* Northern Hemisphere, summer solstice begins on Jun 21 2010
at 7:28AM Edt
* In the UK, on June 21, 2010 at 11:28

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year.

* Pagans called the Midsummer moon the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.

* Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.

* Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called 'chase-devil', which is known today as St. John's Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.


I'll be doing a fire in the back yard tomorrow night...
we'll be howling!!

I won't be howling but I'll be listening, and looking.

I will be listening to the echo as well :)

Howdy Lo

Lid....you forgot THE most important part of the greatest day of the year. Sure that other mumbo jumbo you babbled on about is cool but, Summer Solstice is the day that all the gods and forces of nature each gave a part of themselves to form the one perfect being who would walk amongst men and eventually lead his army of midget battle hookers to global conquest.

me...Solstice is my birthday (I am still working on raising that army of midget battle hookers)

Hey Tami

I'll yoddle loud so ya'll can hear....

ah, a solstice baby.....

We'll do a little something, something at the fire for ya

think of me when you hippies hold that hit then pass it to the right...hehehehee

haha will do...I'll pass the message on to my long haired hippie-fied friends

I am decorating my altar tomorrow!! I'll post the pic on my FB page.

Lithia: Summer Solstice - 21st/22nd June

- Lithia (Midsummer, Gathering Day, Summer Solstice, Alban Heffyn, Feill-Sheathain)
- Incense: Sage, mint, basil, Saint John's Wort, sunflower, Lavender
- Decorations: Dried herbs, potpourri, seashells, summer flowers, and fruits.
- Colours: blue, green, and yellow

The Fire Festival of Lithia

Midsummer or the Summer Solstice is the most powerful day of the year for the Sun God. Because this Sabbat glorifies the Sun God and the Sun, fire plays a very prominent role in this festival. The element of Fire is the most easily seen and immediately felt element of transformation. It can burn, consume, cook, shed light or purify and balefires still figure prominently at modern Midsummer rites.

Most cultures of the Northern Hemisphere mark Midsummer in some ritualised manner and from time immemorial people have acknowledged the rising of the sun on this day. At Stonehenge, the heelstone marks the midsummer sunrise as seen from the centre of the stone circle.

In ancient times, the Summer Solstice was a fire-festival of great importance when the burning of balefires ritually strengthened the sun. It was often marked with torchlight processions, by flaming tar barrels or by wheels bound with straw, which were set alight and rolled down steep hillsides. The Norse especially loved lengthy processions and would gather together their animals, families and lighted torches and parade through the countryside to the celebration site.

The use of fires, as well as providing magical aid to the sun, were also used to drive out evil and to bring fertility and prosperity to men, crops and herds. Blazing gorse or furze was carried around cattle to prevent disease and misfortune; while people would dance around the balefires or leap through the flames as a purifying or strengthening rite. The Celts would light balefires all over their lands from sunset the night before Midsummer until sunset the next day. Around these flames the festivities would take place.

In Cornwall up to the mid 18th century the number and appearance of fires seen from any given point was used as a form of divination and used to read the future.

Astronomically, it is the longest day of the year, representing the God at full power. Although the hottest days of the summer still lie ahead, from this point onward we enter the waning year, and each day the Sun will recede from the skies a little earlier, until Yule, when the days begin to become longer again.

Agriculturally, the crops are in full growth. They are reaching the pinnacles of maturity and coming closer to the harvest time. Most wild herbs are fully mature by Midsummer and this is the traditional time for gathering magickal and medicinal plants to dry and store for winter use. In Wales, Midsummer is called Gathering Day in honour of this practice.

Magical Aspects

Since this sabbat revolves around the sun, a candle should be lit for the entire day, especially if it is cloudy or raining. The fire represents the sun and is a constant daily reminder of the power of the God. Rituals should be performed at noon, when the sun is highest in the sky. The best rituals to perform on Midsummer are those dealing with masculine issues, masculine energies, or issues dealing with solar influence.

Many pagans choose to make protective amulets, in the week before the Sabbat, which are later empowered over the Midsummer balefire. Some witches choose to bury their protective amulets each Midsummer’s eve and construct new ones. Rue, rowan and basil, tied together in a white or gold cloth, is a good protective trio that can be carried in your pocket year round.

Midsummer is the time to formalize any relationship and couples that have been together a year and a day since the previous Beltane can make their marriage final. This Sabbat is also an excellent time to re-new wedding vows.

What time?
I can howl.

It'll be my 15th anniversary since I dedicated to shamanism. I'll be having a small fire and enjoying the day and night since I'm off work tomorrow and night.

Right on Melody

Here is my Solstice Altar!

My Solstice Altar:
Holly is ensconcing an altar of a cauldron of red wine for “Wine and Cakes”; candles to represent the Sun; mint incense and the use of Solstice solar colors; fruits and wheat for the harvest; my ankh to represent eternal life; my Amethyst Goddess dagger to represent my astrological beginnings.

The solstice is also a time seen as a battle between light and dark. Although the sun is strong now, in just six months the days will be short again. Much like the battle between the Oak King and the Holly King, light and dark must battle for supremacy. At this Sabbat, light wins. Decorate your altar with symbols of the triumph of light over darkness - and that includes using other opposites, such as fire and water, night and day, etc.

Awesome Melody..very cool!! Thanks for sharing that.
Lovin the limes and lemons, smells good too..

Limes, lemons, green apples and oranges. I couldn't get a good angle to include everything.

The mango candles and mint incense makes the whole room smell so good too. I wanted to set it up outside (preferred for a Lithia altar) but there is a ton of construction on my block and with the noise and dust - it would interrupt my celebration.


Thank you!

Lots of construction near me as of late...making afternoon meditation challenging. Be nice if 'everything' would just stop during celebrations.

The workers here are going right up till dark...it will be quiet for my fire tonight. Damn, so wish we could celebrate together, that would be way fun


Mango and mint..yummy

It all sounds like alot like tree hunging hippie crap to me...........

Don't harsh our mellow!

Paganism is our religion; a religion of earth.

We run through the forest naked but I don't recall hugging any trees. They chaff ya know!!

I'm just yanking Lo's chain... Running through the forest naked sounds more like college......

oh ok...and Jeff you don't come off as any kind of hippie freak



this is for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBBV5kJVGYY