The Summer Solstice

Introduction

The Solstices have been celebrated since the dawn of time by people all around the world as powerful times of growth, change, and magic. The meaning of the golden sunrise on the Solstices won’t be so mysterious after learning about them, and the Summer Solstice spiritual meaning might surprise you in its simplicity.

How can you work your personal growth plan into celebrating the Summer Solstice, and how can you go about creating reality to suit your goals at this time of year? Learn the spiritual meaning of Summer Solstice and how to celebrate it.

The rising sun on the Summer Solstice beckons images of flower-crowned revelers dancing merrily, basking in the rays of the sun’s light, and spending days celebrating life, joy, hope, and love. The spiritual meaning of green growing things as hope is considered to be born on the Summer Solstice is powerful for some people, and visits to sacred places to celebrate the Solstice are made by many.

What is the Summer Solstice spiritual meaning, and what is the ancient holiday Litha that has been celebrated for generations? Learn some symbols of the Summer Solstice and some amazing ways of how to celebrate it yourself.

What Are the Solstices?

Solstices happen twice a year, once at the Summer Solstice and again during the Winter Solstice. Solstice means “sun stand still” and after the Winter Solstice, days become longer and the nights grow shorter as daylight increases. After the moment of the Summer Solstice, the opposite will occur, and the days will grow shorter, and the nights longer, increasing the amount of darkness.

At the moment of the Summer Solstice, the days will have the maximum amount of light and the night will be the shortest one of the entire year. When the Southern Hemisphere has one Solstice, the Northern has the other one because of the earth's tilt. During the Summer Solstice, one section of earth tilts closer to the sun, and at Winter Solstice it tilts away from it.

Agricultural people observed the Solstices as sacred seasonal days, as they watch the seasons and how these affect the earth's planting and harvest cycles. Winter brings lean and hungry times when survival is treacherous with the possibility of famine. Food stocks can be meager, and the effect of extreme cold can injure or kill people or their animals they depend on for food.

Magic and prayers for protection have been included into liturgy and seasonal celebrations, sacred observations, and the help of gods and spirits to help get the people and their homes and animals safely through winter is sought. Summer Solstice celebrations, on the other hand, are about celebrating and asking the gods and spirits for intervention in keeping everything growing for a bountiful harvest.

While not many people observe these celebrations today, some still do. Oftentimes, people skip the sacred processions, and instead focus on fellowship, enjoying spending time in the sun with friends and family. More than one child of the sun, meaning somebody who understands the sacred power of the sun itself, still venerates the Summer Solstice in various ways, some celebrating at sacred places, and others saluting the rising sun on the Solstice.

The Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice takes place around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the Southern Hemisphere, on December 21 when the Northern Hemisphere is having the Winter Solstice.

Interestingly, at the Antarctic Circle, there is constant daylight at the Summer Solstice, and constant darkness at the time of Winter Solstice. People have marked the day with festivals and gatherings since it’s so nice outside, and they feast, dance, make music, and enjoy soaking up the life giving rays of the sun.

There was a time when most people celebrating the Summer Solstice were doing more than just having a great time in the sun. In Denmark, they traditionally light bonfires to drive away bad spirits, and there was a time when optimistic people made visits to healing wells.

In Finland, the midnight sun, or a period of 24 hours of sunlight, is celebrated and maypoles are erected to celebrate the fertility of the earth during the Summer Solstice. In ancient Persia, bonfires were lit and prayers for blessings and peace for the dead were made.

Traditionally in many places in the British Isles, bonfires burn day and night to feed the glorious power of the sun, and torchlight processions occur at night to empower the sun even more.

The Spiritual Meaning of Summer Solstice

The spiritual meaning of Summer Solstice is about more than just having fun and fireworks. It’s about giving thanks for the strength the sun has gained, giving it some support with the magic of fires and prayers, and willing it to keep giving its light to the earth, so everything keeps growing and producing.

It’s also about drawing in strength from the sun for our own intentions. As the sun has grown and is at peak power, so we would like to be. We want that powerful soul glow too, and we want to stay rooted, meaning, stay strong on our paths to meet our goals.

What does the rising sun mean on the day of the Summer Solstice spiritually? It means it’s time to celebrate. The sun has reached its greatest power, and we, too, are able to be at our best. Everybody is feeling good and coming together to enjoy the blessings of the warmth of the sun, and the beauty of nature, while the days are long.

It’s also a time to take notice that the days will become shorter, and work is still necessary before harvest season. Like farmers work towards the harvest, diligently tending their crops and orchards, people will continue the hard work in their lives. This is a chance to stop, enjoy, and join with loved ones in the happy times.

Litha

Litha is one of the modern celebrations that some people observe at the Summer Solstice. One of eight Sabbats, or sacred high days on The Wheel of the Year many observe, Litha celebrates the start of Summer. Some traditions observe Beltane, or May Day, as Summer’s start, but others mark Litha as its beginning.Fires are lit, with dancers attempting to leap over the flames to be blessed. It is a day of inner light, and one thing that personifies the  season is the fights between Oak King and Holly King.

They battle at the Solstices, and during Summer Solstice, the Oak King is at his greatest power, and wins. He is overthrown at Winter Solstice by his brother, the Holly King. They battle throughout the year, vying for power, and the seasonal changes showcase their powers and how they fight. Like the growing forest, the Oak King is adorned with his magnificent leaves and nourishing acorns, and the oak symbolizes strength, growth, power, and protection. The holly symbolizes eternal life, rejuvenation, and fertility.

Litha is celebrated with fires to emulate the sun at its highest power, by watching the Summer Solstice Sun rise, and greeting it first thing in the day. The night before or the night of, an all-night vigil with candles can be had, and a merry feast with music and dancing can be held during the day. Some people just have an afternoon liturgy with gifts of flowers and food and drink offered to the sun to thank it and empower it, and some people prefer to visit sacred places on the Solstice.

Mystical Places to Visit for Solstice

What special places can be visited for the Summer Solstice? Of course, like at Winter Solstice, a popular destination for thousands of people is Stonehenge in England. Others make a pilgrimage to a place of healing, and others embark on a trip with loved ones.

Stonehenge

Situated on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, this is an ancient monument that dates back to at least 3100 BCE. Evidence of structures that were built for ritual use date back to at least 8000 BCE, making this site a sacred place for at least 10,000 years! So far, researchers have agreed the site saw between four and seven more periods of development, adding more each time.

Based on what can be seen today, it was built as a sort of enormous calendar to track sun and moon movements. Some have theorized this was done to keep track of the seasons. This would let people know when it was best to plant and harvest, however, others state a site that difficult to build and maintain would not have been built for anything other than religious purposes.

Charred animal remains suggest ritual animal sacrifice and cooking of meat to feed people, and human remains have been found onsite and at other sites nearby. Some say it may have been a huge cemetery for royalty, and others say it could have been seen as a sacred place of healing.

Some researchers found that if they struck the stones in a certain way, it produced a musical sound, and some say this is evidence that it was used, like church bells are today. It is believed by many that the people may have worshiped the sun or followed a powerful solar deity who built and used Stonehenge, and this is evidenced by how major solar events are marked by the stones itself.

On the Summer Solstice, the sun rises just to the left of a stone called the Heel Stone, and then on the shortest day of the year, the sun actually sets over the Heel Stone! About 20,000 people gather to watch the Summer Solstice sunrise every year at Stonehenge.

Healing Sites

In Chimayo, New Mexico, there is a little adobe church called El Santuario de Chimayó, which is said to be on holy soil that has healing properties. The chapel was privately built in 1816 for local Christian worship, and it was given to the city in 1929.

Over 30,000 people make pilgrimages to the church the week before Easter, and it is known as the most popular pilgrimage location in North America. If the earth there is holy and heals, it doesn’t really matter what time of year you visit. Going at Summer Solstice, which would be “off season” from when most people go, will give you an opportunity to have some quiet time at the sacred site.

Another place you can travel to for healing at Summer Solstice is St. Brigid’s Well in Claire, Ireland, which has been used for healing before Christianity. It is located between the Cliffs of Moehr and Liscannor, and it is in a grotto that is an entryway to an old cemetery where some famous kings of ancient Ireland are said to be buried.

Some pagans celebrate the Sabbat Lughnassadh there, and you ascend up steep paths and stairways to get there. The site is open all year-round, twenty-four hours a day, and thousands of votive candles burn at all times. There are gifts and rosary beads left as offerings, and to get healing after giving an offering, drink some of the water from the well as you leave.

Another healing site you can visit is the Ganges River in India. Millions of people rely on this river for daily needs, and it flows for 1,680 miles. It is believed the sacred river removes all sin and impurities and carries them away, and it is believed that all one needs to do is simply touch the sacred waters of the Ganges to be spiritually purified.

Every twelve years, a huge pilgrimage event is held called Kumbh Mela, where up to fifty million people worldwide come to the Ganges to take a dip in the river and be ritually purified. The dates will vary and multiple pilgrimages, not just the Kumbh Mila, occur to the Ganges. You can make this pilgrimage on your own for the Summer Solstice if you wish.

Road Trips

Any site in nature is a mystical and powerful place to experience the Summer Solstice. Since the weather is so nice, a lot of people pile into the car with loved ones and hit the road, traveling to concerts, festivals, and to parks and attractions to enjoy one another and the earth. Depending on where you live, an amazing destination might be right in your hometown.

However, some say it is not the destination, but the journey that matters, and time with the people you love is never poorly spent. So, pack food, grab your loved ones and your directions, GPS, or maps, and pile into your cars, trucks, vans, or SUV’s, and hit the road and enjoy the trip. Winter ice and snow on roads will come sooner than you expect, but the road conditions during Summer Solstice are great for traveling!

Symbols of Good Luck

While it is fair to say that almost everything in nature that is visible is a symbol of the Summer Solstice, some are more characteristic of the Sabbat than others. The powerful oak tree, first daylight on the Solstice, and the green natural earth itself are some of the most powerful symbols of Summer Solstice.

The Mighty Oak

The Oak tree is sacred to the Celtic god Taranis, who is a god of thunder. Portrayed as holding a thunderbolt in one hand, and an eight spoked wheel believed to represent the sun, Taranus was worshiped by the ancient Gauls, Iberians, some Irish and Brits, and in some Germanic areas as well.

A god of power and vitality, his tree, symbolized this, and an ancient word that was used to express the oak tree, “drewo-wayd” is another word used for “Druid”.

Oak trees have been a powerful symbol used by England to represent strength and power for centuries. Like when the sun at its mightiest during Summer Solstice, the oak is strong and filled with sacred life.

First Daylight

The first daylight of the Summer Solstice represents what we have to be thankful for. The Sun has become its most powerful, and will start to wane, or weaken, as the days grow shorter. The first light of Summer Solstice reminds us that good times are here for us to use, to work hard towards our goals, and we are moving towards the darker part of the year when we will step into contemplation and meditate in peace and quiet.

The first light of the Solstice shows us that while times may be changing, good times are still present, and as “the Wheel turns”, or the season changes to kick off Summer officially, we are connected to the seasons. We are active, energized, and optimistic at this time, and all that good energy can be used to propel us forward.

All Things Green

In general, green spiritual meaning is wealth, abundance, growth, and vitality. The spiritual meeting of “Green light” is “Go!” and you are advised to move forward with whatever it is you are working towards. Green meaning, spiritually speaking, is all things positive.

The earth is green, growing, and filled with energy that you can harness for your magic. Progress is especially sought at the Summer Solstice, and you can use the green growth of the Sabbat to encourage you to work towards whatever it is you want.

“Make hay while the sun shines” is a famous quote, but it is also a very wise saying. Hook the strength of the powerful Summer Solstice sun and the green growing life of the planet to help energize you to put in an extra burst of hard work towards your goals and watch how you succeed!

How to Celebrate Summer Solstice

Not everybody wants to attend Sabbat or go to sacred places for the Summer Solstice. Not everybody wants a road trip or is looking for healing. There are ways you can plug into the powerful energy of the Solstice.

You can use the power of the sun and growing earth to work on strengthening your psychic gifts. You can focus the energy of the Sabbat to waking your own spiritual path, and you can also pray for prosperity and abundance.

Strengthening Psychic Abilities

You can channel the power of the sun to strengthen psychic gifts at Summer Solstice if you want to. An easy way to do this is to sit outside on the Summer Solstice and meditate. Start to visualize the sun’s rays feeding the earth. Then visualize the earth feeding all life upon it, including you.

Think of all the things you take into your body when you eat. Plants have grown in the ground or on trees that are also in the ground, and the light and heat of the sun is one of the things that makes them all grow. Each time you eat a fruit or vegetable, some of the sun’s power enters your body.

Some people believe things like the sun and water are the source of all life, and one thing that is natural to humans is the ability to have psychic powers. As the sun feeds the earth, and therefore you, it charges and strengthens all of your insides, including your own psychic abilities.

You can ask the sun to help give you signs of where you can seek guidance for improving your psychic gifts. A ray of light may seem to point to a particular store that offers classes, or you may see a book fall off a shelf that has an illustration of the sun on its cover.

You might also meet a guide at a Summer Solstice gathering or get messages in dreams. The sun is not a human who sends messages like people you know, but it has much power and can grant answers if asked, especially at a time like Summer Solstice when it is so strong.

Walking Your Divine Path

There is no one time of year when it is most meaningful to walk your own path, but a working can be done by you at Summer Solstice to help you get answers about what it is your path entails.

This can be done at night, by firelight, or during the day, under the light of the Summer Solstice Sun. Choose a place that is meaningful for you, be it in your own neighborhood or backyard, or your hometown. You can choose a forest trail, or even walk through your own house holding a candle. Wherever it is you choose, have it be somewhere you feel most comfortable and where you feel you can relax your mind and focus on looking for answers.

Say aloud, “I ask that the power of the mighty sun at its strongest grant me answers about my own personal spiritual path. May I be able to see, hear, and feel messages enlightening me about what I need to do to learn and grow, and who I should reach out to in order to do so. May I understand all that is being said to me. So be it.” 

And go for a walk. Make sure you pay attention to everything you see, hear, smell, and feel at this time.

You can carry a small notebook to jot down notes, and if the answers don’t seem immediately clear, be patient enough to give it a little time. Answers will, indeed, come!

Having provided that magical working, it is worth saying that nobody is ever truly lost, or straying from their own path. Even at times of spiritual darkness when we feel empty, confused, or lost, we are still on our own path. Dark times can yield immense growth, and epiphanies can come after the times of feeling most discouraged. Also, know that we are always right where we are meant to be, doing all that we are meant to.

A Prayer for Abundance and Prosperity

The meaning of praying for prosperity and abundance during the Solstice has not been lost. Indeed, many people stretch their arms towards the sun, and visualize embracing bountifulness and success at Summer Solstice time. A simple prayer that the abundance and prosperity of the season be yours is from Dr. Athena Perrakis, and says:

“Today I honor the light and fire of Litha

As the Wheel of the Year turns, so must I.

I seek the balance between light and dark.

As I look back upon the past from where I came,

I see what has held me back, and I release it.

I call upon the light and fire to stand witness

As I go forth into the next half of the year.

I am aligned with Source, prepared to complete

The work of my soul’s highest calling.”

Another Solstice prayer is:

“Mighty sun, bringer of life, hear me!

Shine your golden rays into my soul,

Illuminating all darkness so that I may face my shadow side!

Plant your seeds of power within me, so I may shine as brightly as you.

Help me to bloom, and thrive, and be my best self.

Wrap me in your warmth and fill my heart with joy.

I salute you in your power and will venerate you when we

Return to the dark months.

Bless me, mighty sun.

So be it!”

Conclusion

However you celebrate the Solstice, whether it be doing sacred things, or just soaking up every last divine ray of sun possible, may all your wishes be fulfilled for a better reality. May you stay rooted in your spirituality. May you receive mystic wisdom and may the power of the sun and the growing green planet bring growth, abundance, and joy.