Summer Solstice — June 21
Father’s Day — June 21
Moon Phase — First Quarter Moon in Virgo
Summer Solstice, Litha on the Wheel of the Year, occurs on June 21. If you’ve never watched the sun come up on this day, consider making it a simple ritual this year. Check for the exact time of sunrise in your zone and find an open vista that allows you to see the horizon if possible. For the best experience, start viewing 15 to 30 minutes before actual sunrise.
The word solstice comes from Latin—sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). For a brief moment when the sun reaches it’s highest point in summer (and lowest point in winter), time seems to stand still.
Summer Solstice marks a midpoint between the equinoxes, thus Midsummer. Yes the hours of daylight begin to shorten now, but these longer days will linger until early autumn, extending an invitation to biking, hiking, cookouts, picnics, road trips, a day on the boat, a week at the cabin—everything we can enjoy under the sun.
For our Pagan ancestors, this solstice marked a time of relative leisure. Planting was done, crops were thriving and the labor of autumn harvest was months away. Unlike the longer winter lull, when harsh weather brought arduous challenges, these brief weeks of high summer offered respite, and time for social gathering.
Traditional celebrations often include music and dancing. Make yourself a playlist of favorite tunes that evoke summer memories. Songs that recall the feeling of freedom and the anticipation of adventure you felt as a child on the first day of school break. Tunes that bring back days spent lying on beach, or in the cool grass while the sun caressed your skin. Play the music from balmy nights under a star encrusted sky, and sticky hot days with no cool respite but the grace of the whirring fan blades.
These are the spells Summer casts.
Ritual during Midsummer focuses on harnessing the Strong Sun’s energy. In other words, soak up the sun.
One of my favorite witchy activities for the Summer Solstice is cleansing and charging the crystals I use on a regular basis. I give each one a saltwater bath and dry with a cloth, then I put them outside to charge under the noonday sun.
For Green Witches, this is the time to forage all the good growing things of the season. Gather herbs and flowers; dry them in a warm dark place. Bottle them up and label with hand lettering or printed labels like these found on Etsy.
If you preserve fruit and garden veggies for later use (whether canning, drying or freezing) don’t forget to add a little magick intention to each batch—remember that summer harvests hold the energy of vitality, health and growth. Add additional intentions from the herbs and spices in your apothecary.
Think about a spicy salsa to heat up your love life. Rose petal jelly for beauty spells. A Tincture of valerian root and hops to use as a nerve tonic and to help with sleep.
Gather wildflowers for boquets on your altar, forage for fruits and berries—in the wild or at the farmers’ market.
Create a fairy garden, or (my favorite) a toad house.
Decorate your yard with solar lights. If you don’t have green space, look for solar powered string lights to frame your windows and door.
Little hands will enjoy pressing flowers like daisies and buttercups to dry. Later you can seal them between sheets of self-stick laminating paper (or clear packing tape for small flowers). Punch a hold, add string and hang in windows as sun catchers. Enchant them with a spell.
Petals bright and petals small,
Thank you for the gifts of all.
Joy to share and love to grow,
May kindness bloom wherever I go
For another fun family activity, visit a stream or river, whisper wishes to flowers or leaves and then release them on the water.
Make herbal infused honey to capture the essense of summer sunshine. For an especially magical touch add food grade glitter (use one meant for beverages). Fill small jars, label as liquid sunshine and give as gifts.
This year, the Summer Solstice falls on Fathers’ Day. I plan to watch the sunrise from my deck while enjoying a cup of coffee and some quiet reflection. Later I’ll enjoy one of my husband’s perfect omelettes and an English muffin with honey. I’ll take over the cooking and fire up the grill for dinner, followed by watching the sunset while sipping a nightcap (maybe a Bees Knees or Bee Sting made with glittery honey!)
I’d love to hear your plans for the solstice! Let me know in the comments.
Until Next Time ~
Blessed Be and Journey Well
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