Summer solstice rituals midsummer fire

At least since the Neolithic days of old, on Midsummer’s Eve, as the sun descended into the night of the longest day, drums were sounded and great bonfires were lit -

"Weeds to the fire, flax to the field!

May all ill luck depart!"

Midsummer bonfires were set ablaze in celebration and commemoration of the sun’s yearly descent. For both protection and good fortune, handfuls of herbs, flowers, mushrooms, and wood were amongst the myriad kindling tossed into the ritual flames. Mugwort and vervain were symbolically burned to eradicate pain and reduce bad luck to ashes. The smoke from the flames warded off trolls, witches, and evil spirits that secretly roamed the lands. Gazing into bundles of larkspur was believed to encourage clear vision. In later times, wheels of fire were rolled down hillsides in a symbolic reenactment of the sun's descent. There was fasting in the morning and feasting in the evening. In his book The Golden Bough, James Frazer reveals "that in the darkness and stillness of the night the moving groups, lit up by the flickering glow of the flames, presented an impressive spectacle."

Ritual and ceremonial settings such as these constellate an atmosphere of readiness in the psyche. As a corollary, think about how we ready ourselves for a challenging task: 1… 2 …

The tension of waiting for 3 is palpable. That tension is the energy we are harnessing when we engage in ritual.

Ritual has always been a means for the transformation of the psychic energy. Carl Jung compared this transformation of energy to that of a steam engine, which converts heat into the pressure of steam and then into the energy of motion - an instinctual process in the psyche that he called canalization. This canalization was something that humans did (and still do in dreams) naturally, like beavers who make dams or birds who build their nests at certain times of year. As days after midsummer got shorter and the nights longer, human beings who lived in close connection with the land had to prepare for the shifts these changes brought about. Today, however, instead of calling for good crops and riddance of the weeds, we can look at what we want to change in our psychic landscapes.


Despite that much of our ritualistic nature has been cramped we can still activate the instinctual power of ritual that lies deep within the recesses of our psyche and direct that energy toward a conscious purpose. We can create our own ritual and our own bonfire as in the days of old. First choose your fire place: if you can perform your ritual outside, use a fire pit or grill. Indoors, use a fireproof pot or bowl. If you have neither, you can use a candle and the power of your imagination.

Cleanse your ritual area with sage or other incense. Next, set your intention by reflecting on the questions:

Where am I in the Great Year of my life?

What aspects of my life and of my personality shall I throw into the fire of transformation and what aspects shall I cultivate?

Midsummer is the time of the year when the sun is at its highest point. It is the longest day of the year. The light of day is symbolic of the light of consciousness - that which you can see directly. Before lighting your fire, take a look around your inner and outer landscape. What do you see? Is there anything that you have been avoiding? Midsummer is a time to power-up what has already been initiated in your life. Home projects like cleaning the garage or tending your garden can also become a symbolic ritual for what you need to work on internally.

Once you have realized your intention, create something that symbolizes it. Draw it on piece of paper, mold it with material you can easily burn, or go through magazines and cut out images that remind you of your goal. Surround these images with something you wear or carry with you daily. Anything will work – even a simple pen. The idea is to have something from the ritual that constantly reminds you of what you have set in motion. Bring these into your ritual circle.

The solstice bonfires illuminated the darkened landscapes out of which the bad things came. The darkened landscape is symbolic of the unconscious; and the trolls, witches and evil spirits were (and are still!) psychic projections of that unconscious. They are symbols for inner thoughts, feelings, and situations that haunt us and keep us from conscious development. During ritual, the boundaries between consciousness and the unconscious are blurred and the meditative smoke from the fires encourages this blurring. This was the symbolic meaning of gazing into the larkspur for clearer vision. Once your fire is lit, stand in its glow with eyes closed or open. Slow down your thought processes using your breath. When we relax the thinking mind, we can see into the background of consciousness and the unconscious obstacles which keep us from our goals are illuminated. This was the symbolic meaning of lighting the darkened landscape.

Toss your bits of intention into the fire along with anything that comes to mind: dried herbs from the kitchen, flowers from the garden, or even bits of woodchips. Watch the smoke as it dissipates into the air. See the way to your goals being achieved. Close your ceremony in some ritual fashion. Have a bite of bread or cookies and with some wine or juice offer a toast to the setting of the sun and the completion of your goal. Keep your sacred object with you every day in memory of your ritual energy. For the next few days or even weeks, pay careful attention to your dreams and visions and watch for signs that direct you along the Path.