Summer is upon us, and the sun is at its most powerful. Summer is a season of abundance and prosperity, and spring planting has brought a harvest bounty. Amid these hot summer days full of pool parties and camping trips, it’s important to take time to honor this magical season’s spiritual meaning.
Pagans and shamans worldwide honor the sun on the summer solstice. But we will focus on the Celtic tradition in particular and honor Litha, the festival of the Summer Solstice.
The druids were the priestly class of the Celts, the tribal people who once dominated Europe. Now, modern druidism is a restoration of ancient Celtic beliefs.
You can honor nature, your druidic ancestors, and the sun in these ways.
What is Litha and the summer solstice?
Litha is the summer solstice celebration, which falls around June 21st in the northern hemisphere and December 21st in the southern hemisphere. It was mainly celebrated by the early pagans of Europe, including the Celts, Germanic tribes, and Norse. In modern times, Wiccans celebrate it as part of the Wheel of the Year.
This marks the beginning of summer. Nature is at its peak: the flowers are blooming, birds and animals are at their strongest, and the sun is at its strongest.
The sun is at the center of this celebration. Sun worship is one of the oldest religious expressions in the world, and this is the time of year to honor the sun. The sun is the most powerful thing in our solar system; it’s the center of everything, and everything revolves around it. There would be no life and no warmth without the sun. It has been nurturing us for billions of years.
This is the season when the sun is at its strongest.
How to greet the sun on the summer solstice
One way to honor the sun is to greet it on the morning of this longest day. Wake up before dawn and find a place that faces east. This could be a window in your home, a garden, a balcony, or a porch; it doesn’t matter. Find a comfortable place to sit and wait. You can meditate on your intentions for the coming season and wait for the sun to appear over the horizon and light the world. Notice the moment you see the first light rays and feel the anticipation. See how the light illuminates the plants around you. Make this a moment to feel grateful for the sun, and all it does for Earth’s life. Often, we become so busy with our day-to-day lives that we don’t stop to reflect on the miracle of nature that goes on around us. Make this the time to greet the sun as it lights the world. Sit still and reflect as you see the nature around you and respond to its warmth.
Make a sundial for the summer solstice
Sundials are an old method of telling the time of day by using the sun. They are a great way to get children involved in your summer solstice celebration and to educate them about the sun, the earth, and geography.
A sundial works by understanding how the sun moves across the sky during the day. In reality, it’s not the sun moving, but the Earth.
You need a stick of some sort and maybe some sidewalk chalk to make a very basic sundial. You also need a compass to show you the latitude and longitude at which you are located. Latitude is the invisible horizontal lines crossing the face of any map or globe starting from the equator. Longitude is the vertical line starting from the prime meridian.
Start when the sun first appears at dawn. This will depend on where you are on Earth. Put the stick on the ground, see where the sun cast its shadow, and mark it. Then mark it every hour until the sun goes down. You’ll be able to tell time this way. Just remember, it only works if the sun is out. If it’s cloudy or nighttime, it won’t work. But when it’s sunny out, you won’t need a watch or a cell phone to tell time anymore. Just use the sundial.
Decorate your home and yourself with symbols of the solstice
The sun is the reason for this season. Decorate your home with sun themes. Sunflowers are a big theme for Litha, as are any other flowers that bloom at this time of year. Bright yellows, oranges, and reds are the color schemes you can go for. Wear flowing sundresses that showcase these colors.
Like Beltane, Litha is a festival that honors the divine masculine and the strength and courage within all of us. Animals like bucks with antlers or mythical symbols of mighty power, like dragons, are appropriate for this time of year.
Dance to honor the summer
Dance in the sun’s light. Embrace its warmth and bask in it. The sun brings us life with its heat and light. Nature on earth depends on it. Enjoy this time the sun has given you. Remember that you are only a small thing in the passage of time, and the earth has been lighting the world for billions of years, and not even the sun lasts forever.
Bonfires and barbeques honor the summer solstice
Like Beltane, Litha is a fire festival. If you live near the ocean, it is the perfect place to have a bonfire with friends. Bring your favorite snacks, invite your friends, and set your intentions as you watch the sunset on this year’s longest day.
Have a barbecue and make lemonade. Everything you might associate with summer is on deck during this time.
Honor the Oak King
In modern Wicca and druidism, summer and winter are personified in the aspects of the Holly King and the Oak King. These two rivals battle for dominance, and their domains mark the seasons. During the summer solstice, the Oak King reigns. He is at his height, symbolized by courage, vitality, and strength. The Holly King personifies darkness and is at his height on the winter solstice. So embrace the Oak King as a symbol of summer.
Celtic Tree and Animal signs
Make offerings to nature. Again, be sure that the sun is at the center of your celebration. Take flowers and fruit, head out to the forest, and set out an offering.
Take the time to notice the trees around you. Honor the trees. Collect some leaves. Trees can live for hundreds of years. Think of the things they have seen in their lifetimes. Embrace the magic of trees. The druids saw trees as very sacred. They had a zodiac that revolved around the trees.
Find out what tree zodiac sign you might be and incorporate it into your life. In Celtic astrology, the Celts believed everyone had a tree sign and an animal sign, depending on their birth.
Visit the Stonehenge
If you are lucky enough to travel, visiting Stonehenge can be the ultimate experience for those following a nature path. It’s like visiting the Vatican or any other sacred religious site. Learn about the history of this sacred site and how the ancient people built it to honor the solstice so long ago.
This involves some planning, as Stonehenge is a major tourist destination, especially during the annual solstice festival, which draws a crowd. So expect it to be packed.
Conclusion
Druidism and Wicca overlap in modern times. Celtic druidism is the restoration of the beliefs of the ancient Celts that dominated Europe before the Christian era, and Wicca is a more modern spirituality that uses many Celtic and druidic concepts, including many of the celebrations seen on the Wheel of the Year, which includes Litha.
But whether you are a Druid, a Wicca, or any other spirituality, you can honor the sun for all it has given you. Remember that the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, and the days will be shorter until the Fall equinox marks the beginning of Fall and the darker times. So enjoy this time of abundance. Check out my post on hygge summer for more summer activities.
