3 Summer Solstice Rituals to Light Your Fire!
The summer solstice occurs around June 20th and brings with it the most daylight hours of any day of the year! It’s no surprise that there are centuries of Summer Solstice rituals involving heat, fire, and the sun. I’ve selected a few of my favorite ways to honor the sun, light your internal fire, and get creative with a free coloring page to help you build your own Sun Mandala.
Fire & Candles
Bonfire: In ancient times, fire festivals were a given for celebrating the Summer Solstice. Communities would parade around town with torches, or set tar barrels on fire and roll them downhills! While acts like this may land you in the slammer by today's standards, a more acceptable way to celebrate midsummer is by having a bonfire!
Candles: If you live in the Southwest like me, the idea of having a bonfire might seem like the last thing you want to do in 115 degrees heat! Another option is to light a candle and keep it lit all day at your altar or favorite sacred space (only if you’re staying at home! Safety first!). Spend some time at your altar or sacred space giving thanks to the Sun for its life-giving heat.
Building Your Internal Heat
Enjoy a yoga pose that best honors the Summer Solstice. This is definitely a pose that will ignite your internal fire! The goddess pose is a wide-legged squat that will challenge your mind and body. For an added bonus practice this outside to energize yourself with the sun's rays! Coincidentally, the goddess pose is also known as the fiery angle pose! This is a great posture for building heat in the body and increasing circulation.
Create Your Own Sun Mandala
My favorite and the most beautiful option for honoring this change of season is to create a Sun Mandala. How to make your own Sun Mandala:
Forage for flowers, leaves and twigs
Use sage to cleanse an area inside at your altar or outside where you’d like to create your mandala
Lay your flowers and greenery in a circular pattern
As an added option, add any crystals that you’d like. Carnelian, quartz, tiger eye and sunstone are great options for honoring the Sun.
Add a candle in the center or smaller candles into the design.
As you create your Sun Mandala reflect on the gifts the Sun and the Summer give you and what abundance you’d like to bring into your world this season.
Your Sun Mandala can be simple and small, or a glorious group project with friends. Get creative with it, I’ve got a printable sun mandala color page that you can use as a cheat sheet for where to place your flowers and candles, or it can function on its own as your Sun Mandala. Get your free printable sun mandala here. Be sure to share pics of your Sun mandala and tag @cassieuhl on Instagram. You can find more rituals for the Summer Solstice in this blog post.
