4 Ways to Embrace Your Light for Litha

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Summer Solstice, but are you familiar with Litha? Litha is the pagan holiday that is celebrated on the Summer Solstice, also referred to as Midsummer. The Summer Solstice brings with it the longest day of the year when the sun appears to hang in the sky all day long reminding us of its life-giving light. Litha is all about embracing and celebrating this light.

This year Litha falls on Tuesday, June 20th. Invoke the energy of the sun and embrace your own radiance with these Litha inspired rituals.

Enjoy Some Solar Water

Harness the life-giving power of the sun in a solar water elixir. Place a covered clear glass cup or clear glass pitcher of water outside for five hours. Fresh fruit is often enjoyed during Litha, so feel free to add some slices of your favorite fruits into your water for a tasty addition. Drink and enjoy your solar water throughout the day in honor of Litha.

Bonus, some believe that soaking your water in the sunlight can give you a subtle energy boost, and have an ionizing and antimicrobial effect on your water. Though there’s no hard proof of these benefits, it’s certainly worth trying and won’t do you any harm.

Goddess Amaterasu “Beauty Bath” Ritual

“Amaterasu is here to tell you to bask in the radiance of your own beauty.” -Amy Sophia Marashinsky, The Goddess Oracle.

For the ultimate act of accepting your own light invite the Goddess Amaterasu into your day for Litha with this powerful “beauty bath” ritual from The Goddess Oracle:

All you need for this ritual is a mirror and the willingness to see your beauty.

Find a time and place when and where you will not be disturbed. Sit or lie comfortably with your spine straight. You may remove your clothes or do the ritual with your clothes on, whichever is appropriate for you. When you feel ready, take a deep breath and release it letting everything go . Then take four more deep breaths, focusing on the rhythm of your breathing. If at any time during this ritual you feel uncomfortable or are afraid of doing anything suggested, just take a deep breath, experience the feeling while continuing to breathe deeply, then slow down and continue at your own pace.

When you feel relaxed and ready, pick up the mirror. Look at your face. Just look. If judgments or criticisms come up acknowledge them, then let them go. Focus on the uniqueness that is you, reflected in your face. Look at your face and allow yourself to feel compassion, tenderness, acceptance, and love.

Next look at your eyes. Say to yourself: "My eyes are beautiful." Look at your nose and tell yourself: "My nose is beautiful." Then your forehead, cheeks, mouth/lips, teeth, ears, skin, bone structure. When you are finished enjoying the beauty of your face, go on to the rest of your body. When you have acknowledged your entire body, take a deep breath and look in the mirror. Tell yourself: "I (name) am beautiful." Say it over and over. Allow yourself to bathe in your appreciation of your own beauty, till you feel a tingle of appreciation and delight.

Love Spell Bottle

Many regard Litha as a time to honor the power of light over darkness, and the idea that love and light will always win. Litha is a time when marriages would often take place (and still is!), and is the perfect time to invoke some love magic. Any spells or rituals you hold on the Summer Solstice will be amplified in power.

I adore this love spell because it is easy and open-ended. It can be used for bringing more love of all kinds into your life.

Love Spell Bottle from Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects

You’ll need:

• Rose water

• Dried rose petals

• Dried lavender

• A glass vial or bottle (size of your choice)

Hold each of the dry ingredients in your hands before placing them in your vial and imbue them with love. Fill the rest of the bottle with rose water. Close the bottle, hold it against your chest and say these words:

Flowers drenched with love,
drench me with love.

When you’re finished, place your love spell vial in your bedroom.

Embrace Sunny Symbolism

Want a quick and easy way to honor your light and Litha? Place some of these sunny and powerful symbols on your altar, desk, or around the house.

• Fire element symbol or symbols of the sun

• Shells, or any other earthy bits that remind you of the summer sun

• Light a red, yellow, or orange candle to honor the sun

• Place fresh herbs and flowers out as a reminder of the gifts of the sun

• Light incense or diffuse EO’s containing lemon, pine, and/or myrrh

I also created an infographic for those of you who love visuals!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Embrace your light and honor your beauty so you can reflect it back into the world! I hope you found one or two tips to help you celebrate Litha and honor your light. Here in Arizona, we’re looking to top the day at 120°, though it seems fitting, I hope your Summer Solstice temperatures are a little more conducive to enjoying the outdoors! Find more rituals for Litha here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.

3 Summer Solstice Rituals to Light Your Fire!

The summer solstice occurs around June 20th and brings with it the most daylight hours of any day of the year! It’s no surprise that there are centuries of Summer Solstice rituals involving heat, fire, and the sun. I’ve selected a few of my favorite ways to honor the sun, light your internal fire, and get creative with a free coloring page to help you build your own Sun Mandala.

Fire & Candles

Bonfire: In ancient times, fire festivals were a given for celebrating the Summer Solstice. Communities would parade around town with torches, or set tar barrels on fire and roll them downhills! While acts like this may land you in the slammer by today's standards, a more acceptable way to celebrate midsummer is by having a bonfire!

Candles: If you live in the Southwest like me, the idea of having a bonfire might seem like the last thing you want to do in 115 degrees heat! Another option is to light a candle and keep it lit all day at your altar or favorite sacred space (only if you’re staying at home! Safety first!). Spend some time at your altar or sacred space giving thanks to the Sun for its life-giving heat. 

Building Your Internal Heat

Enjoy a yoga pose that best honors the Summer Solstice. This is definitely a pose that will ignite your internal fire! The goddess pose is a wide-legged squat that will challenge your mind and body. For an added bonus practice this outside to energize yourself with the sun's rays! Coincidentally, the goddess pose is also known as the fiery angle pose! This is a great posture for building heat in the body and increasing circulation.

Create Your Own Sun Mandala

My favorite and the most beautiful option for honoring this change of season is to create a Sun Mandala. How to make your own Sun Mandala:

• Forage for flowers, leaves and twigs

• Use sage to cleanse an area inside at your altar or outside where you’d like to create your mandala

• Lay your flowers and greenery in a circular pattern

• As an added option, add any crystals that you’d like. Carnelian, quartz, tiger eye and sunstone are great options for honoring the Sun.

• Add a candle in the center or smaller candles into the design.

• As you create your Sun Mandala reflect on the gifts the Sun and the Summer give you and what abundance you’d like to bring into your world this season.

Your Sun Mandala can be simple and small, or a glorious group project with friends. Get creative with it, I’ve got a printable sun mandala color page that you can use as a cheat sheet for where to place your flowers and candles, or it can function on its own as your Sun Mandala. Get your free printable sun mandala here. Be sure to share pics of your Sun mandala and tag @cassieuhl on Instagram. You can find more rituals for the Summer Solstice in this blog post.