Litha Ritual
The Summer Solstice

I wrote this ritual for our Litha celebration in 1998. The sources for the bits not written by me or passed on to me in person are included at the bottom of the ritual. You need at least three men present for this ritual - one for each aspect of the God. You can have a look at my Ritual Structure before reading this if you like.

Welcome

The High Priest (HP) and High Priestess (HPS) welcome you to the circle and perform the anointing at the sound of three bells. (The men and boys are welcomed by the HPS and the women and girls by the HP. They are anointed with three drops of oil and the blessings, "May your mind be free, may your heart be free, may your body be free.") The participants make the circle alternately woman, man.

The Purpose of the Ritual

This is the longest day of the year, when the veils are once more thin between the worlds of spirit and matter. It is a time for giving and receiving, for making merry and for making wishes. At this time we begin to reap the benefits of that which we have done. Who knows what may happen and what may be granted by the Lady.

This time is sacred to the Solar King when he is at his strongest. He has reached the peak of his power and his rays shine out in glorious, golden splendour. His beauty and brilliance are such that none dare look at him for fear of being blinded by his light.

As everything in nature comes to its peak and then declines, so must the God in his aspect of the Sun. But that which declines is always transformed, and so it is with the God who takes on many aspects and wears many crowns. It is a few of these aspects that you will meet in this ritual tonight.

In our gathering together for this Litha celebration may I first welcome to this circle those of you who have not worked with us before and hope that you also benefit from the good energy that we raise. The purpose of the ritual tonight is to further our hopes and dreams, our visions and desires, not only through our love of the Lord and Lady but through our love for and unity with each other.

Grounding Visualisation

All sit or stand, holding hands.

Imagine you are a tree. Plant your feet firmly on the ground. Now send your roots deeply into the Earth. Feel the layers of cold Earth and rock beneath your feet as you reach down through the bones of our ancestors, down, down, to the molten heart of the Mother. Now draw that energy up through your roots, up into your trunk. Feel Her life force flow upwards through your body, filling you with energy and nourishment.

Now imagine that from the top of your head, your crown chakra, stems forth your topmost branch, your growing tip. Stretch this branch up, way up, reaching towards the stars. Turn your leaves towards the our sun, towards a hundred million suns, and draw the cosmic energy from the universe down into your body. Become filled with Light and Life, pulsating with the blended energies of Heaven and Earth.

Take a deep breath, exhale, and be here now.


Water Sharing

The HPS holds a glass of water and says:

Water is the Source of all life
Drink deep, drink deep
From the waters of Life,
Water shared is Life shared

She passes the water to the HP, saying "May you never thirst". The HP passes the water back to the HPS, also saying, "May you never thirst". The water is then passed around the circle.

Circle Casting

The HPS casts the circle

I conjure thee, O circle of power
As thou encircle every Tower
That thou be a place of Truth, Joy and Love
Sacred space of the Lady and Lord
To work in Peace, Powerful and Free
For us who walk between the worlds
I conjure thee! I conjure thee!

Calling the Quarters

It is common practise in our group to appoint one person for each of the four quarters (although the HPS will always call the South, which in the Southern Hemisphere is Earth)

Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East
Powers of Air!
We invoke you and call you
Golden Eagle of the Dawn
Star-seeker
Whirlwind
Rising Sun
Come!
By the air that is your breath
Send forth your light
Be here now!

Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North
Powers of fire!
We invoke you and call you
Red Lion of the noon heat
Flaming one
Summer’s warmth
Spark of Life
Come!
By the fire that is your spirit
Send forth your flame
Be here now!

Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West
Powers of Water!
We invoke you and call you
Serpent of the watery abyss
Rainmakers
Gray-robed Twilight
Evening star
Come!
By the waters of your living womb
Send forth your flow
Be here now!

Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South
Powers of Earth!
We invoke you and call you
Lady of the outer darkness
Black Bull of midnight
Southern Star
Centre of the whirling sky
Stone, mountain, fertile field
Come!
By the earth that is your body
Send forth your strength
Be here now!

Priestess: This rite is held in honour of the God of Many names and to witness the height of his power in his aspects as the Sun. I declare this circle in His name and declare this sacred space. We would also give welcome to the Great Goddess who is his companion and our Lady of the Moon. May she join with us in celebration of the God.

Priestess faces the altar and says:

I call upon Thee, Birrugan and Gawanggan, to accept our acknowledgment of the wrongs that our ancestors have done to your people, and our commitment to the healing of those wrongs. May our rites be performed in respect for this land, its spirits and its people, that our ancestors may walk in peace together, and our children live in harmony upon this land.

Invocations

Invocation to the Queen of Summer (by the HP)

Queen of Summer
Queen Bee
Sweet-smelling, flowering one
Honey nectar, overflowing fountain
Full-blown rose, intoxicating dancer
Whispering wind, singer, spell-binder
Blossom and thorn
Rhiannon, Arianhrod, Aphrodite, Ishtar, Cybele
Come into us
Carry us off!

Invocation to the God of Summer (by the HPS)

Lord of the colours of day
Untamed Awakener of Hearts
Comforter of Sorrows
The namer; Clear-sighted dancer
Morning’s Son, Vine-ripened seed
Many-jewelled one
Hunter, wild beast, Guide
Come to us!
You are dry. Drink of us!
We are the dew-filled flowers
That open to your golden shaft

Working and Power Raising

Priestess: Hear now the words of the God, the Solar King:


Sun Lord says:
"I am the fiery monarch of the Sun. I am the bringer of clarity. I am the Great Revealer and the Bestower of Enlightened Thought. I am the warmth that gently dries the rain from the Earth. I am the light that gilds the forest leaves with gold. I am the source of youthful love. From my enchanted harp comes the music of the heart. I am the Great Poet. I am the Eternal Lover. I am Apollo. I am Helios. I am Taleisin. I am he that sparks the seeds of the Earth to life."

The Sun Lord lights the golden candle on the altar. He then gives a golden stone to everyone present, saying:

"Accept my gift: accept the illumination of the Sun."

Priestess: Hear now the words of the God, the Green Man:


Green Man:
"I am the ancient Greenwood lord. I am the Guardian of the Forest and all the creatures that dwell within it. I am crowned and bearded with greenery. I am rooted in the rich, brown earth. I am the soul of all things wild and I sing with the battle cry of the stag. My voice is the wind as it whispers and sighs through the tops of the trees. I am the strength of the trees. I am the mystery of nature, untamed and free. I am Pan. I am Faunus, I am Cernunnos. I am the Green Man. I am the ecstatic Player of the Pipes of Life, and none can refuse to dance the Wheel with me."

The Green Man lights the green candle on the altar. He then gives a seed to everyone present saying:

"Accept my gift. Accept the life of the land."

Priestess: Hear now the words of the Hunter God:


The Hunter:
"I am the Dark Guardian of the Gates of Death. I am the Leader of the Wild Hunt. I am Wind Rider and Storm Bringer. I am helmeted with steel and ice, crowned with horns of lightening. I am the Grey Master of the Winter Sky. I am holder of the keys to the hidden realms. I am the Soul of Midnight. I am the Lord of the Underworld. I ride the eight-legged sky-horse. I am Rune Master and Wisdom Keeper. I am the Riddle Maker. I am the Hunter. I am Hades. I am Woden, I am Gwynn ap Nudd. I am Herne. I am the Hunter who is one with the hunted."

The Hunter lights the brown candle on the altar. He then passes a flower and a bone to everyone present saying:

"Accept my gift. Accept the answer to the ancient riddle of death."

Everyone holds their gifts in their left hand. The group joins hands and the gifts are charged with energy while chanting:

"Osiris, Adonis, Cernunnos, Pan, Dionysis, Shiva, Demmuzi"

The chant is still sung while the group makes a circle dance. Everyone jumps the fire once and makes a wish for the future (to themselves). When the energy is raised, the Priestess will call "Send it" and everyone visualises the energy being sent to the universe. Everyone then drops to the ground.

Consecration and Communion of Sacrament (Wine and Cakes)

The Priestess holds the athame and dips it into the mead, held by the Priest, and says:.

"As the athame is to the God, so the cup is to the Goddess and united together they bring blessedness."



The Priest offers the mead to the Priestess with a kiss
The Priestess offers the mead to the Priest with a kiss

The Priest then takes the mead to a woman in the circle and it is passed around to everyone, woman to man, leaving a libation for the Goddess



The Priestess then sprinkles wine from the cup onto the cakes, held by the Priest and says:

"Queen most secret, bless this food into our bodies
Bestowing health, wealth, joy and peace
And that fulfilment of will and love under will
Which is perpetual happiness"

The Priest then offers cake to the Priestess
The Priestess offers cake to the Priest

The Priest then takes the cake to a woman in the circle and it is passed around, leaving at least one piece as an offering to the Goddess.

Discussion, sharing, music, swapping of gifts, drinking of mead

Thanks given to the Goddess and God by the HP and HPS respectively

Banishing the Quarters

Whoever calls the quarter, also banishes the quarter

Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South
Powers of Earth
We thank you for your presence and protection
At this our ritual
And bid you hail and farewell.
Blessed Be!

West - Powers of Water
North - Powers of Fire
East - Powers of Air


Circle is opened by the HPS

Feast….

Sources
Grounding Visualisation and Calling of the Indigenous Ancestors: Amargi Wolf
Calling the Four Quarters and the Invocations of the Goddess and God: From The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
The Working: The words of the three Gods: From Seasonal Dance by Janice Broch and Veronica LacLer

Graphics on this page appear courtesy of: Jazzgrrl and Robin Wood and Mythical Images

This page is Copyright Lilitu Babalon, 1999
I'll give you permission to reproduce anything on my page if you ask, provided it is mine.
However, if I find you plagiarising, well.....