Magickal Monday: Litha

We haven't had a Magickal Monday yet, so hurrah! First Magical Monday is about Litha!

Litha is better known as the Summer Solstice. Some call it Midsummer, which is (in my opinion) a wholly ridiculous name since the Solstice marks the start of summer, not its middle. Anyway.

Litha marks the longest day of the year, when the sun shines the most for the whole year. It is directly across from Yule on the Wheel of the Year. It's the celebration of the union of the God and Goddess (and why June is *the* wedding month) and, in some Celtic traditions, it is the other time of the year when the Oak and Holly Kings battle for the throne. At Litha, the Oak King falls and it is the Holly King who reigns.

We celebrate fertility, life, fulfillment at Litha. It is a time of joy and celebration as we bask in the longest day of sunlight, the light of the Lord. It is also the last day of this before the gradual darkening as we move to fall and then winter.

Litha is also a time to honor the faerie folk. If it is your preference to work with these fine folk, Litha is the best time to honor them. You could set up an altar dedicated especially for them, with flowers and colorful, shiny things. Just remember that faerie folk are to be respected; they have a power all their own and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Free for All Friday: Birthdays, Sabbats, and more

Blessed Litha to you all! May this longest day illuminate the important things in your life and help you see where changes must occur.

So, as I mentioned in Wednesday's Writing post, it was also my birthday. YAY!

However, being the do-what-I-want-for-the-most-part kind of person I am, I have been celebrating more or less all week. Yup, a week long birthday celebration. Gotta love it.

Tuesday was the awesome Melissa Etheridge concert.

Wednesday was my actual birthday; I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then enjoyed the Litha Ritual at 13 Magickal Moons.

Yesterday, I got to hang out with my sister, Riz, for a good chunk of the afternoon and then I had dinner with my mom at Travinia. That was a very yummy place.

Today, I am chillaxin' because it's Litha. I am enjoying the Lord's day and the sunshine and blue skies.

Tomorrow, friends are coming over for food and festivities to celebrate my birthday.

Not bad, I know!

All in all, 32 is looking to be a great year!

Y is for...

Today is day twenty-five of the A to Z Challenge!

We're almost there. :-)

Today's topic is Yule, or the Winter Solstice. This is the second Sabbat of the Wheel of the Year (the first was Samhain).

Yule is the celebration of the rebirth of the God, who as I mentioned in the Samhain post, died at Samhain. It's the longest night of the year, but it is the joyful celebration of the light's return. Many of today's modern Christmas decorations and symbols do harken to the time of this pagan holiday: evergreen boughs (the Druids believed they symbolized immortality), candles (the return of light and the Sun), the Yule Log, the decorated evergreen tree.

For me, Yule is a time of celebrating what I have and the promise of a new start. It's the opportunity to thank the God and Goddess for shining Their light into my life. It is joy and laughter and music with the people who mean the most to me, my family. Yes, it is also a time of gift-giving, but it's important to remember that the gift we are giving symbolizes the gift of life of the God. By giving a gift, we are honoring the person who is receiving it, because they are important to us, and we are honoring the Divine.

I is for...

Hello, and welcome to day nine of the A to Z Challenge!

Today's topic is Imbolc. Imbolc is one of the eight solar holidays, or Sabbats, that witches and Wiccans celebrate during the Wheel of the Year. In witchcraft, we honor the life cycles of the Goddess through the phases of the moon. We honor the cycles of the God through the Sabbats. Four fall on known solar holidays (Winter Solstice or Yule, Vernal Equinox or Ostara, Summer Solstice or Litha, and Autumnal Equinox or Mabon). The other four are sometimes referred to as the cross-quarters, and fall on specific dates: Samhain (31 October), Imbolc (2 February), Beltane (1 May), and Lughnasadh (sometimes called Lammas), on 2 August.

Imbolc is the first hint of spring, before the weather changes and after the days start to lengthen (this starts at Yule, or the Winter Solstice). Imbolc is a time of new beginnings, the first plantings of crops, and this makes it an ideal time for dedication or initiation.  The goddess mostly often associated with this holiday is Brighid (interesting, I know, given that it's supposed to be celebrating the life cycle of the  God, yes?) Witchcraft is about the balance between the two, the Lord and Lady, and you cannot honor one without honoring the other. While Brighid is the goddess often associated with this holiday (especially in historical contexts), we honor the God in his youthful or Wild One phase: freely playing, exploring, creating, and reveling in the magic of being.

For me, this Imbolc was an opportunity to rededicate myself not only to the Divine, but also to writing.

For you witches out there, what was meaningful about Imbolc for you? For you non-witches out there, did you learn something new today? :-)