Phew! What a spring that has been I am so ready for Summer and the Solstice!
I don’t know about you but spring seemed like a long run of temperamental weather and massive shifts and up levels which has left me feeling stretched and exhausted and ready for the what is happening next!

Summer is my favourite time of the year, I love how relaxed and low key everything feels, I love the warmth, the longs days that lead into late nights full of insightful conversations, but mostly I love the freedom and sense of play the comes with not having to hide from the cold and being outside surrounded by lush greens and vibrant colours! The summer solstice for me is rather bitter sweet though, part of me loves that it’s summer and the hottest part of the year but also sad that the days start to get shorter after, I adore having dusk happen after 10pm here. While the sun is still up very late straight through to September I am always sad to see it starting to shorten.

Celebrating

There is no wrong way to celebrate any of the witches holidays and it is a very personal choice depending on where you are in your practice. I am a solitary who sometimes does things with my family. Your celebration doesn’t need to be elaborate, big, and complicated.
The Solstice is a fire celebration light some candles, a fire pit (if the weather permits and there isn’t a fire ban in place in your area!), or a fireplace and watch and appreciate the fire, light, and the sun and all that it means and gives you.
I am in the mountains today celebrating a couple birthdays with my family and it is pretty wet and overcast so I am not able to do a lot of sun worshiping or much outside so my celebrating is going to consist of:

• Watching the sunset on the longest day of the year.
• Leaving an offering of milk to the fairies and spirits.
• Enjoying the sight of the fireplace going in our hotel room.
• And just enjoying life and family and all the blessings that I have.

Other ways you can celebrate is with baking, collecting herbs, redecorating your alter, and finding ways to incorporate the sun into your home.

Ritual

Supplies:
Candles
Lighters
Herbs, Flowers, or items that remind you of the sun
Paper
Preferred form of divination tool (tarot is mine)

Prepare yourself for the ritual in your usual way, I prefer a cleansing bath or shower where I visualize all the impurities and negative energies washing off my body and going down the drain, I call in the elements and some deities to aid in this.
Dress yourself in clean and comfortable clothes (if you prefer to worship in the nude than do so) or your ritual clothes if you have them.
Gather your supplies and set them up and make sure you are in a comfortable spot where you won’t be bothered.
Here is where your own flavour will come into play and how formal you want this to be. If you want a formal ritual this is where you will call the quarter, create scared circle, or invoke the elements in your preferred way. If you want it more casual you can skip this part.
When I call the corners and create my sacred space I start facing the east and work clockwise ending in the north before going in the centre to call in spirit.
Light the candle(s) and place the flowers, herbs, or items around them. While staring into the candle flames allow yourself to get in touch with your inner voice and write down on the paper what you would like to grow in your life and have come to fruition during the upcoming harvests. Also note what things you would like to release and leave behind.
Once you have finished with that part take out your cards or other divination tool and see what messages you have waiting from the universe.
After you are done close the circle and release the quarters in the opposite way that you invoked them earlier (if you didn’t than you can skip this step too).
You are now done and it’s time to enjoy cake and ale.

Blessed Be everyone and may the light of the sun guide you through the next few months.