I’m always surprised by how fast the summer solstice comes around. No sooner have I started packing my big coats away, suddenly the longest day is here.
You won’t see me at Stonehenge this year (or any year), getting up early and crowds are two of my least favourite things. But here are some ideas for working with the summer solstice from home.
Have a rest
The longest day is the perfect time for putting your feet up and taking stock of what you’ve achieved so far this year.
If January is the time for setting goals, June is a great opportunity for giving yourself a big old pat on the back for your accomplishments.
More importantly, if you’re not quite where you’d hoped you’d be, why not use the year’s halfway mark to look at why and how. Maybe it’s time to change direction or try a different way round the situation?
Prioritise your to-do list
I find it harder to focus during the height of the summer. It’s even harder during the long school holidays when my children are at home all day.
So, I use the solstice to remind myself to rethink how much I can achieve and to really prioritise the things I want to do sooner. That way I can be realistic about what needs to take a back seat and wait until the weather cools and the kids are back in school.
Energise the parts of your life you want to grow
Using the sun’s energy at its height, you can work on sparking energy and motivation into the parts of your life you want to prioritise and grow.
You can make this the focus of a solstice ritual, or you can make it part of your inner work. Since I studied hypnotherapy, I do most of my Spellcraft within self-hypnosis. I’ll be focusing on imagery that draws down the energy of the sun and energises my projects.
Purify and cleanse your magical tools
The longest day is the perfect time to harness that sunlight for purifying your magical tools. Leaving your tools and crystals out on the 20th and then letting them absorb the sunrise, the long sun of the day, and then the sunset is wonderfully cleansing on it’s own. But if you want to add extra purification why not use the rune Sowilo to give an extra energise.
Collect “sun” water
And whilst you’re purifying your magical tools, why not collect some sun water at the same time? Some witches believe leaving a bowl of water out to absorb the energy of the full moon can give that water extra blessing. A different kind of “drawing down the moon”.
You can also do this with the sun. Like the tools, leave the water out for the entirety of the longest day’s sunshine. To make it even more powerful you can add a few drops of suitable essential oils (for example, amber, frankincense, or orange). You can also visualise the energy of the sun drawing into the water. Singing or chanting can help you draw that energy down from the sun on it’s most powerful day and into the water. The rune Sowilo would also be good here.
I talk through this process in this video
Do some yoga!
Yes, it’s also international yoga day. What better day to bring your mat out into the sunshine and start your day with a sun salutation or two.