Today is Litha, which marks the division of the year between the powers of the sun and the powers moon. The God, and the Goddess. The waxing half of the year and the waning half of the year on Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.
Litha is one of the four Esbats of the year. It honors the Sun God, or the horned God at the peak of his powers. The Oak King gives way to the Holly King.
It is a fire festival, and almost all of Europe had a long tradition of lighting bonfires at Midsummer. They were kindled for fertility, health, love, sacrifice, or for purification. They also though the fires drove away the dragon that caused diseases in people and animals.
As much as I want to light a bonfire to celebrate tonight, we have a fire ban this time of year (for a good reason, the fire danger is extreme) and I have yet to buy one of those patio things you can safely light a fire in. So I’m going to make do with candles in candle holders that can’t burn out, and dance around and through them. To me, the practice of dancing around the twin bonfires of Midsummer, asking for inspiration, purification, and good crops is the most appealing of all the traditions. I’ll have to settle for twin candles instead. 
Today it is also said is a good time to commune with the fairies. I plan on slicing an apple, revealing the star, and leaving slices out for the fairies by my grapevines tonight, and ask for their protection of care of them. I will be using this invocation written by Ember in the Witches Spell A Day Almanac.
Longest night, a time to play,
I leave this gift to honor the Fey.Frolic and dance from Dusk ’til Day,
Then with goodwill be on your way.
Altar decorations should be in colors of summer, gold, reds, yellows. I plan on picking some Marigolds, the only gold and red flowers I have growing, and putting a small amount on my altar this afternoon. We don’t have oak trees here, but I have silk oak leaves I place on my altar.
I will also be gathering some Mistletoe, a druid tradition, from my trees on this day, tying twine around them, and hanging them upside down to dry. Mistletoe has all kinds of magickal properties. One can carry or wear for aid in conception. It was believed to provide protection against lightning, fires, and misfortune. Burning mistletoe banished evil. (I plan on burning a few pinches tonight to help keep evil from my home) It is also believed that placed at the head of the bed, it gives restful sleep and beautiful dreams.
The major use I have for it is protection against lightning and fires, a real danger this year due to our wet spring. So I will be hanging sprigs up to protect my home, garage, and greenhouse to protect them from lightning and fires. I’ll also be burning a pinch (since it is wet, not much) to banish evil from my property. I will also keep some to dry for use in future protection ceremonies where I am banishing harm from my property.
So what is everyone else planning for Summer Solstice today? I’d love to hear your plans!
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