9 Enchanting Ways to Celebrate the Magic of Midsummer
When is Midsummer Celebrated?
Midsummer (also known as the summer solstice and Litha), takes place around:
20th or 21st of June in the Northern Hemisphere.
21st or the 22nd of December in the Southern Hemisphere.
The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin solstitium.
Meaning ‘sun stands still’.
This halcyon summer festival marks the longest day of the year, and the peak of the sun’s strength.
What is the Meaning of Midsummer?
Midsummer is often seen as a liminal time when the veil between our world and the Otherworld ‘thins’.
Meaning all manner of enchantment and fair-folk mischief is potentially afoot!
Shakespeare’s (1564-1616 CE) famous play A Midsummers Night’s Dream depicts the fictional magical chaos arising from closeness with the fairy realm on midsummer.
Shakespeare was likely drawing on extant midsummer folklore.
There’s an abundance of interesting folklore surrounding midsummer.
Divination and love spells being particularly popular.
Dew collected during the midsummer sunrise was said to restore someone’s sight.
Going back a little further in time.
The summer solstice was celebrated in Britain with bonfires and rolling fiery wheels down hills.
Midsummer continued to be celebrated into Christianisation, albeit in an altered form.
Why Celebrate Midsummer?
It's very easy to watch the changing of the seasons come and go without any observance.
However, a great deal of scientific evidence has been emerging in recent years about the positive impact of spending time outside and regularly connecting to natures sacred rhythms.
In a world that’s constantly pushing us to strive harder, work faster and stay connected, simple living and modern Paganism offers us a chance to slow down and reconnect to the beauty of nature.
Even if you’re short on time, it’s beneficial to spend a small amount of time contemplating the turning of the wheel.
Read on for a few simple ways to celebrate midsummer.
How to Celebrate Midsummer
Midsummer (1887) by Albert Moore
1. Create a Sun Altar
Create a temporary altar dedicated to the peak of summer!
If you’re limited for space try creating an altar in a glass or jar.
For example, fill a small shot glass or jar with sea salt or sand, place a yellow beeswax candle in the middle of the jar and surround it with yellow petals, yellow crystals or bay leaves.
Sun Altar Ideas
Image of the Sun or a Sun deity
Offering bowl
Yellow candles
Yellow flowers
Crystals that corresponds to the Sun
Sun tarot card
Images of bees
On midsummer’s day, light your candles and incense.
Then spend some time contemplating the energy of summer, pull a tarot card, say a prayer.
You can also meditate on the glyph of the Sun.
2. Watch the Sunrise
Thousands of people flock to Stonehenge every year to watch the sunrise surrounded by the mysterious ancient megaliths.
You don’t have to visit Stonehenge to enjoy a summer solstice sunrise!
Check what time the sun rises in your area (in England, sunrise on the summer solstice begins around 4:43 AM!).
Enjoy watching it.
Maybe with a cooling drink and some summery snacks.
Snacks make eveything better.
3. Go For a Walk
Visit the woods, a garden, or a local park or wherever you feel safe enough to relax and hear the birds.
If you’re physically unable to go outside for walks.
Look out of a window and mindfully observe without distraction.
Allow yourself to be truly present.
Bathe in the warming magical energy of midsummer.
4. go on A Picnic
Having a picnic for the summer solstice is a fun and simple way to celebrate.
Mainly due to the (hopefully) good weather and array of fresh foods available.
Consider light sunny foods such as fresh orange juice, bread, salad, olives, oranges, honey cake and hummous dips.
Midsummer was often a time for communities to come together, so a family picnic definitely feels appropriate!
5. Light a Beeswax Candle
Lighting a bonfire to represent the Sun’s zenith is a traditional way to celebrate midsummer.
However, for many people having a full blown bonfire just isn’t convenient.
Instead, try this simple alternative!
Burn an unbleached beeswax candle as an offering to the Sun.
Jazz up your candle with any of the following for more midsummer vibes:
Sunflower oil
Biodegradable golden glitter
Sunny herbs
Yellow flower petals
On midsummer’s day, say a prayer to the Sun or your solar deity of choice.
Light the candle and allow it burn out completely.
Never leave burning candles unattended.
6. Make an Offering to the Nymphs
A Nymph in the Forest (1893) by Charles Amable Lenoir
The nymphs are nature spirits from Greek mythology and Hellenic Paganism.
They’re often associated with those glorious golden emissaries of the Sun, honey bees!
Midsummer is the perfect time to connect with the nymphs.
Try setting up an indoor altar to them if you’re not able to get outside.
As they’re beings of the earth try to stick to natural or handmade objects:
Images of bees or flowers
Unbleached beeswax candles
Stones
Ceramic or clay bowls
Honey mead
Spring water
To make your offering go to your nymph altar or go outside.
Preferably to a wild place.
Say a prayer and pour out an offering of honey mead or water.
Don’t leave food offerings outside as these can harm wildlife and attract pests.
Leaving coins and other sundries as offerings isn’t recommended.
Because littering…
You can also spend some time picking up litter as offering to the nymphs.
7. Connect with a Sun Deity
Making a small offering to a deity associated with the Sun is a simple way to acknowledge the turning of the wheel without elaborate ritual.
Apollon
Helios
Sulis
Saule
Sunna
Around dawn, wash your hands and go outside with a cup of honey, mead or oat milk.
Find a quiet spot.
Say a prayer to your chosen deity, thanking them for the abundance of summer.
Pour the offering out onto the ground and contemplate their presence.
8. Perform a Midsummer Tarot Reading
Pull out your favourite tarot deck and perform some summer themed divination!
Pull a card to see what midsummer magic is blossoming in your life.
A quick google search will reveal many summer solstice themed tarot spreads, so have a browse and choose one that excites you!
9. Summer Solstice Journal Prompts
Since midsummer occurs around midyear, it’s the perfect time to reassess for the next six months.
So, grab your journal and answer the following journal prompts:
Which part of your life requires more balance?
Which part of your life would benefit from more positivity? How can you infuse this area with positivity?
What fun things do you want to do more of?
How can you make your life feel more magical? List all of your ideas!