Summer Solstice!

Happy Summer Solstice, all! (Except for my southern hemisphere peeps, of course, who are just entering their winter period.) I will be celebrating tomorrow evening with a ritual and BBQ/feast with Blue Moon Circle, but I'll also do something today to observe the occasion on my own.


The Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer or Litha, is the official first day of Summer. It falls on or around June 21^st, and is the longest day of the year, with the most light and the least amount of darkness. The energy of the sun is at its height now, and the crops are growing fertile in the fields. Life is filled with life and light and growth. I like to use this day to tap into the abundant energy and use it for positive forward movement. But I also believe this is a good time for celebration and appreciation of all the good things we already have in our lives. A mini spiritual vacation for the soul, if you will.

Here are a couple of 5 minute rituals you can use to celebrate the marvelous energy of summer, if you don't have the time or inclination to do something more complicated.

Sit outside (or in a sunny window or patch of floor). Close your eyes and feel the heat of the sun on your face. Visualize the light of the sun as golden rays, carrying with them energy, prosperity, abundance, and the potential for growth on every level. Open yourself to all that potential, and draw it into yourself until you can feel it overflowing from every pore. Then say thank you, and open your eyes, moving onward into summer.

Find a piece of summer fruit--a handful of berries, sweet cherries, or a nice juicy peach. Visualize that fruit as a concentrated holder for all the joy and potential of summer, and eat it slowly, being mindful of the gifts that the summer can bring.

Happy Summer Solstice to you! And don't forget to look for the supermoon on Sunday!