Midsummer festivities are especially popular in Northern Europe where bonfires are lit, girls wear flowers in their hair and homes are decorated with garlands and other greenery. This method consists of recording the declination angle at noon during some days before and after the solstice, trying to find two separate days with the same declination. She has received training under three Indigenous Medicine People, has a Master’s degree in Indigenous Studies from the Arctic University of Norway, and has professional accreditation as a mentor, certified in multiple modalities including EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique or tapping) and NLP (neuro linguistic programming), as well as being a certified meditation instructor. They occurbetween thesummer andwintersolstices marking the pointthe Sun crosses the equator's path andbecomespositionedexactly above the equatorbetween the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

When you’ve reached a deeper meditative state of mind, set the intention to feel a sense of transcendence and oneness. Similarly in winter, the reduction in sunlight hours and more glancing angle to the Sun means the air remains colder.Other summer solstice traditions hold that the ashes from a Midsummer bonfire can protect one from misfortune or that the ashes—when spread across one’s garden—will bring a bountiful harvest. The Greeks’ strict social code was temporarily turned on its head during Kronia, with slaves participating in the merriment as equals or even being served by their masters. Since prehistory, the winter solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures and has been marked by festivals and rituals. If you are doing this ritual during the winter solstice, think about those things you would like to remove from your life, focusing more on what you want to release so you can then begin to move towards what you want in the spring. In this way, the Solstice is a natural way to reconnect with life’s divine plan and to feel a deep connection to all of life and the natural world.

The winter solstice ushers us into Capricorn season and fittingly enough, the sea goat is synonymous with tradition, emotional inheritance, father time and that which endures. The summer solstice continues to be seen as the middle of summer in many European cultures, but in some cultures or calendars it is seen as summer's beginning. While some have theorized that Stonehenge was the location of prehistoric summer solstice rituals, there’s little archaeological evidence that it was used this way. When a solstice occurs, the Sun reaches its absolute highest or lowest point relative to our celestial equator.This day marks the start of astronomical summer and the tipping point at which days start to become shorter and nights longer. Invite in the presence of your guides and angels, the presence of Divine light, and the energy and vibration of love. Chloëis trained in ceremonial practices from two living traditional medicine paths, one in North America and one in South America and she is a certified Native American Healing Arts Practitioner.

In India, this occasion, known as Ayan Parivartan (Sanskrit: अयन परिवर्तन), is celebrated by religious Hindus as a holy day, with Hindus performing customs such as bathing in holy rivers, giving alms and donations, praying to deities and doing other holy deeds. Since humans began using the Sun as a timekeeper, particularly when it came to the cycle in farming, the summer solstice has been marked with varying degrees of importance. Yet, many scholars believe the wild hunt informed our contemporary construct of Santa Claus and his annual galavant through the night sky.The changing seasons, much like the cycles of sowing and harvesting, have always been key points within the human life cycle. In the Southern Hemisphere, the December solstice marks the longest day of the year and the onset of summer. Relax and breathe, letting go of the need to focus on the world around you, and instead, allowing yourself drift into a relaxed and peaceful meditative state. When you honor and observe the solstice, you are connecting not only with the sun and nature, but with ancient peoples who have performed these rituals over the centuries. Give thanks for this time, and if you would like, begin to tune into any intentions, desires or goals that you’d like to focus on in the next six months of your life.