Wildcrafting For the Summer Solstice

What are my plans for the summer season? I’m wildcrafting for the summer solstice. Anything to do with hiking, foraging, and crafting summer spells makes these hot months ahead more bearable.

When I practice summer witchcraft, one of my favorite summer solstice rituals is wildcrafting. What is wildcrafting? Wildcrafting is the gathering of wild herbs, mushrooms, and plants from their natural habitat to be used in herbal spells and natural remedies.

As a solitary green witch, this is one of my favorite pastimes! I live in Florida where this time of year is hot, rainy, and humid. This produces a lot of fungi communities and budding blooms to add to my collection! I sometimes use them to create a Hekate Mushroom Key to open the door to a new opportunity.

As a witch, wildcrafting becomes a magical experience! I always use my witchy intuition to guide the way. The plants and herbs I harvest always receive a thank you and some kind of plant spirit offering.

Plant spirit offerings often include tiny gemstones, a squirt of honey for pollinators, a tiny garden statue, and moon water. Anything I can do to establish a relationship with the wild plant is always a sincere endeavor. Plants are magic!

With tree spirits, you can often find me leaving them a gift, picking up trash, placing the palm of my hand on the tree, and communicating with them aloud or in my mind. I always thank the Tree Spirit for its service. Trees provide shade, oxygen, and medicine, as well as to remind us of the changing seasons.

Wildcrafting for witchcraft is a totally primitive experience! Witches have been wildcrafting this way for thousands of years, since ancient times. Our ancestors probably wildcrafted for spells and plant medicine.

As far as I know, none of my ancestors ever wildcrafted or foraged in Florida where I live. Here, wildcrafting in the summer months can be hot and sweaty. I often leave the forest with my clothes clinging to me.

Every region is different and it’s important to get to know the lay of the land. You can do this by connecting with land spirits, the genius loci in your local area. Finding a local park or forest to establish a relationship with can be rewarding!

Why do I wildcraft for the summer solstice? The summer solstice is a period when the veil is thin between our world and the spirit realm. Therefore, I’m more likely to see a fairy or gnome during the transitional phase.

Additionally, the summer solstice represents a period of being outside and spending time with Mother Nature. This can include lots of outdoor recreational activities. My favorites tend to include hiking, foraging, wildcrafting, and spending time at the beach.

Beachcombing is a form of wildcrafting for the sea witch at heart. Here, you can find seashells, seaweed, beach sand, driftwood, and wild animal bones washed ashore. These can all be combined to make a witch’s spell bottle!

What is so special about wildcrafting summer witchcraft spells? Everything has sprung to life in the summer months and is now in full bloom! The summer rains foster growth in the wild plants that live in the forest and dot the land.

Wildcrafting for the Summer Solstice

What are my favorite summer solstice rituals that are wildcraft adjacent? Wildcrafting is the gathering of wild herbs and plants while foraging is like hunting for plant-based food.

Mushroom hunting is another summer solstice activity I enjoy. Particularly, if we are getting a lot of summer rainstorms, there will be a copious amount of fungi communities to choose from.

Mushrooms can be used in spells, grounding rituals, or be used for roughage. There’s nothing better than cooking up a delicious mushroom meal that you foraged yourself.

It’s important to know your mushrooms. There are a lot of poisonous plants and mushrooms in the wild so keep a plant identifier app or a reference guide on hand!

When I’m not mushroom foraging, you can bet that I’m photographing wild plants. These wild plants can then be profiled and used as a plant monograph.

Plant monographs include the astroherbalism of the plant. These are what is known as plant correspondence. This will often detail the ruling planet and zodiac sign of the plant, including plant characteristics.

The plant profile will also include plant lore, magical properties, medicinal properties, and any additional observations the plant witch will make. Wildcrafting helps you gain knowledge and plant wisdom!

Wildcrafting for the Summer Solstice gives me a deeper understanding of the plants in bloom this season. It may not seem like it, but Florida has seasons. Our seasons are more subtle, but a green witch always sees the seasonal shifts and changes as they come!

What are your favorite summer solstice rituals? Do you do more wildcrafting in the summer months? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading, friends! xoxo