Summer Solstice Celebration
There are a spectrum of gorgeous and nourishing herbs and flowers that are a’bloom around the Summer Solstice. Learn a bit more about the Summer Solstice, and create a ritual of celebration that includes a blessing, fire, and sacramental eating! Attuning to these seasonal shifts is a meaningful way to continue your rewilding journey.
The Summer Solstice marks the beginning of summer for the Northern Hemisphere and typically lands on the calendar between June 19-21. This is the longest day of the year with sunlight shining far into the night-time hours. It is a time to celebrate light, fire, and the hope for a good harvest.
This summer is calling us towards the hard, heavy, laboring work of working the soil of supremacy to weed out systems of racism. If we want climate justice, we must have social justice. These are the two sides of the same seed, if you will, that must be planted this season. As we move into a celebration of the Summer Solstice, may it be that the light we honor, and the harvest for which we hope is one that is truly a regenerative light for black lives, and a harvest that is equitable, honoring, and one of deep love.
In the excerpt below from his Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim, Catholic priest Edward Hays reflects upon the significance of this day and then offers a ritual for the solstice fire.
Summer Solstice Celebration
"In the northern hemisphere the season of summer begins on about June 21 and extends to about September 23. The intense rays of the sun reach the northernmost tip of our planet on the June summer solstice. And because the northern half of our planet tilts fully toward the sun, the hours of sunlight are the longest on this day and the hours of darkness the shortest. From our vantage point, it appears that the sun stops at the peak of its northward journey. For several days it lingers at this point and then slowly appears to move southward.
"Our ancient ancestors, who lived in harmony with the sun and the moon, knew within their bones the sacredness of such times. The eve of June 21, or midsummer's eve, was a night of magic and feasting. Deep within our bodies the memories of those sun feasts are still alive. We are children of the sun, the daystar that makes all life possible, as we travel in the icy darkness of frozen space. It is only fitting that we celebrate this turning point of our planet, even if we have a more sophisticated knowledge of the Earth, sun, moon, and planets than did our ancestors.
"It was believed that on midsummer's eve, the walls separating the worlds of the spirits and humans became as thin as tissue paper. The spirits of field and forest, of river and stream — all the inhabitants of that inner world — were free to pass back and forth between those walls and play among humans. It was a festival of fire, celebrating the full force of the sun-star. It was a time for feasting, a summer Christmas for play and pretending.
"Summertime allows us opportunities for celebrations outside — ideal for a fire feast. Whether you celebrate the solstice alone or with family or friends, you are in communion with all peoples, ancient and modern, who are touched by the magic of the feast and who gratefully honor the blazing gift of the sun."
Rituals & Ceremonies
Ritual of the Summer Solstice Fire
a fire or a simple candle flame may be used
Sacred is this fire of midsummer's eve, and sacred are you, O God. From your blazing heart, you brought forth a fiery sphere and cast it into the void. Your laughter reverberated through the empty cosmos, filling the darkness with your love and light. You reached in once more, drawing out fire and planting it like yeast in every atom, plant, animal, bird, fish, man, and woman. You gifted us with a special star, our sun, burning with life-evoking energy, making our world green and fertile, soaked in your love.
As we honor this solstice feast, open our eyes to the countless wonders and the sparks of fire-life you have placed within each of us. May this holy and magical night be illuminated with star-fire and divine light as we begin the sacred season of summer once again. Amen.
"NOTE: In ancient times to dance about or to jump over the solstice fire was said to be a cure for disease, a prevention against snake bites, and a deep blessing."
Create Communion | Summer Solstice Recipes
By bringing in food that is made from our local landscapes into our seasonal ceremonies, we begin the critical shift into a sacramental worldview that is essential for a good ceremony. If the Earth is the Body of God (read Sallie McFague for more on this incredible theological metaphor), then the nourishing food that grows through the earthen body is holy, sacred, sacramental. “Take and see that the Earth is good!” is my favorite proclamation when eating a thoughtfully prepared item created from locally foraged plants and flowers.
This is one of the yummiest elements of rewilding. We remember that rewilding is, simply put, just that: re-membering. Becoming a member again of all of the biodiversity-all the forms of life-that are around us. I attune to the food cycles of my bioregion by foraging food growing naturally on the land. This is more than just acquiring food; it is a way to commune with the generative forces of nature, what Hildegard of Bingen called vereditas, the greening power of God.
Here are a few of my family’s favorite recipes to make for the Summer Solstice. The featured herbal or flower partner is found in my certified wildlife habitat urban homescape or just beyond in our neighborhood woods. These recipes are a profusion of what Earth is offering at the Summer Solstice in our bioregion: garden herbs galore, Elder flower, and lavender are our favorites with which to work this time of year! Try some of these out as a way to deepen into your own personal Summer Solstice ceremony.
Elderflower Infusion
If you are fortunate to live near an Elder bush, this is the time of year when it is a’bloom. The large, white, umbel (flat) shaped flowers really make the large, shrub like tree stand out, as they will often be covered with them!
This simple recipe calls for a three to four pre-washed large clusters of flowers placed in a one gallon jar and covered with purified water. Allow to rest in a refrigerator over night. To enjoy this floral water, pour your desired amount through a strainer and into your glass.
Elderflowers bloom around the time of the Summer Solstice and partnering the blooms with honey, which is like liquid sunshine, is a delicious way to celebrate the solstice. This favorite recipe comes from the good folks at Grow Forage Cook Ferment. Enjoy!
This delicious tea can be made from dry or fresh flowers and herbs. My anise is not quite ready, so I substitute in lavender, mint, and lemon balm with my elderflower and nootka rose petals. Grow Forage Cook Ferment gives good details on how to create this concoction for yourself!
These solstice cookies are everything! They actually look like the sun and are decorated with edible flower petals, and they taste delicious. My children love helping me create this recipe to enjoy around our solstice fire as the sun is still brightening the evening sky. Happy to share this recipe from the amazing ensouled hearth of Gather Victoria.
Solstice Herb Bread
Going out into the warm-earth garden to pick fresh herbs for this bread is a favorite solstice ritual. I also add in oregano and lavender as well.
3 C. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. dry active yeast
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 1/4 C. hot water
2 tbsp. Crisco
Mix 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add herbs, water, and Crisco. Beat slowly, stirring in remaining cup of flour until smooth. Scrape batter from sides of bowl and let rise in a warm place for 35 minutes or until it doubles in bulk. Punch down and beat with a spoon for about 15 seconds. Place dough in a greased loaf pan, patting down and forming a loaf shape with your hands. Cover and let rise again for about 30 minutes or until it again
doubles in bulk. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Brush top with butter or margarine and remove from pan to cool.
The Labyrinth: Stepping into the Sacred Path
A powerful symbol, labyrinths are usually in the form of a circle with a meandering but purposeful path, from the edge to the center and back out again, large enough to be walked into. Each labyrinth is unicursal, that is to say it has only one path (whereas a maze is multicursal-they offer a choice of paths, some with many entrances and exits), and once we choose to enter it, the path becomes a metaphor for our journey through life, sending us to the center of the labyrinth and back out to the edges via the same path. In this way, it becomes a microcosm of a pilgrimage or a sacred journey.
“The labyrinth is itself an astoundingly precise model of the spiritual understanding of the universe. Not only are the exact cosmic rhythms built into it, but as well, the other sacred measures that represent our relationship to the ‘journey back’ to our spiritual wholeness.”
labyrinth in new rainier vista, seattle, wa (USA)
Today is World Labyrinth Day! Did you even know such a day existed? Such a designation joins the ranks of days, weeks and months dedicated to a cause and a purpose. And hopefully, such an emphasis does indeed bring a broader awareness to an ancient tool that can be used to facilitate spiritual growth and awareness. World Labyrinth Day, a project of The Labyrinth Society, is a day "designated to bring people from all over the planet together in celebration of the labyrinth as a symbol of a tool and healing for peace." (The Labyrinth Society 2013 promo materials)
A powerful symbol, labyrinths are usually in the form of a circle with a meandering but purposeful path, from the edge to the center and back out again, large enough to be walked into. Each labyrinth is unicursal, that is to say it has only one path (whereas a maze is multicursal-they offer a choice of paths, some with many entrances and exits), and once we choose to enter it, the path becomes a metaphor for our journey through life, sending us to the center of the labyrinth and back out to the edges via the same path. In this way, it becomes a microcosm of a pilgrimage or a sacred journey. We journey inward to discover more of ourselves, to encounter God, and even to receive healing or answers. And like a pilgrimage, after we go, we must return back home, bringing back the "boon" and the blessings that we received at the center. The labyrinth is a spiritual tool meant to awaken us to the deep rhythm that unites us to ourselves, to our collective community on our earth and in the cosmos, and to the Divine Light that resides and calls to us from within. In choosing this ancient winding path, and surrendering to it, the soul discovers healing and wholeness.
Lauren Artress, author of (1995, The Penguin Group), writes about how this ancient symbol and method connects us to the greater community of things:
Based on the circle, the universal symbol for unity and wholeness, the labyrinth sparks the human imagination and introduces it to a kaleidoscopic patterning that builds a sense of relationship: one person to another, to another, to many people, to creation of the the whole. It enlivens the intuitive part of our nature and stirs within the human heart the longing for connectedness and the remembrance of our purpose for living.
We see this pattern repeated all around us in nature-the unfolding curls of the fern, the spider's web, galaxies spinning outwards from themselves. And when we engage this shape, with our eyes, with our fingers and with our feet, we are connecting ourselves to the Creator who manifested this sacred symbol and we come away with a sense of release, illumination, and union to God and ourselves.
While people are universally drawn to this symbol and its rich metaphors, surprise at the inevitable soul-work is a common response after participating in walking the labyrinth. I recently convened a pilgrimage retreat for a group of women in the San Jaun Islands where we walked a labyrinth to further explore the archetypal stage of transformation. Many of the participants had never walked a labyrinth before and, while curious, were doubtful they would be moved or have any kind of soulful experience whatsoever. It was a thing of divine mystery and beauty to witness the unfolding of personal discovery, even while walking the path together.
One woman expressed how she was dubious of the whole process up until reaching the labyrinth's center. However, at the moment she reached the center, which was met with surprise as the long, winding path can seem so long and delusory, she was moved to tears. Relinquishing herself to a posture of kneeling, she remained at the center for quite some time experiencing a sense of release and profound clarity. Another woman scoffed at the potential for an emotional, spiritual experience, and she too was taken off-guard by what she believed to be a very clear message from God for her life.
These women, and people around the world for ages, have expressed how empowered they feel after walking the labyrinth. This sense of union provides a grounding effect that allows the "seeker" to integrate what they experienced at the center with their exterior life, which was, in a sense, left at the threshold of the labyrinth. People desire a transformative spiritual experience that will energize their lives in such a way so to live forward in authentic, integrated ways. We want to serve the world with compassion and self-awareness, believing we were created for a unique purpose that only we can fulfill. Walking out of the labyrinth empowers the seeker to move back out into the world, renewed, inspired and directed. This is what makes the labyrinth a particularly powerful tool for transformation.
Solvitur ambulando...It is solved by walking...-St. Augustine
May this day extend an invitation to your soul--an invitation to get up and go and engage an ancient practice that facilitates relinquishment, illumination and insight. This process is a gift to our souls and to our surrounding world as it nurtures in us a call to live forward with wholeness and authenticity. May you be blessed as you step into the sacred path!
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Further resources for learning about labyrinths and discovering how you can incorporate them into your spiritual practice:
Want to find a labyrinth near you? Use the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator!
Christine Sine's Godspace blog