Summer Solstice Litha

I Love the Summer Solstice also known as Litha, it is a Sun Festival or Fire Festival if you like.The Holly King vanquishes the Oak King to begin his reign.
You can learn more about them here The Oak and Holly King
The Goddess is now the Mother giving us more than what we need.  Crops are in full growth and the garden is bursting with life, their is an abundance of fruit and vegetables.

  The Summer Solstice marks the end of the waxing year and the start of the waning year, when the sun’s power begins to fade and the days grow shorter.

Colours of Litha: Blue, Green Gold Yellow, Orange and Red

Animals and Mythical Beings:   Cattle,  Robin, Wren Horses,   Faeries, Dragons Satyrs

   

Foods: Honey, Fresh vegetables, Lemons, Oranges, Summer fruits,Bread.

On Midsummer Night, Elves, Sprites, and Faeries abound, making this a great time to commune with them. William Shakespeare's Mid Summer Nights Dream is all about the Faery Realm at this time of year.
Now I know some people will throw their hands up in horror when I say this, but I don't like Shakespeare, I find it hard to understand. I have read many of his plays and studied them for exams but I still find the language hard to understand.
So at this time of year I read stories about Faeries and re-acquaint myself with some Faery stories from childhood I have a Grimm's and Hans Anderson story books. My Husband Colin got them for me as my books were thrown out by my Mother many years ago and when he found out he bought me the Fairy Story Books that I had loved so much as a girl.
I have a book that I read and yes it is a children's book but it is fun to read and full of magic.
A Midsummer Nights Faery Tale, I read it each year before the Solstice and it always puts me in the mood for the celebrations. Midsummer Nights Faery Tale
I love little Sneezle he is so sweet,  that is him below.

 World of Froud

Why is Litha also  named Mid Summer?
Using the old calender that our ancestors used Summer begins at Beltane May 1st and ends at Lammas August 1st. This makes Litha or the Summer Solstice midway between the two hence Mid- Summer.
If you think about it this makes more sense than the more modern suggestion that Summer starts June 21st as it is from them that days slowly get shorter as the Sun's power wanes.


My Activities for Litha 2014
Each year I like to do something different and this year I have decided to make something new.
A God's Eye

How to make a God's Eye

I will post a picture of my own God's Eye when I have made it.

I love Faeries so will make  new ones and this time they will be a little different  Yarn Faeries made from a Yarn Doll pattern I found here Yarn Dolls   
I am going to add wings and if I can find them some artificial flower petals that I have in my card making items.

For my Kitchen I will decorate a wooden spoon. I love wooden spoons and use them a lot but I do not have one that is decorated so will decorate one for Litha. I will add a picture of my spoon later.

My Litha Meal
Dinner  is going to be Ravioli from Marks and Spencer with a salad.

Now why did I chose this?
 This year I chose a ready meal something I rarely use but as my Husband has not been well and is only just getting his appetite back he likes Ravioli so I am going with that and making a nice fresh salad to go with it.
It is low calorie and I am doing my best to lose weight and this meal means I have something tasty.
Dessert will be a Lemon Cheesecake, individual ones not a large one.
Drink will be Sparkling Elderflower.

Celebrating each Sabbat helps to keep you in touch with natures cycles. I like to make things for each sabbat and enjoy either cooking something or creating a menu that reflects the sabbat.

Blue Faery

My Yarn Faeries

I did not make legs for my Faeries as I wanted them look as if they had a dress on.

Lavender Faery

Rose Faery

 I can make more Faeries each year and hang them on some twigs that I have and use them as a decoration for Litha.









This is my God's Eye

I like to use what I have and for this I used drinking straws. I used six straws in total, I kept two straws whole and split the others down the middle. By cutting then down the middle I was able to push them onto the whole straw making them strong enough to use. Then I created the cross as instructed on the website and made the God's Eye, I added the bead in the middle as I thought it looked nice.

I will make more of these as well and add them to the branches each year it should make a colourful decoration.

My Spoon
 I am not an artist but I do my best and try to make things look pretty.

 

My Kitchen Spoon

This is the top of the Spoon The symbols  and colours represent
Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

I chose these as we cannot do anything in the Kitchen without them. The Earth supports plants as they grow, Air or Wind helps pollinate plants and makes trees grow strong, Fire or the Sun helps plants grow, Water feeds them. The Elements are part of all life so I thought it appropriate to have them on my spoon.

This is the middle part of the Spoon handle and each silver dot represents the Full Moon so there are 13 in all.

This is the bowl of the Spoon, see I said was not an artist.
I used wood glue to add the sliver of wood to the bowl so I could add the Key and Symbol, I wanted it raised so it is visible.
To me the Key is a symbol of the home and opening doors, so I added a Key as I am a Hearth Witch and as I learn new things I open the door to understanding.
The Symbol below the Key is the symbol of my Magical Name. The design and I say that loosely, is a vine and flowers, well sort of, it looks better from a distance.

The Spoon is a visual reminder of my chosen Path and something that I will see every day as I work in the kitchen. I give my tools Magickal Names you don't have to but I like doing it, for me it makes the tool extra special.