Friday, June 10, 2011

Litha Activites

Litha is almost upon us!  We are making preparations for our Litha celebration here.  For the first time in years, the active pagan community in our town has come out of the woodwork.  We'll be having a potluck at a park in town, with many families!  It's going to be pretty exciting.

So whether you are getting together in a group or just with family, here are some great Litha activities to do!

Sun catchers.  I think that is what they are called.  When I was a child, we got these kits in from a mail order magazine with wire rims, and  little coloured beads.  You had to put the beads in the right spot and bake them, and they turned into something that looked like stained glass!  You would hang them up on the window and the sun shining through was just beautiful.  While it might not always be feasible to have those kits on hand for Litha, there is another way to do this that uses what we all probably have on hand!

All you need is a clear jewel CD case (empty, of course!), paint and brushes and some white sewing thread.  The best kind of paint to use for this is acrylic paint thinned with a little bit of water.  You can get some great folk art acrylics at most dollar stores.

Then, paint on the inside of the "door" on the jewel case.  Remember to paint in reverse, everything you want in the foreground needs to go on first instead of last!  When it is dry, hang it up with the thread!  You can also paint directly on an old CD and hang that up, but I like this because of the dimensional look when it is finished.

Make a Faerie Offering Bowl.  I always prefer to make Faerie offering bowls out of material that is as natural as possible, because when you put them out they often go missing!  I prefer paper mache, using flour and water instead of glue paste.  The form to use?  An upside down tea-light candle!  It's the perfect size.  Turn the candle upside down and cover with a small amount of plastic wrap.  Proceed to paper mache your way to a tiny little offering bowl!  One part flour to one part water generally works well.

Once your tiny bowl is dry, you can decorate it with ribbon, or paint it.  My favorite offering for Faeries is a piece of bread soaked in milk and drizzled with honey.

Build a Stonehenge.  Oh.  My.  Goddess.  If I had the space to do this, I would jump right on it!  It's not going to be feasible for everyone, but I had to share it because it is just too cool.  It's listed as a science project on the Family Education website.

Have a cleansing bonfire.  If you live in a place where you can't have a fire, a small cauldron fire or candle flames will do.  Write negative feelings and influences you want to be rid of on pieces of paper, then release them to the Gods by throwing the paper into the fire.

What are you planning for Litha?

Goddess Bless,

Stacy

2 comments:

  1. Something definitely feels very special about Litha this year, I'm glad to hear your area's feeling it too!

    I love the idea for the offering bowls; I'll be trying that out with my daughter I think. Plus they'll make great little Litha gifts for friends (if they turn out nicely lol)

    Thanks for the great ideas and have a beautiful Litha.

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  2. Stacy,
    Take a look at The Schiele Museum's mini Stonehenge. http://www.schielemuseum.org/outdoor_exhibits.php

    I interned at this museum with their awesome archaeologists (Alan May, curator of Anthropology and Archaeology, Ann Tipppett, President, and Steve Watts, a primitive technologist who built the stone circle).

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