5 Little Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice

It’s Summer Solstice, AKA Litha, AKA the longest day of the year!

In many ways, Summer Solstice is like the sun’s version of a full moon: the peak of its annual cycle. So naturally, solar energy is at a fever pitch, and we have a lot of magic to work with, particularly related to brightness, expansion, and success.

What’s more, because a crescendo is not just the highest peak but also the transition toward decline, we have the opportunity to release anything that no longer serves us or that has been holding us back.

Wondering how to celebrate this extra-magical day? Or looking for summer solstice ritual ideas? Here are five places to start.

Watch the sunrise. Granted, it’s early. Heck, it’s the longest day of the year, so the sunrise literally doesn’t get any earlier. But getting out of bed early and making a trek to a nice sunrise-viewing location (if you don’t have one in your backyard) will be a deeply satisfying way to experience and honor the sun’s most glorious day. Furthermore, you’ll find that it will spark your sense of wonder and provide a powerful infusion of magical mojo that will last throughout the year.

Have a drink to the sun. Possibly in tandem with the above recommendation, enjoy a cup of ginger and/or cinnamon tea with the sun. Make a cup for yourself and one for the sun, and offer a toast of admiration and thanksgiving, possibly working in a request that he provide you with a potent dose of his radiant power and confidence.

Set an intention that feels right. If you saw my recent video post, you know that my intention for this year’s Solstice is to surrender to love’s deepest bliss. Considering the dual energies of expansion and release at work during the solstice (especially a full moon solstice!) it feels right to me to work in an opening to that which I desire (love and connection), as well as a release or surrender of all that stands in the way of that desire. In other words, when phrasing your Solstice intention, consider the mechanism of opening up to the full brightness of the moment while also allowing yourself to let go of any old stuff that no longer serves. To do this, consider incorporating there phrases “surrender to,” “open up to,” or “allow.”

Free your spirit. This Solstice, the time is right to honestly assess the beliefs and habits that have been weighing you down or holding you back. For example, have you been keeping yourself small out of the belief that it will make others more comfortable, or out of the fear that being yourself will scare people off? Or telling yourself negative stories about yourself that limit your truly fabulous nature? Or maybe you’ve been pursuing a goal or attempting to perpetuate a status quo that just isn’t nourishing your soul. As you observe the awesome power of the sun this Solstice, shine light into the dark places and choose to free your spirit of any oppressive old paradigms. Then, put on some music and dance.

Have a dunk in a moving body of water. Summer Solstice is a time of both solar and lunar energies, as it’s the time when the sun moves into the lunar, watery sign of Cancer. So even if you just stand ankle-deep in a stream, place yourself in a fresh, moving body of water and let it cleanse, invigorate, and rejuvenate your soul.