your experience, in this way, and as it does, love is becoming more available to you and in this experience of knowing more love, you are feeling more alive. More hope is available on the Earth, for the sense of potential within human life is opening up.

This is an extension, a mirroring of the way in which the energetic field of the planet Earth has also opened up. The whole way in which Earth is present in the galaxy energetically, has been transformed and is continuing to change. It is becoming a more uplifted sphere of experience.

Why is this?

For one thing, for some time now there has been a momentum in your world about positive thought. About the value and benefit of positive thinking. This idea, although it has it’s flaws, is fundamentally positive! It is fundamentally beneficial to think positively about life and because you are learning this as a species, you are more aware of the tone of your thoughts. The mood you are in and the way your thoughts might relate to this and how all of this is also affecting your body. The mind-body connection is clearly recognized. This is transforming what it means to be human and what is possible for humanity.

It is important for you to realize that you are living in a time of great change and that your very life is the fulcrum — the pivot point on which this change is being created and experienced. You are the humans with links to the past building bridges into the future. You are setting forth new examples of what it means to be human. There are still on your Earth those who think money and material things are at odds with the spiritual life. There are still those on your Earth who have not awoken to their inner connection and are completely captivated by the sensory experiences. Then there are those of you who are blending and bridging into something very new and expanded. Those of you who are working more unconditionally with the qualities of experience here and letting yourself learn how to be more free.

You are revising your family history, your genetic and soul family lineage as you in embodied form become more free. We have said many of this things to you before and you may be familiar with all of them and yet because you are living in a time of immense transformation and transition, we continue to remind you of these amazing changes you are creating and the context of your experience so as to help you stay focused on the clarity of the experience. We want you to see clearly how much you are revising and how much you are changing. We want you to claim this and to use it to become even more loving and unconditional in relating to yourselves, which you know is such a huge key to the empowerment you are opening up. Self-love is making it all possible.

We greet you too, today, knowing the energies on your planet have been very high pitched lately and the Solstice is this week. It is a time of wonderful possibilities and for you, to use these energies by coming together to feel your connection with the land, with the sky, with the sun, with one another and with all that you are. To live out your blendedness with one another. To open up to the magical experience of conscious multidimensionality, together and to celebrate the shifts and turns of your lives. The Solstice might symbolize for you too, how much light you are letting in. How sometimes it truly ebbs away and other times it’s at such a pitch you cannot imagine holding any more energy. Yet all of it is part of your movement through space. A movement which you are using quite intentionally to temper your energetic capacity and grow your embodiment.

It is amazing and inspiring to behold and we relish each opportunity we have to share with you and celebrate your success.

As we come into this communication, we have one further thing we wish to share at this time and this is perhaps the most important gift we could give you: dear ones, have fun. Let yourselves have fun. Play more. Do what you want, more often. Let yourselves be free. Let yourselves choose to be free and see how it changes your life. See how much more is possible then you grew up believing. Let yourselves make the choices you want whenever you feel ready. Do not consider yourself late to the game, for it is that kind of game you’re in — one which is ripening and changing and you meant for it to be so. That you would continually open up new ways of being and some of that will be reclaiming things you put down long ago, for now you are more whole and can take them up again, with innocence and freshness and without any concerns about anything you might have called aging, or older-ness or whatever.

The ideas that there is a time for things is true and then again, it’s not true at all. It’s poetic to say, “it’s the perfect time.” It’s a wonderful way of being in accord with life. Of being fully present. It is also wonderful to be surprised by the timing of things. To have things return that you thought were gone. To like something you thought you hated. To feel open to something you thought was over. To notice you’re interested in something you never thought “at your age” you would consider. All of this is fresh and alive and for those reasons alone, worth celebrating and enjoying.

Let yourselves have more fun. And all that might mean to you. Fun is important and it is more of a key to living fully than you typically acknowledge and operate from. So why not do that at this Solstice? Declare your intention to be more sunny. More happy. More whole and to get there by having more fun. It’s a valid pathway you know? To all that you are and to all that is. Fun. The effortless way of connection. How is that for an idea?

We love you very much and we celebrate with you, your ongoing return to the fullness of your being, while here — in this most beautiful and abundant world, of so much beauty and such great and continually expanding potential.

I am Sanat Kumara

Source:
Spiritlibrary.com

Current Moon Phase for Midsummer Solstice, June 21 is Waxing Crescent

Litha Comments & Graphics

June 21

Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 23%

 

The Moon today is in a Waxing Crescent Phase. A Waxing Crescent is the first Phase after the New Moon and is a great time to see the features of the moon’s surface. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the western sky after the sun dips below the horizon at sunset. The moon is close to the sun in the sky and mostly dark except for the right edge of the moon which becomes brighter as the days get closer to the next phase which is a First Quarter with a 50% illumination.

Phase Details for – Sunday, June 21, 2015

Phase: Waxing Crescent
Illumination: 23%
Moon Age: 4.73 days
Moon Angle: 0.49
Moon Distance: 403,173.82 km
Sun Angle: 0.52
Sun Distance: 152,035,312.86 km

 

Summer Invocation

Litha Comments & Graphics

Summer Invocation

 

Fireflies and summer sun
in circles round
we become as one.
Singing songs at magic’s hour
we bring the winds
and timeless powers.
Turning inward, hand in hand
we dance the hearth
to heal the land.
Standing silent, beneath the sky
we catch the fire
from out God’s eye.
Swaying breathless, beside the sea
we call the Goddess
so mote it be!

(This can be used as a chant, part of a spiral dance, or to invoke quarters.)

by Trish Telesco, About.com

Rosewater for Litha


Litha Comments & GraphicsRosewater for Litha

2 Cups damask rose (Rosa damascena) petals, picked early in the morning
1.5 cups distilled water and 1 cup vodka OR
1 cup distilled water and 1 cup distilled witch hazel

Place the petals in a clean jar with a lid. Cover with whichever liquid you’ve chosen to use. Seal tightly and store in a cool place away from light for two weeks. (It’s best to attach a label with the date and ingredients, because, if you’re anything like me, you’ll think you’ll remember, but you won’t!) At the end of two weeks, strain into pretty bottles and tie a red ribbon around the top, infusing it with loving intent. At your next ritual or for love magic, sprinkle some of this water on yourself and others.

Holding a Midsummer Night’s Fire Ritual


Litha Comments & GraphicsHolding a Midsummer Night’s Fire Ritual

 

The Summer Solstice, known to some as Litha, Midsummer, or Alban Heruin, is the longest day of the year. It’s the time when the sun is most powerful, and new life has begun to grow within the earth. After today, the nights will once more begin to grow longer, and the sun will move further away in the sky.

If your tradition requires you to cast a circle, consecrate a space, or call the quarters, now is the time to do so. This ritual is a great one to perform outside, so if you have the opportunity to do this without scaring the neighbors, take advantage of it.

Begin this ritual by preparing the wood for a fire, without lighting it yet. While the ideal situation would have you setting a huge bonfire alight, realistically not everyone can do that. If you’re limited, use a table top brazier or fire-safe pot, and light your fire there instead.

Say either to yourself or out loud:

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

At this point, start your fire. Say:

The Wheel of the Year has turned once more
The light has grown for six long months
Until today.

Today is Litha, called Alban Heruin 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 Face 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 face West, saying:

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.

Build up the fire even more, so that you have a good strong blaze going.
If you wish to make an offering to the gods, now is the time to do it. For this sample, we’re including the use of a triple goddess in the invocation, but this is where you should substitute the names of the deities of your personal tradition.

Say:

Alban Heruin 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, and 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.

Cast your offering into fire. Conclude the 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 upon what you have offered, and what the gifts of the gods mean to you. When you are ready, if you have cast a circle, dismantle it or dismiss the quarters at this time. Allow your fire to go out on its own.

Source:
Author: Patti Wigington
Website: About.com

Hold a Sun Ritual for Midsummer


Litha Comments & Graphics

Hold a Sun Ritual for Midsummer

Midsummer is the time of the summer solstice, the Litha sabbat, and it’s the longest day of the year. Falling around June 21 in the northern hemisphere, and around December 21 below the equator, this is a time to celebrate the warmth and power of the sun. It’s a great time of year to get outside, enjoy the extra hours of daylight, and celebrate the season with family and friends. You can do this ritual as a group or adapt it to perform as a solitary practitioner.

You’ll need the following items:
A larger candle to represent the sun
An individual candle for each participant to hold
Also, be sure to decorate your altar with symbols of the season – solar symbols, fresh flowers, in-season summer produce and crops that you’ve harvested. You should do this ritual outside if at all possible, so you can take advantage of the sun’s light and energy.

If your tradition requires you to cast a circle, go ahead and do that first.

Take a moment to ground and center, and get yourself focused. Bask in the rays of the sun, feeling its warmth on your face, and welcoming its power into you.

The person who is leading the ritual – for ease of purpose, we’ll call that person the HPs – should stand at the altar.

HPs: We are here today to celebrate the power and energy of the sun. The sun is the source of warmth and light around the world. Today, at Litha, the summer solstice, we mark the longest day of the year. From Yule until this day, the sun has been moving ever closer to the earth. Flowers are blooming, crops are growing, and life has returned once more. Today we honor the gods and goddesses of the sun.

The HPs lights the sun candle on the altar.

HPs: The sun is the ultimate source of fire and light. Like all sources of light, the sun shines brightly and spreads around the world. Even as it gives its light and power to each of us, it is never diminished by the sharing of that energy. The sun passes over us each day, in the never-ending circle of light. Today, we share that light with each other, passing it around the circle, forming a ring of light.
Using the sun candle, the HPs lights her own candle, and turns to the next person in the circle. As she lights the next person’s candle, she says:
May you be warmed and rejuvenated by the light of the sun.

The second person turns to the third, lighting their candle, and passing along the blessing. Continue until the last candle in the circle has been lit, returning back to the HPs.

Remember, this is a joyous celebration – feel free to include dancing, clapping, music or even a drum circle as you enjoy the power of the sun!

As each person in the group holds their lit candle, the HPs calls upon the gods and goddesses of the sun. Feel free to add or substitute different solar deities as your tradition or needs require.

HPs: Gods who bring us light, we honor you!
Hail, Ra, whose mighty chariot brings us light each morning!
Hail, Ra!
Hail, Apollo, who brings us the healing energies of the sun!
Hail, Apollo!
Hail, Saule, whose fertility blooms as the sun gains in strength!
Hail, Saule!
Hail, Helios, whose great steeds race the flames across the sky!
Hail, Helios!
Hail, Hestia, whose sacred flame lights our way in the darkness!
Hail, Hestia!
Hail, Sunna, who is sister of the moon, and bringer of light!
Hail, Sunna!
We call upon you today, thanking you for your blessings, accepting your gifts. We draw upon your strength, your energy, your healing light, and your life giving power!
Hail to you, mighty gods and goddesses of the sun!

Each member of the group should now place their candles on the altar, surrounding the sun candle.

HPS: The sun radiates out, never dying, never fading. The light and warmth of today will stay with us, even as the days begin to grow shorter, and the nights grow cold once more. Hail, gods of the sun!
Invite everyone to take in the warmth of the sun once more, and when you are done, end the ritual as you normally would.

 

 

Source:
Author: Patti Wigington
Website: Article found on & owned by About.com

 

Midsummer Incense #2

Litha Comments & Graphics
Midsummer Incense #2

3 parts Frankincense
2 parts Benzoin
1 part Dragon’s Blood
1 part Thyme
1 part Rosemary
1 pinch Vervain
a few drops Red Wine

(The above recipes for “Midsummer Incense” is quoted directly from Scott Cunningham’s book “The Complete Book of Incenses, Oils & Brews”, page 80, Llewellyn Publications, 1989/1992.)

Setting Up Your Litha Altar – What to Include for the Summer Solstice

Litha Comments & GraphicsSetting Up Your Litha Altar

What to Include for the Summer Solstice

 
It’s Litha, and that means the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Midsummer is the time when we can celebrate the growing of crops, and take heart in knowing that the seeds we planted in the spring are now in full bloom. It’s a time of celebrating the sun, and spending as much time as you can outdoors. Try to set up your Midsummer altar outside if at all possible. If you can’t, that’s okay — but try to find a spot near a window where the sun will shine in and brighten your altar setup with its rays.

 
Colors of the Season
This sabbat is all about the sun celebration, so think of solar colors. Yellows, oranges, fiery reds and golds are all appropriate this time of year. Use candles in bright sunny colors, or cover your altar with cloths that represent the solar aspect of the season.

 
Solar Symbols
Litha is when the sun is at its highest point above us. In some traditions, the sun rolls across the sky like a great wheel – consider using pinwheels or some other disc to represent the sun. Circles and discs are the most basic sun symbol of all, and are seen as far back as the tombs of ancient Egypt. Use equal-armed crosses, such as the Brighid’s Cross, or even the swastika – remember, it was originally a good luck symbol to both the Hindus and Scandinavians before it became associated with the Nazis.

 
A Time of Light and Dark
The solstice is also a time seen as a battle between light and dark. Although the sun is strong now, in just six months the days will be short again. Much like the battle between the Oak King and the Holly King, light and dark must battle for supremacy. At this sabbat, darkness wins, and the days will begin to grow shorter once more. Decorate your altar with symbols of the triumph of darkness over light – and that includes using other opposites, such as fire and water, night and day, etc.


Other Symbols of Litha
Midsummer flowers, fruits and vegetables from your garden
Gods Eyes in sunny colors
Sunflowers, roses
Oak trees and acorns
Sandalwood, saffron, frankincense, laurel
 
Source:
Author: Patti Wigington
Website: Article found on & owned by About.com

Summer Solstice, Midsummer, Litha, Alban Hefin, Inti Raymi, Feast of the Sun, Celtic New Year, St. John’s Day

Litha Comments & Graphics
Summer Solstice, Midsummer, Litha, Alban Hefin, Inti Raymi, Feast of the Sun, Celtic New Year, St. John’s Day

Summer Solstice – Midsummer – Litha (Celtic/Wiccan) – Alban Hefin (Druidic) – Inti Raymi (Incan) – Feast of the Sun (Aztec) – Celtic New Year, according to some – St. John’s Day/Festival of Saint John the Baptist (Christian)

As the wheel turns again we find ourselves at Summer Solstice. Litha/Midsummer is one of the Lesser Wiccan Sabbats and is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the 23rd, dependent upon the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. The sun is at the height of it power before beginning its slide into darkness and we experience the longest day and shortest night of the year. It is important to note that the separation of the light and dark halves of the year have nothing to do with good and evil. Light signifies growth and expansion; dark means withdrawal and rest. Both are necessary.

While steamy Midsummer marks the beginning of the Sun’s dying strength the season itself is very lush, erotic and sexy. The Sun, flowers and Earth are in full bloom. Hot Midsummer creates a fiery, mature, breathless passion. The God is at the very height of his power as we hit midsummer, at this point of the year the crops are coming along nicely (literally and figuratively). We have done all of the planting associated with spring and life gets a little easier as we sit back and tend what we’ve created. It’s a time of great celebration before we meet the work ahead as the harvest comes in. We honor the God and Goddess whose union has blessed us with the fertility to create the projects we began way back at Imbolc. On Midsummer the veil between the worlds is said to be very thin making this a great time for divination, historically many maidens would divine a husband at this time. Midsummers Eve is said to be a time when fairies abound in great numbers this is a great time to commune with them and leave gifts of sweets outdoors. Litha celebrates abundance, fertility, virility, the beauty and bounty of Nature. Harnessing the Suns great power makes all types of magick appropriate now. We can also harvest the first of our magickal herbs at this time since they are drenched with the great power of the sun on this longest day of the year. It is a good time for empowerment, for strong magick and male rituals, for handfastings and communing with Nature Spirits, for workings of culmination. The journey into the harvest season has begun.

Summer Solstice Ritual Potpourri

Litha Comments & GraphicsSummer Solstice Ritual Potpourri

45 drops lemon or lavender oil
1 cup oak moss
2 cups dried lavender
2 cups dried wisteria
2 cups dried verbena

Mix the lemon or lavender oil with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.

(The above recipe for “Summer Solstice Ritual Potpourri” is quoted directly from Gerina Dunwich’s book “The Wicca Spellbook: A Witch’s Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and Recipes”, page 162, A Citadel Press Book, Carol Publishing Group, 1994/1995)

Litha


Litha Comments & GraphicsLitha

Litha is the first of the harvest festivals. Its focus is of the sun , which is at its highest at this time of the year . This is the longest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere it falls between June 19-June 22 and in the Hemisphere it falls between June 19-June 22 and in the December 22. This is also known as The Summer Solstice.

In Great Britain where the large standing stones of Stonehenge are , during this time of the year the sun is dead center of the circle. Many scholars feel that this is significant as this is a sacred time of year and relevant in the preview of what the harvest will bring for the rest of the season.

Another name for this celebration is Midsummer, and during this time it is said that one can find the doorway to the Otherworld and the realm of the of the faerie realm, gifts and trinkets, in order to honor them and show respect so that the fair folk don’t cause havoc to the homes. One reason for this belief has to do with the idea that fireflies with their flittering lights are faeries frolicking about.

A common custom at Litha is the Summer Tree, much like the Yule Tree, the Summer Tree is usually a young oak that is decorated with garlands of flowers and colored eggs to promote fertility of the crops and animals. On Midsummer’s Eve the tree is burned in a bonfire to promote fertility and prosperity.

The Litha celebration is usually a mild one as it is mainly focused on the first harvest, usually fruit and berries and melons are harvested at this time. Lighter meals and sweeter fruits and vegetables. It is the first day of Summer and normally pretty hot, so most people are needing the cooler refreshments during this time. Cold soups and chilled salads are usually served.

During this part of the year we also see the Holly King and the Oak King battle it out. The Holly King represents the darker side of the year, the cooler months, the end of days. The Oak King represents the sunny time and the hotter months. During this battle , which ends when the sun sets, the Oak King is defeated and the Holly King takes the throne. This represents the days are now from this point on getting shorter. The battle again at Yule and the Holly King then looses the battle as the days will start to become longer in the Oak King’s reign.

It goes without saying that during Midsummer, the Sun is the main focus. The Sun brings life and nutrients to the world and so it is celebrated. In most, but not all, Pagan cultures the Sun is seen as a male entity and the Moon as female. So during this Sabbat we are celebrating the male aspect more than the female. Though there are some Sun Goddesses, such as the Norse Goddess Sunna, we tend to see more Gods associated with the Sun such as the Egyptian God Ra, the Greek God Helios and the Roman God Apollo.

Crafts that are great at Litha would be suncatchers, which can be seen as a form of sympathetic magick where we are capturing the essence of the Sun. When we choose designs that are representative of qualities that we need in our life along with using colors that are corresponding with those needs we can use the suncatcher to bring that energy into our lives. Suncatchers are inexpensive and can be purchased at any stores that sells children’s crafts.

Another fun craft to make is the God’s Eye. Taking two sticks and wrapping colored yarn or string while meditating on the Sun Deity or the Sun. Many early religions viewed the Sun as the Eye of God. Looking directly into the eye of God will cause you to go blind , just as if we look directly into the sun it can cause damage to the eyes. Simply the act of creating these is meditative. They then can be hung to remind us that we are looked after or if you say a prayer and throw it into the fire to take the prayer to the Sun deity that you are honoring it can be seen again as a form of sympathetic magick.

This is the time of the year when we get a preview of what is to come . To thank the Sun for the nutrients it has provided, however, we are not out of the woods yet. The first of the Harvest Festivals is at hand, but there is still a lot of hard work still ahead of us. This is a little break to allow us to remember how marvelous the world and nature is. How when we planted at Beltane has started a chain of events that will help us prosper and grow to a wonderful full harvest. We still need to nurture our plants, just as we nurture our faith, and in time we will come to that place in our lives when we can rest and look back at what we have done. Right now we are looking forward at what is starting to show.

 

by Minnie Eerin
The Magical School Newsletter: Litha
Publisher: Colleen Criswell

 

The Witches Magick for June 21, Summer Solstice – Midsummer Ritual

Litha Comments & Graphics
The Witches Magick for June 21, Summer Solstice – Midsummer Ritual

Begin by casting a circle. Now stand before your altar and say the following or similar:

“Great God of the sun, I have come here this day to honor you in your strength, for I know that now is the time of your greatest power.”

Raise your wand or Athame towards the sun and say the following or similar:

“Great father God, Great mother Goddess, come into my heart, and purify me. Smite the evil in my soul, just as your magickal love purges the evil from all things.”

Visualize the energy of the sun flowing into your athame, and into you. See it clean any impurities that exist in you. Feel it as it cleans you.

Once you have finished reflecting on the God and Goddess’ purification of you, move to the south side of you circle (the direction of fire) and light a (small) ritual fire.

Now say the following or similar:

“Great horned father, may this fire burn in representation of your greatness.”

Meditate for a while (while staring into the flames) on the sun, and all it does for us. Once you have meditated, you should allow yourself some time to commune with the gods. Just open your mind to them and let them speak to you. If you like you can thank them and tell them what midsummer means to you. Or you can just lay there in silence and know that they are watching. Once you are done, thank the gods for watching over you.

The ritual part of this rite is over, however, midsummer & midsummer’s night are probably the best times to perform magick. Any spells cast during this time are likely to be vastly more powerful than when cast at other times. If you do not have any particular thing to cast a spell for, then perhaps now would be the best time to cast a spell that ensures happiness for you over the coming winter months. Think hard about it, because this opportunity comes but once a year.

Magickal Activity #2 for June 21, Summer Solstice

Litha Comments & GraphicsMagickal Activity #2 for June 21, Summer Solstice

The Sun Wheel

One of the most popular symbols of Midsummer is the Sun Wheel, the turning of which suggests the turning, or progression, of the seasons. The Wheel is decorated with flowers, fresh herbs, and brightly colored ribbons.

The simplest method for making a Sun Wheel is to buy an already-prepared natural branch wreath from an arts and crafts store. Affix small branches of rowan to form the spokes of the wheel (four spokes to represent the elements and cross-quarter days or eight to symbolize the eight Wiccan Sabbats). Use floral wire to attach fresh flowers and herbs to the wreath. Embellish with brightly colored ribbons. The wheel can be used as the focal point for your Midsummer rites or hung on the front door of your home for decoration.

 

Magickal Activity #1 for June 21, Summer Solstice

Litha Comments & Graphics
Magickal Activity #1 for June 21, Summer Solstice

Floating Candles

Midsummer is a celebration of light and life symbolized by the flame of a candle and the movement of water. A large glass bowl filled with an assortment of floating candles makes a wonderful point of focus for ritual. Choose bright yellow sunflowers, white lilies, and red tulip-shaped candles. Have each person participating in the ritual inscribe his or her desire with a pin, on a candle. Have each person come forward, place his or her candle in the bowl and light it as he makes his wish. Following the ritual, the bowl is placed outdoors and the candles are left to burn out.