A Summer Welcoming Ritual

Susan Pesznecker

The following day-long ritual is designed for one person but could be adapted to include more people as well. It focuses on the balance and interplay of cycles related to the summer solstice. The ritual immerses a participant in cyclical activities of light and dark and focuses on the balance between the two.

This ritual begins in the morning and finishes at bedtime. It’s designed to fill a typical day while also setting that day “apart” as a magical space. The first half of the day is an homage to the sun and the energies of the longest day, while the second half is a connection with the coming darkness—both light and dark being part of the summer solstice. A midday ritual links the two halves and echoes the idea of balance.

You can adapt this to a shorter time as suits your purposes. Begin by reading through carefully.

Time	What to do	What You’ll Need
7:00 am	Lie in bed. Stretch gently, aware of your body and its vigor. Offer thanks for the coming day. 1	A prayer, poem, or other words of gratitude
7:10 am	Rise and stand near a window. Stretch again, taking deep breaths. Feel your body responding to the new day and its light.
7:20 am	Shower. Dip your head in and out of the shower stream, repeating at first dip: My cares are washed away, at second—“I am cloaked in light”, at third, “I am protected by the sun.” Dry with a fresh towel. Anoint your heart chakra with rosemary essential oil, envisioning the heat of the sun and the heat of your beating heart. Dress in clean clothes.	Clean, fresh towel Rosemary essential oil Clean clothes. Choose light fabrics, natural fibers, and bright, sunny colors.
7:45 am	Prepare and eat a simple breakfast that references the sun. Wash your hands before eating as an act of purification. Offer a blessing, prayer, poem, or other words over the food.2	Think round and golden, yellow, or orange foods: eggs (sunny side up!), fresh-squeezed citrus juices, peaches, round biscuits, toast cut with a round cutter and topped with apricot jam.

Time	What to do	What You’ll Need
8:30 am	Put away your dishes and tidy the kitchen. Tidy up the bathroom, too, and make and fluff your bed.3	Housekeeping tools
8:50 am	Check your e-messages and emails and reply to anything urgent. Once that is done, please power down your electronics and digital devices and put them away until the ritual is finished.4	Phone, tablet, and laptop, and a secure hideaway for them during the ritual.
9:00 am	Move about your house, opening your window coverings and windows. Be aware of the light that fills your living space and the way the energy changes.	A sense of intention, mixed with “presence in the moment.”
9:10 am	Make changes in your home’s adornments to recognize summer. You might put on a seasonal tablecloth, hang a dried flower wreath, bring in a floral arrangement, and so forth. Be aware of how this changes the surroundings and their energy.	Summer adornments

Time	What to do	What You’ll Need
9:30 am	Sit for a few minutes and journal about your day so far. Reflect on how you feel on this longest day of the year. Note what you’re thankful for. Write about or draw the summer sun in all its glory.	Paper (or a journal or notebook), pen, or pencil. Optional: sketching art tools.5
9:45 am	Take a walk outside, dressing for the weather. Be aware of the morning light and the sun’s position in the sky. Feel the ways the sun warms and brings light to the earth.	Comfortable walking shoes and outerwear.
10:15 am	Make a cup of herbal tea.	Teapot, cup, spoon, fresh or dried herbs.Chamomile, lavender, and mint are summer associated and tasty.
10:30 am	Spend time journaling about your morning walk and sipping tea. Add a small treat if desired.	Treats!
10:45 am	Activity time! Work on an activity aimed at personal or magical growth. You might study, create a tool or altar piece, write a story, sew an item of garb, embroider, etc. Consider your act of creation and the energy you put into the work—much the same as the way the sun energizes us.	Activity materials

Time	What to do	What You’ll Need
11:45 am	Prepare and eat a simple lunch that references earth, air, water, and fire. Wash your hands before eating as an act of purification. Offer a blessing, prayer, poem, or other words over the food. Clean up carefully after the meal.	Earth: bread, root veggies Air: fruit or vegetables from trees or vines Fire: spices, seasoning Water: a favorite beverage, prayer, poem, or words of gratitude.6
12:30 pm	Pause for journaling again. Consider what you wish to accomplish in the upcoming ritual. You’ll account for your growth over the past season (light), and you’ll prepare for your personal “harvest” and the quiet months to come (dark).	Journaling materials
12:45 pm	Work with your favorite divination tool, using it as a tool to help you focus on the upcoming ritual. Journal about your discoveries.	Favorite divination tool
1:30 pm	Prepare the space and set up for the upcoming ritual.7 Preparation could be via smudging, sweeping, ringing bells, etc. For set up, arrange the materials and make sure everything is at hand.	Purification materials Ritual materials

Time	What to do	What You’ll Need
2:00 pm	Prepare for the ritual. Don robes, jewelry, or other garb. Wash hands and face. Meditate briefly, pray, or otherwise prepare.	Garb, jewelry, etc.
2:30 pm8	Carry out a ritual that honors the gift of light (the longest day) and welcomes the coming darkness. Begin by acknowledging the longest day: raise energy, sing, dance, do spell work, take oaths, etc. Recognize the coming darkness: bring the energy down, pledge to a plan or course, ground and center, etc.	Include whatever usual ritual trappings or components you like to work with: calling quarters, appealing to deity, making offerings, etc.   Ritual materials
3:15 pm	Use your favorite divination tool to assess the ritual results. Journal about the results of your divination and ritual.	Favorite divination tool
3:45 pm	Put away your ritual materials and tidy the area.	A sense of reflective accomplishment.
4:00 pm	Prepare and eat a small, nourishing snack aimed at restoring energy.	Chocolate is good for this.
4:15 pm	Reading time. Pick a magical text or just relax with a favorite book!	A cup of tea, if desired.

Time	What to do	What You’ll Need
5:15 pm	Prepare and eat a hearty supper: the kind we’d eat as the nights grow long and cool. Wash your hands before eating as an act of purification. Offer a blessing, prayer, poem, or other words over the food. Clean up carefully after the meal.	Sample items might include soups, stews, curries, etc. (foods that warm and nurture us through the dark months. Prayer, poem, or other words of gratitude.9
6:15 pm	Take a second walk outside, dressing for the weather. Be aware of the sun’s changing position. Envision the darker nights that soon will arrive.	Comfortable clothing
6:45 pm	Spend a few moments journaling about your walk.	Journaling materials
7:00 pm	Activity time, focusing on the introspection that comes with longer nights. What do you wish to accomplish in the quiet darker times as the days shorten toward winter? Make a plan for a project, a significant activity, or a course of study, and set a date to begin.10	Your choice of journaling materials or a separate notebook (or other tool) for planning.

Time	What to do	What You’ll Need
8:00 pm	Close the windows and blinds, and turn off the lights. Sit quietly for a few minutes and imagine the coming darkness. Light a candle, and consider the gift of light.	Candles and a sense of quiet contemplation
8:15 pm	Once again, work with your favorite divination tool, using it to assess the work you’ve done today and asking questions about your path in the months to come.	Favorite divination tool
8:40 pm	Journal about the evening. Reflect on how you feel this moment, on this shortest night of the year. Write about the coming darkness.	Journaling materials
9:00 pm	Slip outdoors and study the evening sky. Greet the darkness—acknowledge it as a balance to the light and as a positive force.	A flashlight, if needed
9:15 pm	You’ve worked hard all day: now it’s time for pampering. Draw a deep, hot bath with your favorite salts, bubbles, or other props. Settle in. Enjoy.	Bathing materials
9:50 pm	Dry off and don nightclothes. Prepare for bed. Offer a prayer, poem, or spoken gratitude for the gifts of light, dark, and balance in the multiverse.	Clean towel and nightclothes

Ritual can be a powerful tool for connecting us to the mundane and magical worlds around us. I hope you have enjoyed this homage to the sun and the energies of the longest day while connecting with the coming darkness.

[contents]

1. You might substitute a yoga sun salutation here

2. The meal reminds us that the sun gives all life here on earth.

3. Your surroundings today are ritual space, and should be in order to maintain the peace and balance of the event.

4. Electronics have their own powerful effects and are not part of this ritual. By minimizing distractions, you’ll be ready to participate and reflect throughout the day.

5. Drawing, sketching, etc., are acceptable ways to journal if you prefer that to writing.

6. Referencing the elements invokes the idea of balance in all things.

7. Select a room or space that can be both light and dark.

8. Assuming you rise at 7:00 am and go to bed at 10:00 pm, 2:30 pm is the midway point, i.e., the day’s balance.

9. In the morning, the meal focused on the sun and light. Lunch balanced us by considering the four elements. Now we’re looking ahead to the approach of winter—hence heartier foods

10. Your project can begin immediately or could be delayed until a future time.