Hello, everyone and are we ready for summer? Because it is upon us in a big way. The solstice is one week from today, and so I thought we would spend some time talking about it, talking about the symbolism, the legends, the mythos and then I thought we could spend a little time considering what it means to us in a spiritual sense. How we can apply modern interpretations to this time of year.
A time of year that, it must be acknowledged, that ancient people were really preoccupied with. Litha, also known as Midsummer or the summer solstice is a Pagan and Wiccan festival which celebrates the longest day of the year, marking the height of the Oak King or solar god’s power. And we will go in deep on the Oak King in a minute. But first let’s talk a little more about what exactly Litha is.
Litha, midsummer, and the summer solstice for our purposes today are going to be interchangeable terms. Are there minor nuances between all these, well yes, but like. We aren’t writing a dissertation and there will not be a test, so I for one refused to get bogged down in the details. Anyway, Litha occurs between June 20th and June 23rd in the northern hemisphere.
It’s significant for a number of reasons, it’s a transition point in Earth’s seasonal cycle, symbolizing abundance, growing crops, and welcoming summer. Litha focuses on celebrating the power of the sun. The crops are growing heartily, and the earth has warmed up. For ancient people who paid a lot of attention to the seasons, this represented a time of abundance.
Folks didn’t have to worry as much about surviving the harsh weather conditions. There was less concern with famine. So what better way to celebrate this milder time of year and all the relative abundance than with a great big party. And across civilizations, this is exactly what people did. Folks would spend time outdoors, enjoying long sunny afternoons and connecting with nature and with their communities under the extended daylight hours.
And while this might look different for us today, especially if we don’t have a tight-knit community of sun-worshippers to observe the sabbat with, we can still find ways to adapt those ancient ways to our modern lives. I know for a fact that we have talked before on this podcast about how a backyard BBQ with friends, playing games, playing music, maybe swimming, is a perfect example of a modern-day Litha observation.
A day at the beach, a day on the lake, a day at the park with friends and loved ones with no other purpose except for celebrating the warm weather and the longer days is as quintessentially Pagan as it’s possible to be. Yes, ancient pagans had rituals and rites and they loved to stand on ceremony, but they also loved a good old fire festival too, with good food, strong drinks, and lots of fun.
We will get to some rituals and traditions that we can observe in a bit, but I just really want to impress that we don’t always have to do the most when it comes to the ways we choose to observe our sabbats. We can do as much or as little as we like. And for me, one of the sabbats in particular that lends itself well to minimal planning and maximum fun is Litha. It doesn’t have to be a stuffy, overdone affair.
But let’s get back to the Oak King! Many cultures have honored sun gods and goddesses, and at his core, the Oak King is a version of a sun god. He is the ruler of the waxing year. The Oak King presides over the period between the winter solstice and the summer solstice. He symbolizes and embodies light, warmth, and vitality, ushering in the return of warmer days after the darkness of winter.
The Oak King’s strength is at its peak strength at Midsummer. During the warm days of Midsummer, the Oak King reaches the height of his power.
Conversely, the Holly King is the ruler of the Waning Year. Which is to say, the Holly King reigns from summer to winter. In contrast to the Oak King, the Holly King is the personification of darkness. He represents the dark half of the Wheel of the Year. Just as the Oak King reaches the zenith of his rule at midsummer, or Litha, or the summer solstice, at the end of Midsummer, the Holly King defeats the Oak King, thus marking the transition toward the waning year.
These two kings engage in an eternal battle, reflecting not only solar cycles but also crop renewal and growth. Their struggle symbolizes the perpetual dance of light and dark in nature.
There is a lot of symbolism in this eternal ebb and flow. It might represent Inner Balance: Some see the two kings as representing the dual aspects within each of us—the light and dark, the conscious and subconscious. The battle symbolizes our inner struggles for balance and growth.
If we want to get a little hippie about it, we can see it as a call for more Environmental Awareness: In ecological and pagan circles, the legend emphasizes our connection to nature. The Oak King (summer) and Holly King (winter) remind us of the cyclical changes in the natural world.
We are encouraged to pay more attention to what these cycles mean to us, to maybe eat more seasonally. We might feel called to engage with our local wildlife in ways that honor these seasonal changes, such as putting out and maintaining bird feeders, bee watering stations, or owl boxes.
Now, Litha is also riddled with the idea of masculine archetypes: The Oak King embodies the vibrant, active masculine energy, while the Holly King represents the wise, introspective masculine. These archetypes resonate with discussions about masculinity today, and what it means to embody the divine masculine. I won’t get too deep into that today, but it does warrant a conversation. We talk so much about the divine feminine and witchcraft is obviously very woman-centric and I will never apologize for that, but I don’t like to leave men out of the discussion. But that is a topic for another day.
We can definitely recognize the solstices as opportunities for personal transformation. The kings’ alternating reigns can be seen as metaphors for growth and evolution. Because as we all have experienced, personal growth does not happen on a straight line trajectory. We experience periods of growth, followed by periods of introspection and shedding old patterns.
And along with all this introspection and transformation, we can support our intentions with spellwork. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve talked about ritual oils but I want to go through my recipe for abundance oil today. Because there are a lot of different aspects to the concept of abundance, and I think it aligns nicely with the summer solstice. Especially if we want to put our focus on any intentions around personal growth and transformation.
So I’m going to give my recipe for abundance oil, but I just want to emphasize that it can be used in a lot of ways. If my intention is that I want to become a more confident person, I can use this oil. If my intention is to have more success in my career or in my relationship, then I can also use this oil. I can anoint myself with it, I can anoint my sigil with it, or my ritual candle, or whatever kind of spell I choose to employ for my purpose.
This oil, when made with those clear intentions, is going to be very potent. And to make it in the days leading up to Litha and then to perform the spell itself actually on Litha, is going to really imbue that work with so much power.
So the recipe is as follows: in a small saucepan, combine about 2oz of your carrier oil, I prefer olive oil for this, but use what you have on hand. Throw in a teaspoon or so of oak, you can crush dried oak leaves for this or some of the fibers from the bark of the tree, also some pine, just a pinch of pine needles is good, and if you’ve got honeysuckle, use that too, and also lavender, chamomile, rose, patchouli, and sandalwood. Heat it all through, strain the oil out, and you’ve got fantastic oil for anointing candles, intention papers, sigils, etc.
You can also mix together all of the dried plant materials and keep it in a little jar to use for dressing your candles, or for burning in your cauldron, for adding to your spell jars or mojo bags, and so forth. And now we’ve got basic abundance and manifestation spell starters that we can use for anything. Because you can keep the general abundance blend and then customize it as needed according to whatever particular spell you’re working by adding other herbs and plants that are specific to the intent.
So dress your candle (or whatever kind of spell you’re doing) with the oil as written, but if you’re manifesting money, you know, financial abundance, add some basil or thyme or mustard. If you’re manifesting abundance through a new job opportunity, maybe add heather or raspberry leaf. And so forth. Good time of year for abundance magick, this.
Because Sun Worship is as old as time. Ancient cultures revered the sun, considering it vital for life and sustenance. Sun worship is truly as old as humanity itself. The sun brought luck and renewal and food and game, and warmth and safety. So all of that aligns with our modern-day ideas of abundance.
Now, what other magical practices can we perform at this time of year. Oh, yall, this is a great time, perhaps the best time of the year for Tool Recharging. Hear me out, it’s the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, but it is also the full moon that evening. So as far as getting the best of both worlds when it comes to solar and lunar magic, it doesn’t get better.
Use this opportunity to infuse those magical tools and crystals with solar energy. I would also suggest creating a household altar for Litha. Especially using flowers like sunflowers, daisies, chamomile, and rosemary (which isn’t a flower but definitely does resonate with solar energy).
Hold a Midsummer Night’s Fire Ritual with a bonfire. Write intentions on bay leaves and burn them. Play music and dance under the open sky. Go swimming, go hiking, go wade in a creek. Touch the earth. Explore beach magic if you’re headed to the coast.
I also like to encourage involving kids in Litha festivities whenever possible. Because this isn’t a solemn, serious sabbat, it is a great way to introduce the craft to young people in a way that’s easy to understand and participate in. This is not the Pagan equivalent of like, Sunday Mass. This is fun. This is lively. This is a great way to expose newcomers and young people to what it really means to be a practicing witch.
It’s not all dark rituals and chanting in Latin, although there is a time and place for that. Witchcraft celebrates life and cycles, and Litha is a beautiful embodiment of the lighter side of that fact. There will be plenty of time for the introspection and the navel gazing come winter time, but for now, we are celebrating the Oak King. So let’s celebrate.
Additional Resources:
https://middleagedwitch.com/litha-solstice-2023/
https://middleagedwitch.com/litha-summer-solstice/
https://middleagedwitch.com/solar-magick/
https://middleagedwitch.com/june-magick/
I’m thrilled I found you. This is beautiful. Thank you.