Tag Archives: Midsummer

June 24, 2025 · 9:27 pm

Summer Solstice Bonfire

Merry meet all,

We must be in the grips of a major heatwave. It is so hot out. We could fry eggs on the pavement. I celebrated the Summer Solstice with my man and my cauldron. The photo above shows where we went to have the bonfire. It is a beautiful spot, that’s for sure. 

WE bought my large, large cauldron and fire starters, paper, etc. Basically what we would need to start a fire in the cauldron. It is illegal to do so so that is why we were so out of the way. The mosquitoes were hungry and herons flew over the water. We began the bonfire right away. I brought a jar of mugwort, a few cinnamon sticks, rose petals, juniper and sage. I tossed the herbs into the fire. It was so cool. 

There truly is something magical about a bonfire in a large cauldron on the night of the Solstice. The herbs I selected specifically for the ritual burned in the cauldron. The flames danced out of the cauldron and I loved the sounds of the flames crackling in the cauldron, the smoke rising. It was all just so magical and earthy and made me feel like I stepped into another time for a while. 

The waves washed over the shore. I dipped my toes in. That is mandatory, it’s summer. The sunset was breathtaking. We sat down on lawn chairs and enjoyed the peace and quiet and shared some beers and talked. I relaxed and totally enjoyed myself. The fire did not take long to expire. I added more paper to encourage the flames. 

The tricky part was not in getting caught but in how to cool the cauldron down. We tipped the ashes out. I had to leave it behind which caused me a great deal of anxiety, but the cauldron is safe. ALl in all, it was a great summer solstice ritual at the beach. I hope you all had a magical Midsummer eve too. I had no wings or crown, but I have a backup set of wings I wear- and only I know where they are. Oh the heat. 

Enjoy summer!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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June 24, 2024 · 2:50 pm

Litha

Merry meet all,

Litha is here! I love summer and I was happy to find more bean seeds in a seed package. That means I can plant more seeds. I know just the spot. My garden is graced by many lovely flowers including cosmos, marigolds, raspberry flowers and so many beautiful verdant green plants. 

I plan to buy a large compost box from Lee Valley. Once it is all set up, I want to add the compost I have created to the box. I can’t wait to get the new improved compost box going. True compost is black gold. Plants grow a lot better when compost is added to the soil. They grow much better which is why I am so eager to get started! I can add dried and fresh leaves, stems and other things like egg shells, mulch and herbs from tincturing to the pile. 

I’m waiting for the Advanced course textbooks to arrive. It is a long wait. I have to start the whole course over from the beginning. I am not thrilled about that. It was so much work to get through Units 1-8. I wonder if I can just breeze through the units I have already done to catch up to where I was before I transferred to the upgraded Advanced course. To me, that makes more sense. I know the content is different. Having the textbooks will make it so much easier. 

In other news, I now have the front cover art for my novella, The Cult of the Spider People. I am not certain if I can reveal it here but once I can, I will. I love the cover. It is so sinister. It features a person’s evil eyes and a large spider encircled in a web. The title of my book and my name also grace the cover. I love it. I can’t wait for October. 

I plan to celebrate big time in October. I have decided that I want my book on Amazon and in bookstores worldwide. I hope I can do both. If I go worldwide, then the local bookstores here may carry it and that might mean I get to do a signing! Oh my goddess that would be so exciting! 

Me bored? Nah not with all that going on. My herbal studies will certainly keep me busy, as well as caring for a pushy cat and my garden. I am enrolled in the Business course, and the Advanced and Clinical course. I plan to buy a laminator soon. Then I shall press flowers and leaves to my hearts’ content. I have already begun pressing flowers. The pretty punky blue Bachelor’s button flower will make a charming addition to my collection. 

I’ve changed my mind about selling herbal teas. I doubt that I would ever have enough herbs locally and prepared here to meet the demand. I know that that is a big focus in the courses from the Herbal Academy. It would be really hard to have enough without buying herbs in bulk. That means if I buy them in bulk, I would have to sell all the teas to cover that expense. Instead I want to sell greeting cards and write for magazines. I may even write a book. I already have several articles in herbal magazines. I shall browse through the library’s collection of magazines to see which ones accept articles from freelance writers – like me! It may help if I mention to the editors that I am studying at the Herbal Academy. 

Summer is a fun season brimming with possibilities in the gardens, the classroom or the coffee shop. I hope you are all having a wonderfully fun summer season!

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch 

 

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June 21, 2022 · 8:37 pm

Summer Solstice Lantern )O(

Merry meet all,

Happy Summer Solstice!!! I hope you are all celebrating the summer solstice. I did too and I’m going to tell you all about it in this post. I will post a link below to the blog post from Herbal Academy that tells you how to make it. I’m taking the summer course on how to press flowers at the Herbal Academy. 

To make a Summer Solstice Lantern, clean and wash a large glass jar like one you use for pasta sauce. Let it air dry. For this project, I didn’t press the flowers first but they are supposed to be pressed. Also, instead of white glue or Mod Podge glue, I used a hot glue gun. I used the watered down white glue at first. I discovered that a hot glue gun was better at making flowers adhere to the jar. Afterwards, I bought and used Mod Podge to give it a permanent finish. It looks great and yours will too. 

You will need the following supplies:

  • a hot glue gun and glue
  • tweezers
  • scissors
  • a clean dry jar
  • flowers
  • white glue
  • Mod Podge glue
  • paper towel and a work surface – glue can get messy
  • twine, a wire
  • salt
  • tealights

Ok let’s get started. So once your jar is clean and dry, set it down on your workspace. Have old newspaper and paper towel nearby. This can get messy. If you pressed the flowers ahead of time, that’s great. I used the flowers I picked today for this project. Clean off any bugs and snip off the stems. It’s a good idea to use flat faced flowers for this project such as buttercup, white Shasta daisies, violets, red clover leaves. Use a paintbrush to dab on the glue of your choice to the jar. Before the glue dries, pick up the delicate flower with the tweezers and stick it on the jar where you dabbed the glue. Apply the flower with gentle firm pressure. 

This is tricky. You can’t tear or cut the flower. I brushed from the centre of the flower out to the petals. I dabbed the glue over the face of the flower in gentle, outward strokes. I suggest making sure the flower face stays flat. So be gentle with this step. Add more flowers to the jar. Think about the design you want it to have. Let the jar dry thoroughly. Be patient with this project. Arrange the flowers around the jar as you choose. Keep dabbing glue on to the jar and applying gentle firm pressure till you are satisfied with it. Place stems around flowers or under flowers or in whichever design you choose. 

Gently dab glue over the flowers. I suggest using Mod Podge for this step. It gives the flowers a frosted finish. When it has all dried, then you can proceed to the next step. You can wrap a wire around the opening of the jar. I secured mine with a dab of hot glue. I love my hot glue gun, can you tell? The instructions on how to do this are in the link. Then add a few inches of salt into the jar. Put a tea light in perhaps one with essential oils added to the candle, and watch the candle glow in your personal Summer Solstice Lantern. I hope you have fun with this and show me pictures of your own summery crafts. 

Below is the link to the blog post from the Herbal Academy:

Link: https://theherbalacademy.com/flower-lanterns/ 

Happy Solstice!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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June 10, 2022 · 12:45 pm

Litha

Merry meet all,

 We had a big rainstorm over the last 2 days. It was amazing how much rain there was. I just checked my garden and everything survived. Now the sun is shining his hardest. 

A word of caution here: Pretty Litter is the biggest money grab scam EVER. Yup I will never buy cat litter from them again. My Mom gave me money for cat litter. I had already bought a bag of cat litter. They withdrew the money as if they had every right before I could even get to the store to buy the shoes. I checked my account thanks to a mobile app. The money was gone and I knew who the rat was. Pretty Litter has some dodgy crap excuse and some serious erroneous self-entitlement attitude problem. They stole the money, refuse to issue a refund despite me making it amply clear I never wanted a second box of cat litter. They refuse to refund my Mother. They never sent a second box of cat litter. I am so contacting the Better Business Bureau to report their sorry butts. I bet I won’t get the second box of cat litter either. I never received a confirmation email. They now have some unbelievable non refund policy. They ever withdraw even a dime from my account again. They will regret it. I just reported them to the Better Business Bureau. I feel so good right now. 

The Summer Solstice approaches! My garden is in full gorgeous green swing. It already is summer in my garden. Everything is in bloom and every insect in creation is enjoying it. Litha is the summer solstice and marks the beginning of the summer season. It is the longest day of the year and the shortest night of the year. It marks the height of the sun’s power. 

The God is now in his power and the Goddess brings forth abundance. The crops are full. Ancient Witches and pagans  celebrated Litha with torch processions and maintaining a balance between the Elements of Fire and Water. Herbs were gathered for their healing powers. 

Decorate your altar with fresh flowers, herbs and fruit. Perform a re dedication ritual to the God and Goddess. Burn a candle to show a devotion to the Horned God. 

Litha is also known as Midsummer. Now is a good time to perform faerie Magick. They are out and about now. Offer them blessings and they will help you in your garden! 

SYMBOLS OF LITHA

Colors:  Blue, green, yellow, pink, purple (look to nature for the colors of Litha, as seen in the sky, woods and flowers) 

Foods:  Honey, elderberry, strawberry, fennel, thyme, fresh greens, mead, light wines 

Stones:  Peridot, diamond, emeralds, lapis lazuli  

Symbols:  Bonfire, sunwheels, flowers  

Flowers & Plants:Oak, mistletoe,, elderflower, lavender, pine, fern, pine, rose 

Deities:   Aphrodite, Astarte, Freya, Ishtar, Helios, Llew, Holly King, Lugh, Sol, Ra, Zeus, Thor  

WAYS TO CELEBRATE LITHA 

  • Make floral wreaths for your front door

  • Host a bonfire and potluck for family and friends 

  • Gather and dry herbs to use throughout the coming year

  • Take time to meditate and give thanks for the blessings you have in your life 

  • Create an ‘invisibilty’ amulet from seeds of ferns gathered on midsummer eve 

  • Build a Faerie House in the woods, to invite their goodwill into your life 

 

https://www.mabonhouse.co/litha

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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