Let the Sun Shine During the Solstice

This Wednesday (6/21) we celebrate the Summer Solstice, a spiritual time when warmth and blessings flow forward. Expect plenty of emotion as the Sun dips into sensitive Cancer. To top it off, we welcome a New Moon on 6/23! But take heed: there may be some trying times ahead due to harsh astro alignments, but don't let this get in the way of your summer celebrations!

On the 21st, it will be the longest day of the year and the Sun will be at its peak. This is a fiery time of passion, creativity and magic!

The summer solstice (or festival solstice), also known as midsummer, occurs when a planet's rotational axis, or geographic pole on either its northern or its southern hemisphere, is most inclined toward the star that it orbits. On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. (Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is +23.44° in the Northern Sky and −23.44° in the Southern Sky.) This happens twice each year (once in each hemisphere), when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the north or South Pole.

The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere's summer.[2] This is the northern solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the southern solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs sometime between June 20 and June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere[3][4] and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the Southern Hemisphere.[5] The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are referred to as the winter solstice

It is a time of celebrating the fullness of life and of taking the time to raise our energy to regenerate abundance and manifest our dreams. How can we modern folk do this? Well through doing something symbolic to honor this time. In doing so we are not merely reviving something of the past but rather tapping into something that is eternal. We need not only honor our dependence on the physical Sun but also honor the spiritual fire within each and every one of us. Now that’s reason to celebrate and be grateful!

So in doing so I’ve gathered some *magical ideas* that we can do to connect with the Solstice!

Celebrate the outer and inner FIRE with a summer BONFIRE! Play drums, dance and celebrate with your loved ones. If you want to get more ritualistic gather some fresh herbs like Vervain, Lavender, St. John’s Wort or whatever is local and throw them into the fire with your deepest wishes!

For a more personal celebration, make a little ALTAR OF LIGHT and gratitude by lighting a candle (or few) and decorating it with summer flowers, and tangerines. If you leave the tangerines outside in the sun, they will soak up the sun’s energy and you can eat them later ;) Also you can stick a candle into an orange and make beautiful candle holder.

For a super fun idea make or buy a SUN PINATA and fill it with yellow flower petals and gold coins! Blindfold guests to hit it!

Make a SUN WHEEL by creating a large wreath with flowers and moss. Then get some strips of paper and have your friends write a wish on it and wrap it or tie it with string to the wreath. Pass it around casually through the evening. Some can take turns dancing with it, holding it and then at the end of the evening throw it into a fire!

Gather or buy some yellow and orange flowers and make a SUN MANDALA offering on the Earth. Pick the petals off and arrange them in circular patterns. The act of creating something beautiful and sacred is a holy and healing act. As you do it infuse it with your prayers and hold a vision of peace for our planet.

Since astrologically we have moved into the water sign of Cancer, it is also a nice idea to involve the water element. So adding some fresh herbs and flowers in a jar full of water and covering it and leave it in the sun to make a magical SOLSTICE SUN TEA!

Make a SOLSTICE FLOWER ESSENCE! Take a Native Plant gathering Medicine Women course to learn about the edible and medicinal uses of your local plants and learn to make your own flower essences. They are so easy and magical to make! If this interest you read below.

How to make a FLOWER ESSENCE:

~Go out and tune in to the flower you are resonating with! It’s best to just pick one flower and make one essence at a time. Use your intuition to feel whether or not you have permission to pick the flowers. ~Place your flowers in a small glass bowl with Spring water. Let it sit in direct sunlight for 3-4 hours, enough for the sun’s rays into help the energy of the flower expand vibrationally into the water. ~Strain the flowers with filter paper or strainer and pour into a bottle or jar. Half fill your jar with your water and then add the same amount (fill the other half) with Brandy to preserve it. The essence you have left over, you can either drink or return it to the Earth as an offering of gratitude! ~Then cap your jar, label the flower and date and voila you have your “MOTHER” essence! With this you can get a little dropper bottle and fill 1/4 way with Brandy and then simply add 2 or 3 drops of your “MOTHER” essence into the your dropper bottle. The amazing thing about flower essences is that since it’s vibrational medicine a few drops is all it takes to carry the energy signature of the flower.

This “dropper bottle is what you can then use by adding e a few drops into your water to sip through the day! And voila you can have your “Solstice Flower Essence” You can look up the energy that certain flowers carry too but I would suggest to this after you choose your flower so it’s more instinctual! I would love to hear if you make this ;)!

(***Oh and I finally word, is be conscious of how your body feels after you start using it. They are very gentle and safe to use but they move things energetically so pay attention, use your intuition and your discretion! And I will add the DISCLAIMER, this is information is for informational purposes only and not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any illness.)

On the Water theme, if you have little ones take them to the beach, lake or river! Or simply give them a bucket of water and let them have some WATER PLAY! It’s summer after all!

And finally why not make some beautiful FLOWER WREATHS for yourselves! You can’t help but FEEL the magic with flowers in your hair!