Welcome back, Broom Closet Witches! As the Wheel of the Year makes another turn, and we find ourselves warming up under the Litha Sun at the Summer Solstice, thoughts turn to a new season and ways to celebrate the return of the warmth and light, without which life would not be possible on our planet Earth – something worth celebrating! Claire du Nord here, High Priestess in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition, with the tenth article in our “For Broom Closet Witches” column.
For me, in my little apartment, and because of my Broom Closet Witch “status”, I typically find myself thinking on a “micro” rather than a “macro” scale when it comes to Wheel of the Year celebrations, especially at Litha. Customarily, the highlight at Litha is a big bonfire, along with various other activities associated with it, but there is no way I am going to achieve a Litha celebration on such a grand scale as that, especially with video surveillance cameras stationed everywhere outside. So, I go micro. Depending on your situation, the following may need to be “rethunk” to make it work for you.
All year long, I save my used matches and the toothpicks that I have used for cleaning tiny crevices here and there, (not for picking my teeth, I assure you – I’m actually more of a “flosser” than a “picker” – TMI!). I have a special jar dedicated to saving these until Litha time.
Also, I have a tiny glass saltshaker (or pepper, I can’t remember which) whose lid is long gone that I use as a chime candle holder. For Litha, I put these all together in a small cauldron, using an orange chime candle to represent the Sun and the Litha energies:
Here is the candle placed inside the cauldron:
And here are the matches and toothpicks placed around the candle inside the cauldron:
For my Litha celebration, only the candle is lit, even though, technically, the matches and toothpicks represent the wood for the bonfire. I’m pretty sure I would set off the smoke alarms if I was to create a miniature “bonfire”, so I play it safe and enjoy the candle flame and do a bit of visualization practice with that. If one chooses to go ahead and light the matches and toothpicks (outside, I’m assuming) it might be a good idea to rethink the glass “candleholder” part, as I can see how it could potentially shatter from the heat. The candle might also become an orange blob in the process.
For a Litha altar, (or just a bouquet on a table, depending on your situation), sunflowers are always a good choice:
I hope this article has been helpful, and until next time –
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet again!
Litha Blessings,
Claire du Nord