Litha: Honoring the Height of the Sun
Litha, the Summer Solstice, arrives between June 20th and 23rd, marking the longest day and shortest night of the year. This is the sun at its peak—full, powerful, and undeniable. It stands in direct contrast to Yule, when the sun is reborn in darkness. At Litha, we celebrate illumination, growth, and vitality, while also acknowledging the quiet truth beneath the brightness: from this point forward, the days will slowly begin to shorten.
Astrologically, the sun enters Cancer, a water sign, creating a unique blend of fire and water magic. Litha holds both expansion and tenderness, action and emotion. It is a moment of fullness, but also of awareness—nothing stays at its height forever.
Brief History
Across the ancient world, people tracked the sun with remarkable precision. Massive stone structures were built to honor the solstices and equinoxes, anchoring human life to celestial rhythms.
Stonehenge in England aligns with the solstice sunrise, drawing thousands each year to witness the light pour through its stones. In Peru, the Incan site of Machu Picchu features the Intihuatana stone—“the place where the sun is tied”—symbolizing humanity’s relationship with solar power. In Chaco Canyon, Puebloan spiral carvings etched into rock record the sun’s movement across the seasons. Egypt’s temples and monuments, including Karnak and the Great Pyramids, were also carefully oriented to solar events, reinforcing the sun’s role as a divine force of order and life.
Early European pagans celebrated Litha as a time of warmth, abundance, and fertile land. Bonfires lit the night, feasts honored the growing crops, and sunwheels—straw wheels set aflame and rolled into rivers—symbolized the sun’s journey and its eventual descent toward the darker half of the year.
Handfasting & Sacred Union
June has long been associated with marriage and unions, and Litha is a powerful time for commitment rituals. Handfasting, an old tradition that predates modern weddings, involved couples crossing arms and joining hands to form an infinity symbol. Some unions were lifelong; others were pledged for “a year and a day,” after which the bond could be renewed or released.
Modern handfastings often incorporate symbolic gestures such as broom jumping or binding hands with ribbon. Deities of love and union—like Juno, Venus, Eros, Frigga, Hathor, and Aphrodite—are frequently invoked. Even without a formal ceremony, Litha invites reflection on partnership, devotion, and the ways we show up for one another.
Correspondences
Litha carries the energy of warmth, vitality, and solar power.
Colors: Blue, gold, green, red
Plants: Beech, holly, oak, saffron, chamomile, lavender
Stones: Emerald, jade, lapis lazuli, tiger’s eye
Animals: Horse, crab, goldfinch, owl, robin, wren
Intentions: Light, life force, success, power, divination, transitions
In the Home & Crafts
Bring the season indoors with symbols of light and growth. Solar imagery—circles, suns, or handmade clay charms—honors the sun’s dominance.
Incorporating opposites, like fire and water or light and shadow, reflects the turning of the Wheel as the Oak King yields to the Holly King.
Crafts rooted in motion and air, such as pinwheels or sun catchers, help keep energy flowing.
Creating a blessing besom adorned with herbs, ribbons, flowers, and bells can be both decorative and functional, used to cleanse your home or sacred space.
Watching the sunrise or sunset on the solstice is a simple but meaningful way to honor the sun’s presence.
Bonfires remain a central tradition—gathering friends and family, sharing food, music, and laughter long after sunset.
Litha is also a time to pause and reflect: how have the intentions set at Yule unfolded so far? What has grown strong, and what still needs tending?
In the Kitchen
Litha meals are bright, fresh, and unfussy. This is the season to lean into what’s growing now—especially foods prepared outdoors or touched by fire.
Grilled vegetables, fresh fruit, honey cakes, blueberry pie, sun-shaped cookies, lemonade, and herbal-infused dishes all reflect the warmth of the season. Visiting a local farmers market can become part of the ritual itself, grounding celebration in place and season.
Family (Optional)
Litha is well-suited to shared experiences. Simple outdoor activities—berry picking, building sun dials with stones, charging special objects in sunlight, or celebrating the fathers and masculine figures in your life—help children connect with seasonal rhythms without forcing formality.
Journal & Divination
Litha asks us to take stock at the height of the year:
What feels balanced, and what does not?
What intentions are reaching their peak?
What still needs nourishment to carry through the darker months?
What are you preparing to harvest later in the year?
Final Thoughts
Litha is a celebration of fullness—but it is not static. The sun is powerful now, yet already beginning its descent. This sabbat reminds us to enjoy what is bright and thriving while honoring the natural cycles of growth, rest, and transformation.
I honor the light within me and around me, trusting the natural rhythm of growth, change, and return.
Receive more seasonal rituals, tactile crafts, and ritual inspiration throughout the year.
