Litha - The Summer Solstice (21 December, Southern Hemisphere)

Although the best of Summer is usually yet to come, the Summer Solstice marks the height of the Sun's powers on th longest day of the year. This is the time to gather strength from the Sun before the hours of daylight begin to diminish over the next six months. Like Yule, the festival of LItha carries a paradox; the moment that we celebrate the Sun's powers ay their greatest is the very moment that those powers begin to wane. This reminds us of an essential physical and spiritual truth - that our festivals are fleeting moments of stillness on the wheel of change and are themselves symbols of the constant flux that is the nature of all existance.

The word "Litha" is supposed to mean "wheel," though its origis are obscure. There may be a link, however, with a customer first recorded two thousand years ago, or setting a wheel alight and rolling it downhill, representing, presumably, the fall of the sun at the height of its powers. There may have also been an element of sympathetic magick here; symbolically sending the sun down to warm the fields and thus urge the growth of crops in the coming season. Certainly, there is a strong association with fire at midsummer, ehich, ike Yule, is more accurately  termed "mid-year," with the best of the weather yet to come. Bonfires have been lit and torches carried around hillsides at this time for at least the last seven centuries, and one suspects for much earlier, before written records of these practices were made. 

Litha is usually celebrated outdoors, weather permitting, and usually witches gather at the old sacred sites - the standing stones, circles and hillsides - in order to observe the solstice sunrise with others. Many of us set off in the evening of 21st December (Southern Hemisphere) [21st June in the Northern Hemisphere] to keep vigil together util sunrise the next day. This means staying awake during the shortest night, and keeping each other entertained with stories and songs after drumming the sun down below the horizon at sunset. At dawn, we begin drumming again, this time to encourage Old Sol's exertions to rise early, ride high and shine bright upon the longest day.  The rest of the day is usually spent outside, sharing rituals and food, catching up on lost sleeping, and getting home.

Litha arrives when the powers of nature reach their highest point. Th earth is awash in the fertility of the God and Goddess.

In the past, bonfires were leapt to encourage fertility, purification, health and love. The fire once again represents the Sun, feted at this time of the longest daylight hours.

Midsummer is a classic time for magick of all kinds.