Summer Solstice - Tumblr Posts
its the 20th of december!! litha has started :D
(i still need to figure out what im gonna be doing rip)
Feel free to elaborate in the comments! ☀️🌅
Also! Disclaimer: by "yes i am" , i mean anything! Even small things.
PRACTITIONER AND THEIR ALTAR/SHRINE!
<3 Happy Summer Solstice!
June evening (2020)
メインブログ: My B Side Life *Hyper 同時公開‼
小田急電鉄 秦野築堤 夏至 小田急ロマンスカーGSE はこね71号
※ はこね71号（GSE）の走り抜ける夏至の頃の秦野築堤の寸景※
The Summer Solstice Is Here!
Today — June 20, 2024 — is the northern summer solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the longest day of the year and the official start to summer.
We experience changing day lengths throughout the year because Earth rotates on a tilted axis as it goes around the Sun. This means during half of the year the North Pole tilts toward the Sun and in the other half it points away.
Solstices occur twice per year, when Earth’s poles are tilted closest to and farthest from the Sun.
The summer solstice is an important day for cultures around the world, especially at latitudes near the North Pole. Indigenous peoples have long marked the summer solstice with dancing and celebrations. Farmers have relied on the solstice to determine when to plant crops. The solstice’s timing also influenced the development of some calendars, like the ancient Roman calendar and the modern Gregorian calendar.
To mark the beginning of summer, here are four ways you can enjoy the Sun and the many wonders of space this season:
1. Check out the “Strawberry Moon”
June is the month of the Strawberry Moon. This name originates with the Algonquin tribes. June is when strawberries are ready for harvest in the northeastern United States, where the Algonquin people traditionally live. The full Strawberry Moon this year happens tomorrow night — June 21, 2024. Grab a pair of binoculars to see it in detail.
2. Celebrate the Heliophysics Big Year!
During the Heliophysics Big Year, we are challenging you to participate in as many Sun-related activities as you can. This month’s theme is performance art. We’re looking at how various kinds of performance artists are moved by the Sun and its influence on Earth. For example, check out this Sun song!
Find out how to get involved here: https://science.nasa.gov/sun/helio-big-year/.
3. Listen to a space-cast
NASA has a ton of great space podcasts. Take a listen to Curious Universe’s Here Comes the Sun series to learn all about our closest star, from how it causes weather in space, to how you can help study it! For even more podcasts, visit our full list here: https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts.
4. Make sunspot cookies
The Sun sometimes has dark patches called sunspots. You can make your own sunspots with our favorite cookie recipe. Real sunspots aren’t made of chocolate, but on these sunspot cookies they are. And they're delicious.
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So exited for Litha! Going to be with my grandparents so I will have to do a *slightly-still-in-the-broom-closet* celebration but I'm sure I can figure it out :)
Celebrate Midsummer
Outside:
Collect Herbs and Flowers
Make Sun Tea
Build a bonfire
Have a sunrise or sunset picnic
Sunbathe
Leave out honey offerings for the Fae
Cleanse and charge your magical items under the sun
Watch the sun set on the longest day of the year
In the Home:
Let in as much sunlight as you can
Make crystal or botanical suncatchers
Burn incense of sandalwood, frankincense, rose or myrrh
Try fire divination, or scrying with the flames
Make pressed flower candles
In the Kitchen:
Make Honey Mead Bread
Eat a spread of fresh summer fruits and vegetables
Make Midsummer Mead
Brew Chamomile Tea
Bake Pumpernickel bread
Make fruit & herb infused water
In the Bath:
Soak in a golden honey bath
Scatter sunflowers through your bathwater
Bathe around fiery solar colored candles
Treat yourself to a chamomile Tea Bath
On your Altar:
Represent the sun using colors of yellow, orange or gold
Incorporate solar imagery
Decorate with green stones like jade or emerald
Try decorating with woods of oak and pine
Use golden candle holders and decorations
Incorporate dried or fresh picked herbs
Trying to figure out how to make these vegan.. If anyone has tips let me know! Happy Solstice!
Aelles Tsa'Tarna and Merry Solstice
Her lord and ladyship have arrived and Summer is walked through the door.. May your Solstice be bright, merry and a blessed one.
Today starts the 3 day Holiday of Tsa'Tarna for those of the Bowynn faith. The celebration of the first day of Summer. Tsa'Tarna literally translates to "1st of Summer." At the break of dawn on this day horns resound everywhere ushering in the epiphany of the Goddess of Summer, Tarna and her beloved Saphon, the god of the south and southern wind. Their rise and migration across the northern half of the earth begins, bringing all the joys of summer. At the same time it is the holiday celebrating the union of the God Hern (sun) to the Goddess Morrighynn (moon)
Boughs, garlands, bouquets and wreaths of Daisies Morning Glories, Sunflowers and Daffodils and displayed everywhere. White, Yellow and green flags and sheets blow in the wind, feasts are on full scale, A parade in which a veiled icon statue of Morrighynn is carried to a central temple or location and placed next to the icon statue of Hern. Bouquets of the flowers of the holiday are offered in abundance along with endless amounts of incense. Fruits, veggies, salads and fish are the main focus of feast meals.
the first day of Tsa'Tarna is devoted to the cleaning of homes and sacred spaces, cooking holiday foods and decorating. After which a bath or a swim in a lake or ocean is common. a cleansing. the evening is usually devoted to prayers and vigils at scared spots, temples and shrines. First offerings in all sorts of gifts of offered to the 4 primary gods: Tarna, Saphon, Hern and Morrighynn.
The second day is devoted strictly to the gods. In the morning the Epiphany is started with the blowing of horns and flutes, signaling that Tarna and Saphon have arisen and Summer is at hand. The parade/Procession of Morrighynn is held about noon followed by great rites and ceremonies all day and night.
the 3 day is devoted to celebration and feasting, with carnivals, sporting events, parades, picnics and fun times in general.
However you celebrate the holiday of the summer solstice, may you have a most blessed one. May the Epiphany of Summer and the southern wind bless and keep you cool and safe. May you find love, and joy in the days ahead and may you all celebrate in peace and harmony. Syember and Aelles.
summertime musings
https://embroidereddevotions.substack.com/p/strawberry-wine?sd=pf
Summer Solstice was an emotional day for me. I felt a lot of overwhelming feelings, and I got a phone call from a friend asking if I had seen the moon. I remember saying “woah you mean it’s Summer Solstice AND a full moon??” So I remember going out on my back patio to water my plants - I looked up. I am constantly reminded by nature, my little plants, and my cat that there is more out there to be thankful for.
Referencing my previous post about having holes left in you from past hurt - Maybe those parts will never be filled again - maybe we all have to learn to live them - they are a part of who we become over time. Even the moon has its craters, and so will I.
- Elizabeth Rose Thompson
I just realized Litha is tomorrow. Welllllllll- guess who’s gonna go see Rite Here Rite Now and then light a bonfire lol.
☀️ A Midsummer Bath ☀️
Inspired by this post, I decided to create a Midsummer bath last night after sunset! It was a great way to connect with the energy of the season. I know it’s a bit late to share the recipe, but I figure it’s good for anytime between now and Lughnasadh, and perfect whenever you need a boost of summery energy (though if it’s cold out you might want to skip the last step!). I used a fair number of ingredients, so modify this however you need to to suit your budget and available materials!
You’ll need:
☀️ 4-5 ginger tea bags (black tea bags and ginger slices work too!) ☀️ 1 cup of honey** ☀️ Red and yellow food coloring ☀️ a couple oranges and/or lemons, sliced ☀️ Lavender sprigs (please wash them first!) ☀️ Gold bath-safe glitter (not visible in the pictures, but it’s there!) ☀️ Beeswax candles ☀️ Tealights and/or yellow and orange candles ☀️ Midsummer-related crystals (I used citrine, fluorite, rutilated quartz, fuchsite/aventurine, green goldstone, and rock crystal (clear) quartz) ☀️ Sandalwood or lavender incense/candles ☀️ Spa water (if you stay in the bath as long as I do, you’ll want this. Trust me) ▫️ ▫️ ▫️ Midsummer Spa Water: add lemon slices, cucumber slices, celery sticks, and mint sprigs to a pitcher, then fill it to the top with ice water and stir it around. It’s ready to drink right away! You can also freeze it to make super refreshing ice cubes.
Start running your bath - make it a little hotter than you normally would (please be safe, though! Don’t burn yourself). Add the tea bags and honey. You might need to stir the water around with your hands a bit to mix the honey in, and you can check the temperature at the same time. If you choose not to use honey, a drop of orange or lavender essential oil makes a great substitute.
While the bath is filling, set up your candles, incense, and crystals around the edges of the tub. I prefer to keep the incense across the room so it doesn’t overpower the scents of the other ingredients. If you can’t burn incense or candles, try a lavender room spray. Add red and yellow food coloring to the water until you’ve achieved a summery, sunny orange!
When the bath is full, toss in the orange/lemon slices and the lavender sprigs. Sprinkle a bit of gold glitter across the surface, dim the lights, and get in! It’ll be like a lovely-smelling hot tub with much better atmosphere :) This is when that spa water will come in handy - don’t let yourselves get dehydrated, witches!
Once you’ve had enough of the heat, turn on some icy cold water. Try not to splash around too much (otherwise you’ll just end up with a gross room-temperature bath), instead letting the cold water sink to the bottom of the tub. The feeling of hot water on the surface with cold water underneath is super refreshing and perfectly suited to Midsummer - the sun is beginning its decline into winter now. Enjoy it for a bit, then get out before you get chilly!
Don’t forget to put out your candles. Have a fun and safe summer ☀️
**Vagina owners, please be careful with using honey in your bathwater! The sugar can cause yeast infections.