Fairy Berry cake!
Slice a purchased angel food or pound cake into layers.
Recipes
Litha
June 21
SUMMER SOLSTICE
At midsummer nature's growth has reached its height. The flowers of summer fill the fields and hedgerows; meadowsweet, poppies, roses, lilies and honeysuckle. Their aroma fills the air as the temperature rises and the people celebrate the barley and wheat starting to ripen. It is traditionally a time of rest and celebration; picnics in the fields and on the beach. At this point in the year the length of the day has reached its peak, and from this point on the days grown shorter, as the nights grown longer. The importance historically of this astronomical event is highlighted by the number of ancient sites around the world that are aligned with the Summer Solstice.
Several exist in Egypt including at the Osirieon Temple at Abydos, the Essene Monastery at Qumran, but the most spectacular alignment occurs between the two great pyramids of Giza, which crowns the head of the Sphynx as it sets. Further east in India, one of the man-made caves at Ajanta has been aligned with the sunrise, which illuminates the great statue of Buddha. Further west in the Americas there are several solstice sites including the Ohio Serpent, a Native American earthworks whose head faces the rising sun on Solstice morning. In Northern Europe, the Externsteine Rocks in Germany have been a sacred site dedicated to the sun for thousands of years. A shrine on the top most spire has a hole carved which aligns with the sunrise. This site was still in use up until the eighth century by pagan sun worshipers. The Litha festival was and still is of more importance to the peoples of Northern Europe because of the extreme change that takes place in length of days and nights during the year. It was a time, like Beltane when fires were traditionally lit particularly in Scandinavia, the lands surrounding the Baltic and the British Isles. It was believed that these fires would drive away the evil spirits which were gathering. In Denmark this festival is known as Sankt Hans. It is traditional to burn an effigy of a witch on a bonfire; a representation of these malign spirits which may attack the crops and the cattle. The old pagan festival has been overlaid with the Christian Feast of St. John, which celebrated the overcoming of paganism by Christianity, hence the burning of the witch. Similar traditions continued in the British Isles on the eve of the Summer Solstice, either to ward off evil or to encourage good fertility up until the mid-twentieth century.
¬In the Orkney Islands bonfires were lit from heather, and burning, smoking wood from them was carried into the cattle sheds to keep the cattle healthy and fertile. In Scotland burning wooden torches were used to bless fields in a similar fashion, being carried in a clockwise procession around the fields, while on the Isle of man bonfires were lit on the hilltops so that cattle could be driven through the smoke and flames to keep them healthy. Blazing wheels of gorse and twigs were rolled down the hillsides in several parts of the British Isles, representing the turning of the Sun. Further South in Wiltshire, England, the tradition of the Druids gathering at Summer Solstice at Stonehenge is one of the most famous events which still takes place at this time. Dressed in their white robes and holding staffs or torches, they gather before dawn to watch the sun rise one last time before the length of the days begins to wane. Even though this tradition is only just over a hundred years old and has its origins in Victorian romanticism, it has captured the imagination of the British people, with Stonehenge forever; though incorrectly, being associated with the Druids; the Celtic priesthood of ancient times. Summer Solstice, or Litha, is of course six months opposed to the Yule Festival at Winter Solstice, when in British tradition the Holly King is killed and replaced by his brother the Oak King. At this time the cycle continues with the rebirth of the Holly King; the god of the waning year from the Earth Goddess. The old Oak King is then slain by his brother, returning to the soil only to be reborn again at Winter Solstice. At this time the Earth Goddess dances in celebration at the Sun reaching its peak and the continuation of the cycle of life and death taking place in the fields:
Dance, Lady, dance – on the Oak King's tomb,
Where he lies half a year in thy quiet womb.
Dance, Lady dance – at the Holly King's birth,
Who has slain his twin for the love of Earth.
Dance, Lady dance – to the Sun God's power
And his touch of gold on field and flower.
Dance, Lady dance – with thy blade in hand,
That shall summon the Sun to bless they land.
Dance, Lady dance –in the Silver Wheel,
Where the Oak King rests, his wounds to heal.
Dance, Lady dance –for the Holly King's reign,
Til his Brother the Oak King shall rise again!
Bringing you closer to the Seasons
Make a Flower Crown
Sew a pretty felt flower crown or headband! You will need: - The flower templates The template sheet provided (click here to view, download and print the PDF) - Wool felt in assorted colours - Embroidery thread to match the felt - 1 metre ribbon - Sewing needles and pins - Sewing scissors or embroidery scissors (these are great for cutting out detailed felt shapes!) To make the floral crown: Use the flower templates to cut out the flower pieces from felt (see step 1 of the wreath tutorial - I’ve used different colours to make the crown, but you’ll need the same quantities as listed to create seven flowers).
Activity
Summer Reflections
As the nights shorten in the early days of sweet summertime, our focus is drawn to exploring the spaces between - the soft haze between spring and summer, the stunning flash of color between day and night (and night back to day again), the floral brambles between meadow and forest, and the ethereal spaces between worlds, between dreams.
Lifestyle
Strawberry Moon
JUNE 11, 2025
The sweetest full moon of the year is June’s full moon, commonly known as the Full Strawberry Moon. While the full moon itself is inedible, despite how round and delicious it may seem, the Full Strawberry Moon marks strawberry harvesting season in North America. Most Algonquin tribes understood that it was a sign that wild strawberries were starting to ripen and ready for the harvest. Delicious though ripe strawberries may be, June’s full moon has another name that’s even sweeter.
What could possibly be sweeter than strawberries? Try honey. In Europe, June’s full moon was actually known as the Honey Moon. Other European names for it included the Hot Moon, signifiying the beginning of hot summer days, or Hay Moon, because of the first hay harvest. Those names aside, European names for the Full Strawberry Moon overall tend to have sweet, romantic connotations - a good example is the name Full Rose Moon. June’s full moon is also called Mead Moon, which could refer to the mowing of meadows during summer, but there’s another more romantic interpretation as well.
In Europe, it’s traditional to gift mead or honey to a newlywed couple during their first moon of marriage. The name Honey Moon itself has now become a common word in the English language, used to refer to the honeymoon holiday that couples go on right after they’re married. It used to be that newlyweds in ancient Europe would go on a sweet romantic holiday around the time of June’s full moon, because the moon phases were seen as a symbol for the phases of a marriage, with the full moon signifying the fullest and happiest part, the wedding itself.
The Full Strawberry Moon is tied to romance and marital bliss all around the world. In India, for example, June’s full moon is celebrated as Vat Purnima, where married women perform a ceremonial ritual to show their love for their husbands. Vat Purnima is based off a legend from the Mahabharata, about a beautiful woman, Savitri, who is determined to save her husband, Satyavan, who is doomed to die an early death. Savitri fasts for three days before Satyavan dies, upon which she successfully negotiates with the King of Hell for the resurrection of her husband. Similarly, married women nowadays dress up in beautiful saris, fast, and tie a thread around a banyan tree seven times to wish that their husbands will lead long, happy lives.
It is no wonder, then, that the Pagans also call June’s full moon the Lovers’ Moon. This is an excellent time to work on the connections in your life, romantic or otherwise, by showing affection to your loved ones and allowing yourself to be vulnerable to encourage intimacy in your relationships. During this Honey Moon, some Hoodoo practitioners will even use honey in magic rituals to sweeten other people’s feelings towards the practitioner. An example of a sweetening ritual is to pour honey into a saucer containing the target’s name, before lighting a candle on top of it. Another example of a honey ritual is to tie two poppets together with honey between them, in order to heal a broken relationship between two people. Honey rituals aside, true magic may happen when you invest your time and effort during this month to work on your relationships and appreciate the love you have in your life.
Flower Moon
MAY 12, 2025
May is most notable for being the turning point in the year where temperatures rise and a vast variety of flowers come into full bloom, letting the world break out into a riot of color. As such, May’s full moon has come to be known as the Full Flower Moon. The Anishnaabe tribe also called it the Blossom Moon. In Northern America, you can expect to see flowers such as bluebells, sundrops, violets, and so on, as well as lush greenery to go with the blossoms. The Apache and Lakota peoples named May’s full moon the Green Leaves Moon, while the Mohawk tribe called it the Big Leaf Moon. But there is one specific plant that’s very important during the May season - and it is, in fact, not a flower.
This plant is corn, an important staple food for Northern American peoples. According to the Algonquin tribes, May’s full moon is the Corn Planting Moon. For Native American tribes, this is the perfect time for them to start preparing the fields for farming and sowing the seeds saved up from last year. Appropriately, the Abenaki culture refers to May’s full moon as the Field Maker Moon, while the Haida tribe calls it the Food Gathering Moon. Apart from corn, other foods such as beans, squash, and potatoes are planted during this time. The Cherokee tribe called May’s full moon the Anisguti Moon, or the Planting Moon, and would traditionally perform a Corn Dance during this period to encourage a fruitful corn harvest.
Due to the rising temperatures, the Full Flower Moon is also a time of heightened fertility. This is a good time for women to bear children in a warm, safe environment that would increase the chance of their survival. That’s why May’s full moon is also named Mother’s Moon, or Milk Moon, which could refer to breastfeeding or to the milking of cows. The latter interpretation is based off the Old English name Rimilcemona, or the Month of Three Milkings, referring to how this was a period where cows could be milked up to three times daily.
In other parts of the world, the Full Flower Moon is better known as Vesak or Buddha Day, the most significant celebration for Buddhists all around the world. On the first full moon of May, Buddhists commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha. Devout practioners are encouraged to renew their intention to adhere to sacred Buddhist principles, as well as refrain from all forms of killing and violence, including eating meat. Celebrations include giving charity to the poor, disabled, and otherwise marginalized groups in society. Depending on your location, you may witness the spectacular practice of releasing thousands of caged birds into the air as a symbolic gesture of liberation, though this tradition is illegal in countries such as Singapore because it may cause harm to local ecosystems.
Pagans, on the other hand, associate the Full Flower Moon with the element of fire, and thus often celebrate it by lighting bonfires and engaging in other magical fire rituals to bring prosperity. Powerful colors for the Full Flower Moon include fiery colors like red, yellow, and orange. This is a good time to tend your garden and let the seeds you’ve planted blossom - both literally and metaphorically. Cultivate your passions and desires, encourage them to burst forth into bloom, and you will be rewarded with abundance in various forms in your life.
