Whether you are planning to celebrate the day with formal ritual or with simple, quiet, solitary practice (or both), it can be helpful to have a few invocations, meditations, affirmations, and prayers specifically designed for the sabbat. There are many ways to connect with the gods and with the energies of the season, and the following may be used on their own or as part of a larger ceremony.
Meditations are a way of letting go of the mundane world and moving the mind and spirit to another level. They should be done in as quiet and peaceful a space as possible, whether inside or outside. Make sure that you are in a comfortable position—some people like to lie down, others sit in a cross-legged, yoga-type seated position. Use whatever way is most comfortable for you and allows you to let go of focusing on your body and move inward instead.
There are a few different ways to do a meditation. Meditations can be read silently or aloud to yourself. Guided meditations are usually either done in a group setting, with one person (perhaps a priest or priestess, but not necessarily) reading aloud while everyone else listens with their eyes closed. If you want to do a guided meditation but have no one to read it, you can tape it ahead of time and then play it back for yourself.
To get the greatest benefit, you may want to start by closing your eyes and taking a few slow, deep breaths, consciously slowing down your breathing and your thoughts, so you are in a quieter mental and physical space to start from before the meditation begins.
Meditation on the Earth and Sun
This should be done sitting or standing on the ground, if possible.
Close your eyes. Take a deep, slow breath. Now another. Feel the strength of the earth underneath you. Solid and dependable, that strength is always there for you to call on if you need it. In your mind’s eye, see yourself putting roots down into the ground, coming out of your tailbone or the soles of your feet, reaching deeper and deeper, down through the soil, deeper and deeper, toward the core of the earth itself. Feel your roots reaching down into the earth and connecting with that strength, that energy for growth. Feel that energy climbing up from the earth, up through those roots and into your own core, filling you with strength and calm and focus.
Now, reach upward and feel the power and the clarity that come from above. The vibrant energy from the sun, the clarity from the sky. Breathe it into the deepest core of your being. Feel the energy of the sun as it races through your veins and recharges your physical, mental, and spiritual batteries. Feel the light washing away all your stresses and cares, leaving only strength and clarity, calm and focus.
You are one with the earth. You are one with the sun. You are at peace. (Variation of Blake)
Meditation on Love
Love is one of the common themes of Midsummer. Love goddesses are revered, and it is not uncommon for handfastings and weddings to take place on this day. But love isn’t limited to romantic love between two (or more) people. There is the love of family, and mother goddesses are also celebrated. Even those who are not fortunate enough to have a partner, or a family that they get along with, often have the love of friends, a coven, or a treasured furry companion. And not to forget, we have the love of the gods. This meditation focuses on opening ourselves to all the kinds of love there are.
If you want, before saying or listening to this mediation, you can light a pink or red candle and/or some rose or lavender incense and gather together pictures of those you love. If this is something you are really struggling with, you might also want to hold a crystal of rose quartz or amethyst during the meditation. Settle in a comfortable spot, surrounded by the candles and photographs. Read silently or aloud:
Like the rays of the sun on Midsummer,
love is everywhere.
Love is in the eyes of a mother as she looks at her child,
and so the goddess looks at us with eyes of love.
Love in the heart of our beloved, as it beats in unison
with ours,
and so the goddess’s heart beats with love for us.
Love is in the warmth of friendship that holds us close through the darkest hours,
and so the goddess is the light and the warmth,
and she is love.
Love is the purr of the cat and the smooth fur of the dog, as they snuggle at our sides,
and so the goddess sends us those who will need us as we need them.
Love is the light and the path and the way,
and so we find love inside ourselves, for ourselves,
and for others.
Love is all around us, like the rays of the sun above,
and so we open our hearts and our spirits to love
and be loved.
Affirmations
Affirmations are short statements, usually said out loud, although they can be said silently to yourself. Always positive and always in the present tense (“I am loved and safe” not “I want to be loved and safe”), they help us to change the negative loops that repeat inside our brains and replace them with positive thoughts instead. It is believed (with some scientific indications that this belief is true) that by repeating positive affirmations, we can actually change our own personal reality. Affirmations are often done for healing, or for creating positive forward movements in our lives.
Try a few of these on the day of the Summer Solstice, and if they resonate with you, feel free to continue using them in the days that follow.
• I am as strong and vibrant as the summer sun. I am filled with energy.
• I am light and love, and I shine my light and love out into the world where it can be seen by others.
• I am beautiful, like the shining light of the sun.
• I am filled with light, moving in the direction I need to move in, following the path I am meant to walk.
• The God and Goddess love me, and so I blossom like the flowers.
God & Goddess Invocation
This is a good general invocation if you won’t be working with any specific god or goddess. It can be used at the start of a ritual, or on its own.
Great goddess, I greet you! You who are known by many names and many faces, shine your divine blessing down on me on this Midsummer Day, filling me with light and love.
Great god, I greet you! You who are the lord of the beasts and the fields and the woods, shine your divine blessing down on me this Midsummer Day, filling me with strength and energy.
Invocation to Brighid and Belinos (Celtic)
This is a good invocation if you follow the Celtic pantheon. It can be used if you wish to ask for healing or inspiration.
I call thee, Brighid, triple goddess who rules over hearth and healing and inspiration. Share your gifts with me on this Summer Solstice day, and guide me with your gentle wisdom. Let your light warm my soul and brighten my spirit. So mote it be.
I call thee, Belinos, god of the sun, whose powerful rays bring healing and strength. Share your gifts with me on this Summer Solstice day, and empower me with your energy. Let your light warm my soul and brighten my spirit. So mote it be.
Invocation to Aphrodite and Apollo (Greek)
Use this invocation to the Greek god and goddess of light and love if you use the Greek pantheon. It can be used as a simple invocation for celebrating the aspects of the day.
Aphrodite! Blessed goddess of love, I invoke you and ask that you send me love in all its positive and life-affirming forms. Let this day be filled with love!
Apollo! Mighty god of the sun, I invoke you, as your chariot rolls across the sky bringing its life-giving rays. Let this day be filled with light and healing!
Invocation to Gaia
Gaia was originally a Greek earth and mother goddess, believed to have created the world. These days, she is often seen as a personification of the planet—the consciousness of the Earth itself. She is all that we worship, and all that we depend upon for sustenance. And she’s getting the crap beaten out of her these days, what with one thing and another. Midsummer is a good time to invoke her, and thank her for all her gifts. It is always a good idea to be nice to your mother.
O Gaia, mother to us all, I invoke you!
You who gave birth to the world
have also given birth to me,
and I send you gratitude and love,
unending devotion, and the promise to guard over all
your gifts.
Thank you for the mountains and the seas.
Thank you for the flowers and the trees and the crops in
the field.
Thank you for the sun that shines and the rain that
washes clean.
Thank you for our brothers the beasts, for the birds
and the butterflies.
You are the beating heart of the earth,
strong beneath us, comforting around us.
You are our mother, and we are grateful.
You are our mother, and we love you.
Gaia! Gaia! Gaia!
Invocation to the Thunder Gods
Although the sun gods were the most worshipped on Litha, many cultures also paid homage to the gods of thunder, storms, and rain. If it is raining on Midsummer Day, or if you are living in a place that is suffering from the effects of drought, you may want to do an invocation to the thunder gods instead. If it is raining, you can copy the invocation and put it in a plastic bag to keep it dry, then say it standing out in the storm (as long as there is no lightning, of course). Some of these gods may be unfamiliar to you, and you might want to check the list of gods in the first chapter of this book to discover their origins and attributes. Perhaps one will inspire you to explore even further.
Gods of storm and gods of thunder!
Gods of lightning, powerful and bright!
Thank you for your life-bringing rains that fertilize the crops and the land.
Agni and Baal! Jupiter and Perun! I invoke you!
I call your healing waters and your storms, which wash clean.
Taranis and Thor! Thunar and Zeus! I invoke you!
I ask that your gifts be measured and steady.
That the rains come gently and the storms pass quickly,
harming none, and aiding all.
Bring your precious waters to the lands that have none
and ease your presence in the lands that have much.
Agni and Baal! Jupiter and Perun! I thank you!
Taranai and Thor! Thunar and Zeus! I thank you!
On this blessed Midsummer, I thank thee, and I praise
thy names.
Invocation to Welcome the Dawn
If you are going to rise with the sun to greet the day on the Summer Solstice, or if you are holding a vigil and staying up until the dawn of the following day, you may want to use this invocation to welcome the dawn. It can be said outside under the brightening sky, or inside, at an altar or in front of an east-facing window. Aurora is the Roman equivalent for the Greek goddess of the dawn, Eos. This invocation should be said in a soft voice, as befits the quiet morning calm.
Lovely Eos, goddess of the dawn, I welcome you.
Beautiful Aurora, goddess of the dawn, I welcome you.
As I look upon the beginning of a new day,
colored with your magickal palette of pinks and reds
and oranges,
I marvel at the miracle that is the rising of the sun,
bringing with it light and warmth and possibilities as yet unknown.
I welcome you, Eos, with love and gratitude for this new day.
I welcome you, Aurora, with love and gratitude for this new day.
May it bring only happiness and joy to me and mine.
Welcome to the dawn of this new day.
Quarter Calls for Midsummer
These calls can be used to invoke the elements for a formal ritual, or to cast a circle for solitary spellcasting. You can light a candle as you say each quarter call, or simply turn to face the direction associated with that quarter. Most people start with the east/air, then turn to the south/fire, then west/water, then north/earth. Some start with north instead.
East: I call the guardian of the east, the power of air, to come to this circle bringing refreshing summer breezes and lightness of spirit.
South: I call the guardian of the south, the power of fire, to come to this circle bringing warm sunlight and a passion for summer joy.
West: I call the guardian of the west, the power of water, to come to this circle bringing life-giving rains and flexible attitudes.
North: I call the guardian of the north, the power of earth, to come to this circle bringing energy for growth, and strength to rely on no matter what comes.
Prayer for Love
Prayers are a way of talking to the gods, and sending our wishes, desires, and pleas out into the universe. They can be very simple, and you don’t need any special kind of ritual to say them. You may want to light a candle, if you are sitting or standing at your altar, or you can simply speak them from the heart.
Goddess, please send me love to fill my heart with joy and my days with warmth. Let me love and be loved in return, in the best way possible, for the good of all and according to the free will of all. And let that love be a reflection of your own great love, so that it might bring light into my life. So mote it be.
Prayer for Creativity
Brighid, let me bathe in your cauldron of creativity, and be touched by your gifts of inspiration and artistry. Let all I do be my very best, and help me to glow with the light of passionate creation, as bright as the Midsummer sun overhead.
Prayer for Healing
May the rays of the sun heal my body, mind, and spirit. May the warmth of this Midsummer Day chase away all illness and imbalance, and leave me healthy and whole. Gods of the sun, lend me your healing magick. Goddesses of the earth, lend me your healing magick. Let me be healthy and whole, my spirit glowing like the sun.
Prayer for Energy
May the power of the sun infuse me with positive energy. May the power of the vibrant and abundant earth fill me with vibrant and abundant positive energy. May the magick of Midsummer’s Day bring me energy and purpose. So mote it be.