How to set summer solstice intentions?

Set Your Intentions for Summer Solstice

Sit quietly and take a moment to breathe and meditate and reflect upon the first half of your year and contemplate your intentions for the rest of the year. Fuel your intentions by lighting a candle..

How is Litha celebrated?

The Celts celebrated Litha with hilltop bonfires and dancing. Many people attempted to jump over or through the bonfires for good luck. Other European traditions included setting large wheels on fire, and rolling them down a hill into a body of water.

What should you do on solstice?

Begin this summer solstice by waking up early to watch the sunrise. Many traditions say there is a power in the sun, and in the early morning its life force is the strongest. If possible, do this outdoors. As you meditate on the light and warmth of the sun, place your hands on your solar plexus.

What is the Celtic name for the summer solstice?

The Druidic name for the Summer Solstice is Alban Hefin, which means the ‘The Light of the Shore’ or ‘Light of Summer’.

Why do pagans celebrate summer solstice?

Vikings and ancient Egyptians celebrated the summer solstice centuries ago. Today, it’s marked in a variety of ways in countries of the Northern Hemisphere. For pagans, it marks the start of the Festival of Litha, a celebration of the sun’s powers.

What happens in summer solstice?

The summer solstice marks the beginning of the astronomical summer and occurs when the earth has its maximum tilt towards the sun. For temperate regions, the summer solstice is when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. The Earth orbits the sun at an angle.

What are the four pagan festivals?

Four of the festivals have Celtic origins and are known by their Celtic names, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain.

What religions celebrate solstice?

Today, the celebration of the solstices is mostly strongly associated with Paganism. The Pagan festival of Litha is one of the most important in the Pagan religion, commencing on the eve of the Summer Solstice it celebrates the midsummer and the power of the sun god.

What does Stonehenge do on the summer solstice? Stonehenge is built on the alignment of the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset. On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the heel stone, the ancient entrance to the stone circle, and rays of sunlight are channelled into the centre of the monument.

What are some summer solstice rituals?

Use the following list to spark your own solstice ritual.

• Plan a scavenger hunt.
• Eat outside and tune into nature.
• Greet the sun with a family sun salutation.
• Start summer resolutions.
• Stay up late and stargaze.
• Involve water in your ritual.
• Get your hands dirty and embrace the earth.
• Bury negatives.

What pagan holiday is the summer solstice?

Summer Solstice (Litha)

Midsummer is one of the four solar holidays and is considered the turning point at which summer reaches its height and the sun shines longest. Among the Wiccan sabbats, Midsummer is preceded by Beltane, and followed by Lammas or Lughnasadh.

What do pagans do for summer solstice?

Today, it’s marked in a variety of ways in countries of the Northern Hemisphere. For pagans, it marks the start of the Festival of Litha, a celebration of the sun’s powers. Followers of paganism don special attire and flower garlands, which are believed to repel evil spirits, hold special rituals and start bonfires.

Why is summer solstice special?

At the summer solstice, the Sun travels the longest path through the sky, and that day therefore has the most daylight.

What do druids call the summer solstice?

The Summer Solstice, what we call “Alban Hefin” in the Druid Revival tradition, marks the beginning of high summer in my part of the world, and many activities of this time period focus on harvesting and honoring the power of …

Did the druids use Stonehenge? Druids, a group of Celtic pagans, were long believed to have built Stonehenge and used it as a place of worship. At one point during the 17th and 18th centuries, groups of Druids did hold annual summer solstice ceremonies at Stonehenge, adopting the site as part of their history — just as so many believed it to be.

What happens at Stonehenge on summer solstice? Stonehenge is built on the alignment of the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset. On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the heel stone, the ancient entrance to the stone circle, and rays of sunlight are channelled into the centre of the monument.

What does solstice symbolize?

Solstices are especially notable, as they mark the longest and shortest days of the year. In essence, they signify how life on Earth changes in connection to the Sun and how our seasons shape our world. When a solstice occurs, the Sun reaches its absolute highest or lowest point relative to our celestial equator.

Why do druids celebrate the summer solstice?

Druids celebrate eight festivals throughout the year, including four solar festivals – both solstices and both equinoxes. Different groves will celebrate with different rituals but, in general, the solstice represents the time of death and rebirth, when the sun abandons the earth and the darkest day occurs.

What is the energy of summer solstice?

Summer solstice energies are stimulated as the sun approaches its maximum power, light and heat (in northern hemisphere). Our body usually experiences an increase in energy. Receptors in our retinas conduct the light information which stimulates a reset of our circadian rhythms. This invokes a time of action.

Why is summer solstice so special?

At the summer solstice, the Sun travels the longest path through the sky, and that day therefore has the most daylight.

Did the Celts celebrate the solstices?

A Battle for the Light

And long after, the Celts continued the celebration of the solstice in Ireland. According to Celtic myth, the solstice marked a great battle each year between the Oak King who represented the light, and the Holly King who represented the dark.

How do the Irish celebrate the summer solstice?

How do you celebrate it? Every year on June 21, hundreds of Irish people flock to the Hill in Co. Meath to mark the day and watch the sunrise. Many towns and cities have ‘Midsummer Carnivals’ with fairs, concerts and fireworks either on or on the weekend nearest to the Solstice.

What is the summer solstice good for?

The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere kicks off the official calendar start of summer and with it comes maximum sunshine, lots of heat, romantic vibes and the bounty of the harvest. The solstice is historically linked to fertility — both the plant and human variety — in destinations around the world.

What happens on summer solstice day? During the solstice, the sun is at its highest point–over the Tropic of Cancer–and there are the most hours of daylight and least hours of darkness of any day in the year. Solstices happen every June and December, occurring at the same time around the world and marking the year’s longest and shortest days.