Journal Practice - Prompts for Summer Solstice Reflection
What is Summer Solstice?
Summer Solstice marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year and is also called Midsummers Day. It usually falls on 21st June.
Solstice comes from the Latin Sol meaning sun, and Sistere meaning to stand still. It marks the moment the sun ‘stands still’, pauses for a moment at its peak, before turning back to shortening the days again.
In the Wheel of the Year Midsummers Day is known as Litha, It is one of 8 quarter festivals that celebrate the change of the seasons as part of the Wheel of the Year. This can be traced back to the neolithic era 10,000 BC and was used by Pagans and Celts to celebrate nature and the turning points of the year as it cycles around.
The Wheel of the Year has 8 quarter festivals - 2 solstices, Winter (Yule) and Summer (Litha), and 2 equinoxes, Spring (Ostara) and Autumn ( Mabon) and 4 cross quarter mid-points - Imbolc, Beltane, Laughnasadh and Samhein.
Red Sky 2 - Judith Hanson Lasater
What does Summer Solstice Celebrate?
Summer Solstice and Midsummer is (and was) a time to celebrate nature blooming, abundance, opportunities, growth, creation, making dreams come true – the energy of the sun and it’s light.
Litha was celebrated by early traditions with bonfires, dancing and singing. People would jump over or through the bonfires for good luck and the ashes of the fires were spread on the fields to ensure a good harvest. They would stay up to welcome the sunrise of the longest day.
in some traditions, Litha was when the Oak King and the Holly King battle for control of light and dark. During Litha, the Holly King wins this battle, and the days get steadily darker until Yule.
Qualities of Summer
Light – embrace the energy of the sun
Abundance – the start of summer and the full blossoming of nature
Opportunity – taking the energy of summer and following your dreams
How to celebrate Summer Solstice
Watch the sunrise
Light a candle or an outdoor fire
Spend more time outside, noticing the full blooms of summer and enjoying the sunshine.
Take some time out to create some intentions for the Summer Season, some journal prompts to help you are below.
Journal Prompts for Summer Solstice
- Thinking about the first half of the year what were your highlights?
- If you made intentions at the beginning of the year which ones are complete or underway?
- Which intentions no longer serve, can you let them go?
- Embracing the summer energy of growth, opportunity, and light, what do you want to enjoy or create over the summer months?