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Litha - Blog Posts
The Summer Solstice
The time for the sun to beat down at its most powerful is upon us. In other words: Summer is almost here! Read more to find out about the Summer solstice and its history!
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Better late than never. Pictures from my ritual on Litha. Working was a simple fertility charm. Ask if you are interested.
☀️🌿Litha Lavender Thyme Chicken🌿☀️
Hello my greenies! I have here a recipe to celebrate Litha! I am recovering from the removal of all four of my wisdom teeth and am unable to feast accordingly. I hope everyone can celebrate and eat for me, so I have here a favorite chicken recipe that I have especially during Litha and many times during the summer.
I will put the corresponding meanings of all the ingredients for the recipe at the end of the post and hope everyone enjoys my recipe. I hope to be posting more soon!
***You can use these ingredients for a whole chicken, but the amount for the coating will need to be adjusted and so will the cooking time. There are many websites that can tell you how to prepare a whole chicken, if that is also what you are looking for.
Ingredients
3 or 4 chicken breasts (I use 3, but I think the recipe would work with four as well.)
1 tbsp of dried lavender
2 tbsp of dried thyme or 4 sprigs of fresh and pulled off the stem.
drizzle of olive oil or coconut oil
1 tbsp of garlic powder
1 and ½ tbsp of onion powder
3 tbsp of honey
1 whole lemon.
dash of salt and pepper
dash of oregano
Directions
If lavender is not crushed, crush until powdery. Then in a small bowl, mix lavender, thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder.
In a separate bowl, place the three chicken breasts and add the salt and pepper. Mix well and after drizzle the oil, honey, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Mix thoroughly.
Place in the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Make sure all parts of the chicken are covered.
Cover the bowl and let the chicken sit for three hours in the refrigerator.
Once complete, stir the chicken in the bowl again and then place the chicken into a roasting pan and sprinkle oregano on the tops.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, make sure you flip after 23 minutes. When done, take the chicken out and let it sit for about 5 minutes before you eat. While it sits begin the chant.
“With the heat of the day and kiss of the night, summer bring love and spirit to me. Let me feel the child-like dance. Let me embrace myself. I am my own fire.”
While speaking these words allow yourself to hold in the heat inside you. Let it move around through your system and on your skin. Rise that heat up into your neck and float around your head. Then have it come out of you, so now you only feel a slight glow. Have this warmth embrace your house and everything in it until that happiness is surrounding you.
Then enjoy your meal!
*I always find that this meal goes well with some honey garlic potatoes, thyme roasted carrots, Zucchini casserole, and fresh baked flaky biscuits.
If you decide to make this recipe please send me pictures! Although I can’t eat any solids at the moment, I would feel satisfied just by seeing everyone else enjoying their meals. I hope you enjoy this recipe and have a special Litha!
- Kenzie
ingredient correspondences
dried lavender - love, protection, healing, sleep, purification, and peace.
dried thyme - wards negativity, purification, healing
garlic powder - healing, protection, purification, guards against negative magic and the envy of others.
onion powder - prosperity, stability, endurance, and protection.
honey - binding properties, love, and used in offering rituals.
lemon - cleansing, spiritual opening, purification, and removal of blockages
oregano - joy, strength, vitality, and added energy
Litha Altar Decorations
- lots and lots of flowers that grow native in your area this time of year
- sunflowers, roses, lavender, dandelions
- flower crowns and flower garlands
- a bowl of fruit and vegetables, especially anything citrus like oranges
- lots of candles (Litha is a fire sabbat)
- colours like yellow, gold, and orange
- you could have a vase of sticks with fairy lights in it to represent a bonfire
- maypoles are still a thing for Litha
- a cute offering dish to leave out sweets for the fae
- a jar of local honey
- anything that represents the sun
- incense (sandalwood, rose, lavender, frankincense, dragon’s blood)
- oak leaves and acorns
- anything that reflects the sun like suncatchers, glass beads, and mirrors
☀️ Midsummer Ritual ☀️
a ritual for midsummer, a ritual that observes the summer solstice, and the new life that has been growing in the earth.
☀️ perform ritual at noon, call open a circle
☀️ build a safe bonfire in a safe area, or alternatively light a yellow candle.
☀️ leave out an offering for the fae near the candle.
☀️ make a solar wheel and burn it.
☀️ speak a prayer to each of the four cardinal directions.
☀️ play music and celebrate in the circle
☀️ close and leave the circle.
🌞 Ideas for Litha 🌞
☀ Charge Sun Water ☀ Make a Sun Book ☀ Burn Incense ☀ Make a sachet with appropriate herbs ☀ Make Sun catchers ☀ Make a solar oven then…. ☀ Bake treats for the fairies ☀ Make/Buy a sundial ☀ Chart the sun’s movement through the sky by outlining your shadow in chalk throughout the day. (Great for kids) ☀ Do a drawing or painting ☀ Write a song, poem, or devotion ☀ Make sun tea ☀ Make a wreath for your front door ☀ Do red/yellow/gold candle magick ☀ Sun print fabric ☀ Watch a Midsummer night’s dream ☀ Paint a figurine gold for your altar ☀ Decorate special cups ☀ Dress in corresponding colors (bonus points for makeup magick) ☀ Cook up a Litha feast (grill to enjoy a fire if you can’t be at a bonfire) ☀ Try a new cocktail/mocktail ☀ Have a picnic outside in the sun ☀ Meditate on the energy of the sun/summer
These are just a few ideas I had and are going to try for Litha. Have fun and spend some time outside! As always, magick is all about intent.
💘Light and Love Witches!
Litha! June 21st
Hi everyone! Here are some very EASY ways to celebrate midsummer!
Open up the curtains and let some good sunlight cleanse your room.
Open up the window.
Clean cobwebs from the ceiling and other places.
Go on a picnic!
Eat some berries.
Pick flowers.
Light a candle that reminds you of summer or of the sun.
Wear a floral print.
Make a honey and sugar face scrub.
Make a flower crown.
Garden, or water your plants.
Just sit in the sun, relax for once and soak in new beginnings :) -Freya
Let’s Talk Litha!: Celebrating the Summer Solstice
June 21st marks this year’s Summer Solstice - the Sabbat known as Litha (or Midsummer)! If you celebrate the Wheel of the Year, Litha is one of the key points in the calendar: The summer solstice marks the Sun’s peak of power, and also marks the longest day in the year!
Litha, or, The Summer Solstice
Litha marks the longest day of the calendar year - the Summer Solstice - and is positioned at the bottom, Southernmost quarter point in the Wheel of Year. Traditionally, this is a great time to commune and connect with the Sun, do solar magic, and use the Sun’s peak power to spellcast, charge, and cleanse.
Colors: Red, orange, and other fiery, bold tones
Incense & Scents: Dragon’s blood, orange, musks (personal correspondences here - use your own for max results!)
Altar Setup: Find stones and crystals that have washed up on the summer shore, local flowers, seasonal fruits, and plenty of candles. A bonfire is traditional (a red candle is practical!)
The Litha Feast: What would a Sabbat be without a feast? Litha is a perfect time to eat outdoors (if possible!). Traditional foods include herbed breads and pastries (baked!), desserts and dishes with summer fruits (try berries, stone fruits, or citrus, depending on what’s local to you!), cold cooked poultry for our omnivore witches, and flower or berry wines. More modern foods for Litha could include potato salads, dishes made with lavender or sorrel, peppery foods, or dandelion greens.
Litha Traditions:
Light a bonfire and jump over it (if it’s small enough!) to cleanse yourself of past ills.
Stay up on Midsummer Eve to wait for the rising sun.
Dispose of old amulets in the Litha fire.
Work magic with stone circles.
Make speeches to Fortuna, the lady of Fortune (is my Hellenic Revivalism showing?).
Phone past friends and invite them over.
Honor the Oak tree by paying one a visit in your local neighborhood.
Lead the way to your Litha celebration with a torchlit procession (or lantern or sparkler-lit, as it were!).
Magic for Litha: Healing, purification, cleansing, fire, protection, rebirth, power, sun magic, magic with stones and crystals, reaffirmations, and oaths.
Have at it, witches! (and link me to your Litha altars/plans/feasts! I’m a sucker for peeking on all your aesthetics & magics :>)
♡ Sunflowers ♡
Scientific Name: Helianthus
Worship for deities related to the sun, good for Litha.
Sunflower seeds assist in magick relating to fertility, and pregnancy
Cut a sunflower at sunset while making a wish, it will come true by the next sunset as long as it not too grand
Sleep with a sunflower under your bed allows you to find out the truth
Sunflowers are good luck for green witches and gardeners
Plant sunflowers outside your house to bring positive energy into the home
Posted: July 21, 2019
♡
Litha Recipes with Correspondences and Vegan Alternatives
Cinnamon Red Sun Tea
Ingredients:
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup loose red (rooibos) tea leaves
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- Simple syrup or Agave to taste
Directions:
- Place water, tea leaves and cinnamon sticks in large container or pitcher. Stir. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Let stand in sun for 3 to 5 hours.
- Strain tea, discarding tea leaves and cinnamon sticks. Serve tea over ice or refrigerate until chilled. Sweeten with Simple Syrup, if desired.
Correspondances:
- Tea ~ courage, mental powers, prosperity, restfulness, strength
- Water ~ purification
- Cinnamon ~ healing, love, luck, lust, peace, protection, psychic powers, strength, success
- Sugar ~ love
Peach Earl Grey Fritters
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups whole milk (almond or soy for vegan)
- 1/3 cup earl grey tea
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (coconut oil for vegan)
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 eggs (egg substitute for vegan)
- 6 cups Vegetable oil, for frying (use more if needed)
- 3 large peaches, diced
For Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey (agave or maple syrup for vegan)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream (almond or soy for vegan)
Directions:
- In a small pot, heat the milk, tea, and butter until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Mix the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a mixer (or a large bowl if mixing by hand). Add the warm milk mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the eggs, scraping the bowl well. Turn the mixer up to medium speed, and, using a dough hook, mix until the dough begins to pull away from the edges. If mixing by hand, knead until it easily pulls away from the sides of the bowl as you knead (it will still be quite sticky).
- Transfer the finished dough to a well-oiled container and cover. Allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight so that it’s ready to make in the morning—but you may need to punch the dough down once or twice during that period to prevent it from over-fermenting.
- Roll out the doughnut dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Size/precision of the rectangle isn’t important—just focus on an even thickness for the dough.
- Use a knife, pastry scraper, or bench knife to cut the dough into long vertical strips about ½ inch wide.
- Next, cut the strips horizontally about ½ inch wide—this should make a whole bunch of ½ inch squares.
- Divide the dough squares into 12 even portions.
- To shape each doughnut, take about 2/3 of one portion of dough squares and smoosh them gently together. Place about ¼ to 1/3 cup of diced peaches on top of the dough.
- Top with the remaining 1/3 of the portion of dough squares and smoosh the dough gently to adhere to the peaches and other dough. It’s best for each piece of peach to be touching dough in two places (on top and on bottom), otherwise some may fall out when you go to fry them.
- Cover the doughnuts with greased plastic wrap and let them rise for 20 to 30 minutes.
- While the doughnuts rises heat the oil. If you have one, use a deep-fry thermometer to test the oil and help regulate the temperature—around 350° F is best. If you don’t have one, throw a doughnut hole or scrap piece of dough into the oil and see if it sizzles and rises to the surface. When it does, you’re good to go.
- Working in batches, gently drop the doughnuts into the oil, frying until they’re golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. It’s helpful to use a spider or slotted spoon to support the fritter for the first 15-30 seconds, until the dough sets.
- Drain the doughnuts on several layers of absorbent paper towels. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
-In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, honey, cinnamon, and milk or cream to combine. Add more milk or cream as needed to make drizzly glaze. Drizzle each doughnut into the glaze, and serve immediately.
Correspondances:
- Milk ~ Goddess energy, love, nurturing, spirituality
- Tea ~ courage, mental powers, prosperity, restfulness, strength
- Butter ~ smoothing relationships, spirituality, tenacity
- Flour ~ revealing hidden matters, consistency
- Nutmeg ~ confidence, emotional openness, fidelity, healing, luck, prosperity, social interaction
- Cinnamon ~ healing, love, luck, lust, peace, protection, psychic powers, strength, success
- Salt ~ cleansing & purification, grounding, protection
- Sugar ~ love
- Yeast ~ grounding, purification
- Egg ~ fertility, lust, protection, spirituality, strength
- Oil ~ spirituality
- Peach ~ happiness, healing, fertility, longevity, love, wisdom
- Honey ~ happiness, healing, love, lust, purification, spirituality, sweet things in life, weight loss, wisdom
- Maple Syrup ~ prosperity, love
Raspberry Banana Bread
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs (egg substitute for vegan)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan.
- Mash raspberries in a bowl with a fork. Mash banana in another bowl with a fork.
- Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl.
- Beat sugar, eggs, raspberries, banana, and vegetable oil in a bowl with an electric mixer set on low until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir flour mixture into raspberry mixture until batter is just moistened; stir in lemon extract. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Correspondances:
- Bread ~ (in general) kinship, sustenance
- Cake ~ (in general) celebrations, hospitality
- Raspberry ~ happiness, love, protection, stamina, vigor
- Banana ~ fertility, love, luck, potency, prosperity, spirituality
- Flour ~ revealing hidden matters, consistency
- Cinnamon ~ healing, love, luck, lust, peace, protection, psychic powers, strength, success
- Baking soda ~ raising energy or expectations
- Salt ~ cleansing & purification, grounding, protection
- Nutmeg ~ confidence, emotional openness, fidelity, healing, luck, prosperity, social interaction
- Sugar ~ love
- Egg ~ fertility, lust, protection, spirituality, strength
- Oil ~ spirituality
- Lemon ~ faithfulness, friendship, happiness, longevity, love, marriage
☀️ A Midsummer Bath ☀️
Inspired by this post, I decided to create a Midsummer bath last night after sunset! It was a great way to connect with the energy of the season. I know it’s a bit late to share the recipe, but I figure it’s good for anytime between now and Lughnasadh, and perfect whenever you need a boost of summery energy (though if it’s cold out you might want to skip the last step!). I used a fair number of ingredients, so modify this however you need to to suit your budget and available materials!
You’ll need:
☀️ 4-5 ginger tea bags (black tea bags and ginger slices work too!) ☀️ 1 cup of honey** ☀️ Red and yellow food coloring ☀️ a couple oranges and/or lemons, sliced ☀️ Lavender sprigs (please wash them first!) ☀️ Gold bath-safe glitter (not visible in the pictures, but it’s there!) ☀️ Beeswax candles ☀️ Tealights and/or yellow and orange candles ☀️ Midsummer-related crystals (I used citrine, fluorite, rutilated quartz, fuchsite/aventurine, green goldstone, and rock crystal (clear) quartz) ☀️ Sandalwood or lavender incense/candles ☀️ Spa water (if you stay in the bath as long as I do, you’ll want this. Trust me) ▫️ ▫️ ▫️ Midsummer Spa Water: add lemon slices, cucumber slices, celery sticks, and mint sprigs to a pitcher, then fill it to the top with ice water and stir it around. It’s ready to drink right away! You can also freeze it to make super refreshing ice cubes.
Start running your bath - make it a little hotter than you normally would (please be safe, though! Don’t burn yourself). Add the tea bags and honey. You might need to stir the water around with your hands a bit to mix the honey in, and you can check the temperature at the same time. If you choose not to use honey, a drop of orange or lavender essential oil makes a great substitute.
While the bath is filling, set up your candles, incense, and crystals around the edges of the tub. I prefer to keep the incense across the room so it doesn’t overpower the scents of the other ingredients. If you can’t burn incense or candles, try a lavender room spray. Add red and yellow food coloring to the water until you’ve achieved a summery, sunny orange!
When the bath is full, toss in the orange/lemon slices and the lavender sprigs. Sprinkle a bit of gold glitter across the surface, dim the lights, and get in! It’ll be like a lovely-smelling hot tub with much better atmosphere :) This is when that spa water will come in handy - don’t let yourselves get dehydrated, witches!
Once you’ve had enough of the heat, turn on some icy cold water. Try not to splash around too much (otherwise you’ll just end up with a gross room-temperature bath), instead letting the cold water sink to the bottom of the tub. The feeling of hot water on the surface with cold water underneath is super refreshing and perfectly suited to Midsummer - the sun is beginning its decline into winter now. Enjoy it for a bit, then get out before you get chilly!
Don’t forget to put out your candles. Have a fun and safe summer ☀️
**Vagina owners, please be careful with using honey in your bathwater! The sugar can cause yeast infections.
Full Moon Vibes. (gif found on giphy.com)
