Litha Correspondences
Colors: gold, red, orange, blue, and yellow, green, white
Herbs & Plants: Apple, Chamomile, Chicory, Chickweed, Mugwort, Mistletoe, Heather, Peony, Pine, Roses, Vervain, Heartsease, Houseleek, Lavender, Rowan and Saint John's Wort
Incense: Sage, Cedar, Frankincense, Lemon, Myrrh, Pine, Rose, and Lavender
Activities and Rituals: bonfire leaping, herb drying, protection, luck, health, transformation, community, career, and relationships
Tools: drums, rattles, bonfire, mirrors for reflecting the sun or bonfire, Earth circles of stone energy
Stones/Gems: all green stones, especially Emerald and Jade, Lapis, Diamond
Symbols & Decorations: flowers and fresh early garden produce, the spear or sword of the sun god and the bountiful cauldron of the goddess ringed in flowers, solar cross or sun symbols, fireworks, sea shells
Foods: all early summer fruits and vegetables, ale and mead, honey cakes, rose ice cream, melted cheese dishes, mangoes, whipped cream on fruit, red wine, strawberries
Deities: Fotuna, RA, Arinna, Bast, Grainne, Shamash, Helios, Mother Earth, Mother Nature Father Sun/Sky, Oak King
Animals: butterflies, caterpillars, sea creatures, wren, robin, horses, cattle, satyrs, faeries, firebird, dragon, thunderbird
Ideas and Activities for Litha
Have children make their own "Green Man" mask. Cut eye-holes in a paper plate. Let them glue on real or construction paper leaves.
Go berry picking. Have the children chose their best berry and throw it back into the berry bushes as they thank the Goddess and the bushes for the fruit.
Make a Wicker Man and burn him in your Litha bon fire
Burn your remnants of your Yule Tree or Wreath in the bon fire or try using Wreaths of Vervain and Mugwort which were burned in ancient times at the end of the festivals to burn away bad luck.
Many families placed roses on the altar, as this is the Goddess flower for this time of the year. Try this yourself for a beautiful and fragrant decoration.
Leave out milk and honey as an offering to the Fae folk
Have a mock battle between the Oak and Holly King. Remember that this is part of the cycle and as the wheel turns the Holly King will rise again at Winter Solstice
Put a ring of flowers around your cauldron or around a bowl full of mugwort
Hang a bundle of fresh herbs out to dry and use them to spice up a Litha feast of cooked summer vegetables
Light a white candle and place it in front of a mirror. Say your own Litha prayer over it, and then let it burn out
Make a charm to hang around your neck with a seashell
Jump the balefire or cauldron
Offer a gift of lavender to the Gods in a bonfire. Pass St. John's Wort through the smoke and then hang the herb up in the house for protection.
Make your own Stonehendge at the beach like you would a sand castle
Have an outdoor breakfast picnic to welcome the Solstice
Stay up and watch the sun go down on the longest day of the year!
Draw a picture of the sun at sunrise and sunset
Try a fire divination, stare into the coals of your bonfire as it settles or look for forms in the leaping flames.
Create a ritual to bring healing and love to Mother Earth
Dispose of those qualities that trouble you: project them into a burn-able (bunch of dry twigs, paper, etc.) and thrust the mass into a cleansing fire
make staffs
make dream pillows
make herb craft items like wreaths
make a witches' ladder
Make a Catherine Wheel, or frame of sticks and withies (slender, flexible branches) with flammable material among the spokes. At the climax of your ritual, ignite the wheel and send it rolling down a hillside into a pond or lake. (obviously the hillside should be stone, bare earth, or covered with moist vegetation--no dry grass or underbrush!)
Litha Incenses
Incense #1
1 part each of
Dried Whole Leaf Sage
Dried Cedar tips
Frankincense
Dried Pine Needles
Incense #2
1 part each
Dried and Grated Lemon Rind
Dried and Grated Orange Peel
Dried Patchouli Leaves
Myrrh
2 parts each
Dried Rose Petals
Dried Lavender
Grind all ingredients until as fine as possible and burn on Charcoal
.
Litha Oil
1 oz. Of light weight carrier oil such as grape seed
5 drops Lavender e.o.
5 drops Sandalwood e.o.
1 drop each peppermint and spearmint e.o.
2 drops Heliotrope e.o.
Rosewater for Litha
2 Cups damask rose (Rosa damascena) petals, picked early in the morning
1.5 cups distilled water and 1 cup vodka OR
1 cup distilled water and 1 cup distilled witch hazel
Place the petals in a clean jar with a lid. Cover with whichever liquid
you've chosen to use. Seal tightly and store in a cool place away from
light for two weeks. (It's best to attach a label with the date and
ingredients, because, if you're anything like me, you'll think you'll
remember, but you won't!) At the end of two weeks, strain into pretty
bottles and tie a red ribbon around the top, infusing it with loving
intent. At your next ritual or for love magic, sprinkle some of this
water on yourself and others.
Recipes
Shakespeare's Tea for a Midsummer's Night
2 cups mint (peppermint or spearmint or 1 cup each)
1/2 cup marjoram
1/3 cup whole savory leaves
1/4 cup lavender flowers
Mix thoroughly and store in tightly covered container. To use, steep one teaspoon per cup of briskly boiling water for 10 minutes or so to taste.
Potato Crust Vegetable Pizza
Shredded potatoes become the tasty crust for a vegetable-and-cheese-topped
pizza.
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 5.3-ounce package soft chevre (goat cheese)
16 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
Fresh basil sprigs (optional)
1. Finely shred potatoes and onion into a bowl of water; drain well,
squeezing out excess moisture. In a large bowl combine potato mixture, eggs,
flour, and salt; mix well. Press into a well-greased 15x10x1-inch baking
pan. Bake in a 425 degree F. oven for 15 minutes. Brush with 1 tablespoon of
the olive oil; bake 10 minutes more. Place under the broiler; broil 4 to 5
inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden and crisp.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the zucchini, yellow squash, yellow
pepper, red onion, and garlic. In a large skillet heat the remaining oil;
cook the vegetable mixture, 2 cups at a time, until vegetables are
crisp-tender, stirring often. Spread goat cheese over potato crust; top with
cooked vegetables and tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil and mozzarella. Bake in
a 425 degree F. oven for 5 to 7 minutes more or until cheese is melted. If
desired, garnish with basil sprigs. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Nutrition facts per serving: 285 calories, 13 g total fat, 5 g saturated
fat, 78 mg cholesterol, 468 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 12 g
protein, 11% vitamin A, 99% vitamin C, 12% calcium, 8% iron.
Fruktsoppa (Fruit Soup)
serves 6
3/4 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup dried prunes
6 cup cold water
1 cinnamon stick
2 lemon slices
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoons dried currants
1 tart cooking apple, peeled, cored & cut into thin slices
Soak the dried apricots and prunes in 6 cups cold water in a large pot
for 30 minutes. Add the cinnamon stick, lemon slices, tapioca and sugar
and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes,
stirring. Stir in raisins, currants and apples slices and simmer an
additional 5 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Pour into a large
bowl and let cool to room temperature. Remove cinnamon stick. Cover and
refrigerate 1 hour.
Berry Cobbler
1/2 cup butter
4 cups blackberries or other fresh berries or fruit
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sugar (if using blackberries)
1 cup flour
Wash the berries. If they are blackberries, sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
In a seperate bowl, mix together the butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and flour.
Crumble the mixture on top of the berries or fruit in a baking dish.
Bake in 350 degree oven until warm and golden brown.
Serve warm with ice cream
Lemonade
2 cup sugar
2 cup lemon juice (12 lemons)
2 cup water
5 quarts water
grated rind of one lemon
Boil one cup of water and one cup of sugar for five minutes. Add lemon juice, grated rind, and 2 1/2 quarts of water. Mix well. Oranges can be substituted for the lemons.
Solar Tea
1 large jar with a very tight fitting lid
cold water
2 tea bags for each quart of water
1 orange, unpeeled, well washed, and cut into small pieces
1/2 lemon, unpeeled, well washed, and cut into small pieces
Fill the jar with water. Add the orange, the lemon, and the tea bags. Place in full sunlight for two hours. Refrigerate immediately. Serve over ice.
Cucumber Salad
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chopped chives
3 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
Combine the sour cream, parsley, vinegar, sugar, and chives.
Gently fold in cucumbers.
Cover and chill.
Karelian Hot Pot
Serve with pureed lingonberries.
serves 4
10 ounces chuck steak, cubed
10 ounces pork shoulder, cubed
10 ounces stewing lamb or mutton, cubed
2 onions, chopped
salt & allspice
water
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Put the meat and onion in layers in a casserole dish, seasoning each layer with salt and allspice.
Add enough water to almost cover the meat.
Bake, uncovered for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Cover casserole 1/2 hour before it is done.
Sun's Up Cobbler
1-1lb 14oz can (3 1/2 cups) halved peaches
3 slices slightly dry bread (toast on light)
1 tbs. cornstarch
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Drain peaches, reserving 1 cup syrup. In a pan, combine cornstarch and salt and slowly blend in reserved syrup. Over med.-high heat, cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and cook and stir for 2minutes. Add lemon juice, butter or margarine and peaches. Heat JUST to bubbling. Pour into 10x6x11/2 inch baking dish.
Cut bread lengthwise into 1 inch strips. Dip into 1/4 cup melted butter, then into mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Arrange over peaches. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until toasty. Serve with cream (optional) Makes 6 servings.
Lunch Time Cranberry Sun Mold
2 -3oz packages orange flavored gelatin
2 7oz bottles ginger ale
1 1lb can whole cranberry sauce
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 83/4 oz crushed pineapple, un-drained
1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
In saucepan, combine gelatin and cranberry sauce. Heat and stir until almost boiling. Stir in un-drained crushed pineapple and ginger ale. Remove from heat and stir until fizzing has stopped. Pour into round mold. Chill until set. Un-mold onto a serving dish with a layer of lettuce leaf bedding.
Garnish with orange and grapefruit sections. Top with alternating orange and grapefruit sections in a "pinwheel" array. Serve as salad or dessert.
High-In-The-Sky Sunny Sandwiches
4 French rolls
4 slices pressed ham
Butter or margarine, softened
4 slices salami
Several lettuce leafs
2 hard cooked eggs, sliced
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
French salad dressing
Split rolls lengthwise, cutting to but not through crust at back. Spread cut surfaces with butter or margarine. For each sandwich: Cover bottom half with a couple lettuce leafs, then slice cheese and cut lengthwise for julienne strips and add a few strips, fold slices of ham and salami and add. Place egg slices (3) atop folded meats. Drizzle approximately 1 tbs. of French salad dressing over each sandwich. Makes 4 servings.
Setting Sun Taco Salad
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 package dry taco mix
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
3/4 cup water
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 med. head lettuce, shredded
1 6oz package corn chips
1 large tomato, halved and sliced
1 small onion, sliced and rings separated
In skillet, brown the ground beef. Sprinkle in the package of taco mix and stir in the water. Simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes. In a salad bowl, combine all the rest of the ingredients except the chips. Divide salad onto 4-6 plates, spoon meat mixture on top, and garnish with chips.
Bright Memories Parfait
1 2 3/4 oz package vanilla custard mix (no bake type)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups milk
1 1lb 5oz can pineapple pie filling
2 3oz packages cream cheese, softened
In sauce pan prepare custard according to the package directions using the milk. Remove from heat. Gradually stir cheese into hot mixture, mixing well. Stir in vanilla. Chill custard mixture and pie filling separately until ready to serve. When ready to serve, spoon alternate layers of mixture and pie filling into parfait or juice glasses. Top with some type of berries if desired. Serves 6.
Warm Glow Applesauce
8 med. apples, cored, pared, and cubed
2 tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
5 or 6 drops red food coloring
1/4 cup water
Put apples, sugar, water, lemon juice, and food coloring in blender; cover and blend until smooth. Heat in sauce pan on low to serve warm, or chill. Makes 4 1cup servings.
Solstice
means.......
Sol......sun
Sto....to stand
