5 Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice (Litha) This Year

Litha, the shortest day of the year, also known as Midsummer and the Summer Solstice, is a time for celebrating all the abundance in your life and all that is yet to come. ​

Stonehenge. Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

​
The Summer Solstice is the perfect time for fire rituals, cleansing rituals, finding new balance, expansion, and looking back on all you’ve accomplished so far in this year — and celebrating it. All the big/little wins have added up, so bask in the growth of all the metaphorical seeds you planted in previous seasons, and embrace seeing them come to light.

It’s also a time to honor the Goddess and the Sun God, and depending on your magical practice and tradition, they may have different names. Whether it’s Freya or Danu, the Oak King in Celtic traditions, Sol or Pan, each God/Goddess also represents a spiritual archetype that dwells within and manifests in the physical world. In preparation for Midsummer — which can be celebrated even a few days before or after the actual Summer Solstice that occurs every year on June 20th — gather your supplies and get ready for expansion and embracing your inner fire with the following rituals and magical tips.

Fire rituals
If you can’t make a bonfire, a good ole classic candle spell may be just the thing. We love the Solar Blast candle for this time of year, which is all about invoking abundance, prosperity, and the energies of the sun for growth and expansion. Take a sea salt bath before you begin your ritual, set an intention for the coming months, and let the candle burn for 7-10 days until it goes out fully. 

You can also write down some goals for the rest of the year and what you’d like to see come to fruition at this time and burn the paper afterwards with the candle flame, concentrating your energy and sending your intention into the universe. You can also incorporate Enchantments' Midsummer Oil ($15 for 1/2 ounce) into your rituals at this time of year. 

Smoke cleansing 
Enchantments’ Midsummer Incense blend is great for not only a house blessing during the Summer Solstice, but also for any rituals you may do to celebrate this time of year. It’s a unique, handmade blend that helps welcomes in new abundance, growth, and focuses on solar energies. Simply add a teaspoon full to a small, cast-iron cauldron and touch fire to it. Use the smoke to cleanse your tools, invoke your deities, or waft it around your house for a cleansing.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Get creative with flowers
As the earth is bursting with fresh vegetables and flowers, indulge in a little ritual of ‘beauty for beauty’ sake. It could be a creativity ritual using fresh flowers and linen to make flower designs, dying fabrics with flowers and herbs, making herbal tinctures, drawing or painting with watercolors, or making a flower crown from gathered flowers on a summer walk or day at the park. Or simply refreshing your home with a bouquet of fresh flowers goes a long way to mark the seasonal shift and welcome in new energy in your home. You can also refresh your herb collection at this time with new herbal blends from Enchantments, but please note that our herbs are not for ingestion of any kind and only to be used for magickal purposes. 

Salt cleansing
Sea salt is one of the most purifying, magickal ingredients in many witches’ pouches, and since it’s summer, there may be an abundance of it close by --  that is, if you’re close to the ocean. This is a great time perform a cleansing ritual using the pure powers of the ocean: Simply immersing yourself in the fecund waters and letting the salt water dry on your skin is not only rejuvenating, but can be transformative if done with the intention of gratitude and release. As you enter the water and dunk your head in, send out gratitude for your life and everything still yet to come. Bask in that feeling of fullness at the prime pinnacle of summer and soak in the feeling of wonder and expansion. 

Gather your favorite people, along with some fresh herbs, fruits, and veggies for a summer feast.
Head to the farmer’s market and gather up the freshest vegetables and fruits to have a small summer feast with your loved ones. If you have a garden, it’s the perfect time to utilize those herbs and vegetables and share the bounty with others. Organize a potluck in the park, a summer evening dinner, or a long, lingering breakfast with friends using fresh ingredients straight from the earth. Maybe you’ve wanted to finally work out that rhubarb pie recipe lingering somewhere? Now’s the time to try, baby.

Embrace your inner fire
Ask yourself: What is it I truly yearn for? What is it that I need to feel fulfilled and my best self? What does success truly look like for me? This is a time for expansion, but also self-acceptance and self-love for everything you already are and all you’ve already done. Get playful about your desires and soak in the power of possibility — it’s okay to dream, get serious about joy (an oxymoron, but you know), and allow yourself to get excited about what’s to come; that is, if you go after what you truly want.

Blessed be, witches x