Celebrating Solstice

“The summer solstice is a celebration of life, of fertility, of the Goddess’ goodness in making our fields and bellies fruitful. It is a festival of fire, warmth, love, and desire as we honour the power that has brought us into being and taught us that our time on this earth is not just about duty and hardship but also about pleasure.”

-The Chosen Queen

June 21st is the day of the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words for sun (sol) and to remain still (sistere).

It is the time of year when the sun stands still in the sky at sunrise and sunset. Solstice also marks a turning point in the year – a moment to give thanks that summer is now with us and to celebrate the bounty of nature,  but also to think of, and prepare for, the harvest and the days of winter darkness that are to come.

Solstice has been celebrated since Neolithic times, and it is likely that it was originally linked to the agricultural calendar, with its cycles of planting and harvest. Many ancient peoples built stone circles, which appear to have been designed around the movement of the sun at both the summer and the winter solstice.

The stones pictured here form the ancient Ring of Brodgar on the islands of Orkney – the destined home of Igraine’s daughter Morgause.

 In times gone by, the power of the sun was crucial to survival – without it, crops would not grow and harvests would fail. Today, people celebrating Solstice also recognise our need to be attuned to the rhythms of nature and to honour and give thanks for the beauties of the natural world.

It is also a time to think about our own responsibilities within the world, to focus on the things we can do to care for and protect our environment, husbanding our natural resources with love, thoughtfulness and respect, so that they remain with us for future generations.

For Igraine,  and the people she knew and loved, the  Summer Solstice was one of the most important festivals of the year, holding within it the complexities and tensions of death and re-birth. It is at Solstice that the power of the sun and hours of daylight are greatest, but with each day that follows, the light diminishes as we move inexorably towards the mists and shadows of the closing year.

Within The Chosen Queen, Solstice is also a time for thanksgiving and forgiveness. Igraine and the priestesses of Avalon celebrate with bonfires and ceremonies,  bringing their people together to witness the rituals and listen as their King and Queen renew their vows to protect the land and to honour and obey the Goddess.

These Bonfires (also known as Litha fires) symbolise the warmth of the sun and its power to drive away dark and evil spirits. Traditionally, participants in the Solstice rituals would leap the bonfire, to bring good fortune and fertility.

Today, many people still observe the tradition of the Solstice flame, lighting bonfires or candles to symbolise the spark of life and the power of fire to illuminate, purify and transform.

The Summer Solstice has also a strong association with the magical and the mysterious. The historian Richard Hutton calls it:

“a day when the normal laws of nature or divinity could be suspended, when spirits and fairies could contact humans, when humans could exceed the usual limitations of their world”.

Midsummer night has often been portrayed as a time when the veil between the human world and the uncanny realm of Faerie is thinner, and magic may seep through. So who knows what may happen if you light the litha fire, leap through the flames, and rest your head upon a grassy knoll of wild thyme and violets…

May this Solstice bring you joy.