I’m not much of a “wheel of the year” witch. But I am an astrologer and a witch and so I find both the Equinoxes and Solstice’s to be very meaningful moments in my life. Whether or not I do something profound, or spend time with loved ones, or perform nothing more than a simple sun salutation. Over the years, I’ve honored the moment in many ways, both by myself, with family and friends, and with other witches.
A note. As always, these are just ideas and the ways that me and my friends practice secular witchcraft. It’s secular because none of us adhere to any religious structure and most of us only share a spirit or two that we work with in common. Personally I believe that ANY human can work with Sun energy and harness it in the ways I suggest below – whether they choose to call themselves a witch or not.
So what exactly is the Summer Solstice? It is the point when sun’s zenith is at its farthest point from the equator – what we Northern hemisphere folx call the “Summer” Solstice should more accurately be called the Northern Solstice (likewise our “Winter” Solstice is more accurately the Southern Solstice). If you’re keeping track, this point is 00° Cancer on the horoscope wheel. A new season is born. You can plug and play any mythology around Sun gods or solar light if you wish but the short version is that from this day forward, the amount of light that we have begins to wane. In this way, the Summer solstice shares some energy in common with the full moon.
And here we come to my first suggestion for a solitary or small group ritual.
Eternally Cleansing
I know some people that use fires for wish fulfillment but I’ve always viewed flames as cleansing. Something that my coven does, as a group, is have a large fire to celebrate our solar holidays. We all bring along the things that we need to burn – intentions that have come to pass, words of anger, bits of plant offerings that have sat on our altars. And we give it all to the flames.
Fires can be done as a solitary witch as well though I like to have another person around to help watch the flames – in the years that I’ve practiced on my own, my fire rituals have been more likely to involve a candle.
Work with Fire Crystals
Your standard Sun and Fire crystals tend to really want a good sun soaking every now and again and Midsummer is the perfect occasion. I like to do a Sun themed crystal grid in a location where my crystals can really soak up those strong Summer rays. If you’ve never carried around a sun-charged Sunstone in your pocket, you’re missing out! It can help to infuse you with sunny energy even on the gloomiest of days.
Keeping in mind which crystals can tolerate direct sunlight and heat, find yourself a sunny spot outside or near a window that allows for ample amounts of sunlight. I have a Candle Quartz that I like to use as my center piece to drawn down the sun’s energy and charge the whole grid but this is where you get to have fun. Sun energy is all about creation, art, and FUN! Enjoy yourself – really stop and be in the moment. You can make any design you want, but I wanted to lean into the shape of the sun.
Work with Fire Botanicals
This is a go-to of mine and something that I almost ALWAYS do on Midsummer. I’ve made hibiscus-infused tequila, rose water, and even made a sun botanical room spray to keep the height of the Summer Sun energy alive through the darker half of the year. This year we made Strawberry wine (more on that later).
There are so many sun botanicals to choose from – I’d stick to using ones that you know well and already connect with. Maybe even some that you can pick or collect yourself as that always adds a layer to your magic workings. Whatever botanical chosen, I either charge the botanical itself in the Midsummer sun or I charge my entire potion while it is brewing. You can add crystals or anything else that you’d like to charge and make an outdoor Sun altar if you have space.
