Blake Octavian Blair
The Summer Solstice, also called Midsummer, Litha, and Alban Hefin, is the time we celebrate the peak of the sun’s power and the longest day of the year. Many revel in the summer’s long days, which often include a sense of being energized and renewed. However, spiritually there is a lot more to celebrate, even if you’re not a “sun baby.” The Summer Solstice is a time of illumination where we have an opportunity to better see the unseen. We tap into this energetic current and see into ourselves and the otherworlds.
With the sun at the height of its power, you may or may not be celebrating the vast hours of daylight. If you are, wonderful, enjoy this special time! If you are not, don’t worry. I’m not much of a fan of the long days myself. In fact, I tend to thrive in the dark half of the year. So why in the world would I be the one to write about celebrating the sabbat celebrating all things solar? Because I do love other solar aspects of this day. In fact, the more I tap into the day beyond its literal celebration of heat and light, and more into its mystical and energetic qualities of light and illumination, the more I really connect to the celebration of this sabbat. There is something for us all at this powerful time.
We actually derive the word solstice from the Latin solstitium, essentially meaning “sun stands still.” For a few days at the Summer Solstice, the sun appears to stand still in its course, creating a sort of pause and between-time. This provides us a great opportunity to stop and reflect upon ourselves in this vast illuminating light. With the sun at the height of its power and illuminating the view between worlds, the veil is seen to be thin between our apparent world and that of the otherworld. We can peer into the depths of ourselves as well as into other realities. In fact, the tradition of fairy lore revolving around this time is rich.
Litha is not often highlighted as a time of introspection, with other sabbats in the dark half of the year getting more press in that department, despite Summer Solstice being a perfect time. We can take this time to utilize the extra daylight for doing ritual work in the glowing solar energy and also to harness the qualities of energetic illumination to look within ourselves and see with an increased clarity where we have grown and what our strengths are, and to get an honest assessment of where we have improved personally as well as where we have room for improvement. Perhaps we have weaknesses that can be identified as areas that provide room for growth and improvement. Truthfully, that is what weaknesses are, and it’s much more constructive and less self-depreciating to affirm that you can improve on something than to see it as a permanent deficit! Meditate upon illuminating ways you can use your strengths to help fortify you in your weak areas. This time of active solar energy is good to break out of any passivity that may have prevented you from taking action in the past and develop an action plan to move forward! This is also something that, if desired, groups can undertake too. It can be a great time to set new practices and plans into motion for groves, covens, and other groups as well.
Whenever we are in our own element, utilizing and having our strengths highlighted, or are acting from a place of truly being comfortable with ourselves, people often say we are “shining.” So, perhaps the shining solar radiance of Litha can help us out. We shine best when we are living authentically as ourselves, and the first step to that is being honest with ourselves about who we are—the good and the bad. Nobody is perfect, and we all have room for improvement.
However, the window into the inner workings of ourselves and the communities we are a part of is not the only thing illuminated by the height of our celestial solar powerhouse … there are other beings afoot too. The veil is thin, and the fair folk are afoot.
Many people are feeling playful and jubilant at Midsummer gatherings, and the vibe can be absolutely infectious. However, I’d like to posit that you might well be riding more than the wave of the energies of your fellow human comrades. Summer Solstice is also a time of fairy raids. What is a fairy raid you may ask? A grand parade-like procession of fairies, and Midsummer is a fit time for such occasions. Tales of fairy raids report that they have all the pomp and circumstance you might imagine with horse-drawn carriages and all the fanfare one might expect for potential fairy royalty. With the veil thin, many can perceive the jubilation of the fairies as our realms bleed together for a time.
However, one must not forget that actual fairies are not, on the whole, the miniature pixie-like creatures that have been rolled in glitter by modern culture. Fairies come in all sizes and temperaments, many of them not the most innocent toward humans. To say the least, they can be tricksters and, in fact, have their own moral code of which it could take an entire volume of its own to discuss. However, there are precautions one might wish to take (which can luckily be rolled into the festivities) while enjoying a hopefully peaceful coexistence with the fair folk during this radiant and jubilant solar celebration. Iron is a longstanding material that provides protection and keeps potential marauding fairies at bay. This is one of the many reasons that there is a tradition of using iron horseshoes above doorways. If you feel a concern for fairy mischief, maybe it is time to hang a few. On second thought, perhaps if you’re engaging in some lawn games during the long daylight and celebrations, when playing a friendly game of horseshoes, perhaps see to it you’re using authentic iron shoes in your tossing.
However, not all the fair folk are necessarily out to cause a ruckus in your celebrations, and it would certainly be in good measure to leave some offerings to be on their good side. One of the traditional offerings to the good folk, honey, is especially fitting for this solar celebration. Honey itself, with its rich golden color and its most magical production by the mystical bee, has longstanding solar associations and is associated with the fire element. Leaving the fair folk offerings as part of your Litha rites is not a horrible idea. Also, using a euphemism to refer to them to avoid any offense or undue attention is traditional. One such euphemism for the fairy is “the good neighbors.” Perhaps, by trying to be a good neighbor yourself and leaving offerings for them, you can avoid troublesome behavior on their part.
While we are being mindful of our otherworldly neighbors at our Midsummer celebrations and their potential benevolence or marauding trickery, it is important to remember we have the potential for the same. Under this time of illumination, perhaps we need to realize that we are in fact human, and like the fair folk, we are a mixed lot. We humans are capable of bizarre viewpoints on ethics and engaging in what would be considered less than admirable behavior. However, we are also capable of honorable and benevolent behaviors. So as we engage in a little bit of good faith and neighborly relations leaving offerings for the fey, we can go a little less hard on ourselves. We can use powerful illuminating qualities of the sun to plunge into the depths of ourselves and our relations to fellow humans and other forms of life of all kinds.
How we humans behave as a species, we are finding, has a profound impact on other species. This is readily evident in the catastrophic effects of climate change. At this time of the height of the sun’s path, it is easy to see illuminated the abundance of life we are interconnected with in the web of being. Anthropocentric viewpoints are both dangerous and easy to fall into. We should take care to realize we are but one species upon an earth teeming with diverse life forms. We are not superior to any other. Flowers are in bloom, bees are buzzing about from plant to plant, the trees are lush and green, the birds are about, and if we are up at dawn and dusk there are a host of wonderful crepuscular animal activities we might bear witness to. This, of course, is only the tip of the iceberg. Well, the iceberg may not be there for long, both literally and metaphorically, if we don’t examine our ways. It’s important to remember, whether we are fans of summer heat or not, that the sun and our planet’s relation to it are vital to sustaining life on our planet. It’s important to remember that rising global temperatures, which result in melting sea ice at the poles and other devastating effects attributed to climate change, are not the fault of the sun but, rather, results of complicated chain reactions set off in large contribution from human actions, including the burning of fossil fuels on mass and industrial scales. The sun’s sacred light and its powerful heat, when we work in harmony with the natural world, actually provide the nourishment and conditions needed to grow the agricultural bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables we celebrate as part of our festival menus as the Wheel of the Year turns. What is a festival without a feast? Remember as you sit down to your sabbat meal to give thanks to the divine power of the sun for helping to bring the food before you.
With the celebration of light, life, and the fiery power of the sun, it is no wonder that bonfires are a traditional part of Litha celebrations. The fire at Summer Solstice really takes on the role of mirroring for us the flames of the fiery star that brings us life. This fire without resonates with the mirroring fires within our souls. This forms a sacred triad of flames among the flames of the sun, the solstice ritual fire, and the spiritual fire within us. Illumination abounds in this time of peak daylight and solar celebration!
References
Daimler, Morgan. A New Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Related Western European Fairies. Winchester, UK/Washington, USA: Moon Books, 2020.
Evans-Wentz, W. Y. The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries: The Classic Study of Leprechauns, Pixies, and Other Fairy Spirits. New York, New York: Kensington Publishing Corp. 1994, 1996.