The Practices and Origins of Litha
Updated: February 12, 2023
Litha is about the celebration of abundance, prosperity, and fulfillment of the hard work. It is a moment to acknowledge the fruits of the harvest and the nourishing radiance of the sun.
During Litha, modern witches and pagans celebrate to mark the peak of summer and to honor the Sun at its most powerful state. This joyous sabbat also marks new beginnings and possible shifts in all aspects of life.
If you are just beginning a business, career, or a project, this is the perfect time to focus your energies in manifesting success in the few remaining months of the year. Alternatively, this can also be the perfect time to eliminate toxic behaviors that are stunting your progress.
Things to do During Litha
Life is at its brightest during Litha. Filling in with gratitude for the resources you have at the moment can magnet greater fortune in the days to come. Remembering that there are a substantial amount of things to be grateful in this life can help set the mood for this celebration.
The most common way to celebrate Litha is by conducting a ritual by a bonfire with your coven. Witches and pagans gather around a bonfire to affirm their deepest desires or cleanse their aura from heavy blockages caused by trauma.
The ashes are then kept as a talisman for luck for the remaining days of the year. On the other hand, if a bonfire is not accessible for legal reasons, lighting a warm-colored candle in your sacred space is the best way to emulate a bonfire.
Litha isn’t just about the ritual — the celebration is also centered on feasting and eating with your family. Food like bread and cakes with edible flowers and herbs, garden-fresh vegetables, and honey are the ideal selection to put on your dinner table during Litha. Other signature foods during Litha include ale, anise, apples, honey, ice cream, lavender, lemon, vervain, and whipped cream.
Waiting for the sun to rise during midsummer’s eve is also part of the practice during Litha. You may do this as a gesture to honor the last longest day of the year.
Invite Bliss to your Space
Another way to show thanksgiving and gratitude for the Sun during this time is by decorating your home with ornaments that represent the sun. In this way, you invite and stimulate the invigorating energies of light in your space.
Starting with your altar, prepare crystals, warm-colored candles, yellow dyed cloth, and images of sun deities and set them on the table using your creativity. Once you finish your altar for Litha, slowly spread bliss and enthusiasm to different parts of your home by making garlands or wreaths out of fresh flowers and dried herbs.
Affirmations and Spellwork for Litha
Litha is the perfect time to infuse your overall energy with happiness and joy that comes from bliss. Invite radiance in your aura by lighting a yellow candle and setting the intention to receive this blessing by the end of your practice.
Affirming healing is also notable during Litha. To affirm healing and cleansing, start by lighting a white candle and preparing wands to put on your altar. Adding other healing crystals can also amplify and support cleansing as well.
Celebrating Litha may or may not be celebrated traditionally. During this time, listening to your creative energies is still, truly, the best way to invite positivity into the remaining days of the year. Take the pleasure of celebrating the way your heart wants to. In that way, you encompass the true purpose Litha.