Please enjoy this Celebrating Summer Solstice audio file from the Ravynwood YouTube Channel.
(originally recorded as part of a live event)
Celebrating Summer Solstice – Audio & Transcript
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Transcript:
I can’t believe that the Wheel of the Year has already turned around to the summer solstice, but here we are, right?
Let’s get right into the summer solstice. So, the summer solstice, for me, is one of those days that holds so much meaning. First of all, this is my season of power, my cycle of power. I was born in the summer, and I’ve always been very, very attracted to the summer.
I mind the cold and even though I live in the northeast, I’ve never really embraced the cold months, the dark months. I’m doing better with it, and you know it’s taken me a long time to understand that that season also has plenty of gifts to offer.
But for me, there’s just nothing like summer. I love the long days, I love the warm temperatures, I love that everywhere you look everything is green and growing and there are flowers and plants and my gardens are doing great and can be outside without you know several layers of clothes on and you know I just I love everything about the summer.
So, the summer solstice then is really about celebrating the power of light, the solar energy that is so prominent this time of year.
It’s the sun at full strength. So, we’re all, I’m sure, enjoying these very long days. I know for me this is one of my favorite things about this time of year. The seeds of spring have already been planted, and now everything is starting to grow. And you can draw a parallel to your own life with that, too.
You’ve planted seeds, and now things are starting to grow in that that summer season where everything is green. So, in this season of growth, it’s a time to really celebrate all of life, whether you think of it as the way things are growing or the observances that you can make in your natural environment, whatever it might be. But I really embrace that part of this season and that I think is its true gift.
So the traditional date for the summer solstice has been June 21st, but it actually has its roots in celebrations that were lasting either four days on the front side of that date or four days after. And so, it depends on who you ask on what the technical date is. Those who follow astrology will have a little bit different view on it than those who are Like weather people, for example, there’s a lot of things that have kind of come to be part of our culture of beliefs around it. For me, I think of the traditional date as June 21st, and I celebrate on June 21st.
So, the solstice is also known as Litha or Litha. There are other pronunciations of that as well. And it kind of goes without saying that whichever one you embrace is absolutely fine. I firmly believe that there is never a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone and that everyone needs to embrace their practices and make them their own. Certainly you can draw inspiration from many, many sources, but always I think it’s a good idea to make your practices your own.
Celebrating Summer Solstice – Cutting Fresh Flowers
So, there’s a ton of ways that you could celebrate this summer solstice season, but for me, here are a few things that I love to do. So, collecting fresh flowers.
If I do that, though, I’m sure to always ask the plant permission before I cut it. And I also express gratitude once they grant me that permission. I love to collect wildflowers. There are many, many things that bloom in my area along the roadsides, even things like daylilies and daisies and other flowering native plants right now. But if you have a cut, a cutting garden, you know certainly now is a great time to go and ask those plants if you would be able to harvest some of their blooms for your dinner table. Flowering herbs are another thing that I love to use. Right now, I have several different things that are flowering, and they can be easily included in any of your summer bouquets.
I love the simplicity of a bunch of weeds that are just put together in a pretty vase, and I usually have one all the time.
Cutting Fresh Herbs
So, here’s another way then. I have an herb garden, and maybe some of you do too. So, I like to collect herbs at this time of the year. I feel like it gives them a little extra oomph or something. And then I dry them for use all winter long. Things that I’m going to gather up today include a little bit of catnip. I have four cats, so they definitely appreciate the catnip.
I’m also going to collect some chamomile, and I believe there’s a little oregano that’s ready. I’m going to gather up those things today and sort of use this time of year to add that little bit of oomph in.
Creating a Sleep Pillow
Then lavender right now is something that I have growing. Now’s a great time to gather it up, dry it out, and make yourself a sleep pillow. To do this, all you need to do is stitch together a couple of pieces of fabric and it does not need to be fancy. So even if you’re a beginner with sewing or if you hand stitch, it even, which I think is a great way to make these, it adds that little bit of something I think when you hand stitch it. And even children can do this. I actually had a little girl who made me a sleep pillow out of lavender that she grew herself and then she wrote me a little message in magic marker on it and I love it. You know I love that she took such care in preparing these. So, you can make these for yourself, or you can actually make them as a gift. And again, just stitch together those pieces of fabric sort of like a pillowcase, then insert your lavender and then sew shut the opening. And hold that intention while you do it that this pillow will help you have very restful and deep sleep.
Celebrating Summer Solstice – Create an Amulet
Another thing that I like to do this time of year is to create an amulet. Now, an amulet can be something that you already have, and I have this very simple silver bracelet that I wear just about every day. And for me, this is my amulet. And usually at this time of the year, I will rededicate it or reconsecrate it to have that protective quality that I want my amulet to have. So it can be something that you already have, if you have a bracelet or another piece of jewelry that you would like to use, or it can be a found item that maybe you’re gonna take a walk later today, or a hike this weekend.
Ask before you go for something to be shown to you that can be used as your amulet for this summer solstice season. Then once you have it, just simply infuse that with the power of the light that is so abundant right now for your highest and greatest good. And again, it can be anything. You can choose a rock, or an acorn that you find, or a feather. It can be a piece of jewelry that you already have, or something special that you actually obtained just for this purpose.
Celebrating Summer Solstice – Light a Balefire
Then another way that I love to celebrate the solstice is to light a balefire. It sounds like we’re gonna have storms later today, so this may have to wait. But it’s a great time for a sacred fire that you can then use to celebrate the long days of life. If you have a wreath left over from the yule season, you could burn that in your solstice balefire today.
Sometimes I keep my yule wreath and sometimes I don’t. Right now, we’re working on habitat on some wooded acreage. So, I’ve been kind of repurposing anything that I have into that space for the wild animals.
Celebrating Summer Solstice – Making A Solar Cross
So, here’s another super quick little thing that you can do to celebrate the solstice, and that is to make a solar cross. I usually use bound items for this. And all a solar cross is just the cross with equal length arms. So, you’ll put together that. And I usually try to find something in nature that I can tie it together with, like long pieces of grass or maybe a piece of vine or something that’s easy to tie into a knot. And that way, the whole thing then will end up being something that can go into the compost. I love to be pretty easy on Mother Earth. and I have great respect and reverence for her, so I try to minimize my impact on her. You certainly can use twine or something like that and then just simply remove it before you would compost it.
But anyway, you can add your found items if you’ve taken that walk that we talked about earlier to this solar cross. It can be things that you found in nature, and I find that when I set out to take a walk, even if it’s with the dog, Before I go, I usually just say, you know I I would love to find something special along my way today. And usually, I am granted by finding something special.
So, your solar cross then will just be equal length arms on your cross, tied together in the center, and then you can decorate it any way that you like. I try to always use biodegradable items so that I can then compost it.
Celebrating Summer Solstice – Wander & Wonder Day
I think we’ve talked about this before, maybe not, but when I go out and and take those walks, I call it a wonder and wonder walk, where I am just kind of noticing everything. I’m taking a look at everything along the way, I want to see what I find, and I wander, W-A-N-D-E-R, and wonder, W-O-N-D-E-R.
And you can do this on a walk or a hike, or you can do it on a city street. Just set your intention before you go that you’re going to notice all the things that you normally would overlook in your
day-to-day travel. Take that time to just really slow down, pay attention to things like color and placement and spatial relationships, textures, all of those things. The whole world is an oracle. There’s messages waiting for you out there everywhere, and that’s what I always like to do when I do a wonder and wonder, is look for the things that have specific meaning to me.
Celebrating Summer Solstice – Create a Magickal Wand
Folklore says right now is a great time to cut magical wands too. So, if you do practice magic and you love that idea, now is a great time to be able to find what you’re looking for, just as you did with the wonder and wonder. Set your intention and I feel like the perfect thing will be shown to you during that.
All right, thank you for joining me today. I am sending you all so, so much love and so many blessings for this summer solstice season.
I’ll see you next time.
How will you be celebrating Summer Solstice?
Blessed Summer Solstice from Ravynwood.
Karen
You might like these:
Free Summer Solstice One-Page Guide
6 Ways to Honor the Longest Day of the Year – blog post
Create Your Green Witch Book of Seasons – blog post
Create a Magickal Summer – bite-sized course
Summer Solstice – bite-sized course
The Magick of July for the Green Witch – Audio Only
