Celebrations of the sun can be counted amongst the most ancient practices on Earth. Midsummer which is also known as Lithia to neo-pagans is one of those celebrations. The sun is an entity of pure, cosmic energy, bestowing the radiance of life, potential, passion, and growth upon the planet. Its bright rays lend cleansing to both our emotional well-being and physical health, invigorating our lust for life and eliminating the dreary memory of bleaker seasonal shifts.
Empowering Your Own Change with the Midsummer Sun
Like any religious holiday, Litha gives us the chance to meditate on our own cycles and yearly progression as well as to celebrate the Earth’s changes. Just like moon phase celebrations and meditations, each Pagan holiday gives a chance to reflect and recharge from a different point of view according to the correspondences of each cycle. In a season innately woven with warmth, happiness and long days of light, Litha incites us to submerge ourselves in the sun’s zealous healing and inspiration so we too can take full-bloom in both our daily and spiritual lives.
Midsummer Journal Prompts
Journal writing is one of the easiest ways to align yourself with the energy of each season, letting you think about different aspects of the holiday and how they can shape and empower your own life’s adventure. We’ve crafted some Summer Solstice inspired journaling prompts for you to try out, helping to preserve your positive summer perspective through the autumn and winter months to come.
Journal Prompt #1
"What are some ways I can attune myself with nature?">“Am I truly thriving at my full potential?”
As a time of growth and abundance, it’s impossible to miss the blessings of light upon the world at the time of the summer solstice, showcased through the abundance of wildflowers and green-gowned trees found thriving amongst the landscapes. As the sun brings life on Earth into full-bloom, it’s equally as important to reflect upon your own progression, such as if you’re really embracing life and the long days of summer to their utmost potential.
Write a couple of paragraphs exploring things you are succeeding in physically, emotionally and spiritually alongside areas which may require more attention in future, in order to become the most fulfilled and enhanced version of yourself. Litha is a perfect opportunity to seek equilibrium with the sun whilst harvesting your own inspiration from the vibrant life blossoming and blanketing the natural summer world.
Journal Prompt #2
“How can I embody the positive traits of the sun for my own growth and enrichment? ”
As a symbol of fire, the sun is honored for its powers of exorcism and cleansing, its bright beams representing the driving out of evil, flooding the bleakest void with unquenchable light and replacing emotional grayness with optimism. The destructive connotations of fire grants us the chance to let go of any remnants of the past still clouding our mindsets and to expel them for good, whilst inviting the warmth, positivity and nourishing energy of light and life into our beings instead.
This prompt flows neatly from the first. After exploring the areas in which you are thriving alongside areas which require more growth, start thinking of ways you can manifest the cleansing, nurturing and abundant energy of the Midsummer sun to re-inspire your perspective with positivity. Write a list of things you have been thinking of letting go of or moving on from, alongside positive, sun-rich replacements which will let you thrive this summer rather than wither beneath the chaos of heat.
Journal Prompt #3
“What are some ways I can nourish and nurture my loved ones?”
The sun naturally bestows warmth to our emotions, encourages love and connection towards friends and family through its long hours of light and opportunity, whilst being a symbol of fiery passion and the fertility of the summer months. This makes the summer solstice and the nearby summer holidays a great time for mingling and merrymaking with those around you and sharing the sun’s warmth and radiant energy with loved ones.
Start thinking of ways you can nourish and nurture those you care about by listing some activities you can spark with your partner, friends and family. Include some gestures which will show them your love and support on their individual journey, as well as strengthen your individual bond and that of your larger family or friendship group.
Journal Prompt #4
“How am I aligning myself with the great outdoors and connecting with the natural world this summer?
As the days attain their longest hours of light and life parades its natural wonder and full-blossomed beauty, it becomes instinctive to seek equilibrium with the planet itself during the Summer Solstice, as well as its nurturing star, and appreciate the bounties of life and color bestowed upon the Earth by the sun.
Meditate on things which might help realign you with the natural world and soak into the pure, lush energy of the summer world, before writing down some small changes to your lifestyle this season which will bring you closer to the Earth. Some ideas could include planning an outdoor adventure, planting and tending a herb garden or house plant, learning to identify a species of summer flower, or simply eating more fresh food.
Journal Prompt #5
“How am I embracing light?”
This is a page you can turn back to during the grey months ahead. Let your free-form thoughts flow on the topic of what summer symbolizes to you on an individual level, alongside the blessings it has brought you this year. Think about all you’ve achieved since early spring and the emotional / spiritual changes you’ve noticed in yourself since the days have settled in brightness. Maybe the sun has inspired you to explore more this summer and led you towards finding a new favorite place or person. Or perhaps your mind is feeling uplifted and clearer, inspiring you to finally achieve a goal you’ve been working on.
With the sun bestowing motivation upon life on earth, this page inked with your personal summer ambience will hopefully inspire you to persevere once the season has ended and the cold months have set in, keeping Midsummer’s thriving energy alive within your spirit whilst honoring the blessings of the season through their recollection.
When is Litha 2023?
Litha falls on Wednesday 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere, or December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.
History of Midsummer (Litha)
The Pagan festival of Litha, known more commonly as the Summer Solstice or Midsummer, embodies the sun’s natural power at its most influential time of the year. The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year, when the sun’s energies are extended and at their most powerful, dissolving the evening gloom with light, warmth, harmony, abundance, and elated potential.
Most Pagan traditions, both new and old, center their festivals around the cycle of the seasons; a practice founded in the roots of an agricultural society dependent upon the recognized shifts of the seasons. Their equilibrium with Earth’s rhythms and the need for a good year weather-wise inspired ancient festival such as Ostara, the Spring Equinox (the planting season) and Samhain, the Autumn Equinox (the harvest season), honoring each season’s unique blessings in the knowledge that it will inevitably subside.
Final Thoughts
Journaling is a simple and powerful way to connect with the seasonal changes of the year. Not only have we provided you with some Summer Solstice inspired journaling prompts, but you might find our upcoming Mabon and Yule prompts helpful too.
