Summertime and the living is easy. All I want to do is light up a joint by the ocean, spend time under the sun and chill out. Even though it’s not summer yet, as of Friday June 21st we’ll be officially greeting the season thanks to the Summer Solstice. Also known as Litha to modern Pagans, the Solstice is the longest day of the year and the energetic peak of the whole year. This is when the sun is shining the strongest, when we’re guided fully back into our power. The Summer Solstice is the energetic orgasm of the wheel of the year, a chance for us to hold space for all we’ve accomplished in the past season or two.



Traditionally associated with the faery realm and honored by the bonfire, we can blaze it up at the Summer Solstice in honor of the fullness of the year, and the subtle realms of nature that cannabis leads us so kindly too.



“Midsummer Night, or Litha, is an ancient pagan celebration of magick as the Faery Queen comes out the eve of June 20th,” Professional astrologer and tarot reader Tara Greene explains. “Drinking honey mead or the herb of your choice is indulged in and dancing in the moonlight especially under a full moon brings magical visits with the Fae Folk. But be aware they like to play tricks.”



Summer comes to us days after a Full Moon in Sagittarius on Monday June 17th. The Full Moon is the energetic peak of the month, when our connection to the subtle is turned up and on, and our intuitive senses are extra potent in their power. In the domain of Sagittarius the archer, the sensitive rose Moon takes on an even more expansive presence. Sagittarius is interested in travel, in vision, in knowledge. They want to learn and taste and touch and smoke and fuck. Ruled by Jupiter, the planet of growth and luck, fiery Sagittarius can help you direct your bow and arrow to whatever your vision is. This sign has the charisma and charm to make whatever they want happen, and between the Full Moon and Solstice you have a portal of potential to do just that.



Regardless if you identify as witch, pagan, stoner, healer or none of the above, you can work with the forces that be during this lunar and seasonal shift to squeeze out the height of the sun’s power for yourself. This week is a chance for us to embody the energy of the sun. And we can work with cannabis to bring the message of the warm and vital sun into ourselves. Whether we’re smoking, working with a CBD tincture, taking edibles, or drinking our cannabis, the Full Moon and Summer Solstice offer us a sacred opportunity to dig deeper into our subconscious through sacred plant medicine.



Ivory Woods

How to Celebrate Ritually

A ritual can be anything you do with intention; lighting a joint, lighting a candle, lighting some incense, drinking some water. In the context of celebration, we can practice ritual to connect with the meaning of a holiday, to connect to ourselves, or to to the divine. Rituals for the Full Moon and Solstice can be centered around fire, power, sexuality, altered states of consciousness, vision, travel, and knowledge.



Decorate an Altar

If you wish to dedicate an altar to the Sagittarius and Summer energy, think of the colors of fire. Vibrant yellow, bright red, striking orange, golds on golds on golds. Here you may place candles, gold jewelry, flowers like rose, lavender, and lily of the valley, flower wreaths and crowns, crystals like citrine, pyrite, clear quartz and honey calcite.

Think of what connects you to your purpose, think of what brings you joy; any objects that help you tap into this can be placed on your altar (even bongs or pieces, which you can charge on here overnight to imbue them with energy and intention for a high vibe smoke session.) You may also leave an offering of cannabis to the universe, cosmos or whatever gods and goddesses you believe in. Set an intention for your summer altar and keep this in your mind’s eye as you dedicate and cleanse the altar with cannabis smoke or other sacred smoke.



Make an Offering of Ritual Incense

The Summer Solstice is a wonderful chance to cleanse and charge our space, using the vibrant energy of the Sun to help bring in warmth and light to every aspect of our lives. We can work with cannabis and other herbs ruled by the Sun and Jupiter to make our own incense blend to cleanse and consecrate our space and sacred tools during this charged time. Just know that this may have psychoactive effects because of the cannabis smoke, so prepare accordingly if you don’t want to feel high!



Herbs you can use: Cannabis, chamomile, cinnamon, dandelion, jasmine, frankincense, mugwort, rosehips, rosemary, peppermint



Pick your herbs and turn them into powder by grinding them up, either in a weed grinder or mortar and pestle. Light a piece of coal in a fireproof bowl like a cauldron, or in a bowl of sand, and wait until it’s red before sprinkling a few pinches of herbs onto it. Breathe as you connect to the heavens above and the earth below, feeling this powerful incense removing any blocks in your aura that are keeping you from living radically, vulnerably and abundantly.

Imagine a gold light surrounding you as you bless your altar and home with these incense, adding pinches of the herbs to the coal as needed. Fan this smoke wherever you want to invite more warmth and strength into your life, visualizing the sun energizing wherever smoke touches. You can also use these incense to charge magical items like cauldrons, athames (ritual knives), crystals, grimoires, chalices, and more.

Manifest It

When working with the cycles of the celestial bodies, we’re practicing what’s called sympathetic magick, or magick that imitates its desired outcome. As the Moon or Sun’s light grows we focus on what we want to grow. When the Moon and Sun lose light, we focus on what we want to release. Since we’re riding toward the peak of the year, this is the perfect time to hone what’s calling to us and manifest it full throttle. An easy practice that works with this season is writing down your vision, charging this desire by raising energy, and then burning it up to release it to the universe.



The first step is creating the space. Burn some incense, turn your phone on silent, play some music. Ingest your THC or CBD and give thanks to the cannabis plant and earth for these gifts. Grab a fire safe dish in which to burn, or a pot of water over the stove. Grab a pen and paper. Then take a few moments to breathe and come back into your body. You may invite any Goddesses, Gods, angels, or spirit guides to the ritual now as well. Think of what feels in alignment—what it is that you truly want. If there’s nothing, you can think of a goal of healing or protection you have for the collective. Classically, cannabis is used in love spells, and it is Pride month, so if you feel called, you may wish to send out the energy of unconditional love to the universe alongside justice and protection for the LGBTQIA community. Or you may wish to send out some protection and healing for the planet!

No matter what it is, write this intention down like you already have it. Taste it, feel it, envision it, and write this in a way that declares its yours, that also feels delicious to write and read out loud. Write this in red or gold ink if you can, though black will do.

Take a second to read your intention out loud. Feel this in the gut of your stomach, in your heart and in your head. Light a red, gold, or yellow candle and then read your intention out loud, feeling the full vibration of your desires as you speak it into existence.

Now you’re going to raise energy. Hold your paper with your intention, or put it next to you. You can raise energy by masturbating, dancing, chanting, moving your body, playing drums…etc. Whatever you choose, you will focus on your intention as you do it and once you get to the climax will direct this energy towards your desire and your intention. Stay in the afterglow sending out this vibration for as long as you need.



Now you’re going to burn up the paper. When you feel ready, go to where your cauldron or pot of water is. Rip up the paper with your intention and then light it on fire, using a fire safe dish or a pot of water to drop the pieces into. Offer this up to the Sun, to the summer solstice, to your past and future selves. Feel this as truth



To close the ritual, find your body and breath, take a child’s pose and exhale any pent up or excess energy back into the earth and universe. Then go drink some water, eat, take an edible, smoke a j, spend time outside, or bask at midnight under the moon. So it is!



Let the candle burn all the way, leaving it in the sink overnight if necessary. If you need to, use a snuffer or a fan to snuff out the candle (don’t blow it), relight the candle as you focus on your intention. If there’s any extra wax throw it out at a garbage can at an intersection.



Ivory Woods

Work with a Mantra

Next time you take a hit or ingest some cannabis, try repeating a mantra to yourself. Take a second to clear your mind and visualized white or gold light cocooning you. Ingest your cannabis and then repeat the following mantra that Tara so kindly shared.



“I am One with my beloved, in joy and harmony with the Universe as the Sun peaks. I give thanks for the Light of the SUN. I welcome the time of Feminine Darkness ahead.

It is done, so mote it be.”

Non-Ritual Ways to Celebrate

This year, the Summer Solstice falls on a Friday, the day sacred to both the planet and Goddess Venus, a day associated with beauty, love, sex, victory, fertility, pleasure, and wealth. This is the feminine, more receptive energy that corresponds to the very active and masculine energy of the Summer Solstice, also reflected in the feminine energy of the Full Moon in the masculine sign of Sagittarius, the archer. The Solstice happening on a Friday adds an energy of love that blesses and carries over throughout the weekend.

If you’re looking for some non-ritual ways to celebrate this massive charge of cosmic clout, think spending time outside, learning something new, or practicing some good ole sex magick. Whether you have your favorite CBD tincture on hand or your bong by your side, check out these High Priestess approved ways to feel as chill as a hippie in the 60’s under the California sky.

Spend Time Outside in Nature

To know witchcraft, you must know the earth. Chances are you already have a good relationship with her if you like to smoke. Whether you spend time in the green or smoking green, spending time with the Earth as she moves through her seasons is integral. And honestly, what sounds better than a picnic outside the first weekend of summer, stoned with your favorite humans and feeling yourself? Blue skies, puffy clouds, munchies galore? Sounds lit to me.



Whether you’re going to the pool or beach, on a hike, or for a picnic, take time before you head out to set an intention, even if it’s to be grateful for nature or to enjoy the summer solstice day. You may wish to hold your cannabis or cannabis derivative in your hands as you think of this intention, sending white light into your palms and charging the item. Whenever you use this throughout the day, come back to your intention and the present and honor it!



Pick Your Poison

How you want to feel will impact how you consume this solstice! If you’re going to be in public, edibles and a vape are always a safe bet. You can also choose a CBD heavy vape if you don’t want the psychoactive effects of THC. If you know you can safely consume cannabis in the open, then may I suggest a bowl or joint of a good body high heavy strain under the midsummer sun? If you simply want to become one with the earth beneath you, a CBD tincture may be just the choice.



Try Something New

Since Sagittarius rules over higher education, travel and knowledge, why not try something new? Sagittarius’s ruling planet of Jupiter craves growth and expansion, which leaves little to no time for comfort zones. If you want to celebrate this energy, do something unexpected, something you haven’t done before. Take a new class, go on a day trip, sign up for a lecture. If you’ve never combined getting stoned and art, try something like a Puff Pass and Paint class, where you can make art and get stoned.

If you’ve never gotten high and worked out, you may wish to try Puff Puff Pilates. Another way to raise energy in a ritual is by exercise so you can even squeeze this into some magick if you really want to. Reading a new book, going to a new museum, learning a new form of magick, hiking a different trail than usual; there’s no wrong way to celebrate or to expand your mind.



Ivory Woods

Practice Some Sex Magick

“The Sagittarius Full Moon, also known as the strawberry or Rose Moon is one of the most magical Moon’s of the year. Use it to its fullest,” Tara explains. “Roses are the prime symbol of Love, the Vagina, Yoni, and it is Venus’s symbol too. All Full Moon’s are times of the greatest emotional feelings.”

If you want to channel these intense emotions, may I suggest some stoned sex magick? Both the Full Moon and Solstice offer us the heightened energy of sexuality—a clear and direct line to the erotic energy of the universe. You can practice sex magick as a way to connect to the season, either solo or partnered. Light up or use some CBD infused lube, and burn a gold, red or yellow candle in dedication to the season or your intention. As you climax, channel your energy to your intention, holding space for this to manifest.



Reflect

Take some to think of where you were six months ago at the Winter Solstice. Reflect on this, journaling or creating or meditating. Take time to recognize and honor your hard work and achievements and give yourself the chance to be proud of all you’ve done! Talk to the Green Goddess and find gratitude for yourself and your life, and for all you’ve grown and fostered the past six months.



Leaven an Offering

Saying “thank you” is always appreciated and the universe agrees. We can leave offerings of cannabis, milk, honey, wine, mead, beer, sweet bread, cake, pastries, or other sweets on an altar or outside in nature to thank the universe, the full moon and the solstice. Feel this as a warm, vibrant light in your heart and let the universe know anything else you want to share. And so it is!



No matter how you celebrate, I hope it’s blessed! If you want more wisdom from Tara, you can find her daily musings on her blog.