Summer Solstice

Solstice means the sun stands still (sol - the sun, sistire- to stand still). Twice a year the Sun appears to stand still on the horizon for approximately three days. These times fall in June and December, hence the terms Summer and Winter Solstice. Summer Solstice is sometimes called Litha, which is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon for Midsummer.

The astrological point of solstice falls in the summer when the Sun moves from the astrological sign of Gemini into Cancer. This year, 2025, this is on June 21st at 3.41 am BST. It is the point at which the Sun rises at its most Northeast and sets at the most Northwest. Summer Solstice is the point that the Northern axis of the Earth is tilted most towards the Sun. (I presume flat earthers don't celebrate the solstices!)

Energies that are associated with Summer Solstice are often felt to be the energies that are perceived as masculine, Yang energies. Solar dieties throughout history are often male, for example Helios, Apollo, Ra, Belenos. Neo pagans often attribute yang, solar energies to masculine properties and lunar, yin energies to the feminine. Please note that there are many Solar Goddesses – and it’s certainly important to mention Aine, the Irish Goddess of the Sun and MidSummer.

We are privileged to live in a land with a relatively temperate climate where we can appreciate the properties of both Summer and Winter without generally having to fear either. It is a wonderful thing to enjoy the sun at its strongest on the longest day. Can you be up for the sunrise? It's very early! And therefore, can you also be up for the sunset? We can be grateful and celebrate the life, the bounty and the beauty that the Sun creates for us every day. Remember that even when it's cloudy, the daylight we are benefiting from is the energy of our Sun. When we enjoy a rainbow, it is the Sun's magic that brings it to us. The beautiful colours of the sunrise and the sunset give us much to be grateful for.

Summer Solstice is a great point of the year to stop and take a deep breath. Especially as the days have been growing longer, we can sometimes forget the need for rest. Evaluate your time and how you've been spending it. Make sure there is enough leisure time in the way that truly works for you in the weeks of high Summer ahead. You might also wish to cast your mind back to New Year and plans that you made, or hopes and wishes that you may have had for your year ahead, and check in to see how they are progressing. This is a good time to get that journal out, lie out on the lounger and reflect on any changes you may need to make to get back on track.

Obviously, I don't want to focus on this fact for too long and be a downer, but the wheel of the year, the annual cycle of the Sun, is now beginning to wane after Solstice. So again, reflect and ask yourself if there things you want to get in place before Autumn? Are there things you want to make sure you do in the Summer months? Be sure not to let these things pass for too long!

As well as fire in the form of the Sun, another element we should consider is water. Remember to always treasure the water supply that you have, and be grateful that in the times of heat, we are lucky enough to have water to survive and grow our plants and crops. It is of course the element that's its opposite fire, and so our gratitude and honour can reflect the balance that a Summer storm can bring.

So what will you do to celebrate the solstice? Will you use it to clear and cleanse, working with the extra daylight hours to cleanse your space, like they would have done in olden times? Or will you enjoy the sunrise or sunset, and will it be with friends or will you savour the peace of alone time? Remember to honour this season in a way that also honours you and your place within nature. No element, no celestial body, wants you to make yourself ill for one day of the year by pushing yourself too hard. Tailor your celebration and gratitude to suit you and your needs also.

I myself have the honour of working with Cindy and Adrian of Myrriadd Dance again this Solstice. They are wonderful circle dancers, and we will weave magic together with our guests in the evocative grounds of Norton Priory. I like to think the cannons of old would have marked the occasion of Midsummer, though they are more likely to have celebrated it on June 24th, St. John's day, Midsummer’s Day.

(I have now sent myself down a rabbit hole wondering about the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar, but that will have to wait for another day).

Have a very blessed Solstice. Take care and let those bonfires burn!

Activities that are good ways to celebrate Summer Solstice:

1: See and truly appreciate the sunrise and sunset on this, the longest day

2: Harvest herbs – think of all that wonderful solar energy they will hold!

3: Cleanse and clear your surroundings. It is said that the ritual bonfires were also part of a practical cleaning due to all the extra time folks would have had due to the increase in daylight!

4: Enjoy a bonfire! Any excuse really.

5: Make an offering. Frankincense is associated with the Sun, so burning some frankincense outdoors is a lovely way to give thanks to the elements around you.

6: Spend truly mindful times in nature really paying attention to all the beauty around you. Remember that you are a part of this gorgeous environment, and be appreciative of every leaf, flower, bee and bird. See their beauty reflected within you also.

7: Journal - reflect on your year so far, and plan for the months ahead.

8: If you charge your crystals in the light of the full Moon, maybe charge them also under the light of the Solstice Sun. NB: DO NOT DO THIS ON YOUR WINDOW SILL OR INDOORS – the light through a quartz for example, can burn furniture!