Journal entry, June 20-23...............................Summer Solstice, longest day of the year!

Origins:Litha (opposite of Yule) or Sonnenwende is a Scandinavian term for the pre-Roman months of June and July. Litha has lately become a popular term for this midsummer festival, celebrating the day of longest sunlight in all the year, which Christians celebrated on June 24 as St. John's birthday. Fairies, elves and sprites are purported to be most easily seen at Midsummer, dancing in fairy rings. Traditionally Litha was a high summer tribal assembly of feasting and partying, a time for celebrating familial peace and plentitude. With warm weather, crops growing and herds grazing, Litha, or Midsummer, highlights this season of ease and enjoyment--when the sun is at its' highest in the sky. Likely these gatherings included dancing, bartering, games, tests of strength and the creation of inter-tribal cooperative commitments.

Here the garden is at its peak, with the hot, hot sun blazing and everyone gathered together. There grew the orange and yellow peppers glowing in the sun and bright green leaves shading the ripening and growing vegetables. The barbeque flames sweltered in the midday sun, the heat waves rising and creating wavy mirrors, distorting the sunflowers and nasturtiums beyond, the tangy scent of grilled peppers and spices melting in the air. There the table was laden with all the fruits of the summer: tangy lemonade and cut oranges, salads sparkling with color, ready for the summer festival. And late into the night, the party went on, past sundown and into sunburn. Everyone sweating, dancing around the fire, snapping, hips swivelling to music from the drummers. I met my friends here, dressed in our finest and brightest cottons to catch any breeze, talking, loud laughing, arguing, singing, every shade of brown and tan and sunburned face, bobbing and dancing...the men and the women, mothers, fathers, grandparents and all the little and medium sized children, the awkward, the bossy, the thin, the inhibited, the nimble, the graying, the sassy, the soft-bodied, gawky teens and graceful families, coltish girls and shy baby brothers--all gathered together for the greatest and hottest festival of the summertime.

June Bugs and Dragon Flies

Spicy Hot Foods

Handcrafts that let the sun in

Fairyland

Elemental HomeSchooling

Sunshine and Fire Beings

Summertime,
and the Linking is Easy

Click on the sun anytime to return to the Table of Contents.
Through the window to the exit.

...all those little fiddles in the grass, all those cricket pipes, those delicate flutes, are they not lovely beyond words when heard in midsummer on a moonlight night?

Today I saw the dragon fly
Come From the wells where he did lie

An inner impulse rent the veil
Of his old husk: from head to tail
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.

He dried his wings: like gauze they grew;
Through crofts and pastures wet with dew
A living flash of light, he flew.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Insect World

Insects and arachnids almost look mechanical to us, seemingly made of rods and plasticine wings and multi-faceted eyes right out of science fiction film. We find it easy to be repulsed by them, if not actually violently fearful. But we can teach our children to accept all earth's creatures early on and replace disgust with curiousity and respect. To a cool scientific mind, insects simply act out of biological imperative, with no greater message intended by the drama of their lives. But when looking upon the earth and its creatures as imbued with spirit and consciousness, one and all, insects have much to teach us, if we can listen: about community and selfless labor, about fleeting beauty and the value in simply being, and particularly through archetypes of transformation.

Ants, bees and wasps live in highly organized societies, each doing a job for the good of the community. Their lives are about constructive work for the good of all. They care for and feed their young unconditionally, even occasionally taking the larvae out into the sunshine and fresh air. While this care is in their survival interest, their unquestioning surrender to young and the community is inspiring when we humans tend to first ask: what is in communal work for me? Ants also keep crickets in their homes, not for food but for their music, and have been seen to take their pupae outside in good weather for air and sunshine.
All bugs feed off other bugs. We would be tormented utterly without this ecological balance, the earth completely buried with insects. One death nourishes the living of another, whose death nourishes new life. This unending cycle replays itself quickly, continually and most obviously in insect life.

Insects and arachnids mirror for us our fears of ugliness and make us question what deserves to live. We take it for granted that reacting to their multiple eyes and segmented legs with violence is necessary. It may be easy to consider them repulsive and kill them so we don't have to face the shadows around us, and so learn to live in harmony with all that naturally occurs. Who are we to judge what is ugly or useless? Insects are certainly the most successful kind of animal: of approximately ten million types of beetles, just over one third have been named and classified by entomologists. Butterflies descended from mothlike ancestors about fifty to one hundred million years ago.

Insects are delicate wonders: watch how their legs move in unison, their lovely papery wings and smooth shells, the unbelievable iridescent colors they exhibit. Butterflies' genus Euphydryas means "comely wood nymph." Butterfly wings are covered with scales whose pigments include red, black, yellow and brown colors, while iridescent blues, greens, purples and silvers are caused merely by refracted light. Most amazing are those insects camophlaged as twigs and leaves.
Insects perform intricate mating dances and songs. When katydids meet, they caress each other with their antennae. The daddy-long-legs (a relative of ticks, spiders and scorpions) makes a protective cage around his mate while she deposits her eggs in the soil. Crickets' evocative glassy peals, made by rubbing their legs together, are their distinctive mating call. Considered with openness, these littlest creatures are beautiful. Finding a spiders' web in a September garden and its' round, scuttling spinner is a fascinating wonder for the child without conditioning to hatred.

Arachnids and insects teach us about the ephemerality of existance, which can be refreshing to consider when we're weighed down with serious concerns of life. See how the dragonfly or the butterfly lives lightly, their cycle of life a simple one: feeding, flying, mating, dying. Their lives are short: a typical butterfly lives just eight to ten days. Their breeding done and their lives nearly over, moths seem to hurtle themselves toward a glorious end, at the brightest light they can find.

In world folklore, insects represent archetypes of transformation and immortality. The catarpillars' journey through cocoon to butterfly is the most potent example of transformation. The ancients believed women became pregnant by swallowing insects: they were souls flying about in search of a new body. Barbara G. Walker (The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, 1983) confirms that the word Mantis means the soul of a wizard or magic maker.
Beetles, the most numerous creature on earth, have long been associated with everlasting life. Egypt's word for beetle: scarab, is derived from a root word meaning "become." Scarabs were buried with royalty, and ceramic facsimiles of them are charms of good luck. The creator totem of a South American native tribe is a beetle. Ladybugs are one exception to our dislike of insects. People love them, and Sue Hubbell confirms in Broadsides From the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs(1993), that people insist on buying them for their gardens, even when much more efficient insect predators are available. As Hubbell points out, they are so beautiful, as if designed by a child, we see their graphic image continually in popular culture.

....

The ladybug likely has a significant association to Goddess belief. Consider this English children's rhyme:

Lady bug, lady bug
Fly away home
Your house in on fire
And your children all gone
All except one
And that's little Ann
And she has crept under
The warming pan.

Or this German version:

Marienkäferchen, fly away. Your little house is burning. Your little mother is crying and your father is on the doorstep. Fly away to heaven, away from hell.

In the new religions, the ladybug is the Virgin Mary's animal, and she will punish anyone for nine days who dares harm it. Yet this Lady's bug pre-dates the association to Mary. The ladybug rhyme is a cryptic reference to the fall of matriarchy and the rise of patriarchy.

The ladybug must fly away because her "house," her temples and her religion is burning, and her "children," her believers, are gone. Interestingly, one traditional way to be rid of witches (that is, women and Goddess worshippers) is to tell them their house is on fire. Ladybug's mother, the Goddess, is crying at the loss of the Lady's religion, and at the rise of the new one: ladybug's father waits on the doorstep, the threshold of a new era that He will dominate. Flying to heaven and away from hell is surely an imposition of Christianity: exhorting folk to turn to the new religion, and away from the old one that has now been overthrown and demonized. In the English version, there is hope as little Ann (St. Ann, the Lady's mother, actually the Goddess herself) hides and remains safe under the warming pan. The invaders have failed to destroy utterly the Lady's believers. Like all good fairytales and folk rhymes, Ann portends a possible, eventual return to the Goddess.
Significantly, this folk rhyme's central figure--ladybug--is a beetle, one of the oldest symbols of resurrection and everlasting life.

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Sesame Noodles

Extra tasty, hot and spicy as the sun.

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Asian sesame oil
• 2 T. red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 T. sugar
• 1 T. bottled garlic-chili sauce...Combine sauces, vinegar, oil and sugar well. Chill and shake in container, but use mixture at room temperature.
• 1- 12 oz package linguini or soba noodles...cook noodles al dente and rinse.
• 4 green onions, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut thinly and fine...Toss noodles with sauce and vegetables. Serve cool or warm, or briefly fry entire mixture in an oiled pan to heat well. Small pieces of chicken taste great with this: saute chicken in 1 T. sesame oil, then cook thoroughly with a few tablespoons of soy mixture. Then toss chicken with noodles and vegetables.

Tuna Steaks in Curry Coconut Sauce

• 2-4 tuna steaks
• salt, pepper...season tuna steaks and grill in 400 degree oven for 12 minutes, set aside.
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 2-3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1-2 T. curry powder...stir fry garlic, ginger, onion, curry in oil until sweated and dry.
• 2-3 T. soy sauce
• 3/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth...add soy and wine/broth to moisten.
• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper...Add carrots and cook covered, adding more wine/broth as needed, then add bell pepper when carrots are softened. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender-crisp.
• 2 cups diced tomatoes with juice...return steaks to pan and add tomatoes and juice.
• 1 can coconut milk (may be lite)...Pour in coconut milk and simmer 3-5 minutes longer.
• boiled jasmine rice to serve

Cole Slaw

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 T. vinegar
• 1 T. poppy seeds
• 2 T. chopped scallions
• salt and pepper, to taste...whisk together mayo, sour cream, liquids, seeds, scallions and seasonings.
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped or grated
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine or grated
• 1/2 each green and red pepper, chopped fine
• 3 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 cup chopped purple (red) cabbage...toss salad to combine. Pour dressing over, toss and serve.

Sunwise Salad

• 2 sweet yellow peppers, cut into rings...cook rings in a covered skillet in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, drain and cool.
• 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
• 3 Tablespoons orange juice
• 2 t. fresh snipped chives
• 1/2 t. honey
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/8 t. fresh ground pepper...stir together orange peel, juice, chives, honey, salt and pepper to make marinade. Set aside. Set pepper rings in a plastic bag and add marinade to coat. Chill for 4 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
• lettuce leaves
• 6 to 9 plum tomatoes or 2 to 3 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 1 medium orange, sliced
• 1 cup red cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
• freshly ground pepper (optional)...To serve, line a large platter with lettuce leaves. Arrange tomato and orange slices around the edge. Drain pepper rings, reserving marinade. Arrage pepper rings in an overlapping circle inside the circle of tomatoes and oranges. Fill center with red cherry tomatoes. Garnish with yellow tomatoes and extra ground pepper, and drizzle with reserved marinade.

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H a n d c r a f t s 
 that let the Sun in

Make some solar photographs! Photographic paper is pre-treated with a chemical emulsion which reacts by turning black when set in the sun. Cameras are completely dark inside until the shutter is opened and light enters, even briefly, exposing the chemicals on the film and so creating darkness. Black and white photographs are nothing more than records of amounts of darkness and light. There are many solar photo kits to buy, or you can do your own. Mind you, an entire package of photo paper can be pricey. Keep the paper in its package at all times unless you are in a completely dark room. In an almost completely dark room, set some interesting solid objects upon one piece of the paper which you have set inside a large, flat folder. These might be: keys, ferns, nails and screws, cut out paper, chains, small toys, leaves or jewelry. Close the folder and cover with a towel or blanket, taking care to not disturb the pieces within. Carry outside on a bright and sunny day. Remove all the coverings and ease the photographic paper out of the folder quickly, rearranging slightly the shapes on top, if needed. Very quickly you will see the light turn the paper that is not covered by solid objects dark, while the white shadows of the objects remain to create some interesting shapes!

Suncatchers are fun to make at Litha, to make the most of the sun coming in windows. Take tracing paper, baker's parchment paper, wax paper or clear acetate plastic and cut into a shape you like. Cut also two identical shapes from stiff cardboard ( which fit together and have the center missing) which will act as a frame for the clear paper. Cut or tear bright sun colored tissue paper (yellow, orange, apricot, goldenrod, lemon, peach, sunflower, etc) into small ( up to 2" square) pieces: squares, triangles, etc. Mix regular (Elmer's) glue with an equal amount of water and mix up well. Use a paint brush to spread the glue mixture onto the clear paper and add layers of bright tissue paper on top. Continue layering until you like the look of it, let dry, then glue the cardboard frame pieces on either side of the lightcatcher. Hang in a window and let the light shine through!

Create a necklace of bright candies, as a symbol of the Midsummer time of friendship and creating bonds. The string holds the separate pieces together, no matter how different they are. Use a strong needle and some waxed quilter's thread or beading thread, and string some fancy sweets onto the string. Remember to wash your hands well, or wear some thin, clean surgical gloves while you handle the candy. Use: sour lemon and orange balls, swedish fish, gummy peaches or fruits or any bright, strongly flavored candy that is soft enough to be strung, and in Litha colors of oranges and yellows.

Make your own little sun shapes for Litha! Cover large or small balloons with papier mache, using wallpaper paste mix and small bits of newspaper. Once strong and dry, cut the bottoms of the balloons off and save the larger part for making jack o' lanterns at Hallows. Glue the mache cup forms to a flat cardboard piece the same size in diameter and add another layer of papier mache to secure. When dry, paint the disks with bright sunshine faces, add ribbons, tissue paper flowers, jewels, foil, and sunny colored silk flowers, and hang up in the sun and breeze.

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F a i r y l a n d

Fairy Bread

Come up here, O dusty feet!
Here is fairy bread to eat.
Here in my retiring room,
Children, you may dine
On golden smell of broom
And the shade of pine;
And when you have eaten well,
Fairy stories hear and tell.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Long ago, people chose mates and fell in love in the May, but it was in June that they committed to each other in marriage. So it remains today, with June the most popular month for marriage in the year. Shoes have long represented fertility, luck, abundance and happy partnership. People still tie shoes onto the bridal couple's leaving car, or onto the door of their honeymoon chamber. And young people used shoe charms to determine what sort of marriage they would have in the future.

Toss two shoes into the air and see what it means!

Both shoes upside down, not touching...great growth together during life's journey
Right shoe upside down...a challenging and rewarding partnership
Both shoes upward not touching...dramatic, passionate relationship
Left shoe upside down...a loving and giving mate
Shoes crossed...an early marriage, or imminent union
Toes pointing in opposite directions...opposites will attract
Toes point in same direction...extremely compatible partnership
Soles cross atop each other...great wealth and abundance in marriage

If you speak aloud the following charm and set your shoes out before sleep, it is said you will dream of your future mate.

If I could be a Fairy Queen
I'd weave a thousand magic spells!
I'd learn the language of the birds,
The secrets of the heather bells,
That chime in silvery music sweet upon the sunlit purple fells.

I'd travel with the drowsy sun
Beneath the waves, as daylight dies,
And cross the rainbow-bridge that spans
The changing showery April skies;
I'd sleep in beds of scented thyme, while brown bees hummed me lullabies.

I'd ride upon the rushing wind,
Or with the golden sunbeams stray,
Over hill and dale, by marsh and glen,
Through all the long bright summer day,
Or travel in a pearly shell across the waves and far away!

I'd dance by moonlight on the green,
And make the grass a fresher hue,
I'd feast on stores of sweetest fruit,
And sup the roses' crystal dew;
Oh! how delightful it would be if only fairy tales were true!

Maud E. Sargent, 1911

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E l e m e n t a l  
 H o m e s c h o o l i n g

Litha is a time of paradox in the year. Though we might have waited all year for the warmth, the green and the ease of summertime, the emotions it illicits can be extreme. Litha lets us experience great joy and daily fun, as well as anger and fleeting hot tempers. The direction of summertime is the South, and the element is fire. Just as the flame of the candle inspires us and the campfire gathers us together with crackling rhythm and warmth, wild fire can also sweep through and destroy everything in its path.
Fire is the only element that is not naturally occuring, but must be sparked to life. In this season we must confront the use of our will. Where do we find the balance between impulse and discipline? Do we let things happen to us and become victims of our world, or do we take active part in creating and manifesting our reality? Part of creation is expressing ourselves. Make your mark, make music, sing your song, express yourself--now is the time!
People tend to go though extremes of interaction near Litha--there are barbeques, parties, camping trips and children playing together outside. We have great summer memories of fleeting romances and deepened friendships. But it is no accident that violent riots and eruptions of rage often happen during the summer. Apart from the fun and closeness, it is just the nature of people to have more conflicts when we spend more time together! If we have to work long days during the summer, we can feel trapped inside during beautiful warm days outside. Summer is the peak time of relaxation and enjoyment, so this is natural...make the most of your free time, make alliances and relish friendships.

• the sun, solar energy, power sources

  fire, heat, temperatures

  the Southern Hemisphere: Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, South America, Hawaii, etc.

  pre-history, dinosaurs, reptiles

  volcanos

  desert life

  insects

  devas of flowers and plants, fairies

  percussive music, dancing

  issues about anger, impulsiveness, personal energy,
  strong desires and making use of one's will

  crafts: sun images, rock painting, totem carving, stencilling, print making and stamping, intrument making

  open fire cooking: barbeque and marinades, using spices

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S u n s h i n e   and   F i r e   Beings

Gayatri of Wholeness: You who are the source of all power,
Whose rays illuminate the world,
Illuminate also my heart so that it too can do your work.

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S u m m e r t i m e, 
and the Linking is Easy

Butterfly Web Site

Butterflies fly free here, with photos, gardening tips (which species like which blooms) and links to clubs and live museums.

Volcano World

Perfect study for this time of heat and explosiveness. Great scientific information, kid's section and volcanos around the world.

Wonderful World of Insects

Lovely graphics and information about the world's most successful creatures. Tells about ant behavior, insects that live on water, and snippets about unusual types of bugs, and more.

Online Pyramid Adventure

Join this adventure for gorgeous graphics and layout, examining the pyramids of Egypt. Includes history, maps of the interiors.

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Check back again to celebrate the high harvest at Lammas.

© 1996, 1997 Jill Pederson Meyer

All rights reserved. May be distributed freely, but not sold, with acknowledgement of source and author.