A Family Summer Solstice Ritual for the Spiritual-But-Not-Religious
Summer solstice is one of the major seasonal thresholds. It is fire season for the northern hemisphere, when the natural world has been generative and begins to bear fruit in abundance—even excess. It’s a time that naturally beckons many of us outside to enjoy the long sunny days.
However, every joy has a quiet sting of sadness because it is always passing. The days will start to grow shorter after this. Solstice is a kind of pinnacle day, like the top of the inhalation: we have the high view and can look back and where we’ve come from and look forward to where we are going. In the Pacific Northwest, where I live, the wild roses are in full bloom at this time, reminding me of the sweetness, beauty and temporariness of this moment. This inspires in me a deep appreciation for what is present right here right now. It also inspires me to mimic the excessive generosity Mother Earth demonstrates in this season, and give from my own bounty.
This simple ritual is a way to practice aligning with the Summer Solstice spirit of gratitude and generosity. Consider it just a template or suggestions—feel free to adapt to your own ecosystem, the needs of your family, and your own intuitive sense of what the season is calling for.
You might find it useful to gather:
Some kind of offering to the land: flower petals, seeds, herbs or popcorn
A bell or drum (a tin pot and a spoon works just fine!)
Altar items (see below)
Creating an Altar
A solstice alter met by the incoming tide!
An altar is just a physical, visual and tactile space that holds the intention of the season and your relationship to it. If you can do this outside, that’s lovely! But it can also be on a shelf, a chair in the corner of a room, the center of your table. Some items you might consider including on your Solstice altar:
A red, orange, yellow or white cloth (think SUN!)
Seasonal flowers or fruits
A candle
Something to give away. This is ideally something that has brought you joy or that you have in abundance that you are ready to gift to someone else. This could be a toy, something grown in the garden, or a monetary donation your family would like to contribute to your community. Because Solstice is just days after Juneteenth, the anniversary of the final emancipation of enslaved persons in the U.S., you might consider learning about and making a donation to a local Black-led organization.
The Practice
Tuning In —Ring bell or drum to invite everyone to settle. Take 3-5 big belly breaths. You can invite kiddos to imagine a balloon in their belly that they fill and empty.
Grounding—For older kids, you might have everyone close their eyes and imagine being a tree with roots dropping to the center of the earth. For younger kids, practice a simple grounding by identifying one thing they notice with each of the five senses.
Land Acknowledgment—say a few words of gratitude and recognition of the indigenous stewards of the land you are on. If you don’t know who that is, you can find out here. You can light your candle or burn or sprinkle some herbs, seeds or flowers as a way of acknowledging these ancestors and giving back to the land.
Solstice Fire—I once attended a solstice celebration where we tended a bonfire all night long. That may not be feasible for you! You might be able to have a back yard fire, but if that’s too much, just gather around a lit candle to do the following ritual. If kiddos are old enough, have a non-flammable bowl handy to burn what you write down. If outside, you can stand around fire. Have each family member answer the following questions aloud or write on a piece of paper:
GRATITUDES: What do I already have in abundance? How is Mother Earth showing her generosity to us? What can I express gratitude for?
GENEROSITIES: What do I have in abundance that I can share? What’s one specific way I can be generous with what I have?After each person shares, or after everyone has shared, toss slips of paper with your gratitudes and generosities in the fire. Say/sing together the following blessing:
Our thanks for Earth’s bounty
And for the Sun’s light
We share from abundance
With joy and delight
5. Closing—Conclude with ringing the bell or drum once more and taking 5 more breaths together. Everyone can take turns saying thank you to various elements of the ritual: the sun, the fire, trees, the dirt, each other, the indigenous stewards, the sky, the night. It’s nice to follow up with some tasty drink or seasonal treat!
If you try this or do any other solstice celebration with your family, take a photo and post in the comments below, or share on FB or IG and tag us! We’d love to hear about your experience!
Many thanks to the work of Starhawk and the resource-full text Circle Round: Raising Children in the Goddess Tradition; the cultural attachment work of Dare Sohei and Tada Hozumi; and the ancestral stewards and lands of the Coast Salish peoples, who continue to humble and teach me how to be in a good way with this earth.
Beauty and bounty is the Summer Solstice spirit!