Litha, or Midsummer, is the favorite sabbat of many green witches and gardeners on the Wheel of the Year because you can now begin to reap the harvest of the seeds you planted. There are plenty of fresh herbs to harvest at this time! Even if you don’t have a garden, you may have planted figurative seeds by planning or starting something new earlier in the year that is now coming to fruition. Time to reap the rewards of your hard work!

The Summer Solstice holds space for the polarities of life and death. The flowers that came into bloom are now dying after serving their purpose as pollination so that other plants may live, or dropping seeds to produce fruit. The sun is at the highest point of the year and from here, we begin to descend into the darker half of the year, the days gradually getting shorter once again. Honoring Litha helps us remember that everything is a cycle and change is inevitable. Life comes from death and the wheel still turns.

Because of this, Midsummer represents straddling the veil between worlds, making it a great time for divination. This is our last chance to easily access otherworldly knowledge before the veil between the physical and the metaphysical thickens again until Samhain. The sun shining at the highest point illuminates the spiritual world, or the subconscious, making it easier to see deeply within ourselves, the motives of others, and the world around us.

There are certain plant correspondences specific to the Summer Solstice that are best to work with at this time. If you can’t harvest plants from your own garden, many are available in the shop. Work with the plants that match your intentions at Midsummer in spells, rituals, by crafting tinctures and oils from them, or making them into tea or incense. Many of the plants that correspond with Litha have protective or uplifting properties because Midsummer is both a celebration of the light and a preparation for the dark. 

Plants That Correspond with Litha

Flowers

Chamomile: peace and prosperity

Daisy: love, innocence, hope

Lavender: love, peace, purification

Rose: love, healing, protection

Sunflower: fertility, happiness, wishes

Herbs

Fennel: protection, purification, psychic intuition

Nettle: protection, banishing, uncrossing

Sage: protection, purification, energetic cleansing

St. John’s Wort: protection, divination, happiness

Thyme: love, purification, healing, psychic intuition

Yarrow: love, protection, divination

Trees, Resins, and Oils

Cedar: protection, purification, healing

Copal: love and purification

Elder – flowers and berries: blessings, protection

Frankincense: protection, purification, meditation

Myrrh: healing and purification

Orange: love, prosperity, happiness

How to Work with Your Herbs

Tea Recipe

If you’re like me and get the winter blues, realizing the days get shorter from this day forward can put you in a bit of a funk! St. John’s Wort is in full bloom at Midsummer and is a natural antidepressant. Elder flowers and berries are sacred during the Summer Solstice, and along with Nettle, are a powerful trio of protective herbs!

2 tsp Elderberries

1 tsp Elderflower

1 tsp St. John’s Wort

1 tsp Nettle

Steep mixture in boiling water for 3 minutes. Makes two servings for 8oz teacups or one serving in a 12oz mug. Sweeten with honey to taste.

Incense Blend

There are so many resins that correspond with this sabbat and it’s a great time of year to burn a huge pot of incense at an outdoor ritual! For Litha, we’ll be mixing together some aromatic and protective purifying herbs and resins.

2 parts Frankincense

1 part Cedar

1 part Sage

Essential Oil Blend

This blend is an uplifting scent that smells like summer! Combined, these oils create a peaceful and loving environment while purifying the energy of a space.

4 drops Orange

4 drops Lavender

2 drops Myrrh

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