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 Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 7:17 am
Hello everybody! I have a good litha recipe for you, taken out of Spellbound: The Teenage Witch's Wiccan Handbook by Teresa Moorey.
Summer Fruits Pudding
The best fruits for this dish are strawberries, rasberries, and red currants, but almost any fruit will do. Red fruits are best because they color the bread pink.
INGREDIENTS:
About 2lbs soft fruit (preferably organically grown); a very small amount of water; sugar to taste; 6 slices of organic white bread.
METHOD:
Line a bowl with the bread, saving some for a topping, making sure there are no gaps around the edges. Cook the fruit with the water until just tender. If you are using a microwave, cook for half-minute intervals, checking as you go. Tender fruits like strawberries will soften at high power in a minute or two. When the fruit is soft, stir the sugar into the warm mixture so it dissolves. Taste it to check for sweetness. Then put the fruit mixture into the bread case. Cover the fruit with more bread and put a caucer on top, with something heavy on the saucer so the micture is pushed down and all the juce soaks into the bread. Leave this in the fridge for 24 hours and turn it out the next day. Serve it with custard, cream or ice cream. Delicious!
Hope you like it! biggrin
Edit: Oh, I really wish that I could make this for Litha, but I can't because today I'm leaving to go to camp for two weeks, and I wouldn't be able to eat it. So, I simply changed the recipe to something that wouldn't take more than 15 minutes. What I did was I picked a few strawberries from my garden, cut them up and microwaved them along with some (real) maple syrup instead of just sugar, and put the mixture on some toast! It was great! And extreamly easy, too! ^^
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:08 am
Hey all biggrin *signage*
My book of spells by Soraya suggests Chicken with Tarragon for Yule, so here's the recipe whee
Ingredients
2 breasts of chicken
1 small onion
Plain flour
Fresh or dried tarragon (as much as you prefer. A generous seasoning might be 2 tsp, but tasting is recommended)
Knob of butter
Fresh cream
Method
Chop the onion very finely and gently fry in a little oil until it is transparent but not brown. When the onion is cooked you can remove it from the pan and set it to one side. Wash the chicken breasts in cold water then dip them into the flour so that they are coated on both sides.
Now add the butter to the pan and, when it is melted, gently place the chicken fillets into the melted butter and allow them to fry slowly, turning when the first side is cooked. Now add the glazed onion to the chicken, pour in the fresh cream and add the tarragon.
Serve with boiled potatoes or rice and garnish with some parsley or coriander.
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:21 am
Hi all! *signy* I found this article on the history of Litha, as that is what I am celebrating. I thought y'all might like it. It's from pagan-magic.com. Quote: History of Litha (MidSummer)Also known as Summer Solstice, Litha, Alban Hefin, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia, Thing-tide, St. John's Day In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four 'quarter-days' of the year, and modern Witches call them the four 'Lesser Sabbats', or the four 'Low Holidays'. The Summer Solstice is one of them. Litha is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the 23rd, dependant upon the Earth's rotation around the Sun. According to the old folklore calendar, Summer begins on Beltane (May 1st) and ends on Lughnassadh (August 1st), with the Summer Solstice midway between the two, marking MID-Summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that Summer begins on the day when the Sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. The most common other names for this holiday are the Summer Solstice or Midsummer, and it celebrates the arrival of Summer, when the hours of daylight are longest. The Sun is now at the highest point before beginning its slide into darkness. Humanity has been celebrating Litha and the triumph of light since ancient times. On the Wheel of the Year Litha lies directly across from Yule, the shortest day of the calendar year, that cold and dark winter turning when days begin to lengthen and humanity looks wistfully toward warmth, sunlight and growing things. Although Litha and Yule are low holidays or lesser sabats in the ancient parlance, they are celebrated with more revel and merriment than any other day on the wheel except perhaps Samhain (my own favourite). The joyous rituals of Litha celebrate the verdant Earth in high summer, abundance, fertility, and all the riches of Nature in full bloom. This is a madcap time of strong magic and empowerment, traditionally the time for handfasting or weddings and for communication with the spirits of Nature. At Litha, the veils between the worlds are thin; the portals between "the fields we know" and the worlds beyond stand open. This is an excellent time for rites of divination. Those who celebrated Litha did so wearing garlands or crowns of flowers, and of course, their millinery always included the yellow blossoms of St. John's Wort. The Litha rites of the ancients were boisterous communal festivities with morris dancing, singing, storytelling, pageantry and feasting taking place by the village bonfire and torch lit processions through the villages after dark. People believed that the Litha fires possessed great power, and that prosperity and protection for oneself and one's clan could be earned merely by jumping over the Litha bonfire. It was also common for courting couples joined hands and jump over the embers of the Litha fire three times to ensure a long and happy marriage, financial prosperity and many children. Even the charred embers from the Litha bonfire possessed protective powers - they were charms against injury and bad wwweather in harvest time, and embers were commonly placed around fields of grain and orchards to protect the crops and ensure an abundant reaping. Other Litha customs included carrying an ember of the Litha fire home and placing it on one's hearth and decking one's home with birch, fennel, St. John's Wort, orpin, and white lilies for blessing and protection. The Litha Sabbat is a time to celebrate both work and leisure, it is a time for children and childlike play. It is a time to celebrate the ending of the waxing year and the beginning of the waning year, in preparation for the harvest to come. Midsummer is a time to absorb the Sun's warming rays and it is another fertility Sabbat, not only for humans, but also for crops and animals. Wiccans consider the Goddess to be heavy with pregnancy from the mating at Beltane - honor is given to Her. The Sun God is celebrated as the Sun is at its peak in the sky and we celebrate His approaching fatherhood - honor is also given to Him. The faeries abound at this time and it is customary to leave offerings - such as food or herbs - for them in the evening. Although Litha may seem at first glance to be a masculine observance and one which focuses on Lugh, the day is also dedicated to the Goddess, and Her flowers are the white blossoms of the elder.
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:06 pm
The family and I celebrated the Solstice by having a small bonfire and making s'mores. I did a ritual later in the evening by myself for Litha. Here is an incense recipe: Quote: Litha Fire IncenseMidsummer is a great time for herb gardens, because there are buds and blooms everywhere. This is a powerful time to gather herbs, and also to prepare and use them. Any fresh herb can be dried simply by picking it and tying it up in small bundles in a well-ventilated area. Once they are completely dry store them in airtight jars in a dark place. To make your own magical summer incense, first determine what form you’d like to make. You can make incense with sticks and in cones, but the easiest kind uses loose ingredients, which are then burned on top of a charcoal disc or tossed into a fire. This recipe is for loose incense, but you can always adapt it for stick or cone recipes. As you mix and blend your incense, focus on the intent of your work. In this particular recipe, we’re creating an incense to use during a Litha rite -- and since Litha is all about the sun and its strength, we’re going to make this a fiery and powerful incense. You’ll need:3 parts myrrh 1 part apple blossoms ½ part bay leaves ½ part cinnamon bark 1 part chamomile flowers 1 part lavender flowers 2 parts mugwort ½ part rosemary Add your ingredients to your mixing bowl one at a time. Measure carefully, and if the leaves or blossoms need to be crushed, use your mortar and pestle to do so. As you blend the herbs together, state your intent. You may find it helpful to charge your incense with an incantation, such as: Quote: Balance of the heavens and earth below, The power of the sun in this incense grows. Cinnamon, mugwort, apple and bay, Fire and water, on this longest day. Herbs of power, blended by me, As I will, so it shall be. Store your incense in a tightly sealed jar. Make sure you label it with its intent and name, as well as the date you created it. Use within three months, so that it remains charged and fresh. source
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Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:28 pm
Nothing really to say except, Happy Solstice everyone. mrgreen
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:02 am
Bright Blessings to all,
Whether you're cool or warm on this bright evening.
For Litha, my coven and I will be sharing a feast and a midnight ritual.
Or should I say, we already did, for in my part of the world, Litha is over.
Either way.
It was beautiful. All of us dressed in our summer cloaks and we had a giant bon fire. We sang and danced. And do not get me started on the food. Yummy!!!
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Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 3:46 pm
found this cutesy story online...at pagandad or something like that
Children's Story for Litha
The old man laid resting in his favorite chair, feet propped by the cold fireplace. His eyes closed and a half smile showing around his favorite pipe, which of course was lit. But then he felt something a small tug at his pant leg. He opened one eye and peered down at his youngest grandson, who was looking up at him with love and adoration. "Grandfather," he whispered, "Can you tell us another story. We want to know what happened next to the Gods."
At this the Grandfather opened both eyes and lifted his head and now saw all his grandchildren and some other children, that he didn't know, all looking at him expectantly. "Sure," the grandfather said as he took his pipe from his mouth and smiled wider. "Of course now comes next the time of marriage for the Gods. For wedding day was coming quick upon them.
"If you remember last time the Gods had come together in the first marriage but what you may not know is now the Holly King was here. A mite small, mind you, but he was there inside the Mother Goddess, continuing to grow.
"So the Gods and the faeries knew that marriage must be next. For that was the way of things. So the faeries pulled out the dress that they had wove at Imbolc. You remember? It was made of spider silk and the morning's first dew. And presented it to the Goddess, with three more gifts.
"These gifts were given in private, so that not even the God knows what they were, even to this day. The first gift given was a gift of something new, given, so they said, that She may begin to get used to her new life.
"The second gift was something used. So that She may never forget who she was before that day and where she came from.
"Something blue was the third gift. To keep her safely through this new life and through the birth of her new child. And afterwards, well the blue would help her to keep her temper in check. For as we all know children can try the patience even of the most patient.
"So the day came for the Gods to become one in the eyes of all. All the faeries of the land came to honor them. The children came to scatter flowers an to vie for the right to carry the sacred rings.
"And the rings, set with diamonds that sparkled like the stars in the firmament. The most beautiful rings that any had seen. They stand for the Circle that the married couple enters into. Bound together for as long as love may last.
"The Ceremony was simple; The God spoke of his journey for his love and of the depth of his commitment. The Goddess, well, she also spoke of her commitment. But she spoke with sadness in her voice, as if she knew something that the others there knew not. But it passed quickly as she talked of her Love for the God.
"When they were married they went on a holiday together to celebrate their love and enjoy each other.
"So you see children, this is what you have to look forward to when you get older. But it won't seem so bad, when you get to that age. But run along now and let me go back to my pipe. Come tomorrow and I will tell you the story of the First Harvest."
The children sat for a moment still thinking about the story that they heard. They had images of flowers scattered around a hall of splendor and they had visions of shimmery dresses or rings of gold behind their eyes.
Then they all left their grandfather by the fire, the older ones to dream the younger ones to play at the games that all little children play.
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