It’s almost Summer Solstice!
The Solstice is happening on Tuesday, June 21, 2022.
We have reached June, the peak time for Summer here in the Northern Hemisphere! I know, not everywhere is going to be celebrating summer, hot days, and beach trips right now. In some places the world is just starting to warm up! For me in Florida, June is the beginning of Hurricane Season (the official date was June 1st), something that I honor separately. But what is a solstice?
Well, that has a simple-ish explanation. A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice a year. The tilt of the Earth’s axis affects our days and nights because of how our planet faces the sun. On a solstice, the point of our tilt, so to speak, is either closest to or furthest away from the sun. During the Summer Solstice, we are closest to the sun!
You can read more about what exactly a solstice is on NASA’s website here → Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere - NASA
In the Southern Hemisphere, you will be experiencing the Winter Solstice since we are on opposite ends of our Big Blue Planet 
What is Litha?
Within Wiccan practice, Litha (Summer Solstice) is one of the points on the Wheel of the Year. It is the time of year when the Oak King and Holly King battle it out again for one to win over the other. This sends us into our Midsummer, a season of abundance, energy, and fertility! Many people around the world celebrate Litha in different ways, some of whom do not call it Litha at all!
In the early history of Litha, people would set large wheels of hay and wood on fire to roll them downhill into rivers or streams . That was an ode to the balance of the elements of nature, such as fire and water. They would celebrate by setting a huge bonfire to mirror the peaking, powerful sun. Litha Symbols - Spells8
Summer Solstice has also always been a large celebration at Stonehenge. The last few years people have not been able to physically travel to Stonehenge for a celebration. That’s okay, though! Sunrise at Stonehenge has been streamed live on YouTube in many places. You can find a live video of this astronomical event on English Heritage’s YouTube channel.
Common Neo-Pagan Correspondences
Colors: Red, Orange, Green, Yellow, Gold
Food and Drink: Bread, Cakes, Salads and Seasonal Fruits, Fresh Juice, Sunflower Tea, Water, Beer, White Wine
Crystals: Amber, Jade, Tiger’s Eye, Jasper, Peridot, Aventurine, Ruby
Herbs and Flowers: Lavender, Chamomile, Roses, Daisies, Lily, Elder, Fennel, St. john’s Wort, Verbena
Need celebration ideas?
→ Litha Symbols & Traditions: Ideas to Celebrate the Summer Solstice
Learn about different Litha symbols, correspondences, and celebrations!
→ 
Litha Celebration Ritual #CastAlong
See our easy Cast Along video for Litha here on Spells8!
See @Francisco’s post about the connection between Litha and divination.
→ How to Celebrate Litha Alone: Ideas for a Pagan Summer Solstice!
Celebrating alone? We’ve got you covered. Read more in this post about celebrating Litha as a solitary practitioner.
Southern Hemisphere Friends!
And for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, you might be celebrating Yule or the Winter Solstice! Check out some of these links here if you need ideas to celebrate.
→ Get some ideas from a past challenge! Samhain Weekly Witchy Challenge!
→ 
How to Celebrate Yule Alone? Ideas+Ritual!
Get some ideas if you’re celebrating alone!
→ Yule Traditions: Pagan Winter Solstice Symbols and Ways to Celebrate
Learn more about different customs for Yule and the Winter Solstice.
→ Yule Celebration Ritual #CastAlong
If you’re celebrating alone, we’ve got you covered with a Cast Along ritual!
→ 
The Yule Cat: An Icelanding Folk Tale
The Yule Cat is a fascinating Icelandic tale for Yule!
However you plan to celebrate, I hope you have an amazing holiday season! Keep in mind that traditionally, these celebrations may have gone on longer than just a day. Give yourself grace and time to prepare. In my practice, many of these holidays, especially as an Irish-focused Celtic Pagan, revolve around community service, family protection, and food. So bake the breads and cakes, feed your neighbors, and have a good time!
Note: Please use this post to share your Beltane/Samhain plans, questions, etc.
In Poland in Slavic pagan traditions, the night of the summer solstice is called Noc Kupały (Kupala Night). While the church has stamped out or altered many of the original pagan traditions in Poland, some areas and some traditions still celebrate the night with rituals.
, so I put my antibiotic burn cream on the first couple of days then a manuka honey ointment for wounds so it didn’t get too dry.
