Litha Activities and Ideas

Litha Activities and Ideas

• Go berry picking. Have the children chose their best berry and throw it back into the berry bushes as they thank the Goddess and the bushes for the fruit.
• Make a Wicker Man and burn him in your Litha bon fire
• Burn your remnants of your Yule Tree or Wreath in the bon fire or try using Wreaths of Vervain and Mugwort which were burned in ancient times at the end of the festivals to burn away bad luck.
• Many families placed roses on the altar, as this is the Goddess flower for this time of the year. Try this yourself for a beautiful and fragrant decoration.
• Leave out milk and honey as an offering to the Fae folk
• Have a mock battle between the Oak and Holly King. Remember that this is part of the cycle and as the wheel turns the Holly King will rise again at Winter Solstice
• Put a ring of flowers around your cauldron or around a bowl full of mugwort
• Hang a bundle of fresh herbs out to dry and use them to spice up a Litha feast of cooked summer vegetables
• Light a white candle and place it in front of a mirror. Say your own Litha prayer over it, and then let it burn out
• Make a charm to hang around your neck with a seashell
• Jump the balefire or cauldron
• Offer a gift of lavender to the Gods in a bonfire. Pass St. John’s Wort through the smoke and then hang the herb up in the house for protection.
• Make your own Stonehendge at the beach like you would a sand castle
• Have an outdoor breakfast picnic to welcome the Solstice
• Stay up and watch the sun go down on the longest day of the year!
• Draw a picture of the sun at sunrise and sunset
• Try a fire divination, stare into the coals of your bonfire as it settles or look for forms in the leaping flames.
• Create a ritual to bring healing and love to Mother Earth
• Dispose of those qualities that trouble you: project them into a burn-able (bunch of dry twigs, paper, etc.) and thrust the mass into a cleansing fire
• make staffs
• make dream pillows
• make herb craft items like wreaths
• make a witches’ ladder
• Make a Catherine Wheel, or frame of sticks and withies (slender, flexible branches) with flammable material among the spokes. At the climax of your ritual, ignite the wheel and send it rolling down a hillside into a pond or lake. (obviously the hillside should be stone, bare earth, or covered with moist vegetation–no dry grass or underbrush!)

Posted April 17, 2008 by witchery in Litha, sabbat.

Midsummer Incense #1
Recipe by Scott Cunningham

2 parts Sandalwood
1 part Mugwort
1 part Chamomile
1 part Gardenia Petals
a few drops Rose Oil
a few drops Lavender Oil
a few drops Yarrow Oil
Burn at Wiccan rituals at the Summer Solstice (circa June 21st) or at that time to attune with the seasons and the Sun.

Midsummer Incense #2
Recipe by Scott Cunningham

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

(Both of the above recipes for "Midsummer Incense #1 and #2" are quoted directly from Scott Cunningham's book "The Complete Book of Incenses, Oils & Brews", page 80, Llewellyn Publications, 1989/1992.)