Crafts for Litha

Litha, or the Summer Solstice, is quickly approaching! I love making crafts for the sabbats. It just connects me more to the changing of the seasons, and the particular sabbat itself. Litha is a summer ritual celebrating the longest day of the year. So any craft making activities would include working with herbs, making a wreath for your door, creating an herb garden, making something to attract faeries, or even making a sacred besom to cleanse your home before ritual.

As a witch, having your own magical herb garden can be a very rewarding experience. The best way to do it, is to choose two or three herbs to grow. Dont overwhelm yourself by choosing many different herbs. Not all herbs will grow wonderfully in every environment. So you also have to do a little research to see what grows well in your part of the world. For example, I love lavender, so naturally, I've tried growing lavender many times. But unfortunately, it just doesn't grow well where I live. So this year, I decided to grow herbs that I know will work! I had to let go of my "home grown lavender" experiment. Although, I'm very excited because I do get to have mugwort, basil and white sage growing in my magical garden now!

Once you've chosen your herbs, make sure you have pots and soil to plant everything. The best way to grow from seed, is to germinate the seeds first. You can do this by wetting some paper towels (make sure they are thoroughly wet) and place the seeds in between the wet paper towels. As soon as they sprout, don't wait to long, plant them in your pots. Now, if you want to add a little magic to your seeds, you can recite a quick incantation while planting them. Like "Goddess, bless these seeds with your powers of creation, and watch over them as they grow into strong and powerful herbs this summer season". Or, you can form your seeds into a
magical symbol in the soil, so that when they grow, so does your wish. For example, you can fancy your seeds in the pot into a rune symbol. The rune Sowilo, which looks like the letter S or a lightning bolt, stands for success, health and achieving your goals. Place your seeds in the soil in the shape of the Sowilo rune, and watch your success grow!

For a list of all the runes, check out: Rune meanings

Now that you have started your very own magical herb garden, you can also make magical herb sachets, or herb dream pillows. Make sure once you harvest your herbs, you dry them first. Then you can grind them with your mortar and pestle, and make all sorts of herbal creations.

To make a dream pillow, check out these instructions: EHow.com, this site also gives you all the magical meanings for all the herbs. You can also add a crystal or some essential oil to your dream pillow for added energy. Make sure that when using your dream pillow, you jot down your dreams as well.

I hope you enjoy making your Litha crafts in preparation for the upcoming Summer Solstice!




Photo courtesy of Morgaine Du Mer