Midsummer: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Litha

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials

by Deborah Blake

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials series explores the old and new ways of celebrating the seasonal rites that are the cornerstones in the witch's year. A well-rounded introduction to Midsummer, this attractive book features rituals, recipes, lore, and correspondences. It includes hands-on information for modern celebrations, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, invocations and prayers, and more!

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

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Deborah is the author of over a dozen non-fiction books on modern witchcraft and a tarot and oracle decks from Llewellyn. Her fiction includes the Baba Yaga series, The Broken Rider series, and the Veiled Magic series, and her cozy mysteries The Catskill Pet Rescue series (mostly from Berkley) as well as a few stand-alone novels.

Deborah lives in a 130 year old farmhouse in upstate NY with multiple cats. She believes in magic, laughter, chocolate, and wine. The order may change depending on the day.

Reviews

[Plateresca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect much from the series by this point, this being my last book of it, but it turned out to be one of the best. What I appreciated was that it has none of the stupidity some of the other booklets have (I found the Ostara one particularly infuriating).

I am not going to perform any of the rituals here word-for-word, but I did get enough ideas for an appropriate celebration, and I think there's just enough information here for anybody to come up with a more or less busy plan (mine is busy, since Litha is a good time to harvest herbs, and I do grow quite a number of them, - but I knew that already).

I really appreciated that all of the recipes are seasonal, and most of them are vegetarian or vegan.

Upd: But one does have to check everything in these books! The Feast of Cerridwen is, obviously, on the 3rd of July and not on the 13th as in the book. This is most probably a typo, but still.

[Nika ;) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 gwiazdki ⭐
Wiele przydatnych informacji. Wiele stron pomijałam, bo mnie nie interesowały, trochę się nudziłam, ale zamierzam skorzystać z wielu rytuałów podczas tegorocznego sabatu Litha.

[Rev. Ravyn Onca · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some beautiful meditations and wonderful lists of Midsummer correspondences here. Well worth a quick read-through.

[Jillyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in Llewellyn's new "Sabbat Essentials" is Midsummer. Midsummer, or Litha, is one of the four sun-associated holidays on the Wheel of the Year, and is otherwise known as the summer equinox. This is the day where the sun shines the longest. Like its predecessors, this reference book is in a very easy navigate format, with just six simple chapters: Old Ways, New Ways, Spells & Divination, Recipes & Crafts, Prayers & Invocations, and Rituals of Celebration.

The Old Ways section of this books goes discusses the history of the holiday and how it was celebrated by different cultures, including communicating with fairies and bonfires. The New Ways section that follows includes how to celebrate in a modern setting, whether you're out in the country or in a big city, and also includes descriptions of different pagan paths and how they may celebrate Midsummer.

There are two chapters, Spells & Divination and Prayers & Invocations, that discuss how to pray, meditate, and cast spells. Some of the ones included in Midsummer include Modern Tarot Divination as well as Herbal Spells and Charms. The following chapter has to do with recipes and crafts, and includes things such as Ale for the Gods Bread, Cherries Jubilation Fruit Soup, Viking Boats, and Cinnamon Brooms. These are easy to follow instructions that even beginners and those who aren't so crafty (like myself) can follow along. There's also a list of rituals, additional readings, and a cheat sheet for facts about the sabbat.

This book blends in well with the rest in its series, and is something I'd recommend more to new pagans than old practitioners. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Read. Got me in the mood for Litha. Just got Lughnasah in the mail today too! sweet.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the ones I've read so far (Ostara & Beltane), this one is my least favorite. While all of the books in this series are a bit repetitive, this one seemed more so. I didn't connect with the content as much, unfortunately. It was just okay. I enjoyed the Crystal Spell & the Prayer for Energy.

[Monica Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough! I didn't realize all of the flower and herbal significance associated with midsummer. Love the recipes, and will have to try some of the sweet treats!

[The Mad Mad Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one but an easy one to write about! Happy to have completed the series and will refer to them throughout the year.

[Chiara Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love llewellyn's sabbat books, they give you all the information that you need as a "beginner" they also inspire you and support you in inventing your own craft this one as well! I'm so excited for litha!
5 stars out of 5

[Myz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pas le pire de la série mais pas franchement mémorable.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be read at Witch, Wine & Words.

This book was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve not been impressed so far with the books Llewellyn has put out on the Wheel of the Year. After reading Everyday Witchcraft by this same author, I had higher hopes for Midsummer than maybe I would have otherwise. In some ways, I think having a different author was a huge improvement over the book on Beltane. In other ways, the pervading thought was that Llewellyn needs to take their fingers out of the editing pot on these and let the authors do their jobs. One of the major issues I had with Beltane is still front and center here.

All of these thoughts were coming to me before I was even 10% of the way through the book. So I’m not spending valuable time here covering the same old issues, I’m just going to highlight the biggest one: repetition. You can only put the same information into so many boxes (and so many books) before eyes start to glaze over.

One other thing I think that interfered with my enjoyment of the book wasn’t a failure on Llewellyn’s part, but a failure in my reading order. I had just finished reading through The Great Work by Tiffany Lazic when I started reading Midsummer. Ultimately, this one felt . . . like perhaps it (and the other books in this series) should be used in conjunction with The Great Work – at least by the more seasoned practitioner.

But, it’s in the content itself where the differences between the author’s really begin to show up. There is a lot of information available on how people of different walks can celebrate Midsummer here. It’s not limited to just that, though. If you don’t have a specific path or system of celebration, there are also plenty of simple, more general options included with the foundational information that even the barest newsbie to the Wheel could use.

No matter how familiar you already are with Midsummer lore and celebration, you’re sure to find something new here. Whatever your approach is, be it spiritual, crafty, or kitchenry, there’s something in this book for you to try.

Midsummer is truly going to be a magickal experience for anyone who reads this book!

[Lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Netgalley for a review:

Back when I was a practicing Pagan, I found celebrating the Sabbats one of the most frustrating and enjoyable things, frustrating because trying to find information on them were a giant pain! All the books I read had conflicting information about why they were celebrated, how to do it, what rituals, what invocations...I often found myself saying...you know, one book covering the entire event would be super useful right now.

And voila! Here is a whole book series devoted to the Sabbats, this one specializing on the summer solstice. It is quite informative and a very valuable resource, I can see this fitting quite nicely in any Witch's library!

Also, it is a whole book devoted to the Sabbat, including recipes, rituals, a little bit of everything, it is not just some chapter in a book or a webpage, just think of all the useful things you can incorporate into your first day of summer!

[Sofia Leão · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! The best in the collection, of all I've read so far. It brings a multicultural perspective on how Midsummer has been celebrated through the centuries and ties it in with the present, with lots of good ideas on how to incorporate traditions and symbols into modern-day practice, while presenting great recipes, crafts, and small rituals that are perfect to celebrate the beginning of Summer.

The chapters are very well organized and hold important info. No unnecessary 'junk' is thrown in just to fill the number of pages, which can't be said for some of the other books in the same collection.

As I read it I took many notes, which is always a very good sign for me, it also gave me LOTS of ideas on how to celebrate it on my own.

There are a few minor mistakes in the book, but nothing too bad.

[Raven Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource if you’re looking for ideas on celebrating the summer solstice. As always, this series is a must for anyone interested in learning the wheel of the year. The recipes in this one were interesting( fruit soup? Who knew!) and the focus varied enough to cover a variety of focuses at this time of the year. I can’t wait to include some of the ideas into our celebrations this year!

[Rachel Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Midsummer and how it was and should be celebrated. I highly recommend this book.

[Lunka · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Żyj w zgodzie z Kołem Roku i w pełni korzystaj z tego, co daje ci natura.”

Seria „Sabaty” w nowym wydaniu? A i owszem. Wydawnictwo Kobiece podjęło się nowego wydania popularnej serii, za co będą wdzięczne wszystkie okładkowe sroki. [współpraca reklamowa z @wydawnictwo.kobiece]

Czym więc jest seria? Na chwilę obecną są to najbardziej prawilne i jedyne pozycje, które całościowo opisują poszczególne pogańskie święta, głównie opierając się na wicca, mimo tego, że starają się opisywać podejście czy genezę świąt w poszczególnych grupach, takich jak np. Celtowie, Barbarzyńcy, neopoganie, wiccanie czy druidzi.

Każda pozycja na początku ma to samo wprowadzenie, mówiące o Kole Roku i stosunku neopogan do niego. Z reguły strony średnio podoba mi się takie powielanie informacji, aczkolwiek jest ono samo w sobie krótkie (ma około dziesięciu stron), a i osoby, które mają już te informacje przyswojone z innych tomów, mogą pominąć fragment książki. Plusem tego właśnie wprowadzenia, które pojawia się na początku każdego tomu, jest to, że książki można czytać niezależnie od siebie – można zacząć od któregokolwiek z sabatów, a nie pominie się tych ważnych, podstawowych informacji. Zabieg ten finalnie oceniłabym na plus.

Po wprowadzeniu przechodzimy przez poszczególne etapy w każdym ze świąt, zaczynając od starych praktyk przez nowe praktyki, zaklęcia i wróżby, receptury i rękodzieło, modlitwy i wezwania, rytuały świąteczne, aż po pojęcia związane z danym sabatem, któremu książka jest poświęcona. Otrzymujemy także wytypowane polecane lektury, do których można zajrzeć i uzupełnić swoją wiedzę.

Jeśli zaś chodzi konkretnie o recenzowany aktualnie tom... „Litha. Rytuały, przepisy i zaklęcia na przesilenie letnie” to książka autorstwa Deborah Blake, w której opisany jest sabat Litha, nazywany również Przesileniem Letnim, Nocą Świętojańską i Nocą Kupały. Jest to święto ognia, słońca, szczodrości ziemi. Litha ma miejsce 20-21 czerwca.

Zawsze czekamy na jakiś dobry moment na wprowadzenie zmian, szukamy punktu zaczepienia. Dlaczego nie zagłębić się w to wszystko bardziej i nie spróbować żyć w zgodzie z naturą? Litha to najlepszy moment na odprawienie rytuałów związanych z miłością, płodnością i dobrobytem. Jest to również czas praktykowania zielonej magii. Wznieśmy prośby o dobrobyt, niech wszechświat nas usłyszy!

Książka ma charakter zarówno teoretyczny, jak i praktyczny. Dowiadujemy się, jak dawniej obchodzono święto Litha i jak celebruje się je w czasach teraźniejszych, jaki związek ma Litha z innymi świętami. Otrzymujemy również wiele ciekawostek, rytuałów i zabiegów magicznych, pozwalających nam na rozbudzenie w sobie wszystkiego, co najlepsze. W książce pojawiają się przykładowo: medytacje miłości, modlitwy o energię i uzdrowienie, modlitwy o inwencję twórczą i miłość.

Moim faworytem zawsze są wątki kulinarne w takich pozycjach. W książce znajdziemy letnie przepisy i receptury kulinarne związane ze świętem Litha oraz pomysły na letnie projekty, które pozwolą wyrazić siebie i uwolnić swoje emocje. Autorka podaje nam przepisy na letnie potrawy i przekąski, np. na sałatkę letniej obfitości, pieczywo bogów, zupy owocowe i wakacyjne wino! Dodatkowo dla fanów rękodzieła znajdą się różne inspiracje, pozwalające uwolnić swoją twórczość.

W książce opisane zostały rytuały świąteczne zarówno dla osób, które praktykują w pojedynkę, jak i dla kowenu czy innej większej grupy. Na samym końcu książki pojawia się zbiór pojęć związanych z Lithą - spis powiązanych motywów, działań, bóstw, kolorów, ziół, kwiatów i drzew, zwierząt, kryształów, stworzeń magicznych i symboli, co pozwala uporządkować swoją wiedzę.

Moim zdaniem, dla współczesnej wiedźmy, która pragnie praktykować czarostwo, jest to pozycja must have. Seria „Sabaty” jest trochę jak lektura obowiązkowa w szkole.

Za egzemplarz do recenzji dziękuję Wydawnictwu Kobiecemu.

[Hege · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book have some cute ideas for Litha, and it wasn’t *bad*, but there was nothing in-debt that makes it too interesting for non-beginners, and way too little info for beginners.

I like when witchcraft books goes over the top on warning about environmental hazards. This one doesn’t. It says to use glitter outside without pointing out it should be biodegradable. It also says to not through styrofoam in the ocean, but suggest throwing in ribbons. It also said to pick a birds egg from the ground at take it to your alter, but some birds ground-nests…

I was also uncomfortable with the suggestion to randomly pray to gods you’re not at all familiar with.

Overall the book is very very Wiccan, which would be totally fine of course - had they not also put in gods and goddesses from a bunch of different pantheons

Some suggested spells didn’t really seem to be for anything. “midsummer is perfect for doing spells for no other purpose than to celebrate the bounty and glory of nature, the joys of family an friends and the light of the summer sun above” spells to celebrate? Maybe try to offer in gratitude instead. There was nothing about how spells work, just chuck some ingredients in the water and say the water is sacred - literally

I guess spell is here used for anything spiritual, like reciting a poem to the rising sun and offering it incense

Also it mentioned St. John’s wort without mentioning please never use it if you use other medication as it might interfere with it. Check with your doctor first please.

I still give it three stars as a collection of IDEAS that I hope people will do further research on rather than taking this one source’s word for it

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has traditionally not leaned over heavy into Midsummer Celebrations, I appreciated this compendium. I do like the way this series of books organizes their information, I find it accessible, easy to flip through, and usually an enjoyable cover to cover read.

I've only read the Ostara book in as much detail, but this felt balanced to me. I appreciate the different types of ritual, and various ways to harness the sun's energy. I do think it greatly favors those who have access to safe outside space (fair enough), but some more detailed inside alternatives would have been appreciated.

I think an angle I would have liked covered is that some pagan groups will see this as a season focused on the benefits of leaning into "masculine" or "yang" power, and how to honor that sort of thing in yourself if that's something you buy into.

Finally, as I think most mass-market pagan books should, it does make the rituals accessible to people of varying economic levels, and states that all ingredients aren't necessarily needed to have a meaningful celebration.

Overall, great inspiration and jumping off points for mundane and spiritual ways to honor this time of year, and I'm looking forward to reading the Lughnasadh book next. 🌞

[Aneta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am furious about this book. The beautiful traditions and customs associated with this holiday, which occurs in many cultures, were treated terribly superficially. This book had the opportunity to be one of the better ones in the series and so far it is the worst.
The lack of proper source searches and the author's vast ignorance is appalling. I don't know if this is due to ignorance or the format of the book, but it still doesn't excuse so many errors that appeared in this volume. If someone wants to write about European customs let them prepare properly. For example, Kupala Night (Noc Kupały) is not just a Russian holiday. Almost every Slavic country celebrated this holiday in similar forms but with local elements. And this is just one of the many errors and illogical explanations that appear in this book.
With the current technology in translation, it is not a problem to get the right knowledge to deepen a topic. But it is better to go for the easy way and take what is easily available and everyone more or less knows it and create something very shallow without in-depth reflection.

[Bravebook · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Litha" to kolejna książka z serii Sabaty, tym razem jest poświęcona przesileniu letniemu. Oprócz obłędnego wydania zawiera sporo informacji i to właśnie o nie chodzi 😁

Autorka przybliża czytelnikom tradycje związane ze świętem przesilenia letniego, które panowały kiedyś, które panują obecnie i odwołuje się do różnych zakątków świata 😁

Jak zwykle przedstawione zostały bóstwa i symbole związane z tym sabatem, rytuały, zaklęcia, przepisy kulinarne oraz wiele elementów obchodów tej wyjątkowej, najkrótszej w roku nocy 😃

Warto spędzić ją w otoczeniu natury, jeśli jest taka możliwość i czerpać tego dnia ile tylko się da energii ze słońca.

W książce znajduje się bardzo wiele ciekawostek, które mogą spodobać się tym, którzy dopiero zaczynają poszukiwanie wiedzy o tym święcie jak i chcą sobie ją tylko poszerzyć.

Dla początkujących osób, które chcą zgłębić tego typu praktyki znajdzie się tu mnóstwo inspiracji, więc warto wtedy szczególnie rozważyć lekturę tej książeczki 😁

Mi się szalenie podoba pomysł na tę serię i już wyczekuję kolejnej książki, dotyczącej sabatu, który będzie się odbywać w sierpniu 😃

[Tiffany Spencer]

Midsummer
Unfortunaely in this one there just wasn’t a lot of interesting things to comment on. Nothing stood out to me in the old ways, the new ways, or the recipes. There were a few crafts hat sounded interesting. There was a boat you could make and to the boat you could attach your goals and plans and have them “sail” forward (or put them in motion I guess). There was also a cinnamon broom. I’d be afraid that the smell of it tho might attract bugs thinking they’d found food in your room. Decoratively it would be unique and useful to “sweep away negative energy when the people who enter. The most interesting was a dream pillow to aid in visionsin dreams. My best friend and I use to say it would be cool if there were dream pillows. Ours though recorded dreams. And played them back. With all the talk of this month and the events like bonfires and picnics and cookouts and as COOOLD as it’s been Im really wishing for the warmer days spoken of in this book. ‘

Rating: 5

[Gema (gemaspring_) · Rating 4 out of 5]

No ha sido mi favorito de los que he leído de esta colección. Quizás se me ha hecho repetitivo y me han faltado ideas en comparación a los otros, o así lo he sentido yo. No se. Aún así me ha gustado y he recopilado las suficientes como para poder llevar a cabo esta festividad con los conocimientos suficientes.

Además el solsticio o San Juan es muy celebrado en Galicia, España lo que complementa a su vez lo aprendido en el libro. Me ha gustado ver como se celebra dicho sabbat en otros puntos del mundo, pero me ha faltado una vez más que se mencione a España, tierra donde tenemos bastante cultura y tradición pagana (en Galicia en concreto por nuestros antepasados celtas).

De nuevo, lo recomiendo. Son libros que disfruto mucho leer; pero es inevitable conectar más o menos con algunas festividades.

[Basia Pawluk · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s my third read from the series and I think it’s the best one so far. Ostara was good, but the part with handmade things was a bit too much for me. Beltane was quite boring, focused too much on festivals in the US. Litha on the other hand, had plenty information about its history and origin, a few recipes and a few ideas for handmade things. I think it’s a pretty good balance, since those books are just a small grasp into the pagan history. The only “flaw” in my opinion is the ritual with elves - I’m not an expert of any kind but I know that kids are unexpected and sometimes disrespectful. Involving them in the ritual with elves might not be a great idea, because those beings ought to be treated with respect.

[Adrian Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 5th of the 8 books in this informative series I've read; I'm trying to read each one by the Sabbath\Esbat. The Midsummer book, written by Deborah Blake (each book is written by a different practicioner), was my favorite one so far and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is that laid back subject material (having a summer get-together outside feels more chill than other holiday preparations), or the way Blake writes, but this short reference book got me truly excited about the summer...and increasing my love for the beautiful surrounding force of Mother Nature! I look forward to rereading this series throughout the years and further developing my craft and reverence.

[Anna (Bananas) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books in this series are quick, light reads but maybe too light. I’m getting a lot more substance and heart from another Sabbats book I’m reading, Missing Witches: Recovering the True Histories of Feminist Magic. That being said, what I did like about this book was the history, the recipes, and the crafts. There’s always something to take from these and I actually enjoyed the writing in this one more than the other I read. Just not enough depth here for what I’m looking for.

[Autumn]

I think this has been my favorite of the Sabbat books so far. It gave good information and wasn't super witchy. It seemed balanced in the traditions mentioned and the rituals were simple and most could fit into any practice. I've felt disconnected before at how witchy they are when I'm a polytheist trying to honor my gods, not quite a witch, but this one had info and rituals that were much broader in who they can work for. The author also gave suggestions for what doesn't have to be included to personalize rituals to what the reader is looking for/needs/can do, which was fantastic.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who does not practice Wicca-type ritual, about 1/3 of the book is useless to me, but I'm sure it's quite useful to someone else. I find this series very useful for a quick reminder of the "reason for (each) season" and helping set the mood when I make holiday plans. They are not perfect references, but they are very good starting points.

[ᛗichelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book with helpful correspondence. I found that this book tells you what to do, but very little of why you should do it. It lists ritual and prayer with no backbone. Although I did find it very cute and inclusive, adapting the celebrations for children.
The rune anzus is listed instead of the intended fehu on page 75 which can be confusing.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Deborah Blake's writing style. And I really enjoyed this book. I've never celebrated Midsummer/Litha before and never gave it much thought, but I'm looking forward to using some of the ideas in this book to honor this time of year.

[Hollidaisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a quick read and is organized well so that you can hunt down what you are looking for. I won't do everything step-by-step as it is in the book because I am not a beginner, but I did get some great ideas and the recipes are good in this one.