🌞 Celebrate Summer Solstice Like a Pro
Easy, Fun Rituals + Candle Blessing Reminder
O swiftly, re-light the flame, before the substance cools...
Inside:
Summer Solstice: The Funnest Pagan Holiday
Easy Rituals: Celebration Without the Stress
Mystery Cult: Event Calendar
Auspicious Beginnings: Candle Spell Petition Instructions
Greetings!
In Santa Barbara – the town where I grew up – Solstice is the biggest public holiday of the year.
Women in sequined plumage prance the streets on platform shoes. Rainbow Pride banners snap against the palm fronds. Giant mechanical octopuses throw candy at the children lining State Street, smiling suns face-painted on their cheeks.
Summer Solstice really is a children’s holiday. It’s a celebration of the life force, the high times.
Our mantra for Solstice might be: let it be easy, let it be fun, let us enjoy this time in the sun.
Summer Solstice might just be the easiest of all holidays because, really, all you have to do to honor this high point on the Wheel of the Year is enjoy yourself and let that joy be sacred.
In the northern hemisphere, summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year. From this point on the days grow shorter… but for now, we celebrate.
In astrology, the Sun corresponds to the light of Spirit, illuminating and bringing life to the earth. The Sun is the Divine Child making their proud salute.
This year, summer Solstice falls on Wednesday, June 21st (in Los Angeles, at least).
Read on for easy ritual tips and ideas to make the most out of this feel good pagan holiday.
Also, if you want to learn more about this fun holiday, I’ve done TWO podcast episodes about it!
Back in 2019, when Between the Worlds was still Strange Magic, we did an episode called “Solstice: Your Guide to Solar Celebrations”.
And last year, we did a yummy recipe-based Summer Solstice episode with Melissa Madera called “The Feast of Summer Solstice!”
Tune in today and get the episodes in time for your celebrations!
Love and Light*,
Amanda
*This is basically the only time of the year when I will sign off with these words, so enjoy!
Easy Solstice Rituals
Choose a Solstice ritual that resonates for you
(or do them all):
Style witch: wear gold, mustard yellow, or deck yourself out with suns. You can even do it Santa Barbara style and paint the suns on your cheeks. I’m going to run with gold eye shadow though, it’s a personal fave all through the year.
Tree witch: now’s a good time to hang wheels or glittering objects in the trees in your yard (if you have a yard, if not, improvise with a house plant); solar wheels and sun symbols draw luck and good fortune.
Food witch: have a Solstice BBQ! Think lemonade, lavender desserts, grilled peaches (yum), honey-roasted squash (honey everything!), fennel and orange salads with fresh dill, or add some spice in honor of the summer heat.
Altar witch: get sunflowers for your altar, it's easy and fun – everything this holiday stands for! You can add the sun card from the tarot for extra flair.
Wild Witch: Ooh, and here’s a good tip I mention on the podcast… summer Solstice is a celebration of the wild, of nature, so it’s a tradition in some places to honor your animal familiars. Here’s a blessing I modified from the book WITTA by Edain McCoy: if you have a Solstice circle, bring in your fur baby (cat, dog, chinchilla, etc.) hold them in your arms, then…
Call in the spirit of Brigid, goddess of nature and say: Blessed Brigid, Lady of the Beasts and guardian of all wild creatures, I ask that you enfold your loving arms of protection around my cherished friend [state pet’s name]. Spirit of nature, guardian of wood and earth, give my beloved friend [state pet’s name] the blessings of strength, health, and long life.
Then, to your pet, say: May I always know how to aid you when you are in need. May I always see to your comforts as well as I see to my own. And may I be as good a friend and companion to you as you are to me. In accordance with your free will. I bless you on this sabbat… And so it is!
If you do any of the above, shoot me a pic and tag me on Instagram (@OracleofLA). We can celebrate together! It’ll be fun. Xx
Mystery Cult Event Calendar
Tuesday, 6/20/23 Petitions Due for Auspicious Beginning Candle Blessing Spell (for Founders Level members). See below for more details.
Wednesday, 6/21/23 Summer Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere). Time to get your BBQ on. I’m not holding any public events, but I just wanted to remind you FOR YOURSELF.
Thursday, 6/29/23 Language of the Birds Reading Group. This month we will be reading a section from Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons From Marine Mammals by Alexis Pauline Gumbs. I highly recommend getting it because it’s creatively inspiring and ecologically empowering. We’re reading chapters 1, 6, and 19 (it seems like a lot but the pages are small and it’s a quick read). If you can’t buy the book right now, you can read the section we’re covering here.
Monday, 7/3/23 6:00pm Full Moon in Capricorn Ritual. Creating an internal sense of safety. Returning home.
Candle Spell for Auspicious Beginnings
Hey Founders!
The Summer Solstice is coming up, which means it’s time for your next candle blessing spell!
Yes! I’m giving you one more day to get in your petitions. You have until EOD today (Tuesday 6/20/23) to get them in.
Summer Solstice is the first day of Cancer season and is also known as the Gate of Life.
It’s a great time to do a spell for something delightful that you wish to begin, which you’d like to see come to harvest in the Autumn.
DON’T FORGET TO SEND ME YOUR PETITIONS. FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS BELOW…
What you focus on might include:
Starting a new job
Blessing a new relationship
Finding a new house
Beginning a new hobby
Starting a new health or fitness practice
Beginning a new artwork
Birthing a stronger, happier version of yourself
Starting a savings account
Planting a new garden
I’ll be doing a candle spell on your behalf to bring blessings to your intentions, all you have to do is send in your petitions. Instructions below.
Please note, this spell is solely for Founder’s Level subscribers, as a gift for their commitment to supporting my work.
Ordinarily, these group candle spells would cost $40 per person, but Founders Level subscribers get 8 per year included in your membership (which means you’re getting them for about $1.50 a piece. Wow!)
If you’re a Yearly Subscriber and would like to become a Founder, it’s only $10 more per YEAR. You can set it up by clicking the subscribe button below.
If you’re not a subscriber yet, but would like to be, you can join via the button above and get Monthly Moon Ceremonies, monthly Witch Guides, a reading group, live chat Q&As and more! All for the price of a yoga class.* Hope you can join us!