midsummer
solitary ritual
High Noon
This ritual is designed to be done at (or near) noon on the Summer Solstice. Since for many of us that might mean “while at work,” this is a stealth ritual requiring only a secluded park bench or perhaps just a shady spot under a tree. (It’s perfect for doing over a lunch break!) It also lacks a ritual script, and instead internalizes everything that goes on in the rite. If there are words you want to say aloud, by all means add them, but they aren’t specifically included here.
The amount of stuff needed for this ritual is also minimal. Cakes and ale are optional here, and if you do sneak off to do this on a work break, you can use your lunch as cakes and ale! Alternatively, I suggest using something seasonal, such as fresh fruit, perhaps with an iced tea.
Materials Needed
• Glass of water
• Essential oil (that reminds you of summer; diluted)
• Pinch of salt
• Cakes and ale (if desired)
The Ritual: High Noon
Find a secluded spot and set out all the items needed for this ritual. Close your eyes and take a deep centering breath, then release it and focus on the world around you. Feel the breeze, even if it’s slight, and imagine it cleansing your body, carrying away any negative thoughts or energies. If the breeze is mostly absent, this may take a little while, but be patient, the wind will eventually come.
Instead of casting a circle, survey your surroundings. Notice the grass. Is it green or is it dry and brown? Are there trees? The scent of flowers on the breeze? Perhaps you hear people laughing nearby. That’s all good too. Imagine everything around you as an interconnected web, with you in the middle of it all. In this place and at this time, you are one with your environment and your surroundings.
Take your essential oil and dab just a tiny bit of it on a finger of your non-dominant hand. Hold that finger up to your nose and breathe in the scent (I use jasmine here). Let the scent take you back to childhood memories of summer. The scent should diffuse into the air a little bit and should be something you notice throughout this solstice rite.
As it’s June, the air around you is most likely warm. Feel that warmth on your skin, even if it’s only through your clothes. Notice your body’s own heat and then travel inward toward your will. Your will is ruled by fire and is the essence of everything you are. Feel it burning within you, fueling your magick and intent.
Pick up your cup of water and have a drink. Taste it on your tongue, then feel it as it slides down your throat and into your stomach. If it’s cold, you might be able to feel the water travel all the way into your stomach. Think of how much of your body is made up of water and how important it is to us on a daily basis.
Finally, put a bit of salt on your finger and taste it. Feel how your body reacts to the salt on your tongue. As an element of earth, salt always has a very grounding effect on me. Being grounded is often a good thing too. It keeps us aware of what’s going on around us and gives us the clarity to understand and interpret our experiences.
If there are any goddesses and gods you’re close to, call out to them now, perhaps whispering verbally, or reach out to them with your intention. Many of the deities I’m closest to seem to follow me around and are always nearby. Often all I have to do is simply say their names. If there are no particular deities you want to invite, call to the Lord of the Sun and Mother Earth. Picture them in your mind’s eye however it is that you view them.
Is the Lord of the Sun fiery and red? Perhaps he rides in a chariot, or maybe he’s the sun itself. Mother Earth can be blue or green, large or small. I often see her as a tree with feminine features: her branches are her many arms reaching upward and her legs are her roots digging into the ground.
The natural world is often at the height of its power in the summer. The sun sits high overhead, providing the warmth and light needed to ripen the grain and ensure a good harvest. The earth is the cradle where all life emerges. When the two forces come together, we are presented with endless possibilities.
Hold your head up toward the sky, close your eyes, and feel the power of the sun upon your body. Feel the sunlight soaking into your skin, and notice the orange-red of the sun’s power on your eyelids. Imagine you are a solar cell for just a moment, the sun’s rays charging your body with energy, its light warming you. Even on a particularly hot day, sunlight still feels good on the skin, so soak it all up for just a few moments.
Now wiggle your toes and be aware of your feet. Send your essence outward and down into the ground below you. Feel the cool of the earth, the dampness of the soil (and it’s there, eventually, no matter where you are), the life-giving properties inherent in the earth. If there’s concrete below your feet, power through it. The natural world is still under there somewhere.
As you push your senses deeper into the ground, feel the heat begin to surround you. This is the heartbeat of the natural world, the furnace of Gaia. Draw some of that energy into yourself and picture the joys of summertime, the harvest, fruits, grains, and vegetables. Imagine the warm days and long nights.
Focus on the sunlight again and follow it down through your body to where it meets with the energy of the earth. This is the crucible from which all things are possible. In that space where those two energies mix, you are feeling the height of summer and the magick that occurs when two forces intermingle and become one. As you feel the earth and sun energy, think of the various deities and forces that make up that power. There are both sun goddesses and sun gods, and earth gods and earth goddesses. Both powers are full of endless possibilities.
As the energies course through you, become aware of your surroundings again and drift back into the mundane world. Open your eyes and notice the green around you, the lives (human, animal, and plant) nearby, and the powers of all four elements manifest in nature. Take some of your sun/earth energy and put it away somewhere deep inside of yourself, to draw upon during a bad moment or when you feel disconnected from the earth.
If you’ve brought something for cakes and ale, eat it now. You can consume your food and drink quickly as a form of grounding or simply take a leisurely lunch. Your feet may still be pulsing from the power of the earth, and your skin will probably still feel the sun’s energy. Revel in these feelings; let them and the food you eat connect you to the world. You are still the center of your web.
Pour some of your water or drink upon the ground, thanking the spirits of place and the deities close to you for being a part of your rite. If you’re in a place where you can make a physical offering, do so, sharing a cake, a bit of fruit, or perhaps a piece of your sandwich. If you can’t really do that, find a bush or secluded spot on your way out to leave your libation.
When you’re done, thank the sun and the earth for their many gifts. If you called upon any specific deities, thank them as well and indicate to them that the rite is over. You can do this verbally or simply by sending out your intention.
Take your salt and put a bit of it on your tongue. This will help to ground you and get your head out of ritual space. Rub your fingers together, shaking any salt off them and onto the ground. Thank the element of earth for being at your ritual as you do this.
Drink a bit of water and pour whatever remains upon the earth, thanking the spirits of water for being at your ritual. Your skin will most likely be warm now after all this time spent in the sun. Notice that feeling for a second, then let it go, releasing the spirits of fire who have joined you. And finally take one last deep breath and release it. Feel the air move through you and back out into the world.
Envision yourself at the center of your web and slowly begin cutting the threads around you, disconnecting from the trees, the ground, and everything else. This part can be done while sitting or while you’re leaving your ritual spot. Finally, see yourself whole and in the mundane world, still a part of everything but once again in the natural world. The rite is done. Hail the summer!
FIN