Other Names: Litha, Alban Heruin, Mean Samhraidh.
Date: June 20, 21, or 22, depending upon the calendar. When the sun is at 1 degree Cancer.
Meaning of the Word: Litha means “moon”.
Primary Focus: Love, marriage, divination.
Age of Holiday: Counterpart of Yule; at least 10, 000 years old.
Popular Mythos: Primary festival of the Horned God, battle of Oak and Holly King (Holly King wins), Scandinavian Baldur (god of light), the descent of the God or Goddess.
Astrological Sign: 1 degree Cancer; cardinal; water.
Planetary Ruler: Moon.
In Aberdeen in 1745, a reverend wrote, “I never saw so many bonfires…” At Midsummer the sun is at the height of its strength and, as with the other quarter festivals, the main element used in popular custom was fire, which has especially strong roots with the Teutonic peoples (German, Norse, Scandinavian, and so on). Reports of bonfires on the hilltops and even in the streets were prevalent during European medieval times, and the celebration gave a great excuse for a major party.
They wore splendid costumes and carried pails of fire hung from poles. By the early sixteenth century the local parades had grown into one grand consolidated procession 4,000 strong, including the corporation and the livery companies and featuring morris dancers, model giants, and pageants. They carried so many torches that, according to a later writer, they released “A thousand sparks dispersed throughout the sky/Which like to wandering stars about did fly/Whose wholesome heat purging the air/consumes the Earth’s unwholesome vapours, fogs, and fumes.
In keeping with Teutonic magicks, water also features prominently in the Midsummer festival (fire and ice = fire and water), and whether we are talking to about the Greek Presephone descending into the underworld, Egyptian Isis going there to save Osiris, or Baldur’s descent into the lower words from Asgard, the theme of descent is extremely prominent in this festival. In the Craft, the descent is our journey into ourselves in an effort to see our inner being clearly and change the things about ourselves that we feel should be different or better. The second degree ceremony in many traditional groups is primarily about this type of descent and our desire to be the best that we can be.
In keeping with the ritual given here, the wheel itself was a major focus of public ceremonies and was often set afire, as well as the practice of gathering the dew of the morning (as on Beltane) for health and continued happiness. Again we see the elemental representations of fire and water. Branches of birch were also cut down and hung over the doorways to ensure protection of the household. A mixture of yarrow, vervain, fern, and St. John’s Wort was dried, powdered, and thrown into the fire. The length, breadth, and colour of the flames were consdiered before the future was foretold.
Midsummer Invocation
Gemini to Cancer
the moon becomes the Queen
mighty Herne pursues her
in the forests dark and green.
Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
"I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Oceans glitter in the heat
as passions raise the tide
the Oak and Holly navigate
for the favours of the bride.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Faeries dance upon the air
making circles round
luring humans to the earth
beneath the sacred mound.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
the moon becomes the Queen
mighty Herne pursues her
in the forests dark and green.
Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
"I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Oceans glitter in the heat
as passions raise the tide
the Oak and Holly navigate
for the favours of the bride.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Faeries dance upon the air
making circles round
luring humans to the earth
beneath the sacred mound.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Roman Fanus plays the flute
the notes a binding spell
of love and healing conjured
from the waters of the well.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Shakespeare’s night of potions
bright world of in between
where gnomes hide buried treasure
and devas dance unseen.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Crossroads vibrate open
the dead no longer rest
I am a Witch and I know how
to conjure up the best!Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
the notes a binding spell
of love and healing conjured
from the waters of the well.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Shakespeare’s night of potions
bright world of in between
where gnomes hide buried treasure
and devas dance unseen.Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Crossroads vibrate open
the dead no longer rest
I am a Witch and I know how
to conjure up the best!Summer’s bright enchantment
workings of my will
“I know” begins the power
that turns the magick mill.
Magickal Ideas for your Beltane Sabbat Ritual
. Collect morning dew, use in Midsummer ritual, and empower for holy water.
. Begin your ritual at dawn.
. Work magicks for partnerships and unions.
. Incorporate the legend of the descent into your ritual.
. Study hex signs and paint one, adding its empowerment into your ritual.
. Build your own circle of stones.
. Glue eight candles cups to a wheel and use as a centrepiece for your ritual. Empower each candle for special wishes or overall good fortune.
. Midsummer is a solar holiday that recognizes the passage of Gemini, a mutable air sign, into Cancer, a cardinal water sign. It is the one solar holiday that strives to melt the outside world in which you function to the workings inside your family environment.
