Lemon and Strawberry Slices

Refreshing cakes are just the kind of sweets we need in the middle of summer and the combination of lemons and strawberries in this cake not only give it a certain tartness but they also represent the wonderful, vibrant colors of the sun which governs over the sky this time of year. 

With this post, I would also like to wish you all a happy and blessed Litha, albeit with delay. I hope you celebrated this sabbat as you wanted to and that this recipe will be useful to you sooner or later and enrich your celebration.

You Will Need:

For the crumbly base:

• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup (brown) sugar*
• 2 cups (whole-wheat) flour*
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the filling:

• 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (ca. 3 large lemons)
• 2 tsp lemon zest (ca. 2 lemons)
• 1 cup roughly chopped strawberries
• 3/4 cup (brown) sugar*
• 2-3 tbsp agave syrup
• 4 eggs
• 1 (to 1 1/2) cup (whole-wheat) flour*
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Note: You can substitute the ingredients that have a star (*) next to them if you want the cake to be lighter in color. The lighter version is, in my opinion, aesthetically much more pleasing, although this version is slightly healthier. So you can use plain wheat flour instead of whole-wheat and normal granulated sugar instead of brown sugar. With the light version of the cake, the base will be very light (almost white) and the strawberries and lemon will color the filling a pinkish color. But it's all up to you.

How To Prepare:

The base:

1. Heat the oven to 175°C.
2. Cover a deeper baking pan with baking paper approximately 22 x 38 cm in size.
3. Mix the butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the flour and salt and mix until you get a crumbly mixture.
4. Pat the mixture into the baking pan so you evenly cover the whole surface. And make sure it's well-packed (i.e. firm, with no holes, etc.) otherwise the base will be too crumbly and won't hold.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.

The filling:

1. Grate and squeeze the lemons and chop up the strawberries.
2. Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberries  and sugar together. Add the eggs and mix. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
3. Pour the mixture onto the base while it's still hot.
4. Return in the over for another 25 minutes.
5. Leave it to cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Peach Cake

Summertime brings intense heat and therefore also a need for all things refreshing. This light cake made from yogurt and fresh fruit is a great choice for all of you that have a sweet tooth but who also feel like eating something refreshing. :) Actually any seasonal fruit (which doesn't lose its quality in the oven) can be used for this cake, but peaches give the dough that special juiciness which is why it stays soft for days after its been made!

You Will Need:

• peaches (I used 5 or about half a kilogram, but you can use however many you like)
• 2 eggs
• 100-150 g brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 dl) yogurt/cooking cream
• 2 cups flour
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1 dcl oil
• powdered sugar

How To Prepare:

1. Using an electric mixer, mix together eggs and sugar then add the yogurt and oil.
2. Add the baking powder to the flour and add this to the above mixture bit by bit. If needed, add some more yogurt so the final mixture isn't too dense.
3. Grease your baking tin with oil and sprinkle it with flour. Pour in the mixture.
4. Peel off the skin from the peaches, take out the pit and cut it into pieces (whichever size you like).
5. Heat the oven to 175°C.
6. Bake the cake for 10 minutes.
7. Take out the cake and "sprinkle" the peach chunks on it.
8. Put the cake back in the oven for about another 30 minutes (you'll know when the cake is done when you poke a toothpick in it and the dough doesn't stick to it).
9. When it has cooled down a bit, sprinkle some powdered sugar over it.

Enjoy!!! :D

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat

Litha as a Time of Confrontation

When we think of Litha, we think of the summer, sunshine, happiness and, for those of us that live near the sea and for those of you that travel to get to the beach, bathing season. But as is the case with every other Sabbath, Litha is much more complex than this.

It's true that the Sun is at the height of its power on Litha and that this is the longest day of the year because of this, but the summer solstice is also the day when the Sun (mythologically represented by the figure of the God) sacrifices itself so the Wheel of the Year could continue turning and the earth could regenerate itself after the intense heat. From this day onward, the forces of chaos grow and the forces of cosmos decline, the days become shorter and the Sun begins to lose its strength. But this sacrifice is necessary for the natural cycles to continue.

When you look at the Wheel of the Year, everything culminates on Litha - all of our plans and goals which we "planted" on Imbolc and watched grow through Ostara and Beltane to this point have now reached their full potential. So what is left for us to do? Look back at what we have done and see if we have achieved everything we planned to. Therefore, this is a time for introspection. This is not an easy task and it may lead to many emotions and facts coming to light, but it is necessary for further individual growth and evolution.

This Litha was precisely all that for me - a time of introspection. I have to admit that I have come to know a lot more about myself and my loved ones and that most of this knowledge was hard to take in. But obviously this was necessary and thanks to all of this, I now know what I have to do next and which goals to set myself.

It is normal for Litha to use the huge amounts of energy flowing around in order to face certain problems and solve them. This aspect of Litha was also present for me. Some use this energy to help others; be they humans, animals or plants. Nurturing is therefore another aspect of this Sabbath. I had some of the most touching experiences of my life in this respect. They restored my faith in people, their goodness and generosity. Generally, this period was very tumultuous for me, although I am becoming aware that these phases are also a necessary part of life. It is these shocking moments that really shake us and wake us up and point out (albeit sometimes in an indelicate way) so many novelties to us which are necessary for us to continue in life.

I urge you to stop, look back at the past few months and grasp something new! It may not be easy... This new knowledge may even be painful for you, but in the end, every why has a wherefore.

May this Litha be blessed and may it bring you wisdom, prudence, determination and courage!

Yours,

Witch's Cat

Litha (June 21)

Litha is an old Roman word which Wicca adopted and now uses to refer to the summer solstice which usually falls on June 20/21. This year, we will witness the peak of the year on June 21. I say "peak" because this is the time of year when the Sun is strongest and brightest, but also when the days are longest. It seems logical that this will be celebrated because who doesn't like the Sun? By doing rituals for Litha, we try to prolong the summer and keep the land fertile since it will become barren when winter comes.

The Sun is important as a symbol of the God so I would like to mention, in connection to this, the two aspects of the God, which you may have come across in my other posts - the Holly King and the Oak King. The Oak King reigns during spring and summer, while the Holly King reigns during the autumn and winter months. The two solstices (summer and winter) are times of drastic change because, in mythology, the two Kings battle on these days and the one who wins reigns until the next solstice. According to some myths, the Holly King defeats the Oak King on the summer solstice thus gaining the right to reign until the winter solstice when the Oak King will wake up from his six-month-long slumber and defeat the Holly King. The rising of the Sun's power will follow the Oak King's victory and it will reach its peak on the summer solstice, which also marks the death of the Oak King.

In connection to this, many legends have survived and, by the way, they are all associated with sacrifice. The sacrifice is usually that of the Oak King in order to restore balance to nature (i.e. to let winter come). In some of them, the Oak King is burnt, in others her is blinded or even crucified on a T-shaped cross (Robert Graves compares this myth to the story of Samson who was also blinded after his power was taken from him). Graves also believes that John the Baptist (who was killed on June 24) was thought to be the equivalent of the Oak King. It was quite natural to name Jesus Christ as his successor after his death since John himself baptized Christ and who is thus his logical heir. 

Even though we have to keep in mind this battle theme of the summer solstice, we mustn't forget the Goddess. She is in her Mother aspect at this time of year. Since this Sabbat is dedicated to fire (the Sun), it is also dedicated to water as its opposite.

Now, I have to ask you not to confuse Beltane and Litha, which is what people often do. A small misunderstanding has happened over time so that some people now take Litha as the mythological day when the God and Goddess unite, even though this is actually what Beltane is all about. It is possible that the "main culprit" fro this misunderstanding was St. Patrick who transferred the Irish "bonfire night" from Beltane (May 1) to St. John's Eve (June 23/24). By doing this, he attempted to erase Ireland's Pagan past, but this was a very difficult thing to do since Beltane is the Irish name for the month of May. This makes it very hard to confuse people from Ireland, but he was able to trick those that weren't Irish. So don't be surprised if you find many common traditions for these two holidays.

Some common traditions are definitely lighting a fire (and bonfires), jumping over this fire (a more practical option is two light two fires/candles and pass between them), but also leading cattle through its ashes (or again between two fires but you can read more about that in my older post on Beltane). In some countries, it was even believed that the crops would grow only as high as you could jump over the fire! Others believed that scattering the ashes of the fire over the land would make it more fertile. There were many other traditions that can't as easily be connected with Beltane such as rolling downhill or burning a wheel (a symbol of the Sun).

It is obvious that the fire is of great importance to this Sabbat, so it is logical that this will be expressed in rituals. Fire is usually lit in a cauldron, but for this occasion, the cauldron is used for holding water with which the High Priestess will sprinkle all the coven members. It takes on the name "Cerridwen's cauldron" (named after the goddess Cerridwen) has over time and in mythology been knows as the cauldron of wisdom and poetic inspiration. In order for this problem to be solved, the element of fire can be represented by two candles.

Because of the warm weather during this season, this is one of the best Sabbats to hold skyclad (naked). This was even recommended for women who wanted to get pregnant (they would usually walk through their garden naked to share their fertility with their plants). Of course, this is not a new tradition. It was long believed that walking through a field naked would ensure a good harvest and fertile land. Traditions which were incorporated into this included riding a horsey/broom (phallic symbols), which soon became one of the main attributes of the stereotypical Witch. But don't get me wrong, this is not obligatory! You can work indoors or outdoors, naked or fully dressed...it's up to you :) I'm just stating the customs here.

Since this is, after all, a time when nature flourishes, it's worth noting that it's best if you take advantage of her fruits :) Appropriate aromas for your altar include lemon, myrtle, pine and rose and try to keep the colors as happy and natural as possible (for example the colors of the rainbow and dark green). This is also a great time to dry plants (to make teas and other products). For additional decoration, you can fill a cauldron with flowers or perhaps make a circle out of flowers (along with opening the circle with your athamé and/or the Elements).

For those of you that are ambitious, I recommend you read the section entitled "The Fire-Festivals of Europe" in the book entitled The Golden Bough by Frazer. There are many interesting things to read in there in general, but this chapter is directly connected to Litha and its traditions :D

Sabbat:	Litha
Pronunciation:	/liθa/ (simply put, /litha/)
Date:	June 20-21
Other names:	Midsummer, the summer solstice, Aerra Litha
God phase:	The Green God, at the peak of his strength, the Holly King defeats the Oak King
Goddess phase:	Mother (at the peak of her power, is pregnant)
Symbolizes:	Energetic peak (both magical and solar), maintaining and celebrating the Sun's  strength and fertility
Traditions:	Jumping over fire/passing between two fires, burning a wheel, drying herbs, rolling downhill, walking naked through a garden/ field
Symbols & colors:	Blue, green, yellow, colors of the rainbow, dark green, mirrors for catching sunlight,  wheels, a cauldron with flowers/a sword
Food:	Since I don't have my own cookbook, I recommend the following websites for inspiration :D And by all means, keep the food fresh and cooling since it is summer, after all. Raven and Crone recipes for Litha My Moonlit Path - recipes pt. 1 My Moonlit Path - recipes pt. 2 And here are some of my recipes: Lemon balls Honey-lavender biscotti
Incense:	Lemon, myrtle, pine, rose

I wish you all a merry Litha in advance and good luck with baking goodies, rolling beneath on fresh grass, basking in the Sun and, of course, with your ritual :D

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat