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Litha, the summer solstice, is rapidly approaching for our northern hemisphere readers - it falls on the 21st this year - so it's a good time to think about bringing the season into your home. Today we're going to look at craft projects and recipe ideas for Litha - after all, why not decorate your house and prepare a feast for the summer solstice? It's a day of great power and energy, so we may as well take advantage of it!
For our readers below the equator, you're just about to celebrate Yule - be sure to check out the links in the sidebar off to the right for some ideas on Yule decorations and recipes.
Also, watch for an extra newsletter on Friday morning, which will include all kinds of solstice content for you to use in rituals and celebrations over the weekend!
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5 Easy Decorating Ideas for Litha
Need some quick and affordable decorating ideas for Litha, the summer solstice? Here are some tips on how to bring the season into your home without breaking your bank account! 5 Easy Litha Decorations
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Litha Craft Projects
Image © Patti Wigington 2013;
Licensed to About.com
Celebrate the longest day of the year with fun crafts you can make with your family. This is the time of year when the herb gardens are blooming, so make some summer potpourri, Litha fire incense, a sunflower ring for your altar or wall, a handfasting basket for that lovey-dovey couple who's getting married, and a Stonehenge sundial. Litha Craft Projects
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Litha Cooking & Recipes
Image by Lew Robertson/
Photographer's Choice/Getty Images
Litha is the celebration of the summer solstice - and what's a Sabbat without food? Take advantage of the summer crops of fruit and vegetables, and prepare a simple and delicious feast for your Midsummer gatherings. Litha Cooking & Recipes
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Setting Up Your Litha Altar
Image © Patti Wigington;
Licensed to About.com
Litha is a time of celebrating the sun, and spending as much time as you can outdoors. Try to set up your Midsummer altar outside if at all possible. If you can't, that's okay -- but try to find a spot near a window where the sun will shine in and brighten your altar setup with its rays. Setting Up Your Litha Altar
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Revelers gather every year at Stonehenge for the summer solstice.
Image © Matt Cardy/Getty Images
It's Litha this weekend, for our northern hemisphere readers, and that means it's the longest day of the year, a time to celebrate the power and energy of the sun. We've put together all kinds of information for you on celebrating with ritual, summer solstice customs and traditions you can draw from, craft projects, recipes, and more.
For our southern hemisphere folks, it's Yule, the longest night, and that too is a time to celebrate the sun - only for you, it's a day to mark its return. Yule is a time for focusing on the bonds of family and friendship, the security of the home, and the knowledge that soon the days will grow longer once more. Be sure to read the links in the sidebar to the right for Yule info.
Whichever solstice you may be celebrating this weekend, be it winter or summer, I wish you and your loved ones a happy and magical Sabbat!
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Litha Rites & Rituals
Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Litha, but the focus is nearly always on celebrating the power of the sun. It's the time of year when the crops are growing heartily and the earth has warmed up. we can spend long sunny afternoons enjoying the outdoors, and getting back to nature under the long daylight hours.
Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying -- and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead. Litha Rites & Rituals
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Traditions, Folklore & Customs of Litha
Image by Rene Frederick/Photodisc/
Getty Images
Interested in learning about some of the history behind Litha? Here's some background on Midsummer celebrations - learn who the gods and goddesses of summer are, how they've been honored throughout the centuries, and about the magic of stone circles!
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Litha Feasting & Food
No Pagan celebration is complete without a meal to go along with it. For Litha, celebrate with foods that honor the fire and energy of the sun. Enjoy light summery snack wraps, some fiery grilled salmon, spicy and sweet candied ginger, and more.
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Litha Crafts & Creations
Image by Kristin Duvall/Photographer's Choice/
Getty Images
As Litha approaches, you can decorate your home (and keep your kids entertained) with a number of easy craft projects. Celebrate the sun's energy with an elemental garden, a fiery incense blend, and a magic staff to use in ritual!
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![]()
are rooted in ancient folk magic." border="0" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/paganwiccan/1/0/S/7/-/-/Castle170.jpg"/
Many modern traditions are
rooted in ancient folk magic.
Image © Patti Wigington 2009;
Licensed to About.com
Many times in discussion of modern Paganism, it's easy for us to overlook a valuable source of information - the past. Some of our not-so-distant ancestors practiced various forms of folk magic, and we can learn a lot from those old remedies, charms, and stories. In fact, in many parts of the world, what is often dismissed as superstition is in fact a perfectly valid system of folklore-based practical magic. Today, let's look at some of the most popular types of folk magic. We'll talk about animal legend and folklore, weather magic, simple protection rituals, and more.
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Animal Folk Magic
Animal symbolism is important in
many Pagan traditions.
Image © John Foxx/Getty Images
In many modern Pagan traditions, animal symbolism -- and even actual animals -- are incorporated into magical belief and practice. Let's look at some of the ways people have welcomed animals into their magical practice throughout the ages, as well as specific animals and their folklore and legends. Read More About Animal Folk Magic
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Weather Magic and Folklore
Understanding weather is a handy skill.
Image by Carol Yepes/Moment/Getty Images
In many magical traditions, weather magic is a popular focus of workings. The term "weather magic" can be used to mean anything from divination and forecasting to actual control of the weather itself. When you consider that many of today's folk magic customs are rooted in our agricultural past, it makes sense that an ability to foretell or change weather patterns might be considered a valuable skill. After all, if your family's livelihood and life depended on the success of your crops, weather magic would be a handy thing to know. Read More About Weather Magic
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Protection Magic
Some of the most popular folk magic in the world relates to the protection of things (or people) that have value to you. In many magical traditions, workings can be done to ensure protection of home, property, and loved ones. There are a number of simple ways you can do protection workings. Learn About Protection Magic
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Graveyard Dirt in Magical Workings
If you're going to use graveyard dirt,
make sure you collect it properly.
Image © Patti Wigington 2008
Have you seen a ritual or spell calling for the use of graveyard dirt? While it might seem a bit odd, graveyard dirt is used in many magical traditions for a variety of workings. Learn about why you might want to use some, and how to properly obtain it. Read More About Using Graveyard Dirt
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Let's look at some Tarot basics!
Image © Patti Wigington 2009
One of the most popular aspects of the About Pagan/Wiccan site is our information on Tarot. This form of divination is one that many modern Pagans use, and has been around for centuries. Anyone can learn to read Tarot cards, but it does take some practice. It's a highly intuitive process, so while books and charts come in handy, the best way to actually learn what your cards mean is to handle them, hold them, and feel what they are telling you. Let's get started by looking at some of the different ways people use Tarot.
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Introduction to Tarot Cards
To people unfamiliar with divination, it may seem that someone who reads Tarot cards is "predicting the future." However, most Tarot card readers will tell you that the cards offer a guideline, and the reader is simply interpreting the probable outcome based upon the forces presently at work. A Tarot deck consists of 78 cards. The first 22 cards are the Major Arcana. These cards have symbolic meanings focused on the material world, the intuitive mind, and the realm of change. The remaining 56 cards are the Minor Arcana, and are divided into four groups or suits, each of which focuses on a theme. Read more about the Basics of Tarot
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Tarot Cards and Meanings
Are you ready to read your Tarot cards?
Image © Patti Wigington 2008/Licensed to About.com
The Tarot is a great tool for guidance and advice, as well as solving problems. Each of the cards has a meaning of its own, and as you learn the cards and get to know them better, you'll become a more effective reader. Anyone can learn to read Tarot cards, but it does take some practice. It's a highly intuitive process, so while books and charts come in handy, the best way to actually learn what your cards mean is to handle them, hold them, and feel what they are telling you. Let's look at the Major Arcana, and the four different suits of Tarot cards found in every deck. Learn more about Tarot Cards & Their Meanings
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Choosing Your Tarot Deck
For a beginning Tarot reader, few tasks are as daunting as actually choosingthat first deck. There are hundreds of different Tarot decks available. Some are based upon famous artwork, movies, books, legends, mythology, and even movies. Others proudly declare on their sparkly boxes that they are not justTarot cards -- they are oracle cards, wisdom cards, healing cards, and all kinds of other things. Really, it can be a little overwhelming. So how does a new person select a deck? Read more on How to Choose a Tarot Deck
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Preparing for a Reading
A little preparation goes a long way.
Image © Amanda Edwards/Getty Images 2003
So you've got your Tarot deck, you've figured out how to keep it safe from negativity, and now you're ready to read for someone else. Perhaps it's a friend who's heard about your interest in Tarot. Maybe it's a coven sister in need of guidance. Perhaps -- and this happens a lot -- it's a friend of a friend, who has a problem and would like to see "what the future holds." Regardless, there are a few things you should do before you take on the responsibility of reading cards for another person. Read about how to Prepare for a Reading
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© 2014 About.comSome ideas for you...
1. Finding sources/donors
� Some Ideas & Tips on finding Sources on Sanguinarius's Page.
� Sites on hemachromatosis (basically healthy people who would benefit by being
donors....)
o Throwing out good blood, a U.S. News and World Report article
o IronMan - The Lighter Side of Living with Hemochromatosis! (see especially the
link labelled Fun With Phlebotomy!)
o Iron Overload Diseases Association
(The above sites on hemachromatosis are not of much direct help in actually
finding donors, but you may find it useful to know that such people exist and
constitute a small yet significant portion of the population.)
� My article on Finding donors in the BDSM scene (primarily of use to female
blood-drinkers)
2. Personal ad sites and other places to meet people
� List of vampire-related classified ad sites, on my Vampiric People's Resource
Page
� National Gothic Singles Network
� Jaguar's D/S-BDSM Personals
shade
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Always remember that you are unique just like everybody else! -shade
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