solstice is coming

the two points in the year i adore most! Summer solstice is in 2 days on the 20th here in Seattle. we just had the Fremont naked bike ride so come on sun! make my tomatoes grow!

Solstice is pure magic.

Six days where the sun rises and sets in practically the same place before starting it’s cycle to the other half of the world.

Solstice is a pause.

It is a resting place where energy is at its peak in one half of the world and at its lowest place in the other half.

In all the changes of the season solstice is the one to focus on. It is the most extreme and the most potent.

A few rituals for solstice are included here to help you connect with the energy of the season around you.

Do not feel you need to do any of these rituals, they are ideas to inspire you to create your own way of honoring the sun and it’s cycle.

Summer Solstice Rituals:

• Observe the sunset and/or the sunrise.
• Plant something beautiful to add color or beauty to your yard or deck or inside your home.
• Take ribbons of cloth- rip stripes off old t-shirts or crepe paper, write prayers or wishes on them and tie them to your favorite tree.
• Make tea using the power of the sunlight on solstice and drink in the energy of the sun.
• Put out a jar of water and let it infuse with the sunlight on solstice, store this water in your refrigerator for when you feel low energy and take a sip throughout the year to remind you of the light.
• Open all your windows
• Hang a crystal in a window to catch the light of the sun and watch it dance and fill your rooms with light.
• Be outside, dig in the dirt, hike in the woods, and sleep on the ground.
• Light a fire by the water and cook your food with fire, brother of the sun.
• Dream of the tasks you wish to accomplish before the sun looses its energy.

Winter Solstice Rituals:

• Light a candle at sunset on solstice and keep it burning all night long until the sun comes us again.
• Have a fire if you have a place too and spend the evening with only the illumination of candle or fire.
• String cranberries and popcorn by the light of the candles and leave it for the birds.
• Fill up all your bird feeders with seed and suet; if you don’t have feeders simple leave a plate out with seed or old bread scraps.
• Bake bread
• Drink some of the water you infused with summer sun to wash away the winter cold.
• Dream of what you wish to plant both in the ground as well as in your life when the spring comes round, starting the dreaming now allows it 2 months to sprout roots and feed your imagination.
• Drink a hot tea of ginger, add lemon and honey before drinking-these are all infused with intense sun energy and are also amazing immune boosters.
• Watch the sunrise and maybe the sunset.
• I sometimes stay up all night on the solstice, writing prayers and dreams and doing vision boards-partially to confirm the sun did not get stuck at the bottom of the whined down and partially to infuse this season of dreaming with intention and focus.

Again these rituals are a starting point. They are meant to help you connect but also to help you develop your own expression of honoring the season.

One of the simplest and fun things I do is change my altar decorations. As each season approaches I look to my entry table and change the objects I have collected. In the spring it is coated in blue or green cloth and full of petals from my tulips. In summer dragonflies and shells reside, in fall the leaves I have collected on walks and in winter sticks with moss and stones. The candles tend to change color and scent as well.

To reconnect to the cycles of the earth is to reconnect to our deepest self. We are a child of the universe and if we ignore what is happening out there, we cannot take full advantage of our power to manifest and shine.

“The Unknown can be a disconcerting place, especially when we realize our place in it.

In that moment the Universe becomes much, much bigger.

And, therefore, so do we."

( I can’t remember where this came from. Sorry)