Deities Associated to Litha

Image: Google Images

The Summer Solstice is a tradition that is apart of many different cultures, and a time when the people would celebrate the lengthening of the daylight, and it is because of this that no matter where you are, you can connect to a cultures and deities. Here are some deities that are connected to the Sun, or Solar energy from cultures all over the world.

* Amaterasu - A Shinto Solar Goddess, and sister of the Moon Goddess, and is celebrated in Japan.
* Aten - An Egyptian God ...that was a single aspect of Ra, and was represented by the Sun Disk with emanating rays.

* Apollo - A Greek God. and the son of Zeus, and for a time was known as Helios. With the spread of the Roman Empire into Britain, with this is worship began to include many aspects from the Celtic deities.
* Horus - An Egyptian God who was one of the Solar deities. He would rise and fall every day. He was once associated to Nut, but eventually became associated with Ra, yet another of the Egyptian Solar Gods.
* Huitzilopochtli - An Aztec Sun God who battled with an earlier Sun god named Nanahuatzin. He is the patron god of Tenochtitlan. He demanded sacrifices to ensure the survival of the sun for 52 years.
* Juno - A Roman Goddess that the month of JUNE is named after. As she is a Goddess that is closely related to marriage, June is a popular month for weddings and handfastings.
* Lugh - A Celtic God that is sometimes associated with Midsummer because of his role as a Harvest God, and because the crops are flourishing at the Summer Solstice, and waiting to be harvested come Lughnasadh
* Sulis Minerva - A Goddess that is a combination o the Celtic Goddess of the Sun, Sulis and the Roman Goddess of Wisdom Minerva.
* Sol - A little known Germanic/Norse Goddess of the Sun. She appears in the Poetic Edda as sister to the Moon God,

These are just a few that I found online (paganwiccan.about) but I am sure there are many, many, many more that are associated with the Summer, the Sun and the Summer Solstice. What deities do you honour at the Summer Solstice? Personally, I choose not to celebrate any specific deity, but rather the Universal Solar Energy and I use Gold for this representation.

*)O(* Rainbow Love, Light and Blessings *)O(*

Creating an Altar for Litha

Litha is another name of the Summer Solstice, the point at which the Sun is at it's high point in the sky, and also the time of the year where the Sun begins to lose it's power... I know, it sounds a bit of a paradox, the day we celebrate the power of the Sun is the very day the Sun begins to lose power, a little fact to wrap your head around lol.
Litha marks the Middle of Summer and we celebrate the growth of crops, knowing that the seed we've sown are strong and growing we...ll. In summer we spend more time outdoors than we do at any other point in the year, and this leads to the thought that altars that are for Litha should be outside where possible - I know this isn't always possible, if you can, put your altar in direct view of a window, so the Sun can brighten and bless your altar.

When you think of Summer you think of bright colours, colours that reflect the energy of the Sun - yellows, oranges, fiery reds and gold, but these aren't the only colours, any bright colour captures the high energy of Summer, and you can incorporate these colours in many different ways.
* Candles - use candles in bright sunny colours of yellows and oranges. Gold is also a colour that is very closely associated with Solar energy.
* Cloths and covers - cover your altar with cloths that represent this solar energy.
* Flowers - seasonal flowers are great for representing the summer, Sunflowers, Roses are great for altars, they bring the energy of the season in.

Another aspect of creating an altar for Litha is the symbology of the Sun. When you think of the Summer Solstice what comes to mind? I bet it's the Sun... Think about how you view the sun. Is it a great wheel that rolls across the sky? Is it the great disk that brings all life? There is a symbol that many may not associate with "good" anymore, and that is the Swastika. The Swastika is a symbol of luck for Hindu's and many Scandinavian traditions before it ever became a symbol for the Nazi's. You can create wreaths out of summer flowers, brightly coloured ribbon and twigs.
As the Summer Solstice is the time of power for the Sun, but also the day when the Sun is defeated. When you are creating your altar, don't forget this time of opposing forces, this is when the darkness defeats the light. se things like Fire and Water, Night and Day, Black and White, Light and Dark, God and Goddess etc...

Your altar is something that is very personal to you, and how you want to make it is up to you. There is no right or wrong when you are planning and creating it. Size, shape and location can all be adapted to YOUR personal needs, and when you plan what you are going to use, plan for the space you have. If you are part of a group or coven don't be afraid to share your ideas either.

*)O(* Rainbow Love, Light ad Blessings *)O(*

My Walk-in Altar

My home is my sacred space, and I have been told that my room is essentially a walk-in altar. Here is just some pictures of my sacred space.

My Rainbow Witch Book of Shadows and Rainbow candles

Overview of one section of my Sacred Space.

The Four Agreemnts by Don Miguel Ruiz

I read quite an interesting post today, and I thought I would add it to RoaRW because it makes some very good points for living a positive and healthy life. This comes from a book called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, the same name as the post. I urge you to give this post a little read, and even to look into the book.

~*~ The Four Agreements ~*~

1: BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD...
a) Speak with integrity
b) Say only what you mean
c) Avoid using the WORD to speak against yourself or to gossip about others
d) Use the power of your WORD in the direction of truth and love.

2: DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
a) Nothing others do is because of you
b) What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream
c) When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3: DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
a) Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want
b) Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings
c) With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life

4: ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
a) Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy, opposed to sick
b) Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse and regret

Looking as these Four Agreements, numbers 2 and 3 are probably the most life changing of the four. You are only in control of your own actions and thoughts, not anyone else's. They are the ones who are in control. Also, when we stop making assumptions about things, you can free yourself from needless misery.

*)O(* Rainbow Love, Light and Blessings *)O(*

Salt, Salt, Glorious Salt

The Magic of Salt

Salt, salt, salt, such a powerful little thing, but it has a plethora of uses, and even more power. Who would have thought that you put on your fish and chips could pack so much of a punch, and it does! Salt has been used for centuries upon centuries for a number of things, from payment to soldiers of the Roman Empire to a preservative for food - it was all people could use to ...preserve meats before refrigeration came along. Salt is very easy to get today, all you have to do is go to the supermarket, but it wasn't always that way. Once upon a time, salt had to be hand mined, and was very labour intensive, with this it was an exclusive commodity. Along with being exclusive, it became a highly sought after magical tool, and is something that every witch or witchy spirited person should have in their witchy kit. Salt can be used in protection, purification and healing magic.

So, what can salt do exactly? Well, salt doesn't channel energy like other substances, it actually absorbs it, and holds on to it. It is this very property that gives salt it's numerous uses within magick. This isn't something that comes from a single culture, the ideas about salt and it's magic span many cultures. In a nutshell, salt absorbs energy and then binds it within itself, and I am not talking about negative energy alone. Salt will absorb positive energy as easily as it does negative energy. You can incorporate salt into your smudging routines, or on your altar - some may associate salt with the element of Water, because of it's origins in the seas. Personally, unless I am doing any work that is directly linked to the Ocean in some way, salt represents the element of Earth on my altar and in my travel kit.

You can make coloured salts by mixing sea salt with a range of other ingredients - each colour can be used for different purposes, but remember, INTENT IS EVERYTHING.
* Black Salt - protection, banishing
* Green Salt - luck and prosperity
* Red Salt - passion, love and sexual potency and drive
* Purple Salt - calming and dream work
When you mix your own you may notice that they are not as brightly coloured as you can see online if you google it, this is because food colouring (or colouring agent) has been added during the mixing process to make the colour..."pop". Personally, I prefer not to, but this is just my personal preference.

Because salt has been used for millennia there is a lot of folklore about it: 1) if someone spills salt at the table, a quarrel is coming 2) it's bad luck to lend anyone salt, because it could be used against you, as it absorbs YOUR energy 3)always sprinkle spilt salt over your shoulder etc.... The folklore on this last one varies from place to place, some say it beings luck, others say it keeps the devil at bay. Salt has been used as an offering to various deities. You can incorporate salt into your own magick, or add it to a witches ball or bottle for protection. Now, I come to one use for salt that many take for granted.... In the kitchen....

Who puts salt in or on their food? Do you think about the kinds of energy that salt has absorbed while sat in your kitchen cupboard, and you will be absorbing through your food? If you are like me, probably not.....or at least not to begin with. When I did think about this I decided to channel my energy into the salt, using it as a vessel for positive energy. There is a "snobbiness" that I have seen and heard of what kind of salt that ahs to be used. Personally, I like Pink Himalayan Salt, or raw Sea Salt, but in a pinch (see what I did there? Pinch of salt? Never mind lol). I will use standard table salt if needed. I prefer the taste of sea salt to table salt, but that is just a personal thing. Table salt will work just as well.

Is salt in your witchy cabinet?

*)O(* Rainbow Love, Light and Blessings *)O(*

Text: The Rainbow Witch 09/06/15
Image: Google Images

Black Witches Salt

I had planned to make some Black Salt today, but 1) I forgot that my pestle and mortar were broken a few years ago and 2) it is still very windy today, so I am going to give you the instructions to make your own.

Black Salt is often referred to as Witches Salt, and is primarily in defensive magick such as protection, banishment and warding against curses and hexes. However, it is equally effecti...ve to cast curses and hexes. Black magick has been used in many different paths, most notably, Voodoo.

As I said, you can use Black Salt in protection against negative energies, and if you need to banish any negative energy, spirits or entities. If you regularly go on paranormal investigations, you can carry a small pouch of black salt with a dedicated/charged Smoky Quartz or Black Tourmaline, make sure they are dedicated to protection. You can use Black Salt when you are creating protective spaces, or circles for working. You can dip your finger into the mixture and draw sigils for protection.

Now, to the good stuff, how to make the salt.... I know you're all dying to know.

How to make Black Salt.

1) Burn a combination of herbs and spices such as Sage, Birch, Cumin, Dill, Fennel, Back Pepper and Rosemary and all the ash and remains to cool.
2) Once cool, scrape the remains and ash out of you cauldron into a pestle an mortar, and mix with sea salt.
3) Use 2 parts salt to 1 part ash.
4) Store in a clean and airtight jar, and keep it out of the sun.

As you can see, it is very simple to make. It is actually deceptively east to make. If you don't have a cauldron, you can burn them in a terracotta pot, or in a flame proof pan or dish.

*)O(* Rainbow Love, Light and Blessings *)O(*

Image: Google Images.

 

Lammas Correspondences