Midsummer: Magical Celebrations of the Summer Solstice

Holiday Series

by Anna Franklin

Celebrate Midsummer-A Day of Warmth and Light,
A Night of Fairy Folk and Magic

Midsummer is one of the most ancient, widespread, and joyful Pagan festivals. The sun rises to the height of its power on the summer solstice, and Midsummer Eve is filled with fairy mischief and magic. Anna Franklin reveals the origins and customs of this enchanting holiday

·Myths and The gods and goddesses of Midsummer, rolling wheels, the Midsummer tree, circle dancing, and torchlight processions
·Midsummer magic and Fairy contact, spells, empowering magical tools with solstice sun energy, Midsummer Eve pillow divination
·Traditional summertime Elderflower Fritters, Gooseberry Fool, Coamhain Soup, Strawberry Wine, Heather Ale, Clary Sage Tea
·Seasonal Rite of the Oak King and the Holly King, Cornish Flower Ritual, Witch Rite for Midsummer Day, Drawing Down the Sun
·Midsummer herb Gathering and drying herbs for magical oils, incenses, inks, and teas; herb recipes, from Amun Ra to Sun Goddess Oil
·
First Runner Up for the 2003 Coaltion of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for Best Non-fiction Book

Genres: Paganism, Spirituality, Wicca, Witchcraft, Religion, Nonfiction, Summer

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Anna Franklin is a Pagan priestess author and illustrator who writes about Paganism, herb cunning, the Craft, and tarot. She runs the Hearth of Arianrhod, which offers an Open Circle, courses, small local Pagan camps and the large Mercian Gathering. Anna lives in an English village with her partner John, their cats and chickens.

Reviews

[MaggiCat Harris]

3.5 stars. Sections include:

- The Origin of the Midsummer Celebration
- Midsummer Customs
- Ancient Themes for Modern Pagans
- Midsummer Magic & Divination
- Midsummer Herb Craft
- Traditional Midsummer Recipes (short and just okay material)
- Midsummer Rituals (not my cup of tea but I’m not a ritualistic practitioner)
- Appendix 1 (covers animal totems)
- Appendix 2 (calendar of summer solstice and saint celebrations from June 1 - July 7)
- Appendix 3 (Midsummer correspondences)
- Appendix 4 (gods and goddesses of Midsummer)
- Appendix 5 (sun symbols)
- Glossary

Overall, I wasn’t surprised about anything I read but this isn’t my first Litha. I think it’s a great source for pagans and I’ve dog-eared the pages to the herbs chapter for quick reference.

[Susan]

This is probably my least favorite of this series of books on the Sabbats. It seemed to lack the “fun” that some of the others had. It does have interesting information about Midsummer, including its history, and there are a few recipes and some rituals, but the rituals are designed more for covens rather than solitaries, which is a tad disappointing. Still, it’s a nice book to have for anyone’s library, whether they are a pagan, witch, Wiccan, or anybody who is interested in the subject.

[Heather Adkins]

Great background info on the holiday, as well as fantastic recipes for both food and incense/oils/etc, but I was a little let down because there was not a single solitary ritual. All her suggested rituals were for covens.

[Becky]

This book had a lot of interesting historical information, along with many spells and recipes for food, incense, and oils. It also has an extensive list of herbs and uses, which I greatly enjoyed reading.

However, it did not offer much that I could add to my practice as a solitary witch.

[Kiara]

got some fun new celebration ideas!! ☀️💐🧚🏻✨

[Liko]

I had fun

[Julie Decker]

A collection of Litha/Midsummer information, including lore and history, symbolism, rituals, spells, and recipes. Since Midsummer is supposed to be a time when faeries might visit, there is also some faery lore, plus some instructions on making certain magical tools. Group rituals are featured with different focuses (including handfasting--this is a special time to join romantic couples and celebrate union). It's primarily just an overview, and it has no specific rituals for people who prefer to celebrate alone. A decent collection of associated information, and well organized.

[Swankivy]

Read because of the proximity of summer solstice; this was a collection of lore, recipes, spells, and whatnot about this time of year, helped me to prepare for my celebration.

[Bladestryke]

A great book filled with lots of information. Easy to read and set up in sections that are easy to reference a must if your studying the turn of the wheel!