Summer Solstice
The summer solstice marks the midpoint of the light half of the year, which occurs between the spring equinox and the
autumnal equinox when the hours of day are greater than those of night. The solstice is the longest day and shortest night
of the year, from here forward the power of the sun will begin to wane, but for now the sun is at full height and all of
nature is infused with its vitalizing energy.
All around, nature is alive, gardens and fields are lush with green, early crops are quickening to harvest and animals
born in the spring are wandering further from their mothers. Magical, spiritual and practical work that was begun earlier
in the waxing year should also be showing signs of maturation. Goals may not be fully realized yet and may still need
attention, just as the garden does, but evidence of previous efforts is now becoming apparent. The summer solstice is a
celebration of all of this, of the infusing power of the Sun, the fertility of the Earth, of abundance, life and light.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Sabbat falls in the third week of June, in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed so the summer solstice occurs in December. The solstices and equinoxes are sometimes referred to as Lesser or Minor Sabbats. This may stem from Gerald Gardner’s initial assertion that the peoples of the British Isles did not celebrate these four solar markers until the arrival of the Saxons, Anglos and Jutes in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. Modern research is refuting this theory and in reality, the solstices and equinoxes are such obvious celestial events and the energy of the season so palpable that most ancient cultures (and some modern too) observed them in some way.
In Wales, the solstice is called Gathering Day and is a traditional time to gather and begin drying herbs for magical
and medicinal use. Celtic Druids once gathered their most sacred herb, mistletoe, on the solstice. Considered to be blessed
if found growing on the oak, His sacred tree, it was harvested with great ceremony and reverence and was never allowed to
touch the ground. Gather and begin drying your own herbs and flowers as a way to celebrate the Sabbat and attune with the
energies of the season.
In the United States, the coming harvest was the focal point of rituals. The Navajo of the Southwest region held a nine day festival and performed the Night Chant Dance, which lasted from dusk until dawn to encourage rain in the desert climate. Summer squash, tomatoes, and strawberries are ripening in the northeast of the country and should be made part of the feast. It is also a good time to plant fall harvesting crops like Indian corn, gourds, and pumpkins.
The Vestalia was held in Rome to honor Vesta, goddess of hearth and home and the month of June is considered sacred to Vesta and Juno, the goddess of women and marriage, for whom it is named. In Greece, the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite was honored in her aspect as Urania, the Queen of Heaven and the new year was about to begin at the new moon after the solstice with the Panathenia, a celebration of the goddess Athena. Women are honored at this time of year as the givers of life, protectors of the home, guardian of the family and as the earthly incarnations of the divine feminine.
At this time of year, the Goddess is considered to be a mature woman the counterpart of the mature, fully developed Sun God. The Goddess has grown from the maiden she was at the spring equinox, she is now the Mother. In some traditions, it is on the summer solstice that the God impregnates the Goddess with the child that will be born at the winter solstice. This is echoed in nature where the virile rays of the sun are “impregnating” the earth with vegetation and life. Other traditions hold that conception occurs at Beltane and that the Goddess is in the early stages of pregnancy at the summer solstice. For those who desire to do so, enactment of the Great Rite, either symbolic or real, is very appropriate at this Sabbat.
Midsummer Night is a traditionally a powerful night to perform magic. On this night the whole world can seem magical.
Fertility rites, spells for protection, psychic awareness, abundance and the empowering of protective charms and talismans
are associated with the Sabbat. Five herbs; St John’s Wort, Rue, Roses, Vervain, and Trefoil are said to have increased
powers and fairies are believed to be out and about. German folklore has many tales of people wandering into enchanted
forests, especially the Black Forest, never to be seen again. Carry rue or a piece of iron in a pocket to prevent being led
away by mischievous fairies. To work with and attract the fae, burn violet, thyme, lemongrass, or ylang ylang incense.
The summer solstice is, perhaps, the most celebratory of the eight Sabbats. But even as we circle bonfires, hold vigils through the shortest night, and honor the fertility of life, we also understand that time is cyclical. This night is also an ending of the growing light and the beginning of the waning year, we are moving toward the first harvest of Lughnassa. One moment flows into the next, the wheel of the year is in constant motion.
Now is the hour,
the Sun’s greatest power
Witches circle, Witches unite
Gather 'neath His glorious might!
Continue to Summer Solstice :: Correspondences
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