Happy Summer Solstice/Litha to all in the Northern Hemisphere and Happy Winter Solstice/Yule to all in the Southern Hampshire!

Monday, June 20, 2016: The moon is full in the zodiac sign Sagittarius until entering Capricon at 7.55 AM EST.

Element: Earth
Color: Ivory
Incense: Lily (see below for magical uses)

Activity:

• A great time for sport and adventure
• Tackle things that need improvement
• Plant potatoes and tubers
• Trim to retard growth

Herbal Magic – Lily

Lily (Lilium sp.) Some are poisonous

Deities: Juno, Kwan Yin, Nepthys, Venus

Planet: Moon (Fertility, Healing, Peace, Prophetic Dreams)

Element: Water (Fidelity, Friendship, Healing, Love, Meditation, Prophetic Dreams, Purification, Sleep)

Powers: Breaking Love Spells, Protection

Lilies are associated with a fertility goddesses in some Mediterranean religions. In some Christian lore the white lily is associated with Mary and a symbol of purity. It is also believed the lily came from the tears of Eve when she was banished from the Garden of Eden.

Magical and Ritual Uses:

• A fresh lily can be worn to break love spells.
• Plant lilies in the garden for protection against ghosts and evil.
• Protects against the evil eye and unwanted visitors.

News:

Honey Moon on the Solstice: It hasn’t happened since 1948
It’s rare, all right. A full Moon last landed smack on the Solstice in the 1940s. It’s the kind of thing that would have inspired the Mayans to shove a few extra in-laws from their pyramids – the sort of coincidence that would have made the Stonehenge folks haul additional stones into position. But that’s what’s actually happening this Monday, June 20. Read full story – hudsonvalleyalmanacweekly

Solstice: Don’t expect much sun as Druids and Pagans head to Stonehenge to mark first day of summer
While isolated showers should fade away during this evening, much of the UK will then be dry overnight with clear spells.

Northern Ireland and western Scotland will experience outbreaks of light rain later today.

And the south-east of England will also hold onto a lot of cloud, some areas thick enough to give a few spots of rain. Read full story – metro.co.uk

Summer solstice 2016: Everything you need to know about the longest day of the year
Summer heat has been in full swing across much of the country the last few weeks, but not until Monday’s summer solstice can we officially — or at least, astronomically — say goodbye to spring.

The 2016 solstice occurs at 6:34 p.m. Eastern Time on June 20, marking the first day of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year in Earth’s northern hemisphere. Read full story – washingtonpost.com

Thanks for stopping by,

Lisa

References:

• Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac
• Llewellyn’s 2016 Moon Sign Book: Conseious Living by the cycles of the moon
• Scott Cunningham: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of magical herbs