More Litha History
Preparing Your Altar
Ritual Instructions
Other Activities
.: LITHA :. *aka Summer Solstice*
On, or around June 21. The Lord and the Lady celebrate their wedding. For us it is the very first of the Harvest festivals. The Lady is fully pregnant at this time. It is also the day to mark the leaving of the Sun and to prepare for the winter to come.
Click Magick Circle if you do not know how to form a proper magickal circle, BEFORE attempting to perform the ritual below.
° Altar candles should be blue.
° Incense should be lavender or musk.
° Circle may be decorated with summer flowers and fruit.
° Circle candles should always be for the elementals (green, yellow, red, and blue).
° Have a small amount of water in the cauldron. Do not fill the alter water bowl completely; leave room to add the water from the cauldron.
° Have a red votive candle in a heat proof bowl on the altar.
° Have nine herbs and a bowl on the altar: basil, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, mullein, rue, st john's wort, thyme, and vervain.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CEREMONY
Sweep circle area; lay out circle and altar items; bathe and robe. Light incense and altar candles. Ring bell three times and say,
"The circle is about to be cast and I freely stand within to greet my Lady and my Lord.
Take center candle from altar, light each candle of the circle moving north, then east, south and west and say,
(N) I call upon light and earth at the north to illuminate and strengthen the circle.
(E) I call upon light and air at the east to illuminate and enliven the circle.
(S) I call upon light and fire at the south to illuminate and warm the circle.
(W) I call upon light and water at the west to illuminate and cleanse the circle.
Take athame in upraised hand, begin circle at north and move around the circle north to east to south to west, and say,
I draw this circle in the presence of the Goddess and the God where they may come and bless their child, Say your magickal name.
Lower the athame at the north, and as you walk around the circle, envision a blue light shooting out from the point and forming the circle boundary and say,
This is the boundary of the circle. Only love shall enter and leave.
Return to the altar and ring bell three times. Place point of athame in the altar bowl of salt and say...
Salt is life and purifying. I bles this salt to be used in this sacred circle in the names of the Goddess and the God.
Pick up the salt bowl and use tip of athame to drop three portions of salt into the altar bowl of water and set salt bowl back in its place. Stir three times with athame and say...
Let the blessed salt purify this water that it may be lessed to use in this sacred circle. In the names of the Goddess and the God, I consecrate and cleanse this water.
Take the salted water bowl in hand and sprinkle water from it as you move deosil around the circle, NESWN and say...
I (speak your magickal name) am consecrated in the names of the Goddess and the God in this, their circle.
Take the wand and hold it aloft, with both arms open and upraised, at the north of the circle, envision a powerful bull arriving and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Earth, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I have body and strength, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to east, raise up wand, envisioning fairies devas or an eagle in flight arriving and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Air, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I breathe and think, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to the south, raise up the wand, envisioning a fire dragon and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Fire, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I consume life to live, we are kith and kin!
Lower wand and move to the west, hold wand aloft, envision an undine, sea serpent or dolphin arriving, and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Water, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I feel and my heart beats, we are kith and kin!
Return to the altar and use wand to draw in the air above tha altar the symbol of infinity (an 8 lying on its side), the sign of working between the worlds. Set wand on altar, raise up athame in both hands overhead and say:
Hail to the elementals at the four quarters! Welcome Lady and Lord to this rite! I stand between the worlds with love and power all around!
Pour wine into your cauldron as a libation to the Divine in which they are honored by offering to them the first draught, then you drink. Ring bell three times and say,
I celebrate life on this midsummer day! Sadness is cast aside and joy flows within as the high summer now begins.
Take the red candle and light it from the cencer altar candle. Hold it up in your right hand and say...
The Lord and Lady of the Greenwood mave made their pact. The Lord rises into the Lady and prepares to descend into the corn, in both ways to be born again of the mother.
Pour the water from the cauldron into the purified water bowl and say...
The life that enters Lady's care is sanctified and purified in her love.
Replace wand on altar, place cauldron on pentacle on alter, light black Ring bell nine times. Raise arms upward and say...
As the sun moves on his course, so the course of life moves closer to death that life may come again. Soon will the Lord of the Corn move into his realm to become the Lord of Shadows, but now he shares with me the joy of his life and his love.
Arms down, take up the athame and hold it over the candle and say...
As the God and Goddess share their light and life with me, so do I share with others and offer comfort as is meet.
Set down athame, put herbs in the bowl, and mix with the athame. Add the herbs to the candle and say...
I call upon the powers imbued in these herbs that the midsummer fire be empowered. Herbs of the earth; symbols of the planets, of life and of love, your scent fills the air and drives away care.
Set down athame, hands palms down, rest upon the altar, and say...
Lord and Lady, you fill my life with your bountiful love and gifts. I call upon thee both for your continued blessings and offer my petition to thee both that your love and caring remain with me always. may I pass this joy to others. So mote it be!
This is a good time to perform the rededication ritual listed in the Imbolc section. If not, proceed to wine and cakes.
Wine and cakes are usual taken after any Green ritual or rite. Then, the elementals are thanked and dismissed, and the circle is taken down.
Make simple amulets of protection out of herbs such as rue and rowan. *See Elswet's Herbal Grimoire for more suggestions of herbs to use* If you make new amulets each year you can dispose of the old ones in the midsummer fire, but we like to simply recharge the old one for another year until it begins to deteriorate, then burn it.
Make a Solar Wheel. Wind grape vine into a circle, twisting as you go Cut two short lengths of stem to be just a bit larger than the diameter of the circle and place one across the back horizontally and the other vertically crossing in back of the horizontal one, and coming forward to the front of the circle to secure both. Then adorn with symbols of the elementals and festoon with yellow ribbons. Hang in a tree outside or indoors as a reminder of the God's protection.
You can burn the old Yule wreath in the Litha fire.
©1996, Llewellyn Publications, "Green Witchcraft" by Ann Moura, pp 219-227
