The great gift of the energy of the Summer Solstice is that it’s designed to move you from one phase to the next on your terms.
- Deborah King
Happy Summer Solstice (Litha)! It’s that time of the year when Mother Nature is absolutely busting at her seams. Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, vegetable gardens are starting to produce fruits of a gardeners’ labor, and everyone wants to be outside soaking up the sun. It’s time for picnics, barbecues, trips to the lake, or lounging by the pool. I have to admit it’s one of my favorite times of the year.
Litha arrives at the Summer Solstice, the Goddess is full and pregnant with child and the God is at the peak of His power. This sabbat is one of the fire festivals and is all about masculine energy, magick, love and abundance. It is a time of celebration for the bountiful harvest knowing that the return of the Dark is soon to come completing the Wheel of the Year.
Most agricultural societies have celebrated and honored the high point of summer. This usually occurs anywhere between June 20 to June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun reaches its northernmost point from the equator and is the longest day of the year. The word “solstice” is derived from the Latin word “solstitium”, which translates to “sun stands still”. For millennia humans have been recording the movement of the sun and its importance to us. Some ancient cultures erected stone circles such as Stonehenge, to honor the rising of the sun on the Summer Solstice.
Many stay up all night on the eve of the Summer Solstice to celebrate, watch, and welcome the sunrise. Traditionally bonfires are lit as they represent the strength and peak of the sun’s energy. However, many of us do not live where we can just light a big ole bonfire. But there are many ways for you to make this day special. It’s a fire festival so light some red, yellow, or gold candles in gratitude of the Sun. Make solar water, yes that is a thing. You can infuse it with fruit, leaving it in the sun for 1- 2 hours, or make sun tea. Burn dried herbs of rose, lavender, or chamomile. Make a flower crown which is a great activity for the little ones. Get outside and get your hands dirty in your garden. Don’t have a garden, go on a nature walk. Your celebration does not need to be complicated, it can be something as simple as meditating. Or we all should at least once in our lifetime watch the sunrise. So eat, drink and dance to your heart’s content and bask in the warmth of the Sun!
Happy Summer Solstice from all of us at 13 Moons!
