Litha & the Super Moon

 Just a reminder that two amazing events are coming up.  Litha ...  our Summer Solstice, and the Super Moon!!

An Ancient Solar Celebration:

Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. On this date – usually around June 21 or 22 (or December 21/22 in the southern hemisphere) – the sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It is the longest day of the year, and the point at which the sun seems to just hang there without moving – in fact, the word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” The travels of the sun were marked and recorded. Stone circles such as Stonehenge were oriented to highlight the rising of the sun on the day of the summer solstice.

Traveling the Heavens:

Although few primary sources are available detailing the practices of the ancient Celts, some information can be found in the chronicles kept by early Christian monks. Some of these writings, combined with surviving folklore, indicate that Midsummer was celebrated with hilltop bonfires and that it was a time to honor the space between earth and the heavens.

Fire and Water:

In addition to the polarity between land and sky, Litha is a time to find a balance between fire and water. According to Ceisiwr Serith, in his book The Pagan Family, European traditions celebrated this time of year by setting large wheels on fire and then rolling them down a hill into a body of water. He suggests that this may be because this is when the sun is at its strongest yet also the day at which it begins to weaken. Another possibility is that the water mitigates the heat of the sun, and subordinating the sun wheel to water may prevent drought.

Saxon Traditions:

When they arrived in the British Isles, the Saxon invaders brought with them the tradition of calling the month of June Aerra Litha. They marked Midsummer with huge bonfires that celebrated the power of the sun over darkness. For people in Scandinavian countries and in the farther reaches of the Northern hemisphere, Midsummer was very important. The nearly endless hours of light in June are a happy contrast to the constant darkness found six months later in the middle of winter.

Roman Festivals :

The Romans, who had a festival for anything and everything, celebrated this time as sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and childbirth. She is also called Juno Luna and blesses women with the privilege of menstruation. The month of June was named for her, and because Juno was the patroness of marriage, her month remains an ever-popular time for weddings. This time of year was also sacred to Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The matrons of Rome entered her temple on Midsummer and made offerings of salted meal for eight days, in hopes that she would confer her blessings upon their homes.

Midsummer for Modern Pagans:

Litha has often been a source of contention among modern Pagan and Wiccan groups, because there's always been a question about whether or not Midsummer was truly celebrated by the ancients. While there's scholarly evidence to indicate that it was indeed observed, there were suggestions made by Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, that the solar festivals (the solstices and equinoxes) were actually added later and imported from the Middle East. Regardless of the origins, many modern Wiccans and Pagans do choose to celebrate Litha every year in June.

In some traditions, Litha is a time at which there is a battle between light and dark. The Oak King is seen as the ruler of the year between winter solstice and summer solstice, and the Holly King from summer to winter. At each solstice they battle for power, and while the Oak King may be in charge of things at the beginning of June, by the end of Midsummer he is defeated by the Holly King.

This is a time of year of brightness and warmth. Crops are growing in their fields with the heat of the sun, but may require water to keep them alive. The power of the sun at Midsummer is at its most potent, and the earth is fertile with the bounty of growing life.

For contemporary Wiccans and Pagans, this is a day of inner power and brightness. Find yourself a quiet spot and meditate on the darkness and the light both in the world and in your personal life. Celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year with fire and water, night and day, and other symbols of the triumph of light over darkness.

Litha is a great time to celebrate outdoors if you have children. Take them swimming or just turn on the sprinkler to run through, and then have a bonfire or barbeque at the end of the day. Let them stay up late to say goodnight to the sun, and celebrate nightfall with sparklers, storytelling, and music. This is also an ideal Sabbat to do some love magic or celebrate a handfasting, since June is the month of marriages and family.

(http://paganwiccan.about.com)

So you might ask, what is the "Supermoon" and what makes it so "super"?

I know I did ...

It's because the moon is closer to the Earth.   Here is a list I swiped off this webpage.  I found the following two graphics from there too, below the table. 

The supermoon of March 19, 2011 (right), compared to an average moon of December 20, 2010 (left). Note the size difference. Image via Marco Langbroek, the Netherlands, via Wikimedia Commons.

So ....  What does this mean for us ... the Pagan community?

 In the folklore there are all types of odd things that can happen under the nakedness of a full moon.  Some of which ...  hospital admissions increase - not only do they increase, but they become more odd! ... people just start acting strangely under the pull of the full moon, and that can lead to the crime rate picking up too.  From the Middle Ages the idea of the full moon caused mental disorders was widespread.  The word "lunacy," meaning "insanity," comes from the Latin word for "Moon."

Even though anyone who works as peace officer or in an emergency room will tell you that there is an increase of labors on full moons, that crazyness ensues on the nights of full moons, and officers will say "It must be a full moon," when strange things happen....  even though we as people realize there is a connection, the majority of modern studies show there is no correlation between the phases of the moon and the increase of crime, sickness, labor, or human behavior.

As a Pagan, I disagree.  The Witching world knows there is much more to our moon than just science! 

Pagan Presence said this, and I couldn't agree more:  The moon, in all of its phases -- from dark to waxing crescent and full to waning Crone -- embodies the Goddess aspect of our divinity.  She is a symbol of the ever-changing, ever-flowing energies around and within each of us.  There are many in our Faith who draw her down and soak in her light and who follow her through her cycle -- taking on new goals and projects as she grows; discarding negativity and completing what lies pending and in wait as she descends into darkness once again.

To me, I knew I was always guided by the moon.  As a little girl, I remember sitting in the back seat, looking up to the starry sky, and seeking out the moon.  I would draw the moon to me, even as a little girl, not knowing that is what I was doing.  That's what happens, I suppose, when you come from a long line of witches.

So why wouldn't spells, during a super moon, be a little more charged, a little more powerful?  


Pagan Presence shared a Moon Cookie recipe, and a prayer written for her children.  I'd like to share those too.  

Moon Cookie

MOON COOKIES
1C butter, softened
1/2C brown sugar
3/4C white sugar
2 eggs [cage-free please!]
2 3/4C flour
2TSP baking soda
1TSP vanilla

Oven: 375

Cream butter.  Add sugars.  Beat one minute.  Add eggs one at a time.  Beat well between eggs.  Slowly add flour and baking soda.  Then vanilla.  Beat well for three minutes.  Refrigerate ten minutes.  Roll out between parchment paper [with flour if needed].  Use a clean aluminum can [or circle-shaped cookie cutter] to cut 'full moons' from the dough.  Re-refrigerate to make the transfer to the cookie sheet easier.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes.
We like to add two crescent moons to either side of the cookie in a light blue frosting to get the full effect of the triple goddess.  We also make them during crescent moon phases [any excuse for a cookie, right?!] and frost accordingly.

***A CHILDREN'S FULL MOON RITE***

Begin by casting your circle -- to make it fun for a child, hold hands and move in a circle as you call upon the elements and invoke the gods.

PRAYER

 "Mother Moon, so bright,
so full and round,
do you know my voice
within the sound --
of life on earth,
of all the noise,
of cars, of tools,
of games and toys?
For though I’m small,
I am here,
the only Me
that you will hear.
Bless my dreams.
Keep them true.
And when fears I face,
please see me through–
from dark to light,
from night to day.
By you, I live
to laugh and play."

Reach your arms toward the moon and recite the following as you pull your hands toward the center of your chest, welcoming the energy being offered:

"I draw you down,
a light so whole
and keep you
in my very soul."

 

At the close of our prayer we blow our goddess a kiss as we proclaim, "Bless-ed Be".  And, of course, we end our night reading "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown.

Good night moon.  Good night cow jumping over the moon.
Good night stars.  Good night air.  Good night noises....
everywhere.