Yaaass, yaasss, yaassss. Happy Summer Solstice Lovies!! As a summer born child maybe I’m biased, or perhaps there is something magical about entering this season that feels invigorating. Maybe it’s because we associate this time with fun in the sun, sandy beaches, outdoor activities, firing up the grill, or soaking in all the long-due vitamin D as it hits every cell in our bodies. Let us celebrate together the magic of the Sun, Litha Sabbat, and the official start of the astrological cardinal season of Cancer. May they bring you joy, love, and light in your life.
Litha” is the name given to the Wiccan Sabbat celebrated at the Summer Solstice. This is the longest day and shortest night of the year, marking the pinnacle of the Sun’s power to fuel the growing season. From here on out, the Sun will set a little earlier each night until Yule, and so we recognize and give thanks for its warmth.
People gather at Stonehenge for day and night long celebrations watching the sun align and shine through a certain point in the structure. In its most basic essence, this day is a celebration of the sun and that it is still shining on us. It will go out one day—but we should revel in our good fortune that we were born at this point in Earth’s evolution. The solstice also holds deeper nature metaphors for life, fertility, and the cycle of time and seasons. No matter what your view of spirituality or nature, it’s always worth celebrating when there’s sunshine involved!
Now Let’s Have Some Witchy Fun!
Wear yellow or gold
An easy way to honor the solstice? Turn to your closet. Just as you might wear green on St. Patrick’s day or red, white, and blue on Independence Day, you can get in the solstice spirit by coordinating your outfit with the sun’s vibrant colors.
Do something that brings you joy
Remember all those things you have on your bucket list? Now’s a great time to do them. Build a sandcastle, take a different hiking route, make up a TikTok dance, or explore the new town you’ve been wanting to visit. The summer solstice calls on you to follow your spirit into what brings you ravishing and unapologetic joy. If low-key is more your vibe, enjoy a leisurely breakfast outside, tend to your garden, and bask in the sun with a good playlist.
Try embracing your inner child by walking barefoot through a park, treating yourself to ice cream, or drawing with sidewalk chalk. These nostalgic activities may spark something within you. Committing to a path that serves our authentic selves is a radical act. When we do this work alongside nature, by turning to the elements, we find a map back to our intuitive and energetic wisdom.
Bring nature indoors
Spend some time out in the green fields, by a lake, or beach. Bring a little piece of nature home with you. Whether you collect sand dollars, seashells from the beach, purchase flowers from the farmer’s market, such as sunflowers or any other that call you, sift through leaves from your backyard or a nearby walking trail; adding an element of summer into your home can give your space a vibrant refresh.
Give to your loved ones
Another form of offerings during the solstice is the act of giving to loved ones. This can be done through gifting friends and family with delicious food, drinks, or homemade treats. You can also pay compliments, express gratitude, or lend a helping hand to someone in need as a way to keep love flowing.
Build an Altar
Symbols that can be included on your altar
Oak leaves and Acorns.
Fresh seasonal flowers, from your garden, local market, or even better go wildflower picking!
Citronella, citronella brings protection, cleanses and clears negative energies. It can also strengthen one’s life force.
Carnelian, Sunstone, Citrine, Orange Calcite and Clear Quartz are all linked to the Sacral and Root Chakra (orange and red). Which is associated with creativity and inventive ideas.
Items personal to you that evoke happy summer memories. These may be a shell from a summer holiday or even a photograph.
Offerings are a way of expressing gratitude and sharing the bounty you’ve received to create a relationship with the spirit of the solstice. As long as it’s personally and spiritually significant to you, anything goes.
Light those Candles & Set your Intentions With this Freebie Candle Magic Guide
Get comfy, grab a cup of tea, a refreshing drink, and maybe check out some books, set some summer solstice music in the background, or give in to reading the book or watching the TV series to set your solstice mood.
Summer Solstice Music Video To Play in the Background
(Click the images for the video music links)
Touched by the Sun by Todd Boston
Lithia – Summer Solstice Song by Lisa Thiel
Book Recommendation
The tools that Gabriela Herstik offers in Bewitching the Elements will help you connect to the universe and your inner light.
Solstice TV Series Recommendation
With a hugely popular live-action adaptation on Starz and a series of companion novels, this is the perfect time to dive into Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The series begins in Scotland during the 1940s, as nurse Claire Randall and her husband Frank reconnect after the war. On Beltane, Claire wanders into a stone circle by accident, and is magically transported back in time 200 years. It’s the start of an incredible journey that takes her through time and around the world. The solstices are vitally important to the story, as Claire quickly discovers that the solstices and associated days on the wheel of the year, are key to time travel. With eight books in the series and more on the way, this could take you all the way until next June’s solstice!
Two Yummy Solstice Recipes To Try Out!
A Final Summer Solstice Blessing
Through earth, learn how to ground and create compassionate boundaries.
Through air, harness the breath, balance the body, and find presence in the moment.
Through fire, embody passion, burning away what no longer serves you, and learn to constructively work with anger.
Through water, explore your emotional depths and come back to the heart.
Through spirit, connect to your own sense of power, embracing all of the lessons of the elements.
May the Warmth Solstice Summer Light Shine Upon You & May Your Blessings Be Abundant and Plentiful Always!
~ Sandy