LITHA
JUNE 21 SUMMER SOLISTICE
(ALBAN HERUIN (DRUIDIC)

Although the name Litha is not well attested, it may come from Saxon
tradition—the opposite of Yule. On this the longest day of the year, light and
life are abundant. At mid-summer, the Sun God has reached the moment of his
greatest strength. Seated on his greenwood throne, he is also lord of the
forests, and his face is seen in church architecture peering from countless
foliate masks.
The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the Green to the Feast of
St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with
horns and cloven feet (like the Greek Demi-God Pan)
Midsummer Night’s Eve is also special for adherents of the Faerie faith. The
alternative fixed calendar date of June 25 (Old Litha) is sometimes employed by
Covens. The name Beltane is sometimes incorrectly assigned to this holiday by
some modern traditions of Wicca, even though Beltane is the Gaelic word for May.

Traditional Foods:

Garden fresh fruits and vegetables are made into a variety of dishes and eaten
by Pagan’s who choose to celebrate this day.

Herbs and Flowers: 

Mugwort, Vervain, Chamomile, Rose, Honeysuckle, Lily, Oak, Lavender, Ivy,
Yarrow, Fern, Elder, Wild Thyme, Daisy, Carnation.

Incense:

Lemon, Myrrh, Pine, Rose, Wisteria.

Woods Burned: 

Oak

Sacred Gemstones: 

Emerald or other green stone

*************************************************************************************
LITHA RITUAL 

ALTAR

Oak, summer flowers, dark green and orange candles. Get something that
symbolizes whatever it is that may have cause you problems in the past which you
are prepared to burn - maybe a piece of paper with the details written on it.

FOOD - Fresh fruit and juices.

Cleanse yourself and your space in your normal manner.

Light the altar candles and the incense, and then proceed to cast the sacred
circle. Then invoke the God and the Goddess. Kneel before the altar, facing
east, and say:

"With these mystic rites, I celebrate the summer time and the coming bounty of
autumn. Now, the world is bathed in the warm glow of the sun, and the fields and
seas and skies and forests are teeming with life."

Hold the paper in your hands. Concentrate on any problems, pain or illness that
you wish to be rid of. Picture these things going as far away from you as
possible. Stand up and walk round to the East side of the altar. Light the paper
with an altar candle. Drop the paper into the cauldron to watch it burn. As you
watch, know that those impurities are burning to ash. Say:

"Oh great Goddess and God, on this magical night I ask that you will help me to
know and understand myself and the world around me. May you bring joy and
happiness into my life, and may no harm come to anything by my hands."

After this is through, feel free to perform any magic you wish. Midsummer is a
very magically powerful night and is considered a classic time for works of
magic, Healings and love magick are especially suitable at this time. Midsummer
Night's Eve is supposed to be a good time to commune with field and forest
sprites and faeries. End with celebratory Cakes and Ale, and then release the
Circle in your usual manner.

*************************************************************************************

GEMSTONE OF THE MONTH

EMERALD          

Color: Green
Associated Element: Earth
Energy: Receptive
Magickal Powers/Uses: Emeralds have been associated with love for thousands of
years. They are the stones of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and are said to
promote domestic bliss, faithfulness, and devotion. Emeralds are also used for
general physical healing, but particularly in healing diseases of the eye. They
stimulate the brain, memory, aid in problem solving, and are utilized in
magickal work relating to business matters. Ancient lore states that emeralds
were used to exorcise evil from those thought to be possessed, and they are
commonly used for protection.

*************************************************************************************

HERB OF THE MONTH

Vervain

Verbena officinalis

Vervain is also known as Vervan, Van Van, Ferfaen, Verbein, Verbena, Verbinaca,
Dragon's Claw, Enchanter's Plant, Tears of Isis, Juno's Tears, Herba Veneris
(herb of Venus), Persephonion, Demetria, Mercury's Moist Blood, Peristerium,
Sagmina, Pigeon Grass, Pigeonwood, Frog-foot, Simpler's Joy, Altar Plant, Herba
Sacra or Herbe Sacrée, Holy Plant, Herb of Cross, Holy Herb, and Herb of Grace.
This Old World native was a favorite of the Druids, who gathered vervain when
the Dog Star, Sirius, was on the rise, in the dark of the Moon. The Druids
utilized vervain in divination, consecration, and ritual cleansing of sacred
spaces. They made a magical drink called the Cauldron of Cerridwen (a shape
shifter) that some say included rowan berries, sea water, lesser celandine,
flixweed, and vervain, which brought the drinker creative energy for bardic song
and prophecy; a drink made from vervain is still said to help poets in their
work. Vervain is also still used to make a drink for initiating into Druidic
paths. It is pleasant smelling and can be drunk as a tea or burned as an
incense. In its connection with the Underworld, it can be added to a cup of wine
drunk on Samhain to aid contact with the Beloved Dead.

In purification vervain has a long history of use in purification. King Solomon
cleansed the temple with vervain, and the Romans placed it on altars in honor of
Venus and Diana. Purifying water can be made from vervain for purifying ritual
tools, and a bath with vervain can help the bather prepare for ritual work. In
the British Isles, people held vervain over the Beltane fire to protect their
livestock and strewed it over their fields at Summer Solstice to make sure they
would be fertile. Nowadays, Pagans strew it over their gardens for the same
reason.

As Protective

However, vervain is also a protective you can sprinkle your home with an
infusion of vervain to keep out evil. It can also be burned as incense for this
purpose. In the old Language of Flowers, vervain stood for enchantment and still
is very important in various aspects of magick. Drinking the tea is said to help
in astral work and divination, and for that reason is tied by some to Mercury. A
mug of vervain tea is made from 1-3 teaspoons of herb left to steep in a mug for
10-15 minutes. Also, you can make an oil to anoint the Third Eye by macerating
this herb in olive oil.

*************************************************************************************