Summer Solstice is the time of year when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and the days are at their longest. Those who track, day by day, the different rising and setting points of the sun on the horizon will notice how, on the longest day of the year, the sun appears to pause in its journey across the sky before changing direction. To the prehistoric Celts, dependent on the sun for light and sustenance, this must have seemed hugely significant.
Key Themes
Solstice
the still, pivotal point in the wheel
Celebrating and honouring
strength
illumination
confidence
ability
responsibility
energy
self-acknowledgment
joy
entering maturity
sexuality
marriage
parenthood
faerie revels
merry-making
The word ‘solstice’ means ‘sun stands still’ and the Summer Solstice is both an astronomical moment, when the sun is at its farthest from the celestial equator (in the northern hemisphere it is at its most northerly point), and the longest day of the year. In the northern hemisphere, Summer Solstice takes place on a day between 20–23 June; in the southern hemisphere it falls between 20–23 December.
Now the days are filled with sunshine and life. The fields sway with ripening crops; the hedgerows foam with flowers. As the Summer Solstice approaches, nature’s abundance reminds us that the year is becoming confidently mature, and our lives, if we are lucky, will follow suit. Plans made in the winter and begun in the spring will now be fully underway.
The Druids call the Summer Solstice Alban Hefin, meaning ‘the light of summer’. The Celtic sun gods Bel, Lugh and Ogmios, the goddesses Áine and Gréine, as well as the Oak King (also known as the Green Man) from British folklore are all honoured at this time. Having pushed back the powers of winter and darkness, the sun god is now completely victorious. Yet, paradoxically, in his victory lies the inevitability of his downfall. The days grow shorter from this point, and thoughts of autumn and winter, although still far ahead, begin to stir.
In our own lives, this time represents the challenge of being in our prime, of gaining new strength and enjoying the fruits of our labours, while accepting that these gifts must be surrendered and offered back in due course. But this awareness makes the peak moment even sweeter. And so an important aspect of our Summer Solstice celebrations is to enjoy this time, experiencing it moment by moment, in the knowledge that this abundance and life will ultimately pass. Alban Hefin is a season of celebration and fiery solar energy. Its power is immense, but its glory is short-lived and must be fully embraced when it is here.
The Summer Solstice has been a phenomenon of deep spiritual significance since at least Neolithic times and is marked by many monuments across the globe. These include many of the stone rows and stone circles built in Britain and Ireland by the very earliest farming communities, of which the most famous is Stonehenge. This sacred megalithic site has numerous structures and features aligned toward the Summer Solstice sunrise/Winter Solstice sunset axis, including its processional way from the River Avon.
Greeting the sun
In Egypt, the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak, the Osireion and the tomb of Osiris at Abydos, as well as the ancient stone circle of Nabta Playa, are also aligned to mark out the Summer Solstice; and in India Cave 26 of the manmade Ajanta cave system is oriented to catch the first rays of the Summer Solstice sunrise so that they fall upon the face of the Buddha statue placed within. In Ohio, USA, the great Serpent Mound, built by the Adena culture around 1000 BCE, is aligned to the Summer Solstice sunset. These are just a few of the many sites that honour the Summer Solstice around the world.
Litha
A common name for the Summer Solstice is Litha. This probably comes from the Old Saxon Lithi, meaning the ‘mildest, most pleasant time of the year’, from which derives the Anglo-Saxon names for the months of June and July. The Saxon historian Bede records that these times were called Ærra Lipa and Æfterra Lipa, literally before and after Litha – before and after midsummer.
Traditionally, the Summer Solstice is one of the three ‘spirit nights’ of the year (see also pages 112 and 227). Spirits of every kind roam the land at this time, and the faeries ride out from their mounds in merriment and mischief, granting wishes and making prophecies. According to Celtic folklore, many a wanderer or gifted soul may go with the faeries at this time. Some never return, while others eventually come back to the mortal realm with magical gifts and a poetic tongue, their vision of the world changed for ever. These spirit nights encourage imagination and creativity, and so are the perfect time to bring new projects into being. If you wish to meet the spirits of the land at this time, try a silent all-night vigil in the woods, or simply sit beneath the trees at dusk with a glass of elderflower cordial and see who comes along. Becoming a faery friend takes practice, as these elusive beings may be shy and reserved at first.
One ancient motif of the Summer Solstice is the Burning Wheel. Traditionally, this is a bale of hay, a barrel or a wooden cartwheel that is set on fire and rolled down a sacred hill by the local young men. Accompanied by picnics, games and celebration, such activities were very popular in rural communities all across Europe until fairly recently. The motif of the Burning Wheel may date back thousands of years as a solar metaphor: from here the sun and the year itself do indeed ‘roll downhill’ to the Winter Solstice.
Allow the sun’s energy to illuminate your being by making a point of really appreciating all that is positive and joyful in your life right now. Becoming aware that this time, too, will pass reminds us of the importance of stopping now and then simply to enjoy the good things that we have created in our lives.
In Ireland, the Summer Solstice is the time of the faery queen and goddess Áine, who is seen as a beautiful young woman with fiery eyes, though sometimes she is said to take the form of a red mare, running over the hillsides so fast that none can ever catch her. In years gone by, men and women honoured her by parading around the fields twirling bunches of burning hay called cliars to ensure their fertility and attract her blessing.
Solstice beacons
Irish folklore tells of how a young woman met Áine on Knockainey Hill in County Limerick. Áine was enjoying watching the solstice celebrations, but asked if the humans could leave soon so she and her faeries could hold their own celebrations on the hill. Her sister, another Irish goddess of the sun, is Gréine, meaning ‘sun’. She is associated with Cnoc Gréinn, or the hill of Gréine, which is also in Limerick. It is likely that these two hills were once beacon hills and that fires were lit there to mark the Summer Solstice from the earliest times.
Call upon the goddess of the sun, Gréine, at the Summer Solstice to bring to mind the importance of being present in the moment and to remind you of the beacons of light in your life. Call for her healing, empowerment and inner radiance as the wheel of the year continues to turn.
Facing the sun, with your eyes closed, relish its light and warmth on your face. Raise your arms and call aloud:
‘Great goddess Gréine, radiant lady of the sun, I call to you! May your light touch my heart, my mind and my deeds. Illuminate my spirit that I may do your work! Spread your hope and your light all around me and all around the world!’
Feel the light of the sun filling and warming your heart, healing and rejuvenating every cell in your body. Keeping your eyes closed, see through your eyelids now the light fills your whole aura or energy field, lighting up your inner vision and your mind, illuminating your imagination and refreshing your thinking, breaking down past patterns and revealing new pathways in your consciousness.
Gréine, goddess of the sun
Take your time and lose yourself in the moment. Breathe deeply, thank Gréine and lower your arms.
You may wish to ground yourself by eating and drinking after this exercise.
The Green Man (see page 263) is at the height of his power and prowess during the Summer Solstice, granting fertility to the land. This mysterious figure, a lingering cultural memory of the ancient indigenous gods of vegetation, trees, crops and the wild world, can be found in various forms all around the world, from the Celtic Cernunnos, the Greek Pan and Dionysus and the Roman Silvanus, to the Ngen spirits of the Mapuche people of Chile. The Green Man, embodying the foliage and life force of the earth, calls us back into a relationship with nature once again.
In British folklore, the Green Man is known at this time as the Oak King, in honour of that most majestic and strong of trees, and it is he who oversees the Summer Solstice. Sacred to the Druids, the oak has a history of being revered in Britain and Ireland that goes back thousands of years. It is the great guardian spirit of the land, the oak being synonymous with courage, endurance and the glory of nature. The most sacred and important tree in Druid groves, it was also used in Neolithic times in the mysterious woodhenges – circles of oak posts used for ceremonial purposes. These sites were sometimes coupled with, or later replaced by, circles of stone that honoured the cycles of the sun (see also page 123).
You can draw on the vitality of the Oak King for support when facing life’s challenges, to guide you toward your life’s purpose and to know your own heart’s wisdom. If you can, visit a large oak tree in preparation for this exercise; otherwise, look one up online and use it to help fire the image in your mind’s eye.
Begin by sitting comfortably and closing your eyes. Take three deep breaths. Feel your feet upon the ground and straighten your back. Then imagine that you are standing at the edge of a great forest. A path of beaten earth lies ahead of you, leading the way through the trees. You step into the forest and see that flowers line your way. Roses and honeysuckle climb upon the trees on either side of you, and the air is thick with their perfume. The only sound is the wind in the branches high above, and the thrum and buzz of bees drinking the nectar of the blooms.
In time you come to a huge oak tree, towering above the forest, its branches reaching impossibly high into a bright blue sky. The very air buzzes with power and your heart beats loudly in your chest. This is a sacred place. As you approach the tree, you look up into the branches and down into the roots. Every part of the tree is full of living beings: lichens and mosses, fungi, small burrowing mammals and insects crawling upon its bark. Up in the branches, birds nest and call in muted voices and butterflies flit and swoop over your head. A deer drinks from a small pool formed from the tree’s twisting roots.
Reaching out, you touch the tree gently with your fingertips, and feel the life pulsing within. Slowly you circle the tree until, to your surprise, you come face to face with a tall man, who stands before the trunk, leaning his back into its ridges, sitting among the mighty roots as though it were his throne.
His face is neither young nor old, and he is tall and powerfully built, with nut-brown hair hanging down to his shoulders and sun-drenched skin. Lines on his face show that he has laughed often and smiled more. His green eyes sparkle with humour, and are as deep as the forest itself. A crown of oak leaves circles his brow. This is the Oak King, lord of summer, lord of strength and the wisdom of the heart.
The Oak King loves all those that honour the land, who seek goodness and kindness. He rewards strength and courage, and grants strength to those who need it.
Take a moment now to greet him and honour him in your own way. How do you feel now that you are face to face with this ancient being?
What do you need from the Oak King at this time? What does he ask of you?
The Oak King looks deep into your eyes and reaches out. He touches your brow with his fingertips and places his hand upon your heart, and you know deep in the centre of your being that this is a great gift. He knows your heart and bestows upon you what you truly need at this time to be the best person you can be: to be whole, to be true of heart, to be healed, empowered and complete, as an adult in this world.
In time, your meeting with the Oak King draws to a close. You bow your head in thanks, your heart swelling with gratitude and pride. You have accepted his challenge and passed his test, and you have received his gifts deep in the heart of your being.
You turn around and return along the path of beaten earth, through the forest, through the avenue of trees, back to the everyday world. As you come to the edge of the forest and cross over, you feel yourself back in your body. Wiggle your fingers and toes and feel yourself truly back in the present moment before opening your eyes.
Later on, look back over your meditation with the Oak King. Consider what it means to be a whole and healed adult in this world, at this time.
What are your abilities? Where is your power? How can you wield it to make a better life for yourself and those around you? How can you make a better world?
Such things may feel like huge tasks, insurmountable challenges, but remember the easy confidence of the Oak King, and how the oak tree supports all life around it. You may need to take small, simple steps, but if you keep going, day after day, you can, and will, make a difference. The power is yours to create change in your life and in the world all around. This is your blessing and your responsibility. Use your power wisely.
At Summer Solstice night is as its shortest and in the northern hemisphere the night sky never becomes truly dark. This extended twilight, together with bright moonlight, may make some of the fainter constellations harder to see. However, high on the horizon to the southeast is the Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb, which is easily seen and especially brilliant at this time of year.
Ursa Major, the Great Bear goddess, can be seen in the northwest, the Great Mother presiding over the fruitfulness of the year. Arcturus, the Bear Keeper, is the brightest star in the summer sky in the constellation of Boötes, just south of the zenith. In the northeast, look out for the large W-shape of Cassiopeia, known in the Celtic tradition as Lys Dôn, the court of the Welsh mother goddess Dộn, the equivalent of the Irish Danu. Here is the stellar seat of the Celtic otherworld, the home of Faerie. Summer Solstice is a high faery day, when they are said to make their migrations to their summer residence, a tradition known as the faery rades, or rides, and it is possible to catch a glimpse of these beings as they travel between the otherworld and the mortal realm. Myths about faeries repeatedly mention how they fell to earth, referring to their stellar origins far back in time.
This meditation explores the constellation of Cassiopeia and will give you inspiration and vision to help you navigate your life.
Sitting comfortably, close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Let your eyes relax gently behind your closed lids, and let your imagination sink into the darkness. Let your breathing deepen and slow naturally, and then expand your awareness to imagine that you are on a small sailboat, crossing a dark, velvet sea.
Be aware of the subtle currents beneath you: the gentle rocking of the boat, as it sails on swiftly, is matched by your breathing, the slow beat of your heart and the pulsing of the blood in your veins. All is darkness above and all is darkness below.
Gradually, on the far horizon, there is a silver glow, which grows as you draw nearer. Ahead of you there is a beautiful land of green hills and a sky of shifting purple hues, streaked with snaking forms, each appearing to be made of starlight. As your sailboat reaches the shoreline, you are met by a host of shimmering beings whose forms shift as they approach you. They tower above you, sometimes seeming to melt into the sky, and at other times appearing to come closer, focusing upon you with large bright eyes. One of them comes forward, and as it does so it seems to stabilize in form, becoming a being neither male nor female as far you can tell, dressed in a simple shift. This will be your ally and guide.
As you step onto the shore, you feel your ally beside you guiding you to a path of pale stone, which gradually ascends away from the sea, cutting through rich, green grass that leads toward a stand of lofty trees. As you walk toward the trees, they too shift in appearance: at first, they are impossibly tall, with pale grey trunks and dark green leaves. As you get nearer still, they seem to become stone towers, and then turn into trees once more. You are being led through the trees into a city of white and grey stone. It is a strange place, populated by a host of otherworldly beings: some appear human in form, while others are indescribable – beings of shifting light, children with wings and dark staring eyes, women who change from dragons to birds to swirling smoke.
Gradually you draw closer to a huge building that shimmers with a silvery glow. As you approach, this too changes, and becomes two tall trees forming a huge archway. This is the entrance to the stellar temple of the gods. A high choral singing swirls around, together with the subtle sound of chimes and flutes, but you see no musicians. As you enter, you feel surrounded by beings that you cannot see. A wind blows as though a great host is rushing past. Yet you feel an inner stillness here, a great and ancient sanctity, and you know that all these images are your own, that this place is beyond all appearances and forms.
Your guide walks by your side as you progress slowly through this strange place. Ahead of you the light grows stronger, becoming dazzling and forming a woman who towers high above you, her silver hair floating about her like a mantle of stars. You stand by her feet, and she seems to shrink down to look at you. Her bright eyes are full of kindness as she holds out a silver chalice, and she asks you to drink and be refreshed.
You reach out and drink from the chalice of this great goddess, and feel yourself filled with life and wonder. All your burdens and trials seem lighter now, all your worries eased as you catch a glimpse of how you may live with new vision and hope. Your power, your ability to navigate this world according to your highest good, has returned!
Take a moment to be with this great stellar being and give thanks for her gift. When it is time, your guide leads you out the way you came, through the temple and the city, back to the shore where your boat awaits you to carry you home.
The return journey is easier and quicker. Floating gently, upon the very air you breathe, you return to your body once more: eyes closed, your heart beating slowly and steadily.
Hold for a moment the memory of what you have seen and felt, and know it is yours, always. Then, taking your time, wriggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes as you return to the everyday world again.
You may need to earth yourself carefully after this exercise by eating and drinking. Take your time to feel yourself back into your body and the everyday world.
Vervain (verbena officianalis) is a powerful magical plant and especially sacred at Summer Solstice. This unassuming wildflower is native to Europe but can be found across the world growing on grass verges and in sunny pastures, as well as being a valuable perennial herb in the garden. It has quite small-toothed, lobed leaves, and its thin spikes develop small, delicate, lilac flowers, each with five petals.
Known as the ‘enchanters plant’, ‘the holy herb’ and the ‘herb of grace’, it is used magically for a whole host of reasons, all to do with bringing in blessings and averting evil influences. It is commonly used to decorate an altar, to make into a tea that can either be drunk (see page 136) or used to consecrate a sacred space, or to ritually cleanse objects or people, especially the ill or vulnerable. Sprigs of vervain can also be used to sprinkle fresh spring water around the home for blessing, as well as for divination and prophecy. It is sometimes placed inside bags of Tarot cards to make them more powerful and accurate, and is a common ingredient in love and protection spells.
In the Celtic lands at the Summer Solstice, vervain is still gathered by Druids, when Sirius, the Dog Star, is rising. They cut it with a sickle or knife, using the left hand, and offer honey to the earth in recompense for taking this especially sacred plant. The sprigs of vervain are then raised up and shown to the star, again using the left hand, in order to be imbued with the star’s energy.
Vervain is sacred to Isis, Venus, Aphrodite and, especially, the Welsh goddess Cerridwen, in whose sacred cauldron of inspiration the herb was an ingredient, together with sea foam, rowanberries, lesser celandine and flixweed. Carry vervain in a pouch in your pocket for protection or luck in love, and burn some as an incense to attract wealth or to overcome money worries.
Vervain is a useful plant in herbal medicine, and vervain tisane or tea can be taken as a nerve tonic and to ease insomnia. A mild diuretic, vervain stimulates the liver and can help with bladder and gallbladder problems, as well as ease painful menstruation. To make a vervain tisane, use 1 teaspoon of the dried herb per cup of hot water. Steep for 5 minutes.
Midsummer is also the time of the Christian feast of St John the Baptist, which is observed widely across Europe and was a popular celebration in Britain as it replaced earlier pagan festivals. Around this date, the plant St John’s wort (hypericum perforatum) is in flower, its bright, sun-yellow blooms like tiny golden stars. St John’s wort is a very powerful plant, both medicinally and magically, and when gathered during the Summer Solstice, or on St John’s day on 24 June, it is said to be filled with the power of the solstice sun.
St John’s wort is commonly used today to treat depression, and is a useful sedative, nervine and diuretic with some antibacterial qualities. Magically, St John’s wort is highly protective, and was used by British cunning men and wisewomen in the Middle Ages to shield themselves from evil spirits. St John’s wort is said to have been carried by the Celtic missionary St Columba, originally known in Ireland as Colm Cille – in honour of John the Baptist – but the history of the plant’s magical and sacred uses goes back much further than Christianity. It has, for example, been used for thousands of years to guard against fire and as a gift to honour the gods of the sun, and was a regular feature upon the household altars of the ancient Greeks for its protective qualities.
A common magical use for St John’s wort was to gather it and keep it under your armpit for good luck. The following ancient charm from the Hebrides, collected by Scottish folklorist Alexander Carmichael in The Carmina Gadelica, can be used when picking the plant:
‘Plantlet of Columba without seeking without searching.
Plantlet of Columba, under my arm forever!
For luck of men.
For luck of means.
For luck of wish.
For luck of produce and kine.
For luck of progeny and people.
For luck of battle and victory.
On land, on ocean through the three on high.
I cull thee now. I cull thee now!’
A traditional Celtic charm was practised regularly at the Summer Solstice to determine if a man or woman would be lucky in love and find a partner for marriage during the coming year. To use this charm yourself, pick a sprig of St John’s wort on Midsummer’s Eve and whisper to it your wish to learn if you will find love soon. Then place the sprig under your pillow. If it’s still fresh the next morning, then love will surely be on its way. Try to remember your dreams – you may have seen your future spouse!
In the Celtic calendar, Summer Solstice is a time of peak solar energy, when nature’s creative powers are at their greatest heights, and a sun wheel, suncatcher or sun altar reminds us that we, like the sun, are now at our zenith of life and must appreciate this time of exuberance and joy while it lasts.
Representing the sun and its rays, the ancient symbol of an equal-armed cross within a circle has been found carved upon the rocks of Neolithic monuments. Significant around the world in later eras, including in Celtic mythology, the sun wheel is the forerunner of the Christian cross.
Sun wheels can also be used to decorate the home or burn upon the fire, perhaps with prayers, petitions and written spells tied to them, together with offerings of flowers, leaves and herbs. Your sun wheel can be as simple or elaborate as you desire – either a plain cross that you use as a home decoration or an elaborate artwork with the written prayers of your community attached.
You will need
• A pliable thin piece of wood, preferably hazel or willow, plus extra pieces of equal length to make the cross arms
• Embroidery thread of various colours or florist’s wire
• Secateurs
• Straw, moss (or other greenery), flowers, ribbons and scraps of coloured cloth, plus a length of ribbon or string for hanging the wheel. Sunflowers, roses, honeysuckle and cloths of red, gold, yellow or orange all work well in this fiery season.
• Several pieces of paper and a pen
Take your length of wood, and bend it into a circle, tying the ends together with thread or florist’s wire. Embroidery thread is good for this, as it can be tied over and over to decorative effect.
Next, lie one of the shorter lengths over the other, so that they are at right angles to one another, to make a cross. Attach them together using thread.
Attach the cross to the circle of wood, trimming the cross arms with secateurs to ensure a good fit. Then attach this to the circle using more thread.
Now decorate your circle by attaching the straw, greenery, flowers, ribbon or cloth using thread or florist’s wire. Add a length of ribbon or string if you wish to suspend the wheel.
You may like to take some time to consider what you wish to transform in your life and, in a sacred space or meditative mood, write down your prayers, what you want to attract and what you are thankful for on the pieces of paper. Tie these on as well. You can add as many or as few as you like – this can be a wheel for you alone or for your whole community.
Bless and consecrate the sun wheel by holding it up to the sun, or by wafting it carefully over a solstice fire, asking for the sun’s blessing upon it. Use your own words for this, or try these: ‘Lord [or Lady] of the sun, bless this your symbol. May it bring us wisdom, joy and empowerment at this your sacred time!’
The sun wheel can be used as a decoration or a magical spell wheel in your home or shared space, bringing in the power of the solstice sun. Alternatively, burn it on a solstice fire as an offering. When throwing the wheel on the flames, ask the spirits of the fire and lord of the sun to bless you and hear your prayers. As it goes to the flames, let out a great shout of exuberance. The spell is done.
A sun wheel
To make the most of your suncatcher, hang it in a sunny window so its colours really shine out.
You will need
• 2 pieces of card or 2 large paper plates
• Acrylic paints
• Glitter
• Clear sticky-back plastic (clear adhesive contact paper)
• Fresh flower petals (e.g. rose, calendula and nigella) and whole flat-headed flowers (e.g. daisies and forget-me-nots), leaves, feathers and photos
• Skewer
• PVA glue or double-sided adhesive tape
• 3–4 paper fasteners (split pins)
• A length of thin ribbon
• Pens, scissors and ruler
Decide on the diameter of your suncatcher and cut out two circles of card of your chosen size. In the centre of each circle of card, draw a second circle, 5cm (2in) smaller in diameter. Then cut out the middle circle to create a circular frame of card. Alternatively, cut out the middle section of two large paper plates.
Paint one side of each of the frames in any colours you choose – bright summer hues are best. Add some glitter, if you wish, and leave to dry on a sunny windowsill.
Cut out two pieces of sticky-back plastic, approximately the same size as your circlets of card. Remove the paper backing from one piece of the sticky-back plastic and lay it adhesive-side up on a flat surface. Place the flowers, petals, leaves, feathers, photos or any other flat decorative objects onto the sticky paper, remembering to leave a 2.5cm (1in) clear border around the edge. Arrange as you choose – a combination of bright colours and strong shapes works well, and you can use whole flowers as well as individual petals. Sprinkle with glitter, if desired.
Remove the adhesive backing from the second piece of sticky-back plastic and then carefully lay it carefully, sticky-side down, over your suncatcher to seal in the decorations. Take your time with this, and gently smooth out any bubbles.
Place your finished suncatcher between the two circular card frames (painted side outward), so they frame the suncatcher within. Then, using a skewer, carefully punch three or four holes at regular intervals around the entire frame, 1.25cm (½in) from the outside border of the card).
Seal the suncatcher within the frame using PVA glue, or double-sided adhesive tape, and then secure by inserting a paper fastener through each hole in the frame.
When the glue is dry, trim away any excess sticky-back plastic paper from around the edge of the frame to create a neat finish.
Carefully pierce another hole in the topmost edge of the cardboard frame, thread through a ribbon, and hang up in a sunny window.
The Summer Solstice is the perfect time to bring the blessings of the sun and the abundant spirit of nature into your home. Try a single large white or gold candle to honour the sun, and golden crystals like pyrite, rutilated quartz, jasper and carnelian, as well as sunstones and amber, to welcome in the solar energy and hold it in your home. Place the crystals in sunlight periodically to energize them. You may also choose to hold these crystals while meditating on the sun, or place some under your pillow at night to increase their healing and empowering effects, and help maximize your happiness, success, enthusiasm and self-protection. Alternatively, decorate your altar with greenery and wildflowers to reflect the abundance of nature. Suitable colours for your altar are yellows and oranges to reflect solar energy, as well as gold.
The warm days and long evenings of the Summer Solstice are perfect for lazing on the beach or by a river, soaking up the beauty of the natural world, foraging for wild salads or drinking some delicious cordial made from the flowers of the elder, known to the Celts as a tree sacred to the faeries.
The taste of fresh homemade elderflower cordial really makes you feel like summer is here. With its heady lemon and floral aroma, it adds a subtle sensuality to everyday meals and celebrations. It is also useful for easing fevers and attracting the blessings of the Sidhe or the faeries, which love the elder tree and its blossoms and are said to visit anyone who sleeps beneath an elder on the night of Midsummer’s Eve. The following recipe makes 1 litre (1¾ pints) of cordial.
You will need
• 1 kg/2lb 4oz/5 cups white sugar
• 1.5 litres/52fl oz/6 cups boiling water
• 4 medium lemons, zest finely grated
• 30 elderflowerheads, rinsed and shaken to ensure there are no insects
• 5 tablespoons citric acid, to preserve (optional)
• Fine muslin cloth
• Sterilized bottles
Place the sugar in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water. Stir well or until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Next, add the grated lemon zest, then quarter the lemons and add those, too. Add the flowerheads plus the citric acid to preserve it (optional). Cover with a cloth and leave to steep for 48 hours. Strain through a fine muslin cloth into another bowl, before decanting into sterilized bottles. Store in a cool, dark place.
Elderflower cordial should last several weeks in a cool dark place, and for several months if citric acid is added. Add to water or fizzy wine for a delicious drink or add an undiluted drizzle as a topping on ice cream or cheesecake.
Fresh dandelion flowers and leaves can be added to salad, and the leaves can also be cooked like spinach. This fritter recipe is perfect for a wild-foraged solstice feast and can be repeated with thistles and elderflower blossom. This recipe should make enough batter to cover as many dandelion flowers as you choose.
You will need
• 110g/4oz/¾ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 60ml/2fl oz/¼ cup milk
• Fresh dandelion flowers (washed and whole)
• Sunflower oil, for frying
Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and slowly add the beaten egg and milk to make a smooth batter. Holding the flowers by the stalk, dip them in the batter, then set aside.
Put the oil in a large pan on a medium heat and, when the oil is hot, add the dandelion flowers and deep fry until golden brown.
Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil before serving.
Fresh salad is perfect for the season and eating locally grown vegetables and plants helps to connect us to the energies of the land where we live. Combine lettuce, baby spinach, thinly sliced radishes and sprouted beans or alfalfa, and try adding delicious and attractive edible flowers to really delight in the beauty of summer. Suitable flowers include nasturtiums, violets, carnations, hyssop flowers and marigolds (calendula). Summer berries can also be added, as can a small dash of raspberry vinegar.
Solstice fires have been lit to celebrate the power of the sun for thousands of years. By lighting our own fire, we feel the connection with the previous generations who have done this before, and the bright firelight creates a beacon to send thanks to the sun and remind us of the abundance of our lives and our ability to realize our own potential.
A fire on the beach is wonderful at this time of year. Alternatively, light a large solstice candle and place it somewhere special, such as on a mantelpiece or a solstice altar. Surround it with flowers – roses or lavender are good for this as they last and dry well.
When you light your fire or candle, ask that the powers and the blessings of the sun are with the flames, and take a few minutes to meditate on their light. See them as a living symbol of the sun and its life-giving energy. Appreciate the moment, now that the wheel of the year is at its height, and we, like the sun, are at our most enlivened and vital.
Here, in the present moment, is where your greatest potential can be realized. Give thanks for the summer, for this and every summer that you have seen or will ever see. Feel pride and wonder at creation, acknowledging that you and all existence are sparks of the divine. Let the flames follow their own course and burn down when they will.
During the days before, during and after the solstice, try to watch both the sunrise and sunset at least once, visualizing as you do so the sun’s rays penetrating your heart, filling it with light. Greet the sun at dawn, and bid it farewell at sunset, and align with the solar rhythms as they manifest themselves on the earth. Spend a few moments just honouring the sun in silence, contemplating its power and splendour. Allow yourself to be aware of the sun as a physical deity, as well as a ball of fire, and open up to the sense of awe this generates. The spiritual life is made of such moments, and it is important to experience simple rituals such as acknowledging the sunset and sunrise as much as possible. You needn’t do anything at these times; rather, try to open yourself up to the experience of having the sun touch you instead.
We may not always be able to visit a sacred site aligned to the Summer Solstice, but in this guided journey you can visit this place in spirit, and in your imagination.
First focus upon your feet, and imagine you are walking barefoot through long grass, which glitters with dew all around you. It is night, with the first glimmers of dawn upon the horizon. The very air is a deep blue; the green of the grass is rich and deep. Everything appears to be dusted with silver in the predawn light.
It is warm, but a cool breeze stirs your hair. Your heart beats steady and slow to the rhythm of a drum you can hear a little distance away. As your awareness expands, you see there are others around you. There is an air of expectation, of suppressed excitement and joy. Everyone walks in rhythm to the drum. Slowly the crowd grows, and you ascend a gentle slope. On either side of you is an avenue of tall, pale standing stones, glittering silver grey and white. As you pass, you see a multitude of shifting forms upon their surfaces: the faces of men and women, animals, birds, flickering flames and the shapes of wind in the branches of trees; the memories of your people held for eternity on the stone.
Slowly and steadily you make your way along the avenue, hope and anticipation rising in your chest despite your weary feet. Ahead of you, rising up from the green turf, is a stone circle, pale and shimmering in the growing light. The first trill of birdsong seems to announce your arrival, and the air tingles with sanctity and power. The drumbeat is met by the sound of other drums. The very earth beneath your feet seems to thrum and rumble to their rhythm.
As you approach the circle, you are met by a group of men and women who stand guard at the entrance. Some are holding flaming torches and spears, while others hold carved wooden maces with heads of flint. They bow in respect as you pass.
Entering the circle, the very air seems to buzz with power. The drums boom, making the earth vibrate even more strongly beneath your feet … you join with the others circling clockwise around the stones. Suddenly there is the sound of horns, and you see others toward the east, their arms raised as they blow into the mighty horns of an aurochs … the sound seems to fill the air and echo off the distant hills … everyone turns to face the east … as the sun rises!
Pouring golden light over the edge of the distant hills, the sun’s rays stretch over the land and between two standing stones directly ahead of you, through a narrow gap. Like a golden laser, the light rises up your body until it reaches your heart. You close your eyes and take three deep breaths, feeling the light and the power of the sun at its height fill your body until your whole form is illuminated from within. As you open your eyes to meet the sun, the world around you shines with a heavenly glow, its inner divinity revealed. Strength and vitality course through your veins, like the very life force of the earth, raising you to ecstasy, as you know in this moment that you are made of the very fire of creation itself. Slowly the light fills the whole circle, and you feel the energy within you begin to settle. You take another three breaths, and another three, holding as much of the sun’s power within you as you can so that you may carry it forward through the winter, still far ahead.
Bowing, you thank the sun for all its gifts, and then raise your arms and your face to bathe in the new light. A wave of joy and exultation seems to swell through the crowd all around you – as mothers hold up their babies to the sun for blessing, elders sit with their backs to the stones, their faces raised to the light and their eyes closed, gentle smiles upon their lips. A fire is lit in the centre of the circle and young men and women begin to shout and leap around the flames, and the drums begin once more, this time in celebration and delight …
Slowly, when you are ready, you turn to the west and leave the circle behind you. Reaching out your hands on either side, you brush the stones with your fingertips as you pass … and return the way you came. You know it is time to return home, to your body and the present time, so retrace your steps along the path. Feel yourself back into your body, back to the here and now, and wiggle your fingers and toes before moving around.
Remember to ground yourself afterwards by eating and drinking and perhaps recording your experiences in a journal.
The Summer Solstice is a traditional time for revelry and exuberant celebration, so excellent for all-night parties under the stars.
Celebrating with friends, family and/or the wider community
Try gathering everyone for an all-night vigil. Dress up in yellow and gold to honour the sun, or as faeries and wild things. Each person attending could bring a song to sing, a poem, a musical instrument to play or a tale to tell. Using drums and rattles in your celebration means that you can all create rhythms together to honour this sacred spirit time, and will lull some into visions and waking dreams.
Let young ones and the elders feel warm and snug with comfy chairs and blankets. Take time to notice the stars in the night sky before lighting a solstice fire as the sun rises, and greeting the dawn with cheers and roars to honour its fiery energy.
Practising fire poi, a modern version of the cliars whirled in circles of fire to honour the sun goddess Gréine, or gathering for a procession of burning torches around your local area (another traditional solstice practice), are also good ways to bring in the blessings of the sun. However you celebrate, allow your wild spirit to go free for the night, dance and sing, and laugh as much as you may to get your blood pumping and your eyes bright. Delight in being alive!
Fire poi at Summer Solstice
Celebrating alone
In the days leading up to the solstice, decorate your space by making sun wheels or suncatchers (see page 138 and 141) or a seasonal altar (see page 142). When you are ready to begin, create a sacred space by calling in the four directions (see page 14) and then call to any gods or ancestors to bless and support your life and path, to help with anything that concerns you. Suitable goddesses for the Summer Solstice are Áine and Gréine, as well as the Oak King and the gods Bel, Lugh and Ogmios. Use your own heartfelt words to call upon them, as this is always more authentic and powerful, or you might adapt these:
‘Lord of the sun, king of the oak, please join us and bless us at this sacred time.’
Now make an offering to the deity or spirits of the place. Lovingly leave a gift of spring water or a little cream, either poured upon the earth or placed in a simple bowl on the ground, asking aloud that the spirits of this place accept your gift to them.
Light a solstice fire, perhaps offering upon it a sun wheel adorned with prayers. This would be a good time to perform the Summer Solstice visualization (see page 147) or the stellar or Oak King meditations (see pages 133 and 129), as well as any spells or prayers, especially the St John’s wort charm for luck and love (see page 136).
As this is the season of energy and productivity, take a few moments during the ceremony to set some intentions that will help you achieve your goals and live a life that aligns your inner needs and outer ambitions. Remember to give thanks to the spirits of summer and the heat of the sun, and feel gratitude for all the parts of your life in which you feel whole and strong.
Whether you are celebrating with friends and family or alone, finally, take a moment to give thanks and gratitude to each direction and element, as well as to any gods or ancestors for their help in your ceremony and their presence in your life. Give thanks for all the blessings of every kind that have come to you over the last year. This makes us conscious of the bond we have with all creation, and the interconnectedness of all things, which helps us grow into greater harmony with life.
In celebrating the Summer Solstice, we celebrate the power of the sun and everything we have achieved in our lives thus far, as well as looking forward to the coming harvests, when we will reap the rewards of our endeavours and the gifts of the green earth.
Blessed be!