How to celebrate Litha: 3 simple rituals for the Summer Solstice

Last Updated on / Atualizado em
June 10, 2020 by DanFF

If you’re looking for simple ways on how to celebrate Litha Sabbat, the Summer Solstice, you’re in the right place! Each Litha ritual celebrates the joy, the energy, the fertilizing power and the vital force of the Sun God.

The rituals presented here were taken from the book “Wicca, A Religião da Deusa” by Claudiney Prieto, with adaptations.

If you do not know this Sabbat, you can read about it on the Litha Sabbat post or watch the video below. To understand more about the subject go to the Wheel of the Year and the Sabbats.

Litha Ritual: Making a Solar Wheel

This Litha ritual involves a Solar Wheel, an item that symbolizes the Sun, made of branches, ribbons, and optionally flowers, herbs and/or crystals. To make a Solar Wheel you need to build a cross with branches of equal size and place it inside a circle, also made of branches. You can also make a “solar cross” with 8 directions.

To decorate it you can hang crystals and/or flowers on it and wrap ribbons in orange, yellow, green, white and blue.

The blo “Flying the Hedge” has a nice tutorial on how to make one. Do check it here.

Once made, the Solar Wheel should be hung somewhere in your house, preferably at the door. But you can also burn it during some outdoor ritual instead of hanging it.

Litha Ritual: Braiding a Witch’s Ladder

As in the Samhain Sabbat, the Witch’s Ladder can also be made as a Litha ritual. Choose three coloured ribbons or some string with the colours of the Litha Sabbat (white, red, blue, green, orange and black) and make a braid so that it is firm. Put feathers along the rope and hang it somewhere outdoors or by a window.

Each colour has a meaning, therefore, when making your Witch’s Ladder, choose carefully:

• White: balance, protection, peace and blessings of the Moon;
• Red: courage, vigour, dynamism, tenacity, conquest of something difficult;
• Blue: harmony in the home and psychic powers;
• Green: prosperity, protection and abundance;
• Orange: success;
• Black: protection.

The winds that blow this Witch’s Ladder will bring you closer to your desires.

Litha Ritual

For this Litha ritual you will need:

• A Cauldron;
• 3 red candles;
• 1 river pebble;
• Wine glass;
• Grain alcohol;
• 1 Cinnamon stick.

Procedure: Place the three red candles in the shape of a triangle with the wick facing up. Put the chalice in the centre of the triangle, trace the magic circle and say:

The Lord of the Sun blesses our Earth with his rays and protects us with his dance. May He bless the soil so that the plantations ripen.

When lighting each candle, say:

I celebrate the joy of the Sun and its light that blesses the Earth with joy and love.

With each candle lit, make a wish to the Goddess and to the God. Raise the chalice by saying:

This is the true Grail of the Goddess’s wisdom and inspiration and Her yielding womb as well as Her fertilizing waters.

Inside the Cauldron spill some wine, put the cinnamon stick and some cereal alcohol. Hold the pebble for a few moments and transfer to it all your fears, grudges and all that hinders your success and progress. Leave the stone at the feet of the Cauldron and jump over it, saying:

With this leap I free myself from all the things that hinder my progress.

Drink some of the wine and make a libation (wine offered in honour of the Gods), saying:

I drink this wine in honour of the Sun God and the Earth Goddess.

Dance and sing in honour of the Gods.

Undo the circle.

The Wheel of the Year and the Sabbats

You can also read about how to celebrate the other Sabbats which are part of the Wheel of the Year:

• Samhain ritual
• Yule ritual
• Imbolc ritual
• Ostara ritual
• Beltane ritual
• Litha ritual (you are here :D)
• Lughnasadh ritual
• Mabon ritual