Intention: A heart warming, sun celebrating personal ritual to nurture joy and gratitude in nature. Created by Rochelle
Elements: ‘Solstice Sun’ Ritual Incense (with burn setup), Red beeswax candles, Sweet Orange Essential Oil, Citrine crystal & Modica Chocolate (orange), Water or wine vessel
Summer Solstice: The longest day of the year, bringing forth the fullness and juiciness of Mother Earth’s fertility and creative potential. This cherished day celebrates not only the element of fire, but our connection with the earth in all her glory, it reaffirms our vitality, renews hope and illuminates new possibilities for the future. The Summer Solstice is a time to refresh your spirit by reconnecting with the divinity of nature herself. In this sanctuary, we welcome joy into our hearts as we take refuge in sacred space.
Ritual Outline – Sun Gratitude
Create your ritual outside, and on the ground where you can be in contact with the Earth. It can be in your backyard, a park, really wherever you can find a little quite greenspace for yourself. Living in big cities makes if hard to access nature, so just do what is sensible for you, a balcony is outdoors too ;).
What you need: Wonderworks Summer Solstice Ritual Kit, also bring along matches or a lighter, water or wine. You may bring a journal to write in, for inspirations or insights that come during the ritual.
Get Ready: Set yourself up on the ground with your Solstice Ritual Kit and other items laid out in front of you, sit facing the north.
Begin with this Grounding Exercise: Sitting down, make contact with ground, touch it with your hands. Barefoot is ideal to contact the healing grounding energy.
In an upright but relaxed posture, look downwards at the ground, then put your hands over your heart and take 10 long full slow easeful breaths in and out, focussing your attention on your body as it is supported by and connected to the earth. Take a moment to offer thanks to the Earth for holding you, and the Sun for warming you.
When you feel ready, light your charcoal, add a sprinkle of Solstice Sun incense and gently breathe in the fragrance of the sacred herbs as you give thanks to the element of Air, which carries the sacred smoke upwards. Take your Citrine crystal, and pass it through the smoke a few times to cleanse it, and keep it next to your incense.
Next, it’s time to libate Mother Earth, pour out a little of your water or wine on the ground with your own personal blessing of gratitude. After, take a drink yourself, receive it mindfully, with deep thanks for all that sustains you.
If you like you can keep feeding the incense onto your coal as much or little as feels right for the duration of your ritual time.
Now for your candle magic! Pop out each of the red beeswax tealights from their cups, and open your bottle of Sweet Orange essential oil. Anointing candles for magic is usually done with tapers candles, but for our outdoor purposes the tealights are great. Each candle will be anointed with the same oil, each representing your inner and outer realms. Tap out a couple of drops of Sweet Orange into your left palm (receiving hand) and dip in the tip of your right forefinger (giving hand), and inhale this joyful scent.
With your oiled fingertip, anoint your first candle by delicately smoothing a little of the essential over the surface of the candle, but not the wick. This candle will be lit in honour of your own sacred flame; residing in your heart chakra, that fire which ignites joy and makes your heart sing. Light your first candle.
Anoint the second candle in the same manner. This one will be lit as an offering of gratitude to Mother Earth, to the elements, and to the life you are blessed to be living right now, challenges and all. Include in this blessing deep gratitude for your community, for family, friends, teachers, healers. When we open our hearts in this manner, with deep gratitude, we radiate and can magnify our own goodness, celebrating our connection to all beings, to the divine. Light your second candle.
Finally it’s time to receive the sensuous gift of chocolate! Open your bar of orange Modica Chocolate, break off a square. Inhale the wonderful fragrance, notice your mouth starting to water and slowly, intentionally place it on your tongue, close your eyes and give yourself a moment to receive this pure gift of taste, sensation, nourishment, and pleasure – be fully present with this experience. While it slowly melts in your mouth, focus your visual attention on your anointed candles, burning with love for you and from you. During this process really take your time, offering blessings of gratitude out loud or to yourself, whatever feels right. Feel free to have another chocolate during this part, nurturing those feelings of joy in all your cells! Have a nice sip of your drink while meditating on the 2 burning flames you have lovingly dedicated in ritual.
You may now anoint your cleansed Citrine crystal – this gem is thought to carry the energy of the sun, just as the Orange is symbolic of the Sun. Anoint the crystal, then pass it through the incense again, then (carefully) through each candle flame, uniting the elements of your magic in the crystal. Keep this crystal to carry with you as your talisman of joy.
Offer gratitude to yourself for taking this precious time to both honour the Summer Solstice while cultivating such goodness and healing in your heart.
If you brought a journal, go ahead and start writing freely about how you feel, and moving on to writing any insights, reflections or inspirations that come to you.
When you feel you are done, it is time to bid farewell to your altar and ritual space. If the candles are still burning, gently snuff them out, giving thanks for their energy and presence, if your coal is still burning, you can put it out with a couple drops of water or just wait until it’s done then sprinkle the ashes on the ground. Give a final libation to the earth, and touch the ground before you leave to give thanks and bid farewell.
Carry on the rest of your day, and your life, with joy in your heart.
Happy Summer Solstice! Blessings to you from Rochelle and Wonderworks, June 2021.