The Gardens of Iris: Litha Magick
If Winter's cloak is woven from shadows and night, then Midsummer's is adorned with fire, ferns, and rainbow-colored lace. Also known as Litha, the Summer Solstice arrives when the sun reaches its zenith and enters the constellation of Cancer (around June 21st in the Northern Hemisphere). Traditionally, June is a busy month for land tenders and lovers, but the Summer Solstice invites people to pause.
Our ancestors believed that during the Summer Solstice, the sun stood still. And when time stands still, pleasure rises to the surface of our sun-kissed skin.
Perhaps this is the reason summer is the most popular season for weddings. In days past, people planned handfastings for Midsummer nights. While newlyweds made vows, the bees courted the flowers, and the gardeners romanced the earth. Even today, summer is a season of romance.
This week, held by your summer intentions, join us as we summon all that is growing. We’re decorating our altar with symbols of joy, increase, and creativity. We're bidding farewell to our faded springtime frocks and opting for a blooming, red robe. Together, we wave 'hello' to Apollo, the golden god in his equally radiant chariot. With his daytime journey on hiatus, Apollo reaches down to straighten our collar and motions to the hem framing our face. For the first time, we notice stories in the stitching, shimmering and impossibly intricate. Apollo beams.
“Fingerprints left by the goddess Iris,” he says. “She's waiting for you in the garden.”
The gardens of Iris are not like Aphrodite's. There are no roses or thorns, and instead, rows of delicate blooms line our path. Iris's flowers appear both wilted and reaching, their petals stained in every shade of red, pink, purple, yellow, orange, white, blue, and black.
According to Floriography, Irises bloom according to our valor, wisdom, and faith. Planting them around your home is a spell for hope, much like spotting a rainbow amidst stormy skies.
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