July 4, Independence Day.
It is all about freedom. What is freedom at the core?…

-the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under any restraint
-exemption from external control, interference, regulation,
-personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery
-the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.

-ease or facility of movement or action

-frankness of manner or speech
-absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one’s rights and powers.

Celebrating freedom, for a witch is especially important, considering our death through history and what literally became the need to practice in secret. Even today, in some countries, being a witch is punishable by death. Freedom is taken for granted in the US. On the fourth of July I celebrate the ability to practice as I want, and never forget the Burning Times when that word ‘witch’ was a sentence and not an honor.

Today we can practice as we will, wild and free. It is my right, unencumbered by Church, or State, or my neighbors.

A day commonly associated with parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and later we celebrate nightfall with sparklers and bold fireworks.

For me this day is about power and energy, light and warmth.

Before they converted to Christianity and adopted the Roman calendar, the early English (‘Anglo-Saxons’) reckoned time using a system of lunar months. Each cycle of the moon, probably from full moon to full moon, was a month. The year began at the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. There were two seasons, summer, when the days were longer than the nights, and winter, when the nights were longer than the days.

The sixth and seventh months of the year, corresponding approximately to the Roman and modern months of June and July, were called Litha. Like its counterpart in the winter, Giuli (from which we get the word Yule), Litha was a double-length month, or two months of the same name, placed either side of the midsummer solstice.

A Front Porch Spell

Porches are magical places, and they have special significance, serving as a transitional space between the outside world and our private space. As we settle into summer, treat yourself to some front-porch magic. For this spell, give your porch a good sweeping, plant a window box or pots with seasonal flowers, and keep them watered. Add a wind chime, a comfy chair or two, and a cool drink. Now grab a book and sit! Smell the scents of summer: flowers, freshly mown lawns, or the sweet dampness after a rain. Take time to see what you’ve been missing: butterflies, the flash of a hummingbird, or the drowsy movements of a bumblebee.

This day connect with your inner Witch out in nature, especially at night on the New Moon under the stars. The Moon of July- Blessing Moon, Thunder Moon, Moon of Blood, Hay Moon, Moon of Claiming. These names seem so empowering now. Let go of all limitations, all the negativity. Burn it all, even those written on paper. Send it all away, then welcome the New Moon with all your new goals and wishes and let your Witch Freedom Ring. I know I will be waving my Red Witch flag.