he ground unconscious, which could take up to three or four days. It was often recounted by the dancers that they had received either a vision or a Spirit Walk at some point during the celebration.
Litha for many, is a time to celebrate with a childlike innocence. Forget the anxiety and pressures of winter and spend days savoring the sunlight. This is a time to absorb the sun’s warm rays and energies. Litha is a time to rejoice and frolic in the enjoyment of the day, and to celebrate the green and blooming Earth, the joys of summer, abundance, fertility, riches of Nature. This is also a wonderful time for gardeners.
Remember that the Goddess is an extraordinarily Generous Mother who gives life and fruitfulness to all of her children. An exceptional way to increase your bond with the Goddess at this time is to strive to be as generous as she is.
This is a celebration not only for the end of the waxing year, but also the beginning of the waning year. This is simply another turn of the Wheel of the Year.
This is also a perfect time to celebrate the fertility of humans, animals, and crops alike.
Wiccans acknowledge this as a time when the Goddess is pregnant from the copulation at Beltaine. So the Goddess is honored at this time for her upcoming motherhood. The Sun God is celebrated as the sun comes to its apex in the sky, and is approaching fatherhood. Goddess manifests as Mother Earth and God as the Sun King
Many people also see this as a struggle between the Oak King (who rules between winter and summer) and the Holly King (who rules from summer to winter). It is at Midsummer that the Holly King overthrows the Oak King and establishes his reign.
Various Methods of Observing Litha/Midsummer/Summer Solstice
Spend time outside
- Go for a hike
- Do an outdoors or nature meditation
- Work in your garden or volunteer to help out in a neighbors garden
Have a barbecue and/or bonfire
- Invite friends and family
- Feast on summer foods (such as watermelon, strawberries, and salads)
- Plan a Litha or Midsummer Ritual by the bonfire
- Celebrate the end of the day with sparklers, storytelling, and music
- Offer a gift to the Gods of your tradition
- Hold a drum circle
- Plan a spiral dance
- Go for a bike ride
- Take a walk around your neighborhood
- Play outdoor games (horseshoes, volleyball, basketball, corn hole)
Dedicate your time or money to others
- Hold a yard sale and donate the money earned to a favorite charity
- Collect clothes around the house that are no longer used and donate them to a homeless shelter
- Organize a neighborhood or park clean up
- Sop by a neighbors and see if they need help (house cleaning, yard work, babysitting, grocery shopping, etc...)
Read a book
- Pause your busy life today and simply take some time for yourself
- Sign up for a summer reading program at your local library
- Join a local book club
Spend some quality time with your family
- Turn off every one's phone, TV, computer, video game, etc...
- Spend quality time with loved ones
- Take a trip to the zoo, a museum, park, or ball game
- Play board games or do a puzzle together
- Fix a family meal together
Clean and organize your home
- Go through attic, basement, closets and get rid of items that are not needed or used any longer (garage sale, community yard sale, donate to a charity or shelter, or swap items with friends, family, or neighbors
- Wash windows, clean baseboards, under furniture
- Perform a house cleaning ritual
Learn and Grow
- Spend some personal time for spiritual growth
- Learn something new about your tradition
- Learn a new skill (knitting, sewing, gardening, cooking)
- Take a class (meditation, yoga, dance, tarot)
Honor the Day
- Perform a ritual to honor the Sun Gods (like many ancient cultures did)
- Take a few moments to recognize the sun and the awesome power that it has
- Add various symbolic items of the season to your altar (sun symbols, candles, and fruits, vegetables, herbs, and/or flowers of the season)
This is also a time for strong magick, empowerment, and a time to connect and interact with the many spirits of 