Abundance, Gratitude, and Litha
Small plants, leaves and buds,
growing in the soil.
O fiery sun, may your rays of
light and warmth
bless us with abundance,
and allow these plants to blossom
with life.
Written by -AgaNina
Litha Is upon us, bringing us midsummer. The sun is shining bright in the sky and it is the longest period the sun will be out in our 24-hour day cycles of the year. The spring has brought us such bounty as it awakens the Earth. What a beautiful thing. Being children from the earth, the energy and power of the sun awakens the fire within ourselves. It can fill us with optimism and fulfillment if we let it. We are no longer hiding from the cold winter air outside. We can get out, soak up that vitamin D, and feel the full energy coming into our souls.
The word Litha comes from Old English origins of the word Lipa which means gentle or calm. Also called midsummer, During ancient times, it was strongly connected to agricultural societies and their reliance on the sun’s power needed for growing crops. During this time, the power of the sun was celebrated throughout many communities with feasting, dancing, creating music, and expressing gratitude for nature's abundance. An abundant harvest brings forth protection and health for the living throughout the summer and the fall.
Litha is part of the wheel of the year. It represents the change in the seasons from cold and dark to warm and bright, marking the beginning of summer and the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In modern spiritual practices, it is a great time to celebrate Freyr, the fertility god, to make connections and bring forth new ideas and traditions into our personal lives.
In other ancient religions, some of them Christian, some of them not, see a changing relationship between the God (masculine energy) and the Goddess (feminine energy). She has developed a child inside of her during the Summer Solstice and God is at his most virile which means having strength, energy, and a strong sex drive. It is the circle of life at its most basic form in which the masculine virility is at its utmost and the feminine fertility is at its most conceivable. Adding to this perspective, the feminine energy of the earth is fertile as she comes out of winter hibernation.
The masculinity of the sun warms the ground in the spring, creating nutrients in the soil, providing the fuel for the soil. The power of the sun and the fertility of the earth is in its ripest form in preparation for the process of creating crops to grow in abundance, filled with nutrients for those who consume them, creating more power and energy for those that reap her bounty.
It is important to remember and understand what the power of the sun can do for us in our modern times. The energy provided by the sun brings great abundance to everything. It brings positive outlooks, creates natural vitamin D, and provides warmth and fuel for our crops and the world's plant life. It helps us invoke our energy more powerfully when working with the earth, working with air, and working with water. The Sun is symbolized as the element of fire. Heading south in our elemental star, represents creation, light, and purification. However, fire can also be seen as a destructive force. For example, from the destruction of a wildfire, but that can create rebirth. A fresh start on the canvas we call life.
This powerful energy is the gift of life. It affects everything that is living and will soon be living. We can embrace everything it brings us physically, mentally, and spiritually. What better way to celebrate this gift of life, than to show our gratitude? For us as humans to show our gratitude for this abundance, first we need to show gratitude for ourselves. Let’s start with self-care.
During the winter months, we tend to get a little lazy. It’s cold outside, we don't spend as much time with nature as we do during the summer. We spend less time trying to connect with it. As children who are created from the Earth, we must be able to reground and get back in tune with it.
Some examples of self-care in the spirit of Litha are things like taking the time to meditate, feeling the ground, as well as the air around us, and creating a ritual or a daily routine. Self-care can be as simple as writing a short journal entry every day about the abundance we recognize in our lives. Or eating freshly picked raspberries.
It can also include creating a daily routine or working on goals you have set for yourself during the new year. Like spending time in a garden, spending time with our animals, going hiking, and eating fruits and vegetables that are in season in greater quantities. These are all great ways to show both gratitude and self-care.
By showing we care for ourselves and by embracing these self-care habits we receive greater blessings. When I started my journey under the wing of Siagm Wylder, she told me when we met, I was just a pale kid sitting at a table. I was hunched over, lacking energy or even a real will to live fully. As she showed me different ways of being I began my own journey, embraced it, and began evolving and integrating.
I started glowing. I had color back in my face. I had a more inviting energy. My eyes were the bluest that she had ever seen, awe!! That type of burning energy within ourselves radiates outside and makes a positive impact on the world. It shows. It is felt both within ourselves and within those around us..
It is important to have gratitude for ourselves, it radiates to everyone and everything around us. In a way it pays positive energy forward and lifts us to greater physical, mental, and spiritual heights. What is gratitude though, really? I like to use the 4 A’s: appreciation, approval, admiration, and attention. We recognize the blessings brought to us from the universe or others.
I like to look at this as blessings bestowed upon us, through the resulting positive feelings practicing gratitude generates. Feeling the energy of our blessing is the difference between imagining what it is to ride a bike versus that feeling of empowerment when we ride a bike and feel the wind on our faces.
The feelings we get from genuinely embracing gratitude can be truly amazing and life-changing. We then have greater clarity of thought and physical and spiritual motivation, we have more energy to utilize for sending out positive intentions and self-care. Our subconscious is also able to generate this positive energy. Energy that we are not even aware of.
If we reject ourselves, we reject or ignore the blessings only we can receive. Everything becomes more difficult, casting blame becomes the norm as we reject who we are and the beauty that comes from being exactly what we have been given. This kind of pride and ego is the kind when we are ignoring the universe in all her wisdom, who and what she has given us and made us.
We develop into selfish, self-loathing individuals who often feel alone and unappreciated by others. That will close us off from both the infinite power and purpose of the masculine and feminine divine. It becomes almost impossible to gain or receive anything we ask for. We are no longer able to acknowledge all that can and does enrich our lives. We struggle with mental, emotional, and spiritual blocks that begin creating imbalance in our lives.
When we show our thanks to ourselves and others, we tend to open ourselves up to infinite possibilities. We suddenly find ways we can effortlessly help others in need. We begin to experience both the masculine and feminine divine. Often, when we find this balance we discover and receive blessings that have been available the whole time.
It shows the universe and the divine that we have so much more than our positive affirmations, big and small, we have the capability of creating change for the greater good. Our fertility to bring these about will only grow. As we gain and continue to show gratitude, we are casting out old energy and making a safer and happier life not only for us, but for everyone.
During the summer months, when the sun is the most powerful, the most fulfilling, and the strongest, it is important we develop a daily practice of gratitude. Once it’s time for the winter to come, we are able to hold onto those blessings to keep us warm, comfortable, and safe through the winter months. We focus on self-care and regenerate for the next summer season.
We spend those months often with family through holidays without the drama or pain that is often felt during those lonely months. The sun still shines, it is just sometimes shielded from our eyes and thoughts but that energy will keep us strong while we essentially hibernate with the bears. Also, it allows us to accept new abundance and bounties through the winter with warm hearts.
SFW: A few ways we can show a daily gratitude in our lives:
The power of natural elements: Take moments to feel the power of the natural elements such as the sun, the earth, the sky, and the evening moon and stars. This helps us put our focus on our feelings of joy, contentment, and love.
Grounding: No matter what, we always have a way to maintain a closeness with the earth and its ability to steady us through any ordeal or trial. This is a way of coming back to zero since none of us can remain in that state indefinitely or we would be enlightened, maybe perfect.
One thing is true, stagnation is death. Dirty water, un-tilled or uncared-for earth, and rotting plants are just a few ways we recognize this truth regarding stagnation. Being at zero, as we like to call it, is the power of zero. Being able to ground, or be at zero is always there, the power of zero is your power to surrender and accept whatever reality has dealt you.
Self-Care: Ritualistic habits that promote a healthy diet, positive attitudes, and a quiet mind. The things I’ve listed in this list are all ways to embrace self-care. The elements, grounding, meditation, and celebrations.
Prayer and Daily Meditation: Focus on those blessings, ideas, and messages that the universe has brought to your attention. Notice how they make you feel, and send your intentions of thanks out into the world and the universe. Active thinking, like sending out hope and love are all ways to pray.
Clearing the mind and surrendering who you’ve been, what you want, or who you want to be is part of a daily meditation practice. It might be driving you crazy, the lack of health, the lack of funds, or loved ones in your life but the universe usually has a reason and the best thing we can do is surrender our own agendas and thoughts on these things and have faith that in doing so all will be well.
Celebrate: Celebrate milestones and accomplishments! Practice staying present with everything that comes your way. Show people you love them and want to celebrate them as well. Take joy in things as simple as making it through the day, a week, or a year. Take joy in what you overcame, who you loved, what you’ve learned. Celebrate your accomplishments big and small. It makes life worth living!
This sabbat on the wheel of the year is very powerful. It is very positive and full of enrichment. Showing our gratitude for this we create a more peaceful and rewarding time for yourself and everything/everyone around you. With this peace, life tends to thrive and will create a bounty that is the richest, tastiest, and most rewarding. If we take the time within the busy hustle of our lives to just live, reflect, and encourage those around us, great blessings will become available, and we will be on the path of fulfillment, abundance, and infinite possibilities for greatness in our lives and the lives of others.
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