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Happy Summer Solstice!
June 21st is nearly upon us, which means we are about to arrive at the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Wiccan calendar, Summer Solstice is celebrated as one of the “Lesser Sabbats”, and is often referred to as Litha. In Pagan spirituality, this is the time when the Oak King sits comfortable on his throne, far from his counterpart the Holly King, Lord of Winter.
There is much to celebrate at Litha or Midsummer. The days are long, bringing us many hours of glorious light to spend out in nature, or celebrating with our family and friends. Summer Solstice was also traditionally a time of harvest, when the plentiful sun shone down on crops and helped them to thrive. There’s always a feeling of joy in the air during High Summer, as people make the most of the warm, light-filled days.
So how will you be celebrating Litha this year? We’ve put together some suggestions about how you can honour this sunny Sabbat, and pay your respects to the sun and Mother Nature.
Make a bonfire
As Litha is about honouring the sun, fire is the element for this time of year. Pagans would traditionally light ceremonial fires to celebrate the sun, and this ritual carries through to present day. Gather your loved ones for a party, light a big fire, and share gifts, food and stories. If you can’t light a fire where you live, then make do with candles, lanterns, or even sparklers.
Make a feast of seasonal food
Pagan culture is all about respecting the cycles of nature and the natural harvests that come with it. So what better way to celebrate high summer than making a delicious feast for your loved ones using traditional summery foods? Try vegetables like cucumber, corn, peppers and carrots; and fruits like strawberry, peaches, melons and citrus fruits. Make the most of the warm weather with fresh salads, cold juices, iced fruits and more. Use the gifts that Mother Nature generously grants in summer to bring family and friends together.
Decorate your altar
If you have an altar, you’re probably used to decorating it with different symbols and materials to honour the seasons. At Summer Solstice, bedeck your altar with seasonal plants (daisies, yarrow, foxglove, sage, marigold), and ritual summer colours like yellow, orange and gold. Crystals like carnelian, amber, and sunstone are also perfect for your Litha altar.
Perform water rituals
There’s no better time than High Summer to perform rituals that involve bathing in water. Head to the lake, the ocean, the river or swimming pool, and let the cool water be both a reprieve and complement to the summer sun. Sabbats are always a good time for cleansing and renewing, and water as an element is perfect for this purpose. Gathering dew on Midsummer morning and drinking it is also a powerful way to draw strength from water during the Solstice.
Energise your solar plexus
If you’re familiar with chakras, you’ll know that your solar plexus is the chakra that exists in the upper area of your stomach, near where your diaphragm rests. This chakra is normally depicted as yellow in colour, and as its name suggests, it’s related to the ‘solar’ energy of the sun. This makes Summer Solstice the perfect time to focus on and energise your solar plexus. The solar plexus is related to personal power, responsibility, discipline and decision-making. Perform a chakra healing or meditation, and focus on harnessing this energy to guide your year ahead.
Honour National Indigenous Peoples Day (Canada)
June 21st is also National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. A day to celebrate the culture and heritage of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, this date was specifically chosen because it coincides with the Summer Solstice. You can learn more about this celebratory day here, and find events near you to attend.
Simply get outside
Even if you don’t have the time or resources to celebrate in the above ways, Summer Solstice is the perfect opportunity to simply get outside—whether it’s for a few hours or a few minutes— and enjoy the fresh air and the light of the sun. Take a few moments to be grateful for the natural cycle of the year, the seasons, Mother Nature, and everything you’ve accomplished so far in the year.
Five Different Types of Witches (With Quiz!)
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you know that “witches” aren’t your typical crone-like figure riding a broomstick and cackling into the night (well, not always, anyway).
Witchcraft is a beautiful and spiritual practice that’s followed by people from all walks of life. And naturally, there are different “types” of witches, depending on what parts of the practice resonate with you most.
Some Wiccan practitioners believe there can be up to fifteen different types of witches, but here, we want to focus on five common types and what sets them apart. And after, you’ll have a chance to do a special quiz to determine what type of witch you are!
Green Witch
Green Witches are deeply connected to Mother Earth and the natural world. They worship trees, plants and flowers, and use botanicals heavily in their magical practice. In fact, Green Witches can actually be split further into two categories: Flora Witches (who favour the use of flowers in their magic) and Herb Witches (who favour the use of herbs).
Green Witches often choose to physically step out into nature to perform their magical rituals. They might head to the forest, the garden or even a special tree in the backyard. Many Green Witches look to the wisdom of the Druids for guidance, as these ancient Celtic leaders also had an affinity with trees and their spiritual power.
Green Witches might be interested in our Grimoire for the Green Witch, a treasury of magical information related to Green Witchcraft (please get in touch to request a copy if it’s sold out!)
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Kitchen Witch
Kitchen witches are sorceresses of the domestic sphere! While the kitchen and spiritual cookery form a large part of the Kitchen Witch’s practice, they’re not confined to the kitchen alone. They’ll engage in all kinds of practical magic related to the home, whether that’s protective spells and charms to make the home a sacred space, or rituals for cleaning and purification. Cooking-wise, Kitchen Witches are known for dishing up mindful recipes that enhance the body from the inside-out.
The thing that sets Kitchen Witches apart is that they focus on the practical elements of witchcraft, and are known for transforming the mundane into the magical.
Kitchen Witches might be interested in our Kitchen Witch’s Cookbook, full of bewitching recipes (please get in touch to request a copy if it’s sold out!)
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Hedge Witch
Hedge Witches are known for being able to communicate with the “Otherworld”, or the spirit realm. They balance the fine line between this world and the next, and are able to deliver messages from one to the other through their magical practice.
Hedge Witches are also associated with folk magic and healing. By using the power of the spiritual realm, Hedge Witches become powerful healers and advisors within their communities. They’re closely connected to shamans, and their rituals and techniques might reflect those of shamanic tradition.
Hedge Witches might be interested in our book, Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit (please get in touch to request a copy if it’s sold out!)
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Dianic Witch
Dianic Witches are full of feminine energy, centring their practice on the Goddess and all She implies. Traditionally, the Goddess is comprised of three parts - The Maiden, The Mother and The Crone - and Dianic Witches worship and embrace the Goddess in all her forms.
Dianic Witches are named after Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon and nature. However, it’s not Diana specifically that these Witches worship - rather, it’s the concept of the Goddess in Her purest and wholest form. Values that are key to Dianic Witchcraft are freedom, independence, healing and creativity. The moon and its cycles are also integral to Dianic practices.
Dianic Witches might be interested in our book, The Priestess and the Pen, all about spiritual women and their depiction in literature (please get in touch to request a copy if it’s sold out!)
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Eclectic Witch
True to their name, Eclectic Witches don’t confine themselves to one particular brand of witchcraft. They might choose to adopt bits and pieces of various crafts into their own, or they might simply call on their own intuition and personal power to guide their magical practice.
Eclectic Witches tend to be quite solitary, as they don’t have a traditional “community” of witches to join like the other branches of collective witchcraft. However, witchcraft, Neo-paganism and Wicca all tend to be quite welcoming communities, so Eclectic Witches will be able to find companions in the wider community if she desires!
Eclectic Witches might be interested in our book, Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (please get in touch to request a copy if it’s sold out!)
So, now that you know a little more about these five different types of witches, are you ready to take our quiz to find out which type you are? Let us know if your result seems accurate, and feel free to share with your friends!
WHAT TYPE OF WITCH ARE YOU?
We've also got a range of Pagan and Wiccan products to satisfy every type of witch. Take a look at our full Pagan range below!
View All Our Pagan and Wiccan Giftware
A Guide to Pagan Altars
The world of Wicca is wide and wonderful, and your personal altar is at the beating heart of your practice. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a newcomer to the Wiccan arts, your altar will play a vital role. And here at Dragonspace, we’re proud purveyors of the different elements that comprise a Wiccan altar.
An altar is a spiritual and personal space, so it should only be as elaborate as what suits you. Typically, an altar is a shelf or table laden with practical and symbolic tools for your Wiccan workings. However, if you’ve got limited space at home, your altar can be contained inside a box that’s packed and unpacked to suit your purpose. Some people even have seasonal altars that change with the Wheel of the Year, or a nature altar featuring treasures found on walks and adventures. You will know the intent behind your practice, and will understand what will work best for you.
Below is a list of typical objects found on an altar and the meaning behind them:
Altar Cloth
A cloth draped over your altar both adds a beautiful aesthetic and provides powerful symbolism. The colours and symbols of your cloth might correspond with your magical intent for that day - trees for nature-based magic, or pink for spells about self-love or relationships. Cloths also serve a functional purpose - to catch any slippery spills from candle wax or ceremonial oil. Our decorative sarongs in a range of patterns can double as perfect altar cloths.
Bell
A ceremonial bell is often used in ritual to mark the beginning or end of a practice, or important moments. They are also powerful cleansing tools, with a clear calming ring to rid your sacred space of any negative pre-existing energies. If your practice follows the elements, a bell can also symbolise air/wind.
Athame/Boline
There are two types of blades commonly used in Wiccan practice. The boline is traditionally used for physically cutting, e.g. herbs, or inscriptions on ceremonial candles. Its blade is curve-shaped like a crescent moon and can sometimes be referred to as the ‘white-handle knife’. The athame is a symbolic magical tool, used for directing energy during rituals. Its blade is pointed and double-edged and can sometimes be referred to as the ‘black-handle knife’. Some magical practices allow for the athame to be both a practical and symbolic tool, so that’s up to you to decide. You can etch or inscribe your Wiccan blades to suit your intention.
Crystal Ball
Crystal balls are powerful tools for clairvoyance and scrying. While the image of a fortune-teller crouched over a crystal ball seeing future scenes unfold is timeless, it’s not really accurate. Rather than showing fortunes like films, crystal balls are said to reflect unseen parts of the subconscious mind and inner psyche. Sometimes made of crystal minerals and sometimes of coloured glass, a crystal ball is a light, bright addition to your altar.
Goblets and Cauldrons
Many rituals will require a vessel or some kind, be it to carry potions, oils, incense, or even water for scrying. Cauldrons are an iconic image associated with witchcraft and can serve both magical and mundane purpose (they look fantastic on an altar!) Goblets and chalices can be used to hold drinkable liquids in ritual, such as sacred water or wine, and are also symbolic of the goddess’s womb.
Incense and Candles
Fire is a key part of elemental magic and manifests in burning incense, oils and candles. Specific aromas of incense and oil bear symbolic meaning - such as sage for cleansing and rose for love - and different coloured candles reflect the changing seasons, amongst other aspects of the natural world. See our full range of aromatic products here to find the right fit for your altar.
Symbols
There are many important motifs and icons that appear throughout Pagan ritual and ceremony. The pentacle is one of the most common - a five-pointed star that’s an amulet for protection and a depiction of the four orientations or elements, amongst other meanings. The triple goddess symbol is another key one, appearing as a triple moon representing the three stages of womanhood - maiden, mother and crone. Nature symbols are also abound in Pagan and Wiccan practice - from animal icons like crows and wolves to elemental symbols and the Tree of Life. Scatter these symbols on your altar as decorative items or powerful inscriptions on your practical tools.
Divinatory Tools
Your altar will also be the place for your divinatory tools, such as tarot and oracle cards, pendulums, runestones and more. Read more about divination at Dragonspace here.
Your Grimoire
And last but not least, your Grimoire or Book of Shadows will likely take pride of place on your altar - the home for your spells, potions, rituals, observations, insights and more. We’ve got a range of beautiful leather journals that would make for perfect Grimoires here, or read more about other creative and magical uses for our notebooks here.