A look at Wiccan summer solstice rituals
MIDSUMMER’S MAGICK, LIGHT & WARMTH: CELEBRATING EARTH’S ABUNDANCE
Better than staring at the Vincent van Gogh painting named “Starry Night,” when attending a Wiccan Summer Solstice ritual you’re actually enjoying the darkness of night beneath a star-lit sky, painted by the Gods of our European ancestors.
Walking toward the circle of witches, you smell their Summer Solstice bonfire and perhaps the essence of dried-sage burning. You also hear chanting or drumming that stirs your soul. It makes you want to dance.
Beyond that, explaining what you’ll experience at any given Wicca Summer Solstice ritual gets tricky. That’s because a coven of Wiccans is more like a herd of wild elk than a domestic flock of sheep. Not only is there nobody to shear the elk, or tell them how to dress-up (or wear no clothes at all) but nobody tells Wiccans exactly what deity they must celebrate either. Some groups worship only the Goddess energies while others also pay tribute to the horned God of the woods.
Before a Pagan group decides to gather in ritual or a coven or a group of Wiccans decides to celebrate Summer Solstice together – they might forage around in mythological books or meditate in psychic trance long enough to conjure up new ideas for enhancing their Midsummer ceremony. Any Summer Solstice ritual is very likely to turn out something like a container of Neapolitan ice cream, with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry condiments all making any combination of flavors possible.
Consider those Wiccans who believe in Faeries, for instance. Faerie-Wiccans might decorate their Summer Solstice altar with fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers and perhaps an offering of milk and sweet cakes for the Fey. Summer Solstice for Faerie-Wiccans is an especially exciting time because that’s when the portal between Earth and metaphysical-worlds open wide and witches can more easily communicate with residents from other-worlds. Thus, Faerie-Wiccans might sprinkle themselves with glitter (i.e., Faerie dust) and secure wings to their whimsical outfits. Then they might dance wildly in a circle to request Faerie blessings of good health and luck!
In contrast, members of other Wicca traditions might stage a battle of two male Gods or perform what other ceremonial demonstration will most efficiently honor other myths as they choose.
YIN IS TO YANG WHAT SUMMER IS TO WINTER:
To understand what inspires a Wiccan Summer Solstice Ritual in the first place, it’s important to realize
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