Litha and Lammas Ritual 2026 | Golden Mask Dance and Tree Planting
On Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, the Divine Warrior Witches convened outside at High Priestess Heather's residence for a unique celebration of two Wheel of the Year sabbats: our Litha and Lammas Ritual, affectionately merged into "LiLu".
Together, we honored the brilliance of the Summer Solstice and the arrival of the First Harvest through dance, offerings to the Fair Folk, herbal teachings, and the planting of a living tree intended to grow alongside our community for years to come.
Beneath the open sky, we gave thanks for the warmth of summer, and planted our wishes into the Earth.
SO BELOW | Litha & Lammas
Presented by High Priestess Serenity
Litha brings us the longest day of the year, a moment when the Sun appears almost to stand still in the sky. It is a celebration of warmth, abundance, fertility, and the fullness of life beneath the summer Sun.
As the Wheel continues turning, we arrive at Lughnasadh, also commonly known as Lammas. Traditionally celebrated with great gatherings, feasting, games, trade, sacred hill-climbing, and offerings of food and grain, Lughnasadh transforms the labor of the growing season into a communal celebration of abundance.
The First Harvest also invites us to recognize that abundance is never merely an individual achievement. Communities gather, kinships strengthen, peace is brokered, and the gifts of the Earth are shared and honored together.
AS ABOVE
Presented by High Priestess Cawnawyn
HERBS | Mint & Ginger
Presented by Ritual Assistants Rowan and Jasper
Our 2026 exploration of herbal allies continued with two plants carrying beautifully complementary energies: mint and ginger.
Rowan introduced mint as a perennial member of the Lamiaceae family, perhaps best recognized by the cooling sensation created by menthol. Traditionally used to support digestion and ease nausea, mint also contains compounds being studied for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Its refreshing nature has made it a familiar ally in teas, cooking, essential oils, skincare, and everyday herbal remedies.
Jasper explored mint’s metaphysical associations with prosperity, protection, communication, and mental clarity. Connected with the element of Air and the planet Mercury, mint has traditionally been used in cleansing and abundance workings and carries an enlivening energy that encourages focus. Its mythology also reaches into the Underworld through the Greek nymph Minthe, whose story became entwined with the fragrant herb.
Ginger brought the counterpoint of heat. This warming rhizome has been used in food and traditional medicine for thousands of years and is especially well known for supporting digestion and easing nausea. Its gingerols contribute to the plant’s characteristic flavor and are studied for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Metaphysically, ginger carries the spark of Fire. Associated with motivation, courage, protection, prosperity, and personal strength, it is often treated as a magical catalyst, bringing heat and movement to an intention.
THE LITHA AND LAMMAS RITUAL
Presented by the Divine Warrior Witches Circle
Our LiLu ritual unfolded outdoors, allowing us to celebrate the height of summer surrounded by the living land itself. After anointing with rose water, the entire property was swept, consecrated, and cast as sacred space. The Elements and Spirit were welcomed, followed by the Great Lady and the Horned God, before our two-part working began.
Part One | The Golden Mask Dance
Our first working belonged to Litha.
Golden masks transformed our practitioners into a shimmering procession beneath the summer sky. At the center of the dance waited small vials of milk and mead; traditional offerings prepared for the Fair Folk.
Together, we danced around the offerings to Cawnawyn's original Litha Song of Sunlight, raising the bright, joyful energy of midsummer and directing that energy into the vessels. The masks offered a moment of play, mystery, and transformation: a chance to step briefly outside the ordinary self and into the enchanted atmosphere of the longest days of the year.
Each practitioner received the milk and mead offering to take home, accompanied by a spell of goodwill to the Fair Folk:
On this longest day beneath the sun,
With gratitude our rite's begun.
Milk for kindness,
Mead for cheer,
Given freely,
Offered here.
To the Fair Folk,
Old and wise,
Who dance beneath the summer skies,
If goodwill be your wish and way,
Accept these gifts on Litha's day.
Spell written by High Priestess Serenity
Part Two | Planting the Douglas Fir
From the fleeting brilliance of a summer dance, the ritual shifted toward something designed to endure.
For Lammas, Rowan and Jasper introduced our community to the Douglas fir, an evergreen native to western North America and deeply familiar to the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Capable of living for centuries and growing to extraordinary heights, the Douglas fir embodies resilience, stability, protection, and the connection between Earth and sky.
The tree would become the centerpiece of our First Harvest working.
Before it entered the ground, five eggs were passed among the community. Eggs carry ancient symbolism of fertility, abundance, creation, and new beginnings. Practitioners were invited to name something they wished to release in the context of rebirth and inscribe those words upon the eggs.
One by one, members of the Divine Warrior Circle placed the eggs beneath the tree while calling forth its future:
Roots go down, grow deep and wide,
Anchor firmly side to side.
Trunk grow up, grow tall, grow strong,
Keeping time to the seasons’ song.
Leaves go out, thick and green,
Fair as any forest seen!
The community then came forward to add soil, each person physically participating in giving the Douglas fir its new home.
Practitioners were then given pieces of tanzaku (aka washi paper) and invited to write a wish or intention for the coming years for the community. After holding the paper and filling it with intention, each wish was tied to the newly planted tree, weaving our hopes into the land and entrusting them to something that may continue growing long after this particular season has passed.
Our LiLu tree became both a harvest marker and a promise: a living record of what our community chose to release, what we chose to nurture, and what we hope will take root in the years ahead.
CAKES | Ginger Shortbread, Peach Ice Cream & Mint
Made lovingly by Ritual Assistants Rowan, Jasper, and High Priestess Cawnawyn
We celebrated Cakes & Ale with ginger shortbread, cool homemade peach ice cream; a summery treat weaving the flavors of our herbal allies into the evening’s celebration.
Ginger Shortbread Cookies
Recipe and photo from Bakes by Brown Sugar
Ingredients
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup crystallized ginger
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp light brown sugar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup turbinado sugar
Water, for brushing
Instructions
Finely chop crystallized ginger and combine with flour.
Cream butter, sugars, ginger, cardamom, and salt.
Mix in flour and crystallized ginger until dough forms.
Shape into two logs and chill at least 1 hour.
Brush with water and roll in turbinado sugar.
Slice into ½-inch rounds.
Bake at 300°F for 15–18 minutes.
Cool and serve.
Peach Ice Cream
Recipe from Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker Cookbook for Beginners
Ingredients
2 cups sliced peaches
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
Instructions
Purée peaches with lemon juice and half the sugar.
Whisk remaining sugar into milk until dissolved.
Stir in cream, vanilla, and peach purée.
Chill the mixture thoroughly.
Pour into a Cuisinart 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker and churn according to machine instructions.
Transfer to a container and freeze until firm.
Thank You to the Divine Warrior Witches Community
LiLu gave us the rare opportunity to honor two moments of the Wheel within a single sacred gathering: and most meaningfully, in the welcoming presence of our High Priestess's home.
Thank you to every Divine Warrior who traveled to celebrate with us, placed their hands in the soil, offered their wishes to the tree, and added their energy to this beautiful gathering.
May you celebrate fully what has ripened in your life.
May you wisely choose what deserves to be planted again, and may the roots of what you love grow deep enough to weather many seasons yet to come.
In perfect love, and perfect trust, blessed be.
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