The summer solstice has been celebrated for centuries, with many types of traditions that have developed around this event. In the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice is usually celebrated on June 21, in the southern hemisphere on December 21.
Steps
Step 1. Observe the sky
Astronomically, the summer solstice falls sometime between June 20 and 21 (sometimes June 22) in the Northern Hemisphere, and between December 21 and 22 (sometimes December 23) in the southern hemisphere. In most years it happens 21, but due to the Gregorian calendar leap year there is a change every four years to this date, to account for the leap year. If you want to witness the exact moment of the summer solstice looking up at the sky, inform yourself and make sure you take all necessary precautions to avoid eye damage.
Step 2. Try to feel fulfilled in your life
The summer solstice heralds the start of this season, and also represents the period of self-realization. It is an excellent time to take stock of the situation in your life and to assess how your goals and goals are going. From the first New Year's resolutions to the big goals in your life, ask yourself how you are doing in accomplishing these things for yourself and those you love.
Are you still in line with your goals or have you drifted away? Take this opportunity to strengthen them and to make any changes necessary to accomplish your goals
Step 3. Sit outside and read a book
It is a good way to get in touch with the sun and with nature.
Step 4. Use this day to start looking for a new job if the current one doesn't suit you
Start looking around to see available positions to apply for. If you need more experience, training, or information, make today the day you begin to overcome these obstacles so you can start doing what you really enjoy.
- Consider starting a gratitude journal if you haven't already. Try to put together all the good and wonderful things in your life to help you notice your satisfaction when you feel accomplished.
- Be honest in evaluating your goals - set aside those that don't lead you in the direction you want to go now. People are constantly growing and changing; make sure you don't get attached to goals that no longer belong to the person you have become.
Step 5. Strengthen your energies
Summer, with its stability and the promise of mild, warm days, is considered a time of personal development, in which to liberate and nurture oneself. As with harvests starting to ripen, this is a personal ripening period to strengthen one's energies. Take the serene nature of summer as a reason to try harder to lose weight, renovate your home (perhaps with a new furniture arrangement, or even move house), regulate nutrient intake, and find exercise that is suitable for you instead of making one just because others do it.
Start a new diet based on fresh fruit and seasonal vegetables. However, try not to see it as just a "diet"; use this opportunity to align your thinking about food with something that includes eating more plant-based, zero-mile, organic and fresh foods
Step 6. Renew the wardrobe
If you haven't updated your look in a while and your clothes are starting to look old, give your wardrobe a new touch on summer solstice day. Do these clothes still reflect the person you are now? Do they highlight your qualities or do they fall badly on you, make you look old-fashioned or with a cramped wardrobe? Give the clothes you no longer want to charity, to a friend or to the poor, depending on their quality. Then buy new clothes that make you feel good and help you feel confident about the clothing you introduce yourself to others.
Here are some inexpensive ideas to renovate your wardrobe: How to Redo Your Wardrobe by Recycling Your Clothes and How to Renovate Your Wardrobe Without Buying Anything
Step 7. Consider developing your healing abilities
In the Middle Ages it was believed that herbs and flowers collected during the summer solstice carried healing energy above and beyond normal healing properties. While this is considered scientifically unlikely these days, you can still honor these beliefs by growing your own herb garden over the summer and learn how to use these plants to heal minor injuries and illnesses, such as scratches and headaches. There are many books on how to use plants for medicinal purposes, such as Dictionary of Phytotherapy and Medicinal Plants by Enrica Campanini, which explains in detail which herbs have healing properties and which ones do not.
- As you grow your herbs and vegetables, remember to thank the pollinators. Summer is a time of great pollination as many trees and plants are in bloom. Yet, in recent years, many bees have suffered from diseases, particularly beehive depopulation syndrome, which threaten the future of bee pollination. Find out as much as you can about what has been done to protect bees and support beekeepers who practice natural, organic and chemical-free beekeeping. Also think of all the other pollinators, including the most despised ones, namely mosquitoes, who help get delicious food to your table.
- Other ways to develop your healing skills include learning healing techniques such as Reiki, therapeutic massage, or acupuncture. Why not go to a session to try a new healing therapy for something that ails you, be it stress or pain? Alternatively, if you want to become a professional in the healing arts, look for courses to take.
Step 8. Dance around the Maypole
If you are lucky enough to live in a community that organizes the Maypole dance during the May Day holiday, give it a try! To find information on how to perform this dance, search the internet.
- Create your own maypole, if there isn't one in your city. Invite your friends to do the maypole dance at a party. To make things easier for you, ask everyone to bring something to eat to contribute to the buffet.
- In Sweden, the maypole dance is considered an essential part of the summer solstice celebrations.
Step 9. Plan a trip
Consider spending the summer solstice away from home, in one of the destinations where this anniversary has been celebrated for centuries. In particular, Stonehenge in England is a must for fans celebrating the summer solstice. The stones of this monument line up with the sunrise of the solstice creating a spectacular panorama. However, you have to be there very early and you have to be very sturdy as you will have to make your way among thousands of other people waiting for the sunrise to celebrate the solstice. Two other places to celebrate the summer solstice are Sedona in Arizona and Cairo (where an ancient sun temple was discovered in 2006).
You can find a list of places to celebrate the summer solstice on this site: Summer solstice parties
Step 10. Throw a party with a bonfire
The bonfire is part of the summer solstice tradition. Fire has always been a source of protection for humans, scaring the beings of the night, both real and magical. Nowadays, you can reinvent the bonfire as a good reason to have a party with friends for the summer solstice. Make sure you choose a place for a campfire to be possible and safe - ask your local authorities first. In some places there will be a ban on lighting fires due to the aridity of the area, so, in this case, organize a party without a bonfire.
Step 11. Venerate the sun
If you enjoy yoga, there is a number of exercises you can do, known as the Sun Salutation. These exercises engage both the mind and the body, creating a harmonious balance between meditation and physical movement. Start this exercise on the morning of the summer solstice and make it a goal to make it a daily habit.
For more details, read How to Greet the Sun
Advice
- If your faith celebrates the summer solstice in a particular way, be well informed and participate. For some religions, it is considered a particularly important moment.
- Take part in a nudist race. Ask the local authority for permission to organize a nudist run around the city. Recently in Riga, Latvia, it has become a very popular ritual to celebrate the summer solstice. If you enjoy doing these things, go!
