Midsummer is upon us

A List of 13 Ways to Celebrate

Photo by Vasilina Sirotina on Unsplash

Hi lovelies,

I have a bonus, surprise newsletter for you today! There won’t be a newsletter on Sunday because a Muse Monday feature is coming to your inboxes on Monday instead.

Today, in the northern hemisphere, is the longest day of the year. In recent years, many more people have begun to acknowledge the summer and winter solstice. Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of time many of us spend on our computers and iPhones and the need to embrace nature’s rhythms when ours are so out of sync. Whatever it is that is calling people back to the old ways, I want to offer you some suggestions for how you can celebrate this day without having to go to a lot of trouble or expense.

Photo by Anita Austvika on Unsplash

1. Picnic in a field of wildflowers, either alone or with a group of friends or family.

2. Pick a rose and place it under your pillow that night to dream of your love.

3. Gather herbs from your garden, or if you don’t have a garden get fresh herbs from your grocery or farmers market, and freeze them in oil in ice cube trays so you can have access to homegrown herbs throughout the coming winter.

4. Make a flower crown, arrange a bouquet of flowers, or press flowers between the pages of your favorite book.

5. Soak in a tub full of calendula, lavender, or other herbs and flowers that are abundant at the moment.

6. Invite friends over for a bonfire night. Toast marshmallows, tell stories, and write wishes on bay leaves before throwing them in the fire.

7. Work in the garden and leave offerings for the wildlife such as scattering seeds for the birds or putting out a saucer of water for the red efts and toads.

8. Bring a sketchbook or journal with you on a nature walk and spend some time with your creative muse.

9. Bake a special treat to share with your neighbors, friends, or colleagues.

10. Make a list of everything you have grown from spring until now and what you hope to accomplish before the year’s end.

11. Sing songs and chants in honor of the summer solstice and some of the associated deities.

12. Wear yellow, orange, or gold to channel the sun’s energy and warmth.

13. Eat produce from local farms or from your very own garden.

Photo by Joshua Hanson on Unsplash

Photo by Chalo Garcia on Unsplash

My own celebration will be different this year. My son has a book club to attend and then we have a summer solstice neighborhood party! How are you going to celebrate?

And if you’d like something to read that ties in with the different seasons and the wheel of the year, my little book of poetry True North delves into just that. You can find it here.

Have a blessed solstice!

Love,

p.s. This photo is for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere as you celebrate the shortest day of the year and think of the sun returning. Photo was of me in the New Forest in England, circa 2009-2011, with my beloved Wishing Tree in the background.