Today, we are celebrating Litha, or summer solstice as we know it to be called, here in the Northern Hemisphere. This marks the longest day and shortest night of the year.

And it is also known in our family to be the day that Åse (yes, that’s me) goes into a small depression because fall will come with its shorter days and longer nights. Anyway, I am working on changing my mindset around fall and darker days, but I think you get the picture.

Litha can be celebrated in various ways, with many traditions involving nature, light, and community. This is a time of abundance in nature.

Here are 5 ways to honour the summer solstice:

1.Connect with nature

Spend time outdoors to soak up the light and vitamin D. Take a walk in nature, have a picnic in a park (beware of the angry seagulls if you are in my hometown of Stavanger, Norway), or visit a beach.

Since the sun’s power is at its peak on Litha, take some time to harvest your herbs if you have any. You can freeze herbs in chunks so you can make pesto from your herb garden when winter arrives.

Decorate your living area with some fresh flowers to create a summer feeling inside as well. My favorite flowers are peonies, and I will make sure to have some in my living room.

2. Celebrate with Light and Fire

In Norway, we have a tradition to celebrate Saint John’s Day on June 23rd, a few days after Litha. We gather around a huge bonfire, which is sometimes so wet due to the heavy rain we have here that we need to put a ton of gasoline on it to light it up. Anyway, the gathering around the bonfire is a festive celebration for small communities all over Norway.

You can celebrate Litha with a bonfire as well if you are allowed to light up fire in nature where you live. Or you light some candles in a safe environment instead to at least get the feeling of a bonfire.

You can also meet up with friends and family at sunset at Litha to celebrate the light. That can turn into a whole nighter if you live up north, where the sun never sets during the summer.

3. Host a solstice feast

Should you want to celebrate Litha with your family and friends, you can host a solstice feast with seasonal foods. A pie filled with rhubarb and strawberries is a suggestion, served with vanilla ice cream. Oh, sweet heaven, I do love a good pie.

Create a flower crown, light some candles, play games and have fun together.

Litha is a time for joy and celebration, so embrace the season with games and laughter.

4. Charge your crystals

Since the energy from the sun is so powerful on Litha, you can place all of your crystals outside to be charged.

You can prepare them for charging by cleansing them in a mixture of water and sea salt first, before you dry them and take them outside to be recharged.

5. Meditate and reflect

It is also a perfect time to meditate and reflect on the year so far. You can do your little mid-year review and journal.

Some journaling prompts can be:

What are you proud of this year?
What seeds inside of you grew as you wished for?
What has surprised you about yourself?
What did not go as planned?
Where do you have abundance in your life right now?
How will you celebrate your achievements in the first half of this year?
What are you ready to let go of?
What are you hoping to do and be in the second half of this year?

We often plan instead of being in the moment.

In Human Design, the sun is now in gate 15, the Gate of Extremes, which is also about celebrating the rhythms of nature. Find ways to be here and now, soak in the abundance, laugh, celebrate, and charge your battery to the maximum capacity.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Litha - 5 Ways to Honour Summer Solstice

Gate 15 - The Gate of Extremes