When this is published , I will be backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness. And lucky for me, our trip will be during the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. In Alaska and other places in the northern latitudes, that’s a very long day with the days often blurring into one another! I couldn’t be more excited about this trip that we have been planning for a while now.

The summer solstice represents a time to be open and receive all the goodness that the universe has to offer. We celebrate the abundance of light to extinguish our doubts and fears and burdens. It’s a time to open our senses and notice possibilities that we may not have noticed before. The day marks the halfway point of the year, making it a perfect time to for a mid-year reflection to assess if we are heading in the right direction or if we somehow ended up on an unexpected detour. It’s a time to consider what hasn’t been working and release it; and a time to decide what we want more of in our lives and declare the intention to create just that.

The solstice is believed to have been observed by humans as early as the Stone Age, and many cultures continue to celebrate the occasion with rituals such as special meals, bonfires, dances, and songs.

You may already have your own tradition. I was in Sweden one year and we ate herring and potatoes and had big picnics during solstice week, which is also known as midummer. There are big events at Stonehenge and other Pagan sites each year to commemorate the day. If you don’t have on already, I encourage you to consider starting or trying out a Summer Solstice Ritual for yourself this year. Fill yourself with the gift of abundant light and energy that this extraordinary day offers to us each year.

Here are a few ideas:

• Take some time this week to acknowledge everything that you have done so far this year and have gratitude.
• Reflect and anything you are ready to release in your life. Write it down on a piece of paper and then burn the piece of paper.
• Host a gathering with friends and experience the positive energy increasing.
• Light some candles and take a bath. This is a great bath recipe for summer solstice:
  • 1 cup Epsom salts
    1 cup Himalayan pink Salts
    1 cup sea salt
    3 drops wild orange essential oil
    3 drops neroli essential oil
    2 drops ginger essential oil
    2 drops basil essential
    1 drop clove essential oil
    Soak in warm bath in a quiet peaceful environment for 20 minutes or more. Take deep breaths and visualize releasing your burdens and receiving joy and love and all the gifts of the universe for added effect.
• Watch the sunrise and spend as much time as possible outside basking in the warmth and the light from the sun.

What other rituals do you have? Please post in the comments and we will all add to the list of possibilities.

Happy Solstice!