A gentle breeze. A radiant, sun-drenched feeling of warmth. The scent of jasmine. Cue “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Croft. Wherever you live on Earth, the grace and growth of Midsummer – also known as Litha – ushers in a time of reflective ritual. Solstice is not the beginning of summer. Rather, it is a midpoint, the longest day of experienced light before gradually falling into darkness. This year, our star’s northernmost path will occur in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20, 2021 at 1:44 PM MST.
We have reached a moment in time when all five of our senses are illuminated. Flavors burst from the crops, aromas tickle the breeze, forest dwellers lull us to sleep with their nightly voices, epic sunsets and wildflowers stir our souls, and our sense of life is abundant!
Yellow and orange flowers that thrive in full sun are often associated with this time of year. We connect qualities of strength, courage, fertility and abundance to our solar plexus in tribute to our external life source: the sun.
“Keep your face toward the sun…” -Walt Whitman
How are herbs used during the summer solstice?
Herbs have long been used to represent Litha, enlivening bonfires with sacrament and aroma. The art of gifting herb bundles and baskets to loved ones and neighbors has been practiced for thousands of years. Aromatic herbs are also strewn in torches around homes and used as decorations for festivals and as wearable wreaths and decorations during celebrations. They are not only a feast for the eyes, but also a tangible form of medicine, matured in a nurturing power that offers healing in the dark times to come.
Herbs commonly associated with Litha include rose, St. John’s wort, mugwort, plantain, lamb’s cress, nettle, toonie, chamomile, thyme, fennel, sage, mints, calendula, elderflower, meadowsweet and verbena. No matter which herbs bloom near you during the solstice, if you collect them with humble respect and hand them over to ceremony with honor, you will display the magic and glory of sunshine.
“The sun does not shine on a few trees and flowers, but on the joy of the wide world.” – Henry Ward Beecher
Solstice Spotlight: Rose
Rosa rugosa, R. damascena, R. centifolia, R. gallica, Rosacea family
Roses delight our eyes, delight our hearts and uplift our spirits. They bloom in full sun and peak under the fullness of Litha. They reflect the bright, vibrant, radiant abundance of our sun star. The collection of roses as offerings and decorations for rituals and festivals is time immemorial. This sunshine-supplied plant ally helps us restore balance in the heat of the day, nourishes our nervous system and improves our mood. Deb Soule of Avena Botanicals recommends Rose to soothe, soothe, and comfort a troubled and grieving heart, sharing that they gently open the heart and mind and inspire a sense of love and compassion for oneself and others. With such a gift, it is no wonder that roses are offered today to show our love and sympathy and to pay tribute and adoration to the seasons and to each other.
Solstice Spotlight: Sage
Salvia officinalis, Labiatae (Lamiaceae) family
Sage is present at many solstice celebrations, as this genus includes approximately 900 species distributed throughout the world. Peak bloom occurs from May to June, culminating in the full power of our sun. Like the sun itself, sage is known for its warm, dry qualities. Just as the sun can remove excess fluids from the Earth’s surface, so can common garden sage (Salivia officinalis) support the body in remedies for tissue surpluses. When tradition calls for paying tribute to our sun, the holy sage is often the representative of the fire element and the outward expression of life’s bounty and blessing.
Lately our zeal has been to work with one species of this family – white sage (Salvia apiana) — has caused damage. There was a call to action and stewardship. To learn more about cultural appropriation and the ethics of working with this old ally, visit United Plant Savers.
Solstice herbal honey recipe
As we celebrate Pollinator Month, try honey with garden sage and rose. Honey’s ability to preserve the potency of an herb is hard to beat! Much gratitude and honor is due to Nature’s real herbalists: Apis mellifica, the honey bees. This remedy supports the relief of hoarseness and respiratory congestion, while delivering a powerful dose of vitamin C and the sweetness of midsummer per spoonful!
Ingredients:
- Raw local honey
- Dried rose petals
- Dried garden sage (Saliva officinalis)
Tools:
Directions:
- Fill a sterile glass jar halfway to the top with the herbs.
- Pour the raw honey over it and press the herbs down with a chopstick.
- Seal and place in a sunny window.
- Turn once a day.
- Fill with more honey if necessary (herbs tend to absorb the honey and you want to keep them covered).
- Depending on the taste, strain after 1-4 weeks.
*Tip: Pour love and gratitude on the sun daily!
Solstice rituals to try:
This year, feel a midsummer dream of gratitude and bounty as you reacquaint yourself with the life-giving relationship between our sun and Earth.
- Sip an iced herbal tea and relax, realizing that everything that is meant to thrive does so with the eternal care of our beloved star, the Sun.
- Gather ritual song and dance.
- Light a campfire and throw aromatic herbs as an offering: thyme, verbena, mint, sage and/or mugwort.
- Practice telling stories.
- Watch the sunrise at the solstice.
- Watch the sunset during the solstice.
- Meditate: Let the roots of our plant allies ground you in grace and abundance.
- Collect the ashes from your solstice fire and spread them in your garden to improve fertilization and increase yields.
- Build a fairytale house.
- Take part in a ceremony in a stone circle, monolith or sacred spring.
- Write or sing an ode to the sun.
Dawn Amber Miller has apprenticed and studied in the United States of America and has received certifications in traditional and medical herbalism from the Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism, the Commonwealth Center for Holistic Herbalism, and the Hawthorn Institute. She is a passionate steward of the sacred realm of nature and moves with the wildflowers, providing the rituals of wild crafting with heart and hand. She is currently a Customer Journey Representative at WishGarden Herbs.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to sell any product.
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