The Writing Witch

Midsummer, also known as the Summer Solstice or Litha, is celebrated around June 22

It is the longest day and shortest night of the year.

After this day, the sun’s arc across the sky will begin to wane and grow shorter and shorter until six months from now, when we’re celebrating the Winter Solstice again.

Because the sun will switch over from waxing to waning at this time, Midsummer is considered in many cultures to be a very magickal time… Why?

Well, I like to think of it in terms of the Magick of the Moment. This episode of the Alchemy Of Affluence Podcast is an artful exploration into Midsummer energy, the archetype of the Inner Child, and some magickal musings about “The Power Of Now” and “tween times.”

Read on, or l listen to the podcast here:

What’s interesting about the term “Midsummer,” is that for many of us, late June doesn’t feel much like the middle of summer; it feels more like the beginning of summer and the end of spring. In order for this to make sense, we need to try looking at the year as having two long seasons rather than four shorter ones. In some ancient traditions, the year was divided into just two halves; summer and winter. Asuming that summer starts at the Spring Equinox and ends at the Autumn Equiniox, Midsummer (The Summer Solstice) is smack dab in the middle.

While the sun is at its hight, the effects of its cumulative rays will continue to effect us, and for many of us the hottest days are still yet to come. The idea is that, regardless of the weather, astrologically speaking, Midsummer marks the middle of the brighter half of the year, when the days are longer than the nights.

Because the sun will switch over from waxing to waning at this time, Midsummer is considered in many cultures to be a very magickal time. Why? Well, I like to think of it in terms of the Magick of the Moment.

Many of us are familiar with the work of Eckhart Tolle, who tells us that being fully present in the current moment (rather than allowing our minds to pull us into concerns about the future and past) is the only way to achieve inner peace.

Many magickal practitioners will agree that the most magickally potent times are the times when we are so deeply attuned to the present moment that time almost seices to exist, dimming in comparison to the heart-centered part of the experience. It’s a feeling of being in touch with the inner child, the realm of imagination, and free creative expression. The Magick of the Moment can be carefully evoked through ritual, or it can occur at any time spontaniously.

But it seems many would agree that the Inner Child, the faeries, or the Muses most often come to us in what we call “tween-times.” Tween-times are natural occurences in which consciousness is shifting to transition from one chapter to another. For me, this is most evident when the sun begins to set. Something about the way the lights and shadows play off of one another in a dramatic diagonal angle causes me to pause and notice the beauty; To consciously bid farewell to the last hours of sunlight and begin to welcome the night time.

I find that late Spring and late Autumn are my favorite times of the year, because in much the same way as the sunset, the year is shifting to a new season in a very visually evident way. In my environment, Spring and Autumn are fairly short and mild seasons, a brief moment to acknowledge the transition from the harsher temperatures of the Summer and Winter.

If we don’t pause to simply breathe in and enjoy them, these very special seasonal shifts will pass us by.

When I first began studying the Wheel of the Year, I recall reading a lot about Midsummer being a time to “communicate with faeries.” As lovely as that idea sounds, for a lot of us, it seems a bit too far-fetched to really relate to fully. I don’t tend to believe in faeries in the traditional sense, but I can certainly remember experiences throughout my life that have felt fairy-like.

To me, faerie energy is the magick that comes over us when we surrender our adult worries and cares, and allow ourselves to be so inspired by the present moment that we relax fully into the experience.

When that inner child is able to play within us, that is when all the best “faerie” magick happens! For me, the inner child really plays well outside in nature, and in order to really be absorbed into the present moment, my body needs to be in a comfortable place as well as my mind and heart. With the weather finally feeling truely pleasant, neither too hot nor too cold, Midsummer is my favorite time of year to let that inner child run freely into the open arms of the season!

This is a time for us to ask ourselves which are our favorite childhood memories of summertime. For me, it returns to a time when my younger sister and I would sit in the yard and have tea parties with cat and rabbit stuffed animals. I can still evoke that timeless energy by letting my inner child design the scenes for my product photo shoots, for example!

Take some time this season to sit outside and dream back to your childhood. Take note of which feelings still return to you every summer, and which have faded into memory. It prompts us to think back to what made us feel really happy and inspired and free in the summer time as a young child. Which memories of playing outside as a kid really stand out to us as timeless zones of free creative expression and true inner and outer peace? How can you evoke and channel the energy of your inner child to help evolve through life in the present day?

Would you like to get access to my Inner Child guided meditation and journaling ritual? I designed it to help you to connect with your idealized childhood self and recieve wisdom which will help guide you to make the most of any moment in your adult life.

For me, the Summer Solstice season is about simply sitting comfortably in the grass and enjoying the sounds of nature and the company of a friend, sibling, or good book.

May’s Eve is all about motion – the quickening of the intention to hurry up and get the season started, vs. the awkward fact that things aren’t really warm and dry enough yet to jump into action. Midsummer, on the other hand, is about resting into the open arms of the season of comfort; a comfort that can only be had when the weather is truely perfect for it.

Midsummer makes me think of the songs “Summer Time” the jazz classic, and “Golden Afternoon” from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. It reminds me of the movie “Pride & Prejudice” and Shakespere’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” I think of childhood, of playing with my little sister, a game of stuffed animals and Easter trinkets which we called “Cats and Rabbits” in the yard. I think of spontanious hiking trips in my teens and twenties with friends and lovers.

Its about finding weird mushrooms in the forest, and picking the first wildflowers for seasonal boquets, and seeing my cat’s little white hands poking out from under a shady bush. Its about daisies, danilions, and clovers. Its about roses and the love of a nice cool breeze on a hot day. Its about noticing the spirits of friends like trees and butterflies and frogs and streams. If I could give this season a phrase, it would be “enjoying the weather together.”

Whether you’ll be celebrating Litha with popular pagan traditions, or if you’re more like me and will simply be spending lots time outdoors honoring the elements, enjoy your Summer Solstice season!

Is it time to check in with yourself and actually CELEBRATE how awesome you are and how far you’ve come along your journey?

If you’re looking for an empowering self care ritual for the season, I invite you to join my Summer Solstice guided journaling adventure!

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