This celebration of the beginning of summer and the most sunlight of the year is a high point and a culmination, but like any climactic moment it is a turning point. The solstice is a time to reflect on how far we have come, celebrate and express gratitude for the abundance of the moment, and look ahead to the second half of the year. We spent the Winter Solstice and Imbolc planting intentions and seeds (maybe literally) and now we can see what is working and what still needs tending, or what needs to be composted and repurposed into a new direction. It is my hope that we reach this point of the year feeling resourced and nurtured, both to rest in the abundance of the moment and to work at harvesting the yields of our efforts.
In The Moon Book, Sarah Faith Gottessdiener correlates the 8 Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year to the different phases of the moon. The holidays of the Wheel of the Year are the annual version of the moon phases we experience on a monthly cycle. I'm including this excerpt about the full moon phase because it is so relevant to our annual celebration of the solstice.
Excerpt from The Moon Book by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener
Page 168
Coming Together Is Full Moon Magic
"The full moon traditionally is the time for people to gather. It is a cosmic coming together; the sun, the moon, and the earth are all in alignment. Why wouldn’t we wish to mirror this by coming together with others? Coming together with others affirms we are not alone. Full moon circles can support connection and facilitate beautiful group magical workings as well. Get together with the same few friends consistently over periods of time. The sweet witnesses of time and friends are the cheerleaders to your progress.
Circles have an element of sharing and of listening. Being able to relax, to show up, honestly and vulnerably, with intention are the best ingredients. Many people wish to feel more spiritually connected; they just need an invitation. If you have the capacity to host, then do so. Ask your friends what they would want; co-create together.
If you already have a coven, then you are already meeting every month, and/or at the Wheel of the Year Sabbaths, or during the solstices and equinoxes. Even if you are a solitary practitioner, rituals with others are important from time to time. Sharing your desires in a group creates more momentum and amplification. Being lovingly witnessed is important for a witch. If you strongly identify as a solo practitioner, once in a while, under a full moon, gather with at least one other person to share and honor your growth and dreams.
Intention turns a casual hangout into a ritual. A potluck is just a get-together. But if the potluck has everyone cooking meaningful recipes, and you come together to share and talk about what your biggest wishes are in a circle, and then partake in a meditation that everyone co-creates, that is a ritual."
Our Summer Solstice celebrations are by no means strict, but you can see the overall themes reflected. Sometimes there are bonfires, but plenty of years we get rained out and have to hide inside from either thunderstorms or mosquitoes, so candlelight suffices. We always have bread, cheese, seasonal fruits and greens, honey, and wine. The flowers and herbs we bring might be accurate to the correspondences listed below but more likely it’s whatever we can find at the grocery store! Flower crowns are a must for us - they feel so festive, and make a person feel like a pretty pretty princess - so I highly recommend them for everyone. We always wear white to represent the light. This is one constant that we keep at both the winter and summer solstice. Wearing some sparkly makeup or body glitter is also highly recommended to feel glowy and magical!
The themes and correspondences below are from Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials: Midsummer by Deborah Blake. If you want to do a deep dive into every Sabbat or seasonal celebration these books are a great resource.
Astrology:
The sun enters the cardinal water sign Cancer (the caring crab!) and summer officially begins. Cardinal signs are always a beginning and an initiation, marking the first day of a new season. In the Northern Hemisphere this marks the longest day, the most sunlight. Every day after the solstice, the days become slightly shorter, culminating with the darkest day/ least amount of daylight at the Winter Solstice.
Summer Solstice Themes:
Abundance, cleansing, creativity, divination, fertility, fire, growth, healing, opportunity, empowerment, success
Crystals & Stones:
Carnelian, Citrine, Diamond, Emerald, Jade Peridot, Tiger-eye, Copper, Gold, Pyrite
Colors:
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, White, Gold
Trees, Herbs & Flowers:
Elder, Hazel, Oak, Rowan
Cinnamon, Rosemary, St. John’s Wort, Yarrow
Chamomile, Daisy, Heather, Lavender, Marigold, Meadowsweet, Rose
Tarot Cards:
The Empress, The Emperor, The Sun, Strength
Symbols:
Fire & bonfires, Faeries, Roses, Spirals, Wands & Cauldrons, Bees, Butterflies, Birds
Food & Drink:
Ale, lemonade, mead (honey wine), mint tea, sun tea, wine, milk for the faeries
Berries, cheese, cinnamon, grapes, honey, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, tomatoes, bread
Tools & Goods:
Looking for something to support you through the summer season or add to your Summer Solstice altar?
Check out our Summer Collection for crystals, herbs, candles, teas, card decks and more!
Summer Solstice: A Note from the Author
These images were created on the summer solstice of 2016. (I was very pregnant at the time of this photo shoot.)
9 years later, I’m publishing these photos and the story around them.
This was my second summer solstice celebration and the first where I invited an experienced photographer to stay through the evening to capture the experience – immense gratitude and appreciation to Susie Mann for her work, her talent, and her kindred spirit.
In the previous few winters, friends invited me to join in winter solstice gatherings. We sang, we danced, we sat with the darkness, we lit candles and waited for the light. I started a summer solstice gathering because of a desire to explore the other side of the solstice celebration - we do get two after all.
In the winter we meet the darkest moment, the longest night, and reflect on the darkness we are leaving behind and plant our hopes for the light to come.
I began a summer solstice gathering to celebrate the climax of light, to take stock of how far we had come in the past 6 months, to see what desires had come to fruition, and to acknowledge and celebrate, with joy and gratitude, the present moment.
This summer solstice gathering was also the starting point of a creative journey for me personally, eventually becoming a small business offering wedding florals and event design. Event design work was always rooted in my desire to create a beautiful immersive experience above and beyond what we usually encounter in the day to day.
I was so enamored with blogs, Instagram and Pinterest images of everything from ethereal weddings, women tiptoeing barefoot in rivers while gracefully lifting gauzy skirts, to artfully messy kitchens dusted with flour and scattered berries. This solstice shoot was designed to bring the dreamy aspirational Pinterest images off my screen and into my real life.
This is a gift I continue to give to myself and share with friends, although not as often as I like (let’s be real, most of real life isn’t magazine worthy). After I made a job of transforming spaces with flowers and candlelight, I realized that I had stopped doing the same for myself. I’ve come back to it, and sometimes it really is as simple as lighting half a dozen candles and keeping the overhead lights off.
9 years is a long time in some ways, particularly in terms of aesthetic trends. Re-visiting these images after so long, I’m very proud of how timeless they feel. More than that, we continue to gather every solstice with food, fire, and flowers.
