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The Summer Solstice + Ways to Celebrate

by Shawn Engel
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The Midsummer Sabat, The Summer Solstice, or Litha (as known in Pagan traditions) is occurring June 20th 2020, as the first day of Summer! To celebrate, we’re breaking down the Summer Solstice and sharing ways to celebrate the new time of year.

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What Exactly Is It?

Litha celebrates the longest day and shortest night of the year. This is the day when the sun shines for the most hours since the Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year.) It is the highpoint of the Sun. However, as everything moves in a cycle, and is anciently ruled by the harvest, we celebrate this time for its sunshine, but also to note that the days will shrink again all the way through to winter.

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Litha is a wonderful celebration with many traditions that are still carried on today! Most notably is the bonfire. During Litha, in ancient times, villages would build a bonfire and dance around it, with some brave souls even jumping through it! We still see remnants of that today with summer bonfires on the beach.

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Another traditional symbol of Litha is the mighty Oak tree. The Oak King, a deity of Litha, is an incredibly masculine, strong, and abundant God that rules the waxing of the year (the time the days grow.) The Celtic name for Oak is “Duir,” which means “doorway,” and symbolizes crossing the threshold into the waning months of the year (as the days shrink.)

Other Ways To Celebrate Solstice

A great way to celebrate Litha, if you don’t want to dance around a fire or a large oak tree {but really though} is to do some reflecting. As we are reaching the high point of our days, think back to what it is that you have accumulated in your life since winter. What are you full of? What are you fertile with? What is in abundance to you currently? What can you harvest?

And as the light wanes again, what is it that you can let go of? What hasn’t served you since the last cycle? What direction will you want to be moving in within the coming months, and what dead weight should you strip to make the journey easier?

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Why Is It Important?

As spiritual babes, enlightened beings, or witches, it is intentional and important to use the seasons as a source of reflection in our own lives. How can we move with the Sun, and gracefully into the Winter?

So use Litha to celebrate, drink, dance, and absorb in the best ways you can. Live fully this summer, and don’t let anything hold you back! Life moves like a wheel, and there is always room for improvement. Now, who’s building a bonfire??

How will you be kicking off the summer this year? Share with us in the comments below!

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