Spring is coming to an in depth, and it’s time for the recent summer time climate to seem formally. Meaning you can begin having fun with summer time barbeques, outside swimming, and enjoyable carnival days, and youngsters are out of faculty as they go to summer time camp.

As well as, many households are taking the time to go on summer time holidays. And you’ll want to quiet down with chilly drinks, ice cream, and dishes.

The beginning of the summer time season marks a celebration, and that is named Litha. Litha is a pagan vacation celebrating the summer time solstice, sometimes on June twentieth or twenty first within the Northern Hemisphere, nevertheless it falls on June twenty first this 12 months. Many not following pagan traditions could have their very own approach of celebrating Litha. There are various Litha customs, and whoever honors the Sabbat will have a good time it in their very own approach. Nonetheless, there are various normal customs; let’s go over these proper now.

Dancing Round Bonfires

Lighting a bonfire is a standard custom throughout Litha. The hearth is believed to symbolize the solar and its energy. The solar is the closest to the Earth throughout the summer time, and it’s all the time proper over the Tropic of Most cancers, which is June twenty first when Most cancers season begins. The solar over the Tropic of Most cancers makes the summer time solstice official, and it’s the time when the nights are quick and the times are longer.

Those that observe Litha will dance across the bonfire. Dancing across the bonfire is a standard option to have a good time Litha. It’s believed to deliver good luck and fertility. So even when being pregnant is just not one thing you might be in search of, you possibly can dance across the bonfire as a result of the assumption is that it may well deliver wealth too. So if you wish to deliver prosperity to you, you’ll want to dance across the bonfire lit throughout Litha.

Feasting

Along with dancing across the bonfire, these honoring the Sabbat shall be feasting. Sharing a meal with household and buddies is a practice in Litha. Meals in season, similar to recent vegatables and fruits, are sometimes served. Different meals will embrace honey, and the meals will comprise loads of herbs. And, in fact, it’s important to reap the benefits of the barbecue. In case you are not a vegan, you possibly can throw your favourite meat on there, or in case you are, get pleasure from it with some jackfruit. Many desserts made with herbs, similar to cookies and truffles, are sometimes served.

Adorning The Altar With Flowers

Flowers symbolize the season and are sometimes used to brighten outside altars and different sacred areas. Due to this fact, when establishing your altar for Litha, you’ll want to set it outdoors. Nonetheless, whether it is raining otherwise you don’t have sufficient house open air, you possibly can set it up by the window so there’s some daylight (even whether it is raining, preserve it by the window as it should ultimately cease raining) hitting it.

You’ll beautify your altar with loads of flowers, as there is no such thing as a proper or fallacious approach to do this. You may add as many flowers to your altar as you want or as few as you prefer to. And you’ll want to add some orange candles, as they symbolize the solar. Orange is the colour of the sacral chakra, which represents fertility, creativity, and empowerment, which is related to Litha.

It would be best to additionally add some crystals to the altar, similar to ruby, citrine, garnet, carnelian, Tiger’s Eye, and Sunstone, representing the summer time solstice.

Carrying Flower Crowns

It’s conventional to make flower crowns throughout Litha, which symbolizes the season’s abundance and fertility. Due to this fact, you possibly can put on them as you dance across the bonfire to assist deliver prosperity and good luck. And when you are having the summer time feast, you possibly can put on them too. Anybody can put on them; these flower crowns also can lighten your temper as they comprise gentle and affluent power. This can be a time of creativity, so that you may be as inventive as you want if you make them.

Solar Rituals

Solar rituals are a typical a part of the Litha celebrations in lots of pagan traditions, just like the bonfire. Different rituals embrace solar salutations. Solar salutations are a yoga apply involving a collection of sequences of poses. Throughout Litha, some pagans carry out solar salutations to honor the solar’s energy and power. There are additionally meditations.

Meditation is a standard apply in lots of pagan traditions, and a few practitioners could carry out particular meditations throughout Litha to attach with the power of the solar and the season. Lastly, there are providing rituals. Some pagans carry out providing ceremonies throughout Litha to thank the solar for its power and blessings. Choices could embrace flowers, herbs, or different objects related to the season.

Divination

Litha is a potent time for divination, and a few practitioners could use solar rituals to carry out divination to achieve perception into the longer term. Studying tarot is a standard apply for sabbats, and that features Litha.

Here’s a five-card Litha tarot unfold from Ethony, which focuses on the place you might be at the moment, your energy, energy, and abundance. The unfold is a cross, with three playing cards throughout, one card above the center, and one beneath it. Playing cards one, two, and three are in a vertical place. Card one is within the center, card two is above it, and card three is beneath it. Then card 4 is on the proper of card one, and 5 is on the left.

Card one focuses on the self, because it factors to the energies surrounding you and the place you at the moment are. The second card signifies your energy, because it exhibits what’s highly effective in the meanwhile and how one can profit from it. Then, card three represents your energy, exhibiting your inside energy and find out how to put it to use so you possibly can focus in your energies.

Card 4 signifies abundance, exhibiting what’s ample for you proper now. Lastly, card 5 is your blessing. What’s blessing you proper now, and how are you going to acknowledge your items in life at the moment?

Let’s do a collective Litha studying now. So that is what I’ve.

Card one: Power

Card two: 4 of Swords

Card three: Ten of Cups

Card 4: Chariot

Card 5: Excessive Priestess

Card One: Power

Proper now, Power signifies that you’re able the place it’s important to depend on your inside energy. Maybe you had had a difficult spring or time earlier than that, which you needed to dig into your inside reserves to deal with. You could be drained, however the message from this card is that you’re stronger than you suppose.

This card also can point out bodily energy. You could be intentionally strengthening your muscle tissues and specializing in health for the summer time. Nonetheless, you may additionally must be robust for these round you.

Card Two: 4 of Swords

Proper now, probably the most highly effective factor for you is what the 4 of Swords represents. It’s humorous how Power means your self, however the energy inside that’s represented by the 4 of Swords, which is the cardboard representing relaxation and restoration. Due to this fact, the one option to proceed to be robust is to make sure you get loads of relaxation to recharge your self and proceed to perform at your greatest.

It’s essential to by no means underestimate the facility of relaxation and restoration; if you don’t reap the benefits of it, you’ll burn out, which is the very last thing you need to occur.

Card Three: Ten of Cups

This card exhibits what’s deep in your inside energy, and the Ten of Cups exhibits up, which is a robust indicator that you just want the assist of your family and friends, whether or not they’re blood-related, to be at your best. With out the assist of your family and friends, you’ll wrestle to search out the energy inside.

The Ten of Cups is the happiness card, which suggests it’s important to do what makes you the happiest to be robust. In case you are sad, you’ll lose your energy.

Card 4: Chariot

This card signifies what’s ample for you, and the Chariot comes up. That exhibits you’ve got drive. Irrespective of how down you get, you’ll find it inside to maintain going as a result of you’ve got drive. When there’s a will, there’s a approach. That’s all the time the message from the Chariot.

Whenever you take a look at card three, the Ten of Cups, you even have that to depend on as that fuels your drive. You’d by no means need to let your loved ones and buddies down anyway.

Card 5: Excessive Priestess

Lastly, the final card is the Excessive Priestess, which signifies your blessing and is the perfect present you need to make the most of. You will have the benefit of instinct and need to use that greatest, not to mention by no means dismiss it. Instinct is a present and use it nicely. Go together with what you are feeling. The Excessive Priestess can be psychic; everybody has some potential, and others have extra, however everyone seems to be considerably blessed with it. Be sure that you take note of it and permit it that will help you along with your choices, so long as you will discover a option to preserve feelings aside.

The message is you might be stronger than you suppose, however reap the benefits of these occasions to relaxation. Additionally, depend on your family and friends that will help you get via difficult occasions, and you’ll do it as a result of you’ve got drive they usually inspire you. Lastly, all the time depend on the present of instinct when making choices and making the perfect of your life.

Litha marks the beginning of the summer time solstice, and this can be a time to have a good time the sunshine and the recent climate and a time of abundance. Dance across the bonfires, create an out of doors altar with loads of flowers, and benefit from the Litha feast of recent fruit, greens, herbs, and barbecue meals. Reap the benefits of the outside, because the climate will usually be in your favor. Have a beautiful summer time!