Strong Sun Magick

. . . tapping the power of Litha and Summer Soltice

Greeting Witches!

Litha is upon us. My favorite time of the year!

Since I’m reveling in foraging and gathering flowers and herbs for my apothecary, and enjoying all of the time I can get under the strong summer sun, this seasonal post is excerpted from a past newsletter on my website. Really, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel, right?

Paid subscribers will have access to the bonus material at the end of this post, including downloadable PDF for BOS and a spell to call back power with the Solstice Sun.

May you enjoy all the bounty, leisure, bright light and energy of this summer season.

Until next time ~

Blessed Be and Journey Well

Summer sage wands. Image Source: Simple Witchery

(Previously published content)

This year, the summer solstice occurs on June 20. Known as Litha in the wheel of the year, this is the time of strong summer sun and nature’s verdant growth. Long summer days give way to possibility and adventure. It’s summer vacation, road trips, a week at the cabin, a day on the boat, biking, hiking, cookouts, picnics and everything we can enjoy in the great outdoors. Summer is the time to celebrate and appreciate all life has to offer.

But what does Summer Solstice mean in your witchy practice? The sabbats marking the wheel of the year are based in nature. Planting and harvest festivals emphasize the agricultural calendar but that’s not the only interpretation. Apart from a husbandry culture, the wheel is an exemplar for the cycle of life, death and renewal. And not limited to a literal life and death; metaphorically we experience these cycles many times throughout our lifetime — some part of our life ends, and another begins. If these circumstances are pleasant or wanted we call them milestones, or leveling up. But endings also come in hardship, sorrow and mishaps. Then we pick up the pieces and carry on. Endings and beginnings are the cycle of life.

At the time of the solstices, the hours of daylight and sunlight are equal, and for a brief moment, time seems to stand still. This is the literal translation of solstice, deriving from the Latin sōlstitium, which comes from the parts sōl (sun) and sistere (to stand still).

Whether an agricultural interpretation or spiritual belief, the celebration of Litha is a recognition of the life force at its height. As the strong sun shines in the sky and nature bursts forth around us in all its glory, the wheel represents the peak of vitality and fertility that creates and recreates life in an eternal cycle.

If you’ve been following along with earlier posts and it seems like almost everything in the light half of the year is about fertility and reproduction, it kind of is—without it, life ceases to exist. But think of that cycle of creation in a larger sense, as expansion.

The life force seeks to expand, always. Expansion is the sole biological purpose of life force. But don’t confuse expansion and increase with excess or unlimited creation. The dark half of the year is about the natural and necessary pause of increase, the dormancy and decay of nature, and the death of physical matter.

During high summer, when we celebrate the full power of creation, we have the pause of Solstice as a reminder of the balance.

Celebration and ritual during the strong sun time should focus on harnessing the energy of expansion for manifesting. By participating in the flow of summer you can attune yourself to the energy, familiarize yourself with the feel and emotion of it of it, so that you might conjure that energy for use in your increase magic year-round. In other words, soak up the sun.

Of course, for hedge and kitchen witches this is the time to gather all the good growing things to be crafted into incenses, lotions, potions, and brews. If you preserve food for later use, whether canning, drying or freezing, don’t forget to add a little magic intention to each batch—remember that the harvest holds the energy of vitality, health and growth. Add additional energy and intention with herbs and spices from your pantry.

Throughout the summer season ~

• Appreciate the abundance around you and let your energy be that of gratefulness—give actual thanks for all that is given and take only what you need. Leave an offering.

• Enjoy leisure time, slow down, be mindful of living in the moment. If you're one who's always too busy, always slaying that to do list, make down time an offering—to deity if you work with them, or simply to your magical practice.

• When foraging and harvesting spend some time with plants honoring the gifts they give. Consider planting trees, shrubs and perennials that will benefit future generations. Support sustainable practices and green energy in your community.

• Try making solar essences—it's a simple process and uses only a small amount of plant material. Videos with details for making flower essences can be found on YouTube.

• Preserve fruits, vegetables and herbs with the intention of "releasing" their summer essence when you use them during the dark winter months.

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