The Mini Witch’s Guide to the Summer Solstice and the Witchy Holiday Litha with Plants By Laurali! Summer is here and it’s time to draw down the sun on the longest day of the year.

For witches, the summer solstice represents more than swimming pools and long days lying on the beach. For us, it represents a time when our gifts and abilities are highlighted.

Summer is where we get to share our witchy gifts with the world! The rest of the year, we do a lot of seed planting, shadow work, and going into hermit mode. Summer Solstice is different.

With the summer solstice, we get to be ourselves! It’s a time of celebrating the sun and drawing upon solar-powered energy.

The Mini Witch’s Guide to the Summer Solstice

The summer solstice is a magical period where we get a free spiritual boost from the universe to celebrate the witchy holiday Litha! It’s a time of sun gods and goddesses and being outside more.

It’s also a time when the veil is lifted and we’re able to get a sneak peek into the Other Side. This makes it a great time to visit graveyards and practice a little graveyard magic.

I find that visiting cemeteries during the daylight hours during the summer solstice makes the most sense. You are more likely to see the ghosts and spirits that live there, as well as the gatekeeper of the graveyard you are visiting.

Keep in mind that the veil will be most powerfully lifted on the actual day of the witchy holiday Litha, which happens to be the longest day of the year. The veil will wane as we head further into the coming summer months.

If you opt to head into nature instead, you are more likely to see the fae during this period. This makes it an optimal time to practice fae magic or leave special offerings for them.

The best time or places to see a nature spirit will be from dusk to dawn or at noon or midnight. These are the twilight times for catching sight of a faery.

You can honor the sun gods that you work with during this most auspicious time, especially the Litha goddess and the Greenman. This is their time to shine!

You can honor them with offerings of milk and honey, leaving them on a tree stump in the forest. You can even turn that same tree stump into a makeshift summer solstice altar that you can break down once the holiday is over.

If leaving the house isn’t an option, you can write them a letter to the universe to create healing and protection for the earth during the humid summer months. Be sure to thank them for the summer magic they bestow upon you!

In addition to the veil being lifted, it’s a great time to celebrate the earth. What do you appreciate about the material world? Thank the universe for its bounty!

The Oak Tree Symbol

For the big day, you may like to spend time with an oak tree, collecting oak leaves and acorns to bring home for the summer harvest. Oak trees, which happen to be my all-time favorite tree, are a symbol of the summer solstice.

It’s important to remember that trees are magic and the oak tree is no exception to the rule! Oak trees hold the wisdom of the past and the history of our ancestors.

Oak trees are also associated with fairies and gnomes, which you are more likely to catch a glimpse of during this time. It’s important to pick up litter in honor of Litha, the Greenman, and the oak tree. The earth spirits will appreciate this too!

The Fire Symbolism

The element of fire is another important right and passage of this sacred holiday. The fire element, much like the sun, burns things off and clarifies things.

In the winter months, we walk in darkness and shadows. In the summertime, everything becomes clear and solutions become highlighted. Truths will be revealed.

Fire is commonly associated with the warmth of the sun and the images that bring it to mind. I recommend doing spells with torches and candle magic during summer solstice for this very reason!

The Sunflower Symbolism

Sunflowers are a symbol of the summer solstice, as they represent the fiery hearth of the sun and the happiness it brings! Sunflowers are flowers of happiness, prosperity, and the sun.

Next to white daisies, the sunflower is probably my second favorite flower! Below, I’ve listed sunflower’s magical properties from my herbarium.

Sunflower -  Happiness, Health, and Energy!  I use sunflowers in spells when I want to generate beauty and attractiveness and want to have a star quality about me.  The sun does represent radiance and outward beauty.  For this reason, I use sunflowers in Queen of Wands tarot card spells, as they pair together perfectly!

Astrological Correspondences: Masculine/Sun/Fire Element/Leo

Notes:  As mentioned, the sunflower and the queen of wands are a match made in heaven!  In addition to that, I find placing the sun tarot card and the Queen of Wands tarot card on a sun altar boosts fame and recognition.  Additionally, you can add the Six of Wands for adoration. The Sunflower also becomes extra potent with sunstones and citrine crystals.  You can use sunflowers in health spells, money attraction, success, fortune, and fame!  Works great for job interview spells.

The Lemon Symbolism

While lemons aren’t commonly associated with the summer solstice, I find they pair well with the summer holiday! Lemons are a symbol of the sun when I think about sitting by the pool drinking fresh-squeezed lemonade on a hot summer day.

Lemons are known for their cleansing and energetic properties! I use lemons in spells where I need a fresh slate and motivational energy.

You can use the magical properties of the lemon peel by making summer solstice water on the big day. Simply squeeze lemons into your water and leave the lemon peels inside your glass to retain the flavor. This is a great way to practice a little kitchen witchcraft too!

While I don’t have lemon listed in the herbarium, I’ve added the magical properties of lemon pepper to give you some magical ideas you can work into your summer solstice spells. Lemon pepper has lemon zest in it, making it perfect for any summer recipe!

Lemon Pepper - Cleansing, healing, and refreshing!  I use lemon pepper in spells where I need great speed to take place.  It's an energizing herbal ingredient that's fast-acting!  I find lemon pepper works well in communication spells or no-contact situations when trying to manifest a specific person.  Lemon pepper pairs well with the Sun God Hermes!

Astrological Correspondences: Feminine/Moon/Water Element/Cancer

Notes:  Lemon pepper works great in weight loss spells, communication spells, and spells in which it feels as though all hope is lost or something in your life needs a lift energetically!

Summer Solstice Tarot Cards

The Queen of Wands tarot card and the sun tarot card are two cards I most associate with the summer solstice! I recommend keeping them on your summer solstice altar or meditating with them during the season.

Queen of Wands Tarot Card

The Queen of Wands tarot card has a picture of a fire sign woman holding a sunflower in her hand as she sits on her throne, surrounded by witchy summer solstice energy. She holds spiritual gifts and power that are fueled and fired up by the sun and her desires.

She is the woman who inspires action and makes things happen. She does this by inspiring others through personal self-development and motivating others to shine their gifts and talents.

The sun, which rules summer solstice, is what this fiery queen is all about. Out of all the queens in the tarot deck, she’s the queen I most identify with as an Aries fire sign.

Spend time with the Queen of Wands tarot card today! Get to know her a little better. What can you learn from her? How does she inspire you as a witch?

The Sun Tarot Card

No doubt about it, the sun tarot card is the perfect tarot card for the summer solstice! It aligns with the solar-powered energy of the sun and the sun gods like there’s no tomorrow.

The sun tarot card, much like the summer solstice holiday, represents a period of prosperity, fruitfulness, and abundance. It lights up the world with rational thought and enlightenment.

The sun tarot card can also represent the innocence of children and childhood and the simpler times in life. Thus, making it the perfect card to meditate on or work with during Litha. You can use the sun tarot card to get back to a simpler place in time in your life when things were happier.

You can use this year’s summer solstice to make new happy memories now! The sun tarot card also makes a great addition to your summer solstice seasonal altar.

Summer Solstice Holiday Rituals

• Walk through the forest and leave offerings for oak trees. They love anything sustainable and made from the heart! I usually leave tiny gemstones, dried herbs, and flowers myself.

• Spend time in the graveyard during daylight hours. Straighten up gravestones, leave fresh flowers or offerings, and leave pennies at the gate for the gatekeeper of the cemetery.

• Leave faery offerings. Leave out a bowl full of shiny trinkets as an offering to the fae someplace sunny and bright where you might catch a glimpse of them.

• Create a kiddie pool cleansing ritual. Fill a kiddie pool up with water and fill it with gemstones and maybe a couple of herbs, all while putting your intention into each item. Be sure to have your summer solstice intention prepared beforehand. By the end, you should feel refreshed and healed in every way!

• Talk to Litha Goddess or the Greenman. You can do this in a letter or by taking a walk in the park or around your neighborhood while taking clippings of your favorite plants or flowers. With their permission of course! Be sure to say a prayer of thanks.

• Make sun water. You’ve heard of moon water, so why not make some sun water too? Leave a closed water bottle in the sun to be fueled by solar-powered summer solstice energy. You can add a tea bag to it if you’d like to make sun tea or add water-safe crystals to your elixir.

The Summer solstice is summer magic at its best! It’s a time when the veil is thin and we can see things for how they are. Enjoy it!