 Litha 2008 News Letter Welcome to our Litha/Summer Solstice News letter.
This edition of our news letter will bring you activities, information and magick to celebrate Lithia and help you enjoy your summer.
[This is a revised copy of the original newsletter Spelling of Litha Corrected]
What you love, you empower
And what you fear, you empower
And what you empower, you attract.
~ Author Unknown ~
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Litha~Summer Solstice~Mid Summer  History
Litha is also known as Summer Solstice, Alban Hefin, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia, Thing-tide, St. John's Day.
Litha is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the 23rd, dependant upon the Earth's rotation around the Sun. According to the old folklore calendar, Summer begins on Beltane (May 1st) and ends on Lughnassadh (August 1st), with the Summer Solstice midway between the two, marking MID-Summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that Summer begins on the day when the Sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. The most common other names for this holiday are the Summer Solstice or Midsummer, and it celebrates the arrival of Summer, when the hours of daylight are longest. The Sun is now at the highest point before beginning its slide into darkness.
Humanity has been celebrating Litha and the triumph of light since ancient times. On the Wheel of the Year Litha lies directly across from Yule, the shortest day of the calendar year, that cold and dark winter turning when days begin to lengthen and humanity looks wistfully toward warmth, sunlight and growing things. Although Litha and Yule are low holidays or lesser sabats in the ancient parlance, they are celebrated with more revel and merriment than any other day on the wheel except perhaps Samhain. The joyous rituals of Litha celebrate the verdant Earth in high summer, abundance, fertility, and all the riches of Nature in full bloom. This is a great time of strong magic and empowerment, traditionally the time for handfasting or weddings and for communication with the spirits of Nature. At Litha, the veils between the worlds are thin; the portals between "the fields we know" and the worlds beyond stand open. This is an excellent time for rites of divination.
Ravenhawks Academy of Magick and Mysticism take a look into the entrance hall |
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Litha Customs and Practices Those who celebrated Litha did so wearing garlands or crowns of flowers, and of course, their hats or head coverings always included the yellow blossoms of St. John's Wort. The Litha rites of the ancients were boisterous communal festivities with morris dancing, singing, storytelling, pageantry and feasting taking place by the village bonfire and torch lit processions through the villages after dark. People believed that the Litha fires possessed great power, and that prosperity and protection for oneself and one's clan could be earned merely by jumping over the Litha bonfire. It was also common for courting couples to join hands and jump over the embers of the Litha fire three times to ensure a long and happy marriage, financial prosperity and many children. Even the charred embers from the Litha bonfire possessed protective powers - they were charms against injury and bad weather in harvest time, and embers were commonly placed around fields of grain and orchards to protect the crops and ensure an abundant reaping. Other Litha customs included carrying an ember of the Litha fire home and placing it on one's hearth and decking one's home with birch, fennel, St. John's Wort, orpin, and white lilies for blessing and protection.
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Correspondence of Litha Plants and Herbs~Anise, mugwort, chamomile, rose, wild rose, oak blossoms, lily, cinquefoil, lavender, fennel, elder, mistletoe, hemp, thyme, larkspur, nettle, wisteria, vervain ( verbena), St. John’s wort, heartsease, rue, fern, wormwood, pine,heather, yarrow, oak & holly trees
Colors~Blue, green, gold, yellow, white and red
Incense and Oils~~Heliotrope, saffron, orange, frankincense & myrrh, wisteria, cinnamon, mint, rose, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, pine
Stones~Topaz, agate, alexandrite, flourite, moonstone, pearl, emerald, jade, lapis lazuli, diamond, tiger’s eye,
Animals and Mythical Beings~~Wren, robin, peacock, frog, butterfly, horses, cattle, satyrs, faeries, firebird, dragon, thunderbird
Goddesses~~Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Venus, Aphrodite, Yemaya, Astarte, Freya, Hathor, Ishtar, all Goddesses of love, passion, beauty and the Sea, and Pregnant, lusty Goddesses, Green Forest Mother; Great One of the Stars, Goddess of the Wells
Gods~~Father Sun/Sky, Oak King, Holly King, Arthur, Gods at peak power and strength, sun, fire and fertility gods. Apollo (Greek), Baal (Phoenician), Baldur (Scandinavian), El (Semitic), Hadad (Babylonian), Helios (Greek), Hephaestus (Greek), Jupiter (Roman), Lugh (Irish), Osiris (Egyptian), Prometheus (Greek), Ra (Egyptian), Sol (Roman), Zeus (Greek)
Symbols~~The sun, oak, birch & fir branches, sun flowers, lilies, red/maize/yellow or gold flower, love amulets, seashells, summer fruits & flowers, feather/flower door wreath, sun wheel, fire, circles of stone, sun dials and swords/blades, bird feathers, Witches' ladder
Foods~~Honey, fresh vegetables, lemons, oranges, summer fruits, summer squash, pumpernickel bread, ale, carrot drinks, mead.
Activities~~Picnics, leave out food for faeries, jumping bonfires, gathering herbs.
Spellwork~~Healing, love magick, protection, purification, energy, faery
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Notions, Potions, and Spells  This section is dedicated strictly to Notions, potions and Spells.
Midsummer Incense
2 parts Sandalwood,
1 part Mugwort,
1 part Chamomile,
1 part Gardenia,
few drops Rose oil,
few drops Yarrow oil,
few drops Lavender oil
Midsummer Incense #2
1 part each of
Dried Whole Leaf Sage
Dried Cedar tips
Frankincense
Dried Pine Needles
Litha Oil
1 oz. Of light weight carrier oil such as grape seed
5 drops Lavender e.o.
5 drops Sandalwood e.o.
1 drop each peppermint and spearmint e.o.
2 drops Heliotrope e.o.
Midsummer's Eve Magic Potion[Love]
2 cups boiling water
3 chamomile tea bags
6 rose petals
1 pinch of lavender
1 clove
a dash of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fresh crushed ginger
[a dash of dried ginger]
Especially effective when prepared on Midsummer's Eve.
Put all ingredients into a ceramic teapot and carefully pour the boiling water over them. Serve warm or chilled.
Makes about 2 cups.
Ritual to attract Companionship and Love
You Will Need:
Lavender candle
Jasmine oil
Jasmine Incense
State of Mind and Concentration Needed:
Set up a space to burn your candle, place your candle in the center. Cast your circle.
Now stand quietly for a moment and visualize your space filled with a swirling golden light.[you must know what you want in a companion, not in looks but in character and spirituality, other wise you will attract those who are interested in you but totally unsuited.
Begin by anointing your lavender candle with the jasmine oil from wick to bottom. place it in the holder
Now Say:
Love in all its many forms
Bless me with sweet light
Sweetness, Joy, Delight,
Brighten each new night
Light your candle..
Now think of what your life would be like with the companion of your dreams see your self doing the things that you would like to do and sharing the things you would like to share with that companion.
When you feel happy and comfortable and positive about your life with this companion stand and face east and Say:
The full moon rises over the hill
Now lead me with your Loving Will
Grant me joy and my wishes fill.
End your Ritual
Close your circle and leave your candle in a safe place to burn out.
Soy Candles for your Ritual Needs over 150 scents~over 50 colors to choose for your favorite scents. |
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Food to Celebrate Litha/Summer Solstice Sun's Up Cobbler
1-1lb 14oz can (3 1/2 cups) halved peaches
3 slices slightly dry bread (toast on light)
1 tbs. cornstarch
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Drain peaches, reserving 1 cup syrup. In a pan, combine cornstarch and salt and slowly blend in reserved syrup. Over med-high heat, cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and cook and stir for 2minutes. Add lemon juice, butter or margarine and peaches. Heat JUST to bubbling. Pour into 10x6x11/2 inch baking dish.
Cut bread lengthwise into 1 inch strips. Dip into 1/4 cup melted butter, then into mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Arrange over peaches. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until toasty. Serve with cream (optional) Makes 6 servings.
Fruited Iced Tea
4 tea bags
4 cups boiling water
1 scant cup sugar
4 cups cold water
1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions:
Make tea with tea bags steeped in boiling water. Transfer tea to large punch bowl or pitcher. Add sugar and remaining liquids.
Yield: 10 servings
Midsummer Passionflower Punch
Ingredients:
Leaves from 4 sprigs of mint
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups seltzer water
6 cups passion fruit juice
1 lime
ice cubes
6 passionflowers
Instructions:
Bruise the mint leaves with the sugar in a mortar and pestle. Transfer the mix to your punch bowl. Pour seltzer water and fruit juice over the leaves. Squeeze in the juice of the lime. Add ice cubes and garnish with passionflowers.
Substitute club soda or sparkling water for seltzer water if desired.
One note for serving: You should NEVER get passionflowers that have been grown non-organically
Serves 8 to 10
Baked Trout
The fish is a symbol of life and the Celts believed that eating fish would attract new life to a woman's womb.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup butter
4 trout, cleaned
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bottle dry white wine
Juice of 1 Lemon
Mix the chopped parsley in the butter and divide into five parts. Rubsalt and pepper into each trout and place them in a baking dish. Put one pat of butter on each fish, and set aside remaining butter. pour in the wine, cover, and cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Add the juice of one lemon and the rest of the butter cut into small pieces. Cover and cook again for another 10 minutes.
Serve 4
Hot Pockets
10 oz salad shrimp
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup minced green onions
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons hot peppers
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 small pitas
Lettuce
Combine the shrimp, tomatoes, onions and green pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Mix the lemon juice, oil, garlic, hot peppers, and black pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the shrimp and vegetables; stir. Slice the top off each pita. Place a leaf of lettuce inside. Fill with 1/2 cup of the shrimp mixture
Yield 6 servings.
Magickal Attributes: Fiery passion, intense productivity or fertility, clearly defined goals.
Couscous Salad with Fresh Mango
6 Servings
1 Tbs. tahini
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt or soft tofu
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Pinch of ground ginger
1 ripe large mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained if canned
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. orange juice
2/3 cup uncooked whole-wheat couscous
In medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in couscous, return to a boil, cover and turn heat off. Let stand until water is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small cup, mix orange juice and tahini until well blended. In large bowl, whisk yogurt until smooth, then whisk in tahini mixture, cumin and ginger. Stir in mango, chickpeas and raisins.
Fluff couscous with fork. Stir into mango mixture along with cilantro. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Raspberry-Guava Pie
Pastry for a 10 inc 2 crust pie
4 cups fresh raspberries
4 cups chopped guava fruit
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons margarine/butter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Mix the raspberries, guava fruit, brown sugar,flour, ginger, and allspice in a medium sized bowl. Pour into a pastry lined 10 inch pie pan. Dot with Margarine/butter. Cover with the top crust, seal edges. Make several slits in the top crust. Bake until the crust is brown and the juices have begun to bubble through the slits, 35-45 minutes.
Yeild 8 servings
Magickal attributes Abundant Love, increasing ardor, passion, fertility, refreshing relationships.
Chamomile Wine
Calming and soothing promotes relaxation.
4 cups red or white wine
1\4 cup dried chamomile flowers
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
Place all ingredients in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and steep in a cool dark place for about a week. Filter and Bottle
Yeilds 1 Quart
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Midsummer Crafts Any decorations that use fresh flowers is appropriate at this celebration. It is also a good time to collect and dry flower and herbs for your fall/ winter decorating and herbal collection.
Indian Summer Wreath
What You Need:
Corn-leaves wreath base or wire wreath form with bendable prongs
8 to 10 18-inch- to 20-inch-long dried corn leaves per wreath-form prong
2 10-inch- to 12-inch-long dried corn leaves per wreath-form prong
Spray bottle filled with water
Large plastic bag
15 sprigs of 7-inch- to 10-inch-long eucalyptus stems
25 sprigs of fresh or dried sweet Annie
8 to 10 bunches of fresh or dried feverfew or chamomile
8 to 10 3-inch-diameter fresh or dried hydrangea heads
Glue gun and hotmelt adhesive
12-inch length of fine-gauge wire
Instructions:
1. Pick the leaves from the corn stalks in the fall when they're completely dry. If the leaves are dirty, wash them in soapy water. Soften the leaves by placing them in a large plastic bag and squirting them with water from a spray bottle. Let the leaves stand for 30 minutes or until they become very pliable.
2. Trim the large leaves to measure 18 inches to 20 inches long. Measuring from the tip, trim each small leaf to measure 10-inches to 12-inches long. To keep the leaves damp and pliable, return them to the plastic bag; drain the excess water from the bag. For each set of bendable prongs on the wire wreath form, make a leaf bundle using 8 to 10 large corn leaves and two small corn leaves. Fold each large leaf in half. Bunch the folded leaves together, aligning the ends. Add the two small leaves to the bundle, aligning the trimmed ends.
3. Place the bundle inside a set of prongs on the wire wreath form. Bend the prongs tightly over the bundle 2-inches from the leaf ends. Continue adding bundles to the wreath form, working counterclockwise around the wreath until it's completely covered with corn leaves. The bundles will overlap when they're attached to the form. Work quickly so the leaves don't dry out. If they do dry out, mist them with water. When all the bundles are attached, spread out the leaves by pulling some toward the center of the wreath and some toward the outside. Shape the leaves so they're not flat.
4. When the leaves on the wreath are completely dry, glue the eucalyptus, sweet Annie, fever-few, and hydrangea onto the wreath with hotmelt adhesive. Evenly space the naturals among the corn leaves. You may add the naturals fresh and let them dry on the wreath. If the hydrangea is dry and fragile, lightly mist it with water to keep it from breaking. Use fine-gauge wire to make a loop on the back of the wreath form for hanging.
Rose-Wreathed Pillar Candle
Create a romantic ambience
What You Need:
Floral-foam wreath form
Short-stemmed roses
Rosebuds
Long pearl-head pins
Instructions:
The secret to suspending the wreath of roses on the candle is to use a floral-foam wreath form as the base for the floral arrangement.
Soak the wreath in water; then insert short-stemmed roses, beginning with larger blossoms and filling in the bare spots with rosebuds until the top and outer edges are covered.
Secure the wreath to the candle with long pearl-head pins. You will need to use a lot of pins around the top and bottom because the wreath will be quite heavy.
Fill in around the candle with more rosebuds if needed
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Childrens Corner Crafts and Foods for the Young and the Young at Heart
Fresh Strawberry Fool
4 servings Prep: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 8-ounce carton lemon yogurt
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries or 2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup coarsely crumbled shortbread cookies (5 cookies)
Directions
1. Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer or rotary beater until soft peaks form. By hand, fold in yogurt and half of the berries.
2. Spoon some of the whipped mixture into the bottom of 10-ounce individual glasses.
3. Top each with some of the remaining berries, the rest of the whipped cream mixture, and then the rest of the berries. If you wish, cover and chill up to 2 hours. Before serving, spinkle with the crumbled cookies. Makes 4 servings.
Classic Lemonade
How to make classic lemonade: In a large pitcher stir together 3 cups cold water, 1 cup lemon juice, and 3/4 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved. Chill; serve over ice with garnishes
Fresh Fruit Sundae Snack
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups cut up strawberries
3 cups cut up fruits such as apples, bananas, cherries, seedless red grapes, kiwifruit, and/or peaches
5 large waffle cones
2 tablespoons finely shredded jicama (optional)
Directions
1. In a blender container, place the strawberries; cover and puree until smooth.
2. In a mixing bowl gently combine the cut up fruits; spoon into the waffle cones. Drizzle with pureed berries. Top with jicama, if desired. Makes 5 servings.
Pinwheels
Materials
Construction or other heavy paper
An unsharpened pencil or other stick
Pin with a large head, such as a corsage pin
1 bead such as a 1/4" wooden bead or pony bead
Pencil
Scissors
Quarter
Cut a square piece of paper (the larger the paper square, the larger your pinwheel will be).
Fold the square in half to form a triangle, matching the corners
Unfold the square and fold another triangle, matching the opposite corners.
Unfold the paper. You should have 2 folded lines forming an X in the center of your paper.
Use the quarter to draw a circle in the center of the paper. [black circle on diagram]
Cut the paper on the folded lines to the drawn circle [blue lines on diagram] Do not cut all the way to the center!
Gently curl the corners marked with a red dot toward the center of the square (do not fold them!) Poke the pin through each corner [red dots on diagram] and pushing the corner toward the head of the pin. Then stick the pin through the center of the paper.
After pushing the pin through all the red dots, slide the bead on the pin behind the pinwheel and then push the point of the pin into the side of the pencil eraser or top of the stick you will be using.
Books
Harold and the Purple Crayon 50th Anniversary Edition Crockett Johnson
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: HarperTrophy (May 15, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064430227
ISBN-13: 978-0064430227
"One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight." So begins this gentle story that shows just how far your imagination can take you. Armed only with an oversized purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of beauty and excitement. But this is no hare-brained, impulsive flight of fantasy. Cherubic, round-headed Harold conducts his adventure with the utmost prudence, letting his imagination run free, but keeping his wits about him all the while. He takes the necessary purple-crayon precautions: drawing landmarks to ensure he won't get lost; sketching a boat when he finds himself in deep water; and creating a purple pie picnic when he feels the first pangs of hunger.
Crockett Johnson's understated tribute to the imagination was first published in 1955, and has been inspiring readers of all ages ever since. Harold's quiet but magical journey reminds us of the marvels the mind can create, and also gives us the wondrous sense that anything is possible. (Ages 4 to 8) --
Harold and the Purple Crayon |
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Books For the Discerning Reader I am aware that even though I find a way to live in the country surrounded by trees and wildlife not all of my readers are able to do that. This book that I have chosen helps you find magick in your city environment. It is a reminder that magick is where ever you are.
City Magick
Christopher Penczak
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser (June 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1578632064
ISBN-13: 978-1578632060
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
Review
City Magick breathes life into the "man-made" urban environment within which so many of us live. Christopher Penczak tells us we can learn to embrace the heart of the surrounding world using the tools right in front of us. City Magick guides us through the city's spiritual spectrum. Included in this book are: an outline of the basics of magic as relevant to city surroundings; a discussion of the potential for magic in everyday places; how to read the writing on the walls (graffiti); creating and maintaining a personal temple; an introduction to metropolitan spirits; how to find spirit guides and animal totems within the city. 21 illustrations
City Magick |
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Music and Poetry Corner  Summer Invocation
by Trish Telesco
Fireflies and summer sun
in circles round
we become as one.
Singing songs at magick'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!
Ancient lovers believed a kiss would literally unite their souls, because the spirit was said to be carried in one's breath.
--Eve Glicksman
"A something in a summer's Day
As slow her flambeaux burn away
Which solemnizes me.
A something in a summer's noon --
A depth -- an Azure -- a perfume --
Transcending ecstasy.
And still within a summer's night
A something so transporting bright
I clap my hands to see --
Then veil my too inspecting face
Lets such a subtle -- shimmering grace
Flutter too far for me --
The wizard fingers never rest --
The purple brook within the breast
Still chafes it narrow bed --
Still rears the East her amber Flag --
Guides still the sun along the Crag
His Caravan of Red --
So looking on -- the night -- the morn
Conclude the wonder gay --
And I meet, coming thro' the dews
Another summer's Day!"
- Emily Dickinson, A Something in a Summer's Day
"Mine is the Month of Roses; yes, and mine
The Month of Marriages! All pleasant sights
And scents, the fragrance of the blossoming vine,
The foliage of the valleys and the heights.
Mine are the longest days, the loveliest nights;
The mower's scythe makes music to my ear;
I am the mother of all dear delights;
I am the fairest daughter of the year."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Music for Summer Solstice
Summer Solstice 2: A Windham Hill Collection
Fairy Heart Magic
Reflections of Faerie
1. Spinneee
2. Lullaby
3. Heartsong
4. Winged Ones
5. Elphame
6. Echo
7. Whispers
8. Reflections
9. Faërie's Kiss
Music for the Seasons |
Finally, We hope you have enjoyed our newsletter. If you are aware of anyone else who might like to receive it or sponsor it please go to: http://www.ravenhawks.net/newsletter.html and request additional information
Love and Light
Ravenhawks' Academy of Magick & Mysticism
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