The sun shines brightly overhead as witches dance around a bonfire and feast on fruits and vegetables fresh from the fields. Children laugh and play, rolling wheels that symbolize the sun and chasing shining bubbles that float through the air like faeries. It is the Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer or Litha. The earth rejoices in abundance and light, and so do we.
Midsummer is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The sun has reached its zenith and is at the height of its power magickally as well. After today, the days will grow imperceptibly shorter, moving us into the dark half of the year. At the Winter Solstice, the entire process reverses, and we will move again toward the light of Midsummer.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice falls around June 21, at the point when the sun enters Cancer (or Capricorn in December, if you are in the southern half of the world). It is a celebration of the sun, of fire, and of the bounty of the land.
Historically, Midsummer has been observed in virtually every culture in the world at one point or another. The Greeks, Romans, Celts, Norse, Aztecs, and Jews all celebrated the longest day of the year in their own ways, with their own gods. But across all of these different cultures, certain themes are usually associated with this particular day.
For instance, since the sun is at its highest point, Midsummer is almost always celebrated as a solar festival, a fire festival, or both. Although in many places there was a water component as well, including pilgrimages to sacred wells or other bodies of water. Bonfires were common, and it was not unusual for vigils to be held from dawn on Midsummer Day until the sun came up the following morning.
Although not a harvest festival like the three sabbats that follow it, the Summer Solstice was still a celebration of nature, growing things in all their forms, and the crops now planted in the fields. The holiday often focused on fertility, abundance, prosperity, success, and good fortune to mirror the enthusiastic growth of the surrounding countryside.
In Celtic traditions, June was the month of the oak—an important and much-valued tree that was seen as the symbol of strength and vitality. In the modern Pagan mythos, the year is split between the old and wise Oak King, who rules from the Winter Solstice to the Summer Solstice, and the young, energetic Holly King, who is supreme from Midsummer to Yule.
It is believed that the Druids gathered sacred herbs on this day, and even today we often harvest plants on Midsummer for use in magick, healing, and food preparation. Many of our modern-day practices on this holiday can be traced back to roots in earlier Pagan rites and rituals.
Midsummer is one of the great fire festivals, as is fitting for a day when the sun burns hot overhead. In many cultures, it was customary to light bonfires, often on the tops of hills where they could be seen for miles. People did circle dances around the fire or rolled burning wheels down the hillside.
It was also considered to be the most auspicious day to commune with the Fae or faerie people, as it was supposed that contact was easier during the “between” times, when one season transitioned to another. The faerie folk are also drawn to sweet-smelling flowers, honey and nectar, and other elements most readily available at this time of year.
Shakespeare used this tradition as the basis of one of his most popular plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which the mischievous faerie folk cause all sorts of havoc and confusion during a Midsummer celebration.
The full moon in June was also known as the Honey Moon, and many people married during this time. (It was sometimes believed to be bad luck to marry in May, when the god and goddess held their own sacred rites.) Undoubtedly this was part of what inspired Shakespeare to use so many weddings in his play, including the main reason for the dramatic celebration, the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons.
The Calendar and the Astrological Cycle
The Summer Solstice is one of two yearly solstices, the other being the Winter Solstice, at the opposite end of the year. Technically, the solstice itself falls at the exact moment that Earth’s semi-axis is most inclined toward the sun, which occurs twice a year. So in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice occurs in June, and the Winter Solstice occurs in December. In the Southern Hemisphere, the reverse is true.
The Summer Solstice tends to fall around June 21, although the date can vary from June 20 to June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, and December 20 to December 23 in the Southern Hemisphere. Because the moment of the solstice changes with the longitude, each place on the planet only hits that “true” solstice for a minute, and the exact minute it is will change with your location.
Fortunately, few of us will ever have to track down that exact moment, since most people celebrate the entire day of Midsummer, some even beginning at Midsummer Eve the night before. The dates can be found on most modern calendars.
The word solstice comes from the Latin: sol for “sun,” and stitium meaning “to stand still.” To the ancient people, it may have seemed that the sun was in fact standing still in the sky, and they often prayed to various sun gods on this day. This includes some familiar names, including the Greek Apollo, the Egyptian Ra, and the Irish Lugh, as well as some lesser-known gods, such as Belinos, the Celtic sun god who causes the sacred herbs of Midsummer to grow.
Early Pagans lived on the land and depended on it to live. Most ancient holidays center around the growth and harvest cycle: whether it was the time to plant seeds, the time to tend the crops, the time to harvest, or the time to rest in the winter’s darkness and wait for the cycle to begin again. Because their survival depended on a successful harvest, as well as plentiful wildlife and cooperative weather, these cultures often prayed to gods and goddesses who affected these things, and celebrated the days that marked the passage of the year.
The Summer Solstice was an especially joyful holiday because in most places it marked the end of the planting season and the beginning of the earliest harvest. The day was often seen as an excuse to take a moment out of the never-ending work of growing and finding food, and allow all those busy people to catch their breath for just a moment and enjoy the fruits of their labors before resuming their tasks the next day.
Midsummer is not actually in the middle of the summer for everyone in every climate, despite falling between the Spring Equinox (about March 21) and the Fall Equinox (about September 21). In upstate New York, for example, “real” spring starts somewhere from the middle to the end of April, with the occasional snowfall seen at the very beginning of May. So summer has barely begun when the middle of June rolls around. In Texas or southern California, the temperatures may already be scorching hot and dry.
The seasons vary greatly depending on which part of the country, and indeed the world, you reside in. Summer in California and Florida is very different from summer in New York, Canada, or Finland. But the basics are the same: there is still more light and warmth than at other times of the year, and the energy of the earth is abundant and accessible. By the time of the Summer Solstice, summer is definitely in the air. The warm-weather birds have returned, the days are warm, and all around nature is blossoming. There is little wonder that we—and our ancestors—celebrate the longest day of the year!
Ancient Sites
It is thought that an ancient culture built Stonehenge as a way of marking the arrival of the solstice, and NASA lists it as one of the five oldest observatories in the world. The gigantic stones were transported from Welsh mountains that were about 240 miles from Stonehenge’s location in Wiltshire, England, on the Salisbury Plain, although how that was accomplished between 3100 and 1500 BCE has never been explained (Carr-Gomm, 115).
Many scholars believe that the site was used for important Druidic rites, although there has been no definitive proof of that theory. (Nor, in fact, was the henge built by the Druids, despite most assumptions to the contrary.) However, modern Druids and others still gather there by the thousands to greet the sun. Unlike many other sites, which were designed to highlight the sun either at dawn or as it set, at Stonehenge, there are three different alignments, at sunrise, noon, and sunset.
Other lesser-known solstice-oriented constructions can be found around the world. Not so far away, on Mount Seskin in the Tallaght Hills of Ireland, the sun’s first rays on the solstice are reflected into a pool of water found amid a number of standing stone sites that are scattered across the mountain. The Exernsteine rock spires near Horn-Bad Meinberg, Germany, are natural formations that became a place of pilgrimage for various cultures. No one knows which one of them built the prehistoric temple that is found on the top of the highest spire, but inside this temple there is a hole above the altar that aligns to the sun during the Summer Solstice (Carr-Gomm, 108).
In the mysterious deserted ruins in places like Fajada Butte in the Chaco Canyon of New Mexico, there are signs that the earliest Native American peoples tracked the passage of the sun and created a hole in the south wall that directs the sunlight toward carvings known as petroglyphs. Other Native American sites have also been found with astrological features, including Serpent Mound in Ohio, a 1,370-foot-long structure in the shape of a snake with its head facing the sunset on Midsummer (Carr-Gomm, 154; Pritchard).
In Egypt, the setting sun on the Summer Solstice hits a point exactly in the center between the two largest of the Great Pyramids. At the Osireion Temple at Abydos, believed for centuries to be the burial place of the god Osiris, the sun shines through a gap in the nearby Libyan hills and strikes the temple walls on the day of Midsummer.
Also in Egypt is the Essene Monastery, home to the mystical Jewish sect that wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Essenes followed a solar calendar, rather than the traditional Jewish lunar calendar. The monastery was designed to highlight the setting sun on the Summer Solstice. At Nabta Playa, in the midst of the Egyptian desert, a set of stone megaliths bearing an amazing resemblance to Stonehenge have been shown to align not only with the Summer Solstice, but also a number of stars, including Sirius and Dubhe, the brightest stars in Orion’s belt.
Buddhist monks in India are believed to be responsible for the Ajanta Caves, a series of thirty manmade caves carved out of the cliffs in a remote jungle. The caves all contained shrines to Buddha, and one of them contained a statue of the Buddha that was lit by the sun at dawn on the Summer Solstice.
It is clear from these examples, which are just the tip of the iceberg, that the Summer Solstice was observed across the world by numerous cultures in various ways. It was an important enough part of these cultures to merit permanent locations, many of which still remain standing to this day as an inspiration to us all.
General Historical Overview, Mythology & Lore
Midsummer celebrations took different forms in different cultures, although they often had certain elements in common. For instance, the sun and fire were often key elements, as were flowers, herbs, and growing things. Here are a few of the more prominent examples:
Ancient Greece
As befits a fire festival, the Summer Solstice was the time when the Titan Prometheus was said to have given the gift of fire to human beings, thus enabling them to go on and create civilized society. The goddess Athena was also considered to have solar attributes, and the Greek year began on the first new moon after the Summer Solstice. A holiday known as Panathenaia was held in her honor, and the people prayed to her to bring rain for the crops (Franklin, 8).
Ancient Romans
Midsummer was considered sacred to Juno, the Roman counterpart of Hera, who was married to Jupiter, the king of the gods. Like Hera, Juno was the goddess of marriage, which is one of the reasons June—the month named in her honor—has always been one of the most popular times to get married. Married women celebrated the goddess Vesta, who ruled over the hearth fires and the home, with the festival of Vestalia.
Ancient Chinese
The Chinese considered the Summer Solstice to be a Yin (female) holiday, and its counterpart, the Winter Solstice, to be Yang (male). Celebrations centered around fertility and the renewal of the earth, and the smoke from burned offerings was said to carry their prayers up into the heavens.
The Saxons, Norse, and Germanic Peoples
Midsummer was also mid-year for the Saxons, whose year began with the Winter Solstice. It is thought that the word Litha, often used as an alternative name for the Summer Solstice, may have originated with the Saxon name for the month of June, meaning “light” or “moon.” (It actually entered popular use after J. R. R. Tolkien used the word Litha for a Midsummer festival in his Lord of the Rings trilogy.)
The Saxons celebrated Thor, the god of thunder, because he brought much-needed rains. The Germanic tribes originally celebrated the sun’s triumphant ascension with huge bonfires. After the Christians came, this holiday was adapted into the Feast of St. John (or Johannisnacht, which translates to “John’s night”), which is often still observed by lighting fires on the hilltops. In Finland, the summer solstice was called Juhannus, and was an especially joyous occasion because of the light after many months of darkness. The Vikings met at Midsummer to deal with legal matters and resolve disputes. They built huge bonfires and made pilgrimages to sacred healing wells. Some of these traditions are still celebrated on Midsummer in Iceland.
The Celts and the Druids
Much of what we know about the ancient Celts and Druids is secondhand, since they didn’t write things down. But it is believed that the Druids celebrated the Summer Solstice as representing the marriage of earth and heaven. They gathered sacred herbs, including mistletoe berries, to be used later for healing and magickal work. Their sacred tree, the oak, was burned in Midsummer fires, and they crowned an Oak King. The ancient Celts are thought to have used the light and energy of the sun to banish evil spirits and demons. They also lit bonfires and sent burning wheels down hills. Couples would jump through the flames for luck, and the higher they jumped, the higher the crops would grow.
Other Areas of Europe
In ancient Gaul (a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, which covered the territory that includes present-day France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, and Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany), the Midsummer celebration was called the Feast of Epona, in honor of the goddess of fertility, agriculture, and horses. In Russia, the Midsummer holiday was known as Kupalo, from the verb kupati (to bathe) and was celebrated by mass baths on Midsummer morning. In Portugal, it was believed that water possessed special healing powers on St. John’s Eve. (Spiritual Humanism) A Midsummer tree and Maypole dances are still a focus of Swedish celebrations.
Native Americans
Midsummer celebrations were common among many Native American tribes. The Hopi Indians of Arizona held dances featuring kachinas (masked dancers), who represented the spirits of fertility and rain, and took messages to the gods. The Sioux and the Natchez perform ceremonial sun dances. Many of these traditions continue to the present day.
Gods & Goddesses
As the Wheel of the Year turns, the God and Goddess change their forms as well, altering with the seasons. The triple goddess, who can manifest as Maiden, Mother, or Crone, is in her Mother aspect at Midsummer, pregnant with the child of her consort, the God. In some traditions, the God is strong and virile; at the peak of his power, reflecting the glory and power of the sun up above. In others, he sacrifices himself so that the land might flourish and the crops grow. (In other traditions, this doesn’t occur until the next sabbat, Lughnasadh, or occasionally, not until Mabon, the Autumn Equinox.)
In her classic book, The Spiral Dance, Starhawk puts it this way:
Now on this longest day, light triumphs, and yet begins the decline into the dark. The Sun King grown embraces the Queen of Summer in the love that is death because it is so complete that all dissolves into the single song of ecstasy that moves the worlds. So the Lord of Light dies to Himself, and sets sail across the dark seas of time, searching for the isle of light that is rebirth. (205)
This might be interpreted to mean that on Midsummer itself, the God is alive, strong, and full of love for both his Goddess wife and his land. It is only after the sun sets on the Summer Solstice that he begins to die, just as the light slowly dies away.
Many ancient cultures reflected much of this sentiment in their own celebrations, despite the fact that their own belief structure may not have matched our modern ones. There were any number of gods and goddesses who were specifically honored at Midsummer, but many of them fall into a few specific categories: sun gods and goddesses, fire gods and goddesses, war and/or thunder gods, sometimes healer or water gods and goddesses, love goddesses, mother goddesses, and pregnant goddesses.
Here are some of the goddesses most commonly associated with and celebrated at Midsummer:
• Aestas, Roman goddess of summer—Midsummer is her sacred time.
• Aine, Celtic sun/fire goddess—Her Midsummer festival features a torch-lit procession and a vigil. Her name means “bright spark.” She is also thought to be the queen of the faeries.
• Amaterasu, Japanese sun goddess—Central goddess of the Shinto religion, Amaterasu is known as the goddess “from whom all light comes.”
• Anuket, Egyptian goddess of the Nile—The Nile traditionally flooded at the time of the Summer Solstice, bringing fertility to the land, so Anuket was worshipped as Nourisher of the Fields.
• Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love, especially sexual love—She was born from the waves.
• Benten (also Benzaiten), Japanese goddess of love—A festival in her name is still celebrated at Midsummer.
• Brigantia, Celtic goddess of summer (sometimes confused with Brigid)—She is the goddess of fire, healing, fertility, and sacred wells. At Midsummer she is said to spread the fire of creativity and inspiration.
• Iarila, Russian sun goddess whose name means “ardent sun”—Celebrated at the Summer Solstice with fire and water together with her brother/mate Iarilo. Figures of the siblings are burned in effigy at Midsummer; they were also known under the names Lada and Lado, Kupal’nitsa and Kupalo, and later were Christianized into Mary and Ivan (from which came St. Ivan’s Day, a variation on St. John’s Day).
• Saule/Saules mate, Baltic sun goddess—Her name means “sun.” She is married to the moon.
• Solntse, Slavic sun goddess—She was married to her husband the moon on Midsummer.
And here are some of the gods:
• Agni, Hindu fire god—His lightning brings rain to fertilize the land.
• Apollo, Greek/Roman god of healing, music, and the sun—He drove his chariot across the sky each morning to bring the sun.
• Balder/Baldur, Scandinavian/Norse god of light—He was born at the Winter Solstice and dies at the Summer Solstice.
• Hoder/Hodur, Norse counterpart of Balder, god of the dark—He was born at the Summer Solstice and dies at the Winter Solstice.
• Janus, Roman god of doorways—He has two faces which look both forward and backward. Janus watches over the turn of the year.
• Kupalo, Slavic/Russian god of peace—He is celebrated at Midsummer with water rituals.
• Ra, Egyptian sun god—He created the world.
Alternative Names
Most Pagan holidays have more than one name. This can be a matter of general usage, such as Midsummer, or names that have come into more common use since the advent of modern Paganism and Witchcraft, such as Litha. And of course, different cultures have different names, even if they often translate to mean the same thing. There are also what can be called “associated holidays,” which take place around the same time of the year, and which can be celebrated either in conjunction with the sabbat, or separately, if there is one that appeals to you (a festival for a particular goddess, for instance).
Here are some of the alternative names for Midsummer: Alban Heflin (Modern Druids), Enyovden (Bulgaria), Feast of the Sun (Aztec), Feill-Sheathain (Scottish), Gathering Day, Ivan Kupala Day (Russia), Juhannas (Germany), Litha (Modern Pagan, possibly Saxon), Méan Samhraidh (Celtic), Sonnenwende (Norse/German—Sun’s Turning, used for both Summer and Winter Solstice), Summer Solstice, and Thing-Tide (Scandinavian).
Traditional Symbols for Midsummer
One way to make your Midsummer ritual or celebration more meaningful is to integrate some of the classic symbols for the holiday, many of which have been used in various cultures for centuries. (Summer has a lot of the same traits no matter where you are, after all.)
These can include actual symbols, of course, but also plants, animals, colors, and more. This is a basic list, with a few suggestions for how to incorporate these elements into your ritual, but you can always add anything else that seems right to you. As with all other magickal practice, there is no one “right” way to do things, and it is important to listen to your heart.
Animals
Bees: Symbols of abundance, messengers from the spirits, new life and good health, sweetness. Use honey in your ritual, or make honey cakes or mead for your feast, if you are having one. Put out a little honey in a dish for the faeries. Burn beeswax candles. Plant flowers that are particularly attractive to bees (like the aptly named bee balm, for instance). Take a moment during your ritual to thank the bees for their hard work pollinating plants so that the crops will grow.
Bull: Symbols of fertility, power, strength (associated with the god and kingship). Unlike the Pagans of ancient times, you are unlikely to roast an entire bull. But you can certainly throw a couple of steaks on the grill, if you happen to be a meat-eater. You can use symbols for the Zodiac sign Taurus, the bull,
, on your altar, or the rune symbol Uruz, which represents the wild ox,
, and therefore stands for strength of will, power, and health.
Butterflies: Symbol of rebirth (they change from an inert chrysalis to beautiful flying creature) and the soul. Put silk or paper butterflies on your altar, or hang them where they will flutter in the breeze (in an open window, maybe). Like the bees, butterflies sip nectar from flowers and spread pollen that then pollinates the plants, so you can thank them as well, and plant some of the flowers they like. The regal Monarch butterfly exists primarily on milkweed, which can be hard for them to find. Try planting some, or putting a symbolic milkweed pod on your altar. Since butterflies are a symbol for change, you may want to cut out a piece of paper in the shape of a butterfly, write on it the things you would like to change, and then burn it as a part of your ritual. Visualize yourself going into a cocoon and coming out as your best, most beautiful self.
Cow: Symbol of abundance, mother goddesses (because of the milk cows give), and wealth. To celebrate the cow, serve milk or cheese dishes at your feast, or make cheese bread for your cakes and ale (the portion of a ritual where food and/or drink are consumed both for celebration and for grounding). Place a couple of cow figurines on your altar, or a picture of Hathor, the cow-headed Egyptian goddess of the sky. You can also use the rune symbol Fehu,
, which stood for cattle in the original Norse usage and represents wealth (or good fortune you work hard for) and fulfillment.
Hawk and Eagles: Seen as solar birds because they soared so high, they are also symbols of power and strength. Hawks, eagles, and falcons have always been associated with the sun, probably because they fly so high, it seems as though they are flying up to the sun itself. Eagles were the symbol of the Egyptian sun god Ra, represented solar power to the Aztecs, were messengers for the Greek god Zeus, and generally used to symbolize the renewal of the spirit and the triumph of life over death. It is illegal in most parts of the country to collect or own eagle feathers, but you can use the feather of a lesser bird to represent the eagle, hawk, or falcon. Likewise, you can have a picture or a statue on your altar. If you are dancing around a bonfire, spread your arms out and pull the energy of these fierce birds into your own spirit as you send it into flight.
Horse: Symbol of power, strength, swiftness, and virility. Horses can symbolize the sun, the land, freedom, and energy. The image of a horse running untamed across an ancient plain evokes feelings of wildness and joy. In many myths, horses were used to pull the chariots of the sun across the sky, bringing the light in the morning and taking it away in the evening. You can invoke the goddess Epona, an ancient mother goddess who was often depicted riding a horse, or Apollo, whose sun chariot was drawn by four horses named Pyrios, Aeos, Aethon, and Phlegon. Use a horse statue, picture, or symbol if you need a boost of vitality or to tap into some of their speed and strength. A horseshoe can be used to represent the horse as well, and is useful if you are doing magickal work for luck and success.
Swallows, Wrens, and Other Summer Birds: These birds are associated with the return of the sun. Birds that migrate are often considered to be symbols of the season, since their return heralds the return of the sun. If you can be outside on Midsummer, take some time to listen to the bird songs and watch them fly overhead. Waft the incense or sage you use during ritual with a feather, or put out some birdseed to thank them for their presence. If you find an egg on the ground, you can put that on your altar (never take one from a nest, unless you are certain the nest is abandoned).
Symbols
Balefire or Bonfire: Other than the sun itself, the bonfire (also called a balefire or needfire) is probably the most universally used symbol of Midsummer, shared by almost every culture from the Aztecs to the Romans. Different lands had different traditions, but many of them included lighting a bonfire on a hilltop or near a sacred well, dancing around it or leaping over it, burning specific types of woods (often, but not always oak), and burning images, flowers, or herbs in the fires. Animals were sometimes driven through the dying embers for health and protection in the year to come, and chunks of burned wood leftover when the fires died out were saved for luck or later magickal workings. If you have a bonfire on Midsummer, be sure to keep a few pieces of the coals.
Circles and Disks: Circles and disks are simple representations of the sun. Many of the most ancient cultures have petroglyphs (drawings on rock or cave walls) featuring simple circles or disks to represent the sun. If you need to do something less than obvious, this is a good symbol to use.
Equal Arm Crosses and Swastikas: Swastikas (equal arm crosses with ends on the arms) were originally symbols used in Hindu and Scandinavian cultures, associated with good luck and movement through the cycle of the year. They are rarely used today because of their negative connotations. Equal arm crosses, however, also represent the four quarters of the year (the two solstices and two equinoxes), and are more acceptable. Celtic crosses and Brighid’s crosses are two common examples. Simple equal arm crosses can be made from crossing two pieces of wood and tying them together with ribbon, yarn, or strips of willow. If you want to make one to throw into a bonfire, use oak or hazel, if you can find them. If you want, you can tuck a piece of paper with a spell or a prayer written on it into the binding.
Faeries: Faeries represent the magickal world. There are three times in the Wheel of the Year that are considered optimum for connecting with the faeries; Midsummer, May Eve (the night before Beltane), and Samhain. Faeries are rarely seen, but their presence can sometimes be felt, or they will leave behind signs of their passage, since they are often mischievous and fond of playing tricks on unsuspecting humans. If you wish to stay in their good graces, it is best to leave them small gifts or offering, such as fragrant flowers or a tiny bowl of honey or mead. Always be polite and respectful when dealing with them; although modern images show them as being tiny and cute, ancient stories do not always agree, and it is best to be cautious.
Herbs: Everything that grows is celebrated on Midsummer, but traditionally it is also considered the most auspicious time to gather any herbs you want to use for healing or magickal work in the year to come. Of course, not everything is ready to be harvested yet, but if you have an herb garden, this is a good day to gather whatever herbs have reached maturity. You can use a boline—the white-handled knife many witches reserve for cutting plants—or any other clean tool. Harvest at dawn, when the dew is still on the plants, or at noon, when the sun is high. Magickal plants, such as vervain, yarrow, and St. John’s Wort are particularly good herbs to harvest on Midsummer. If you want, you can then use some of the newly cut plants in your Midsummer ritual.
Rose: A beautiful flower often associated with love goddesses such as Venus and Aphrodite, the rose is usually in bloom at this time of the year and can be used to decorate your altar. Rose petals or rose hips (the fruit of the rose bush) can also be used in ritual, especially any involving love magick.
Sacred Wells: All across Europe, and in some other countries as well, people made pilgrimages to sacred wells on Midsummer for healing and blessings. Often, these wells were only visited on a solstice or other special days. While most of these sites are gone now, a few remain, and if you live near or are visiting an area where there is one, it might be worth the trip on Midsummer. These wells were sometimes considered to be places of transition, between our world and another, or symbolic of the womb of the earth and/or a mother goddess.
The Sun Wheel: The wheel was often used as a symbol of the sun’s journey across the sky, or the chariot that pulled it. Burning wheels were often rolled down hills on Midsummer. (I don’t particularly recommend trying this at home …)
Spinning/Spinning Wheels: Many of the goddesses associated with Midsummer were also associated with the craft of spinning or weaving.
Spirals: Another very ancient symbol dating back to the beginning of time, it is thought to have represented the sun’s travels, as well as the journey from life to death and back again.
The Sun: The most common representation of Midsummer is the sun itself. Whether it was the actual sun overhead, flowers that resembled the sun, or any of the symbols such as fire, wheels, or disks that were used to stand for the sun, almost all Midsummer celebrations are focused on the sun’s position high in the sky, as well as its power and energy.
Not all of these symbols translate equally well to the modern world, but you can choose the traditions and associations that resonate with you and your life and integrate them into your personal Midsummer practice.