Summer Solstice: Embracing the Turning of the Wheel
As the sun reaches its zenith in the sky and the days stretch to their longest, we arrive at the Summer Solstice — the height of light and life on the Wheel of the Year. Known also as Litha in many Pagan traditions, this solar festival marks the peak of the sun’s power, a fiery turning point before we slowly descend back into darkness. It is a time of both celebration and reckoning — a reminder that all things, even the sun at its strongest, will eventually wane.
At Deathcraft, we honor not only death but the full spectrum of the life cycle — and there is perhaps no better time to contemplate this than at the solstice. Here, in the bright blaze of summer, we are offered a sacred invitation to sit with paradox: life at its fullest also marks the beginning of the end.
The Solstice as a Threshold
Solstices are thresholds — liminal spaces that ask us to pause and honor transition. At the Summer Solstice, we celebrate growth, abundance, passion, and purpose. But we also acknowledge that the wheel is turning. The fruits of the earth begin their ripening process, preparing to be harvested and ultimately to die.
Just as Beltane (in May) ignites the fire of fertility and creativity, Litha reveals the results of that union — lush gardens, swelling bellies, dreams in full bloom. And yet, from this very fullness, the slow descent toward Samhain and the season of shadow begins. There is no eternal summer. And that, paradoxically, is what makes it so beautiful.
Living in Rhythm with the Wheel
Modern Western culture often resists the idea of decline, aging, death, or rest. We’re pushed to stay in perpetual summer: always productive, always positive, always on. But nature offers a more honest — and ultimately more compassionate — model. By observing the Wheel of the Year, we learn to live in rhythm with the Earth. We honor each season for what it brings — and what it takes away.
At the Summer Solstice, we are invited to ask ourselves:
What has come to fruition in my life since the dark days of winter?
What must I begin to prepare to let go of?
What am I being asked to burn away in the fire of the sun?
To live seasonally is to make peace with change. It is to understand that death is not an interruption of life but an essential part of its unfolding.
Death, Rebirth, and the Sacred Cycle
As deathworkers, end-of-life doulas, and death-positive humans, we recognize that the cycles of nature are not metaphor — they are mirror. The sun rises and sets. The moon waxes and wanes. We are born, we live, we die, and we are remembered. From decay, new life always emerges.
At this peak of solar energy, you might find yourself drawn to rituals of illumination, celebration, or release. Light candles. Dance barefoot. Make a bonfire. Offer thanks for what is thriving — and acknowledge, with reverence, that it will not last. All things change. And that is holy.
A Solstice Blessing
May the fire of the sun ignite your spirit.
May the fullness of life bring you joy.
May you honor what must be released in order to grow.
And may you trust the turning of the wheel —
for even as light begins to wane,
there is always beauty in the dark.
Blessed Solstice to you!
