summer solstice... but make it ritual
bowing down to the sun
And she has arrived. The long awaited summer solstice.
Next week, June 20th/21st, we have the summer solstice. Also known as Litha or Midsummer.
For most of us in the Northern Hemisphere this means the peak of summertime and summer energy.
This means long days that extend out into the night. Outdoors adventures. Action, activity, the feeling of the earth alive beneath our feet.
For years and years the summer solstice has been revered, celebrated, ritualised.
A time for us to honour nature at her peak, to give her the attention and devotion she deserves while she shows off in all her bright glory and never ending light.
To celebrate the summer solstice is to write a love letter to the sun.
Yet, the summer solstice also marks a turning point. It is the longest day of the year, yes, and therefor everyday afterwards starts to become shorter, darker… edging closer and closer to the soft beckoning darkness of winter once again.
Honouring the seasons and celebrating these points of the year reminds us to stay present with what us. To suck all the joy and juice that we can out of this point in the spiral of life because it will pass. And, it is here right now.
So let us celebrate.
Find the rituals woven into this ceremony that suit you.
My recommendation is to plan out when and how your ceremony is going to go, or how these summer rituals are going to be woven into your life.
When we can plan and set that foundation for our rituals, it allows us to embed it into our everyday life with more ease, and then flow in the moment with these practices.
First, decide when you are going to construct your altar. It might feel best to construct your altar with intention on or around the days of the summer solstice.
Then, choose your herbal companions you want to work with, and how. Will it be a daily ritual? Just during this ceremony? In tea form? As a tincture? I will be working with the herbal companions laid out below daily throughout this summer solstice portal (from June 20th up until Lughnasadh/Lammas around August 1st, the next celebration on the wheel of the year). I also will be making a special herbal infusion with these companions to drink while doing my ceremony on the day of the summer solstice. I will drink this while I construct my altar, engage in my yoga therapy tools, and journal out my reflections and intentions.
Ask yourself - How do you feel called to engage with these rituals?
** If you want to hear even more personal and present moment insights and reflections on this topic, tune into this weeks podcast episode.
ALTAR SUGGESTIONS
Air - Get creative. Summer is the time for inspiration in motion. And yet, we want to be discerning with what action we take and ideas we invest in so that we don’t burn ourselves out and know that we are using our energy with intention - not just because we are caught up in the fiery energy. Let this creative, intuitive, air element breathe spaciousness into your fire. Tune into what you feel inspired to do and create, and place some representation of that on your altar. Maybe it is a piece of artwork you did, a poem you wrote or something that symbolises a project you are starting. Maybe as part of your ceremony you create a piece of art… I encourage you to get creative and intuitive here and lean into where your excitement and energy takes you.
Fire - Summer Solstice is the ultimate fire holiday. Any way you can bring in fire to your altar, rituals or summer ceremonies is encouraged. Perhaps creating a small circle of candles around you, or building a bonfire each week throughout the summer, having a specific summer candle that you light every morning… tune in to ways that you feel called to light fire in your life this season. Maybe not just physically…
Earth - Sweet, simple, steadying - summer is the time to soak up earth energy. Go into your favourite place in nature and pick something from there that feels meaningful to you. Place that piece on your altar while speaking your intentions or desires into it. Make sure to ask permission from the land before doing so and tune into the answer to make sure it is okay. You will feel in your body if it is yes or no, trust that. Perhaps leave an offering in it’s place, along with a heartfelt gratitude. I like to place my hands on the land where I am taking a token from and then leave just one strand of my hair in it’s place.
Water -Similarly to our earth altar item, I encourage you to go to your favourite body of water that is accessible to you and collect some water in a jar. Speak your intentions into the water and leave out on your altar for the whole summer season. Either at the end of your ceremony, or at the end of the summer season (if the water is safe to do so), you can drink the water and remember your intentions. Let this soothing, soft, water element pour ease and freedom into your fire.
Spirit - Summertime is about connecting to our vitality, abundance, fertility, creativity, and gratitude for being alive. We can honour spirit, and other realms, by leaving out offerings that express our gratitude for this time. Perhaps that means writing a letter to, leaving out some food for, or connecting in some other way with a goddess of fertility, or the sun. I like to leave out offerings for the fae folk (fairies) such as dried and fresh flowers and whatever else intuitively calls to me. I also practice the meditation explained in the Yoga Therapy Tools section.
HERBAL COMPANIONS
Milky Oats - this plant helps nourish your system. It will strengthen any spots where there is depletion and ensure that your body can withstand all that comes its way on a daily basis.
Mugwort- this herb helps connect you to the deep wisdom that you have inside of you. It balances you, both promoting internal balance, emotional balance, and energetic balance. It promotes steady energy and calms nerves.
Turmeric - this herb is nourishing and replenishing. It strengthens the body as a whole. It is a root and provides that grounded, rooted energy to the whole system.
Chamomile - this is known as the herb of the sun. It promotes a mindset of wonder, awe and joy. It is also soothing and helps you stay calm and present.
When combined this herbal mix helps you …
stay both open and grounded.
strengthen your connection to your intuition and your psychic abilities.
see deeper into others, and yourself, and reflect back to the world what needs to be shown.
stay rooted in yourself, who you are, and what you want.
lean into the wonder, surprise and endless possibilities you see in all around you.
embrace all sides of you and trust who you are.
If you’d like this blend, or a custom blend, made just for you - please reach out! I’d love to help you curate and create the perfect summer support.
YOGA THERAPY TOOLS
Sun Salutations - we can’t talk about the summer solstice in relation to Yoga practices without talking about sun salutations, of course. Sun salutations are a series of postures that were traditionally created to celebrate the sun. One of my favourite practices is to start the morning of the summer solstice, while the sun is rising, with a series of sun salutations. I choose a number that is meaningful to me - whether that is 13 (my lucky number— happy Friday the 13th, by the way), 108 (a sacred number in the yoga world) or any number that intuitively feels right in that moment. There are many different ways to engage in sun salutations - you do not have to move through the set sequence exactly how it was first constructed. I recommend looking up sun salutation variations and finding a way that suits your body in that moment. If you’d like support or suggestions I’d be happy to talk through this with you!
Sacral or Third Eye Meditation - Depending on what energy I am trying to tap into, a choose a chakra I want to focus on.
I choose the sacral chakra if I: want to connect to fiery, creative, action oriented energy. And/or, if I want to connect to my womb, my fertility, and feel nourished and steady.
I connect to my third eye if I want to feel clear minded and inspired, seeking guidance or insight from a source greater than myself.
Either way, I keep this meditation simple. I channel all of my energy and focus to the charka I am working with and start to deepen my breath. I set the intention to receive the energy or guidance I am needing and then - I sit here for at least five minutes, breathing deeply, letting the energy swirl within me, and focusing on my breath.
When I am done I move to my journal for a stream of consciousness journaling practice to see what wants to come through.
REFLECTIONS
what is your creative energy feeling like?
what part of yourself do you feel most connected to?
what are you feeling inspired about right now?
which parts of your life feel abundant and alive?
which parts of your life feel disconnected and disused?
where in your life does it feel good to pour your energy?
where in your life do you want to preserve and protect your energy?
how do you want to feel for the rest of the summer?
INTENTIONS
This summer, let yourself be your full, most lit up and alive self.
If you want to hear more details about my intentions - I recommend reading this substack post.
Whether or not your schedule changes or you feel like you have the space and capacity to freely give into all your summertime dreams, the summer solstice presents us with a time to channel who we want to be, and the life we want to live.
Let yourself lean into it.
Conducting this ceremony and infusing your life with rituals like these, allows you to sprinkle this energy into your everyday life - no matter what.