Summer Solstice Inspirations

Summer Solstice or ‘Litha’ (which falls on 21st June in the Northern Hemisphere), is a magical time that our ancestors have placed great importance on for time immemorial, no matter what religion, culture or era.  Great monuments and structures have been built all around the globe to mark that exact moment the Sun lines up with certain constellations.  We can’t know exactly the rituals each one adhered to as so much has been buried along with our ancestors, but this desire to honour this date seems to still be embedded in our DNA. The main thing that we all agree upon is that honouring our life giving sun, our beautiful planet, and of course each other, in blessings and gratitude, is something joyful we can all do.  Many people travel to sacred locations (such as Stonehenge) to worship the day that the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. Being in community is a wonderful way to celebrate if that works for you, if not, there are many other ways you can make the date magical, so there is no need to miss out.

Below are some lovely ideas to honour the longest day of the year, and that you can also use throughout the summer months too.

Stretch Your body:

Why not start the day with some Sun salutations – a beautiful Yoga practice to stretch out the body and honour the Sun.  There are plenty of ‘how to’ videos you can follow on YouTube if you have not done this before, and lots that are geared towards complete beginners too. 

Make a Summer Solstice ‘Solar Jar’ for Potent Manifestation

This jar is designed to absorb and magnify the solar energy and although is most potent to prepare in advance of the Summer Solstice, (so it can spend the whole day in the field of that magical energy) – it is also something you can do anytime you are called to.  We use the Summer Solstice Solar energy to imbue our chosen items with the powerful photonics light and this energy supercharges them for use later.  By your intention, you can create a jar that brings in whatever you choose – Abundance, Prosperity, Growth, Love, Protection – to name a few

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For this you will need:

• A glass jar with a lid
• A candle – you may wish to use a candle to represent something, like a Goddess or a Buddha or just a tea-light candle will do
• Any Crystals that feel important to you – you can check the specific meaning of any crystal your are drawn to online, or you can look specifically for a crystal that holds an energy you wish to draw upon.
• A fiery crystal, such as Carnelian which is perfect for this Solar Jar
• An item to represent protection, such as either a black crystal such as Obsidian, Black Tourmaline or Shungite, or a Pentacle charm
• A flower to represent Summer such as a Marigold/Calendula – this one represents happiness, joy, prosperity
• Rose Petals – for positivity 
• A twig of Rosemary which is for good luck
• Sea salt – to continually cleanse and protect all items
• Any sacred oils or bath salts you might like to use later – though only use ones in amber bottles so they don’t spoil in the sun
• Sacred items such as heart pendants, coins, or trinkets that mean something to you – make this personal to you <3
• A small hand drawn sigil (or symbol) if you wish, to add extra potency.  You can use ones for protection, peace, love, prosperity etc, choose something that you would like to bring in.

How to create your supercharging jar.

1. Take some time to think about and research what items would serve you the most, or bring you the most joy, and then cleanse yourself  – either shower or with sage
2. Now cleanse your jar and items by burning a little rosemary, sage or palo Santo and ‘rolling’ the items into the smoke.
3. Now start to imbue your energy into each item, just by placing in your hands for a few moments and request that they receive, and be charged, with the Solar energy. Also request that your ancestors and guardian angels assist you with this, adding their potency to the mix.
4. The intention that you set on the items and the jar itself will be what sets the tone for this jar.  The use of colour, crystals or oils will help to create the theme of what you wish to manifest.
5. You can place a candle (making sure it is not going to melt the lid or cause a fire) on top of the jar somewhere special (such as an Altar) before the Solstice to pre-charge it.  Then on the actual day of the Solstice you can leave it safely in the sunshine, if you are somewhere not too hot.
6. All the items will now be supercharged after the solstice and can be used for other rituals or to wear, but remember that the potency will wear off after time once it is outside of the jar.  
7. To charge them up again, you can put back out in the sun and set an intention, but keep in mind that the sun will not be as potent again until next year.

NOTES:

Consider items and colours that really represent what you want.  Perhaps a red or heart shaped candle would be useful if you want to attract love, or reignite passion in a relationship, consider placing money, or bamboo in for prosperity; you may like to use the Hamza symbol if you’d like to ward off negativity or want protection, A butterfly for transformation and growth…

Create a Nature Mandala

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This is such great fun to do whether you are alone, with kids, or in a group of friends.  Highly relaxing, fun and therapeutic as it gets you into a beautiful mindful state.  And if you are working with others it really encourages collaboration, navigation and creativity.  

Pick a peaceful place out in nature to create your nature mandala if you’d like to leave your beautiful artwork for all to enjoy, or of course bring your items home to create there. You will need to gather some organic materials around you to use such as twigs, leaves, grasses, flowers, berries, pinecones, feathers and acorns work really well.

To create your nature mandala, place a meaningful item in the centre. Then start placing other items you gathered near the centre first and continue moving outward from the centre until you’ve created a circular design.

Continue until your items are used up and it feels complete. It’s totally up to you if you’d like to make it big or small, bright and bold, or muted tones.  You can make it as simple or complex as you want.  You can make them actually out in nature. This is a really short video showing how to start, that will whet your appetite and give some inspiration:  

Create a Summer Solstice Wreath

Whether you want to make a beautiful garland to wear, or a wreath for your table, or door.. this is a lovely video I found showing tips for how to do it:

Get magical with some fairy props

Making little fairy doors or minute gardens was always something I loved to do as a child – and to be honest I am not too old at heart to still enjoy doing it.  Let your inner child out to play with some of these delights..  The eve of Summer Solstice is when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest and is said to be a time when the fairies come out to play…. 

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Make Rosemary infused Lemonade

This is a really simple recipe and you can make your own tweaks to taste – either replacing the sugar with stevia or maple syrup, using lemonade to top up instead of fizzy water, or adding a squeeze of lemon juice.  Rosemary is high in anti-oxidants and is a very good herb for protecting and enhancing the brain, helping promote hair growth, a wonderful tonic for the digestive system and helping strengthen the immune system amongst many other things.  Rosemary is thought to bring good luck as well as being protective when burned and used to ’smudge’ items, self or home

Basic Recipe for Rosemary Syrup

1/2 a cup of rosemary twigs

1 cup of water

1 cup of sugar

Simmer all of the above in a pan for 10mins.  Wait until cool, then strain into a small bottle or jar.  Use as cordial and add to sparkling mineral water or lemonade to taste.  Also you can use any of the above ideas to tweak it

Unleash your Spirit

The abundance of light that is around at the height of Summer can help release burdens, doubts, and fears, so we can feel more liberated.  Moving your body to music is such a wonderful way to ground, get embodied, release stagnant energy and celebrate life, so give yourself permission to unleash your inner Goddess (or Warrior God), and let loose – whether that is barefoot in the garden (best) or in the comfort of your own home.