A Tarot Spread & Reflection Journal for the Summer Solstice
Download the Free tarot workbook &
reflection journal now! The Ancestral Significance of the Summer Solstice
For millennia, the Summer Solstice has been a time of reverence and celebration. At the Summer Solstice, the Earth's tilt causes the Sun to reach its highest point in the sky, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. Throughout history, this time of year has been observed as a symbol of fruition and abundance.
All over the world, ancient people built monuments to honor this annual event. Stonehenge in England, the Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu, and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt were each designed to align with the Sun’s movements and the summer solstice.
Why has humanity, for so long, revered the power of the Sun? Why did so many cultures honor the solstice and hold it as sacred? The ability to predict the Sun’s movements was the ability to predict the changing of seasons. In turn, the changing of seasons dictated the agricultural cycles of growth and harvest. Thus, an intimate working knowledge of the Sun was vital to early agricultural societies.
Agriculture formed the backbone of many ancient civilizations. To these cultures, summer was a crucial time of year. During the summer, the first crops would come to harvest. It was a time to celebrate fruition and culmination, a time to give thanks for a successful harvest. However, the longer days and warmer temperatures still had to be taken full advantage of.
The solstice is also a turning point. After the solstice, the Sun will begin its descent. The nights will begin to grow longer, and the warmth and light of summer will begin to wane once again. Thus, the solstice is a reminder for people to celebrate their abundance and give thanks, but it is also a reminder to make the most of the summer months to prepare for the coming winter.
The Archetypal Symbolism of the Sun
“How easy it is to be captivated by the sheer splendor of the sun’s shining, by its capacity to make manifest a world it seeds with its own fire. How naturally we imagine our own capacity to know and to create, as the bright sun of consciousness. How many of the thousand of sense perceptions imprinted upon the body and mind over a lifetime are authored by the sun; How instinctively flora a fauna turn their face sunwards, as if to the Center.”
— Taschen, The Book of SymbolsAt the most fundamental level, the Sun is a symbol of energy, life, light, and power. It is the Earth's relationship to the Sun that creates the turning of the seasons, and ancient humanity recognized these seasons as a cycle of planting, growth, harvest, and decay.
The Sun, our life-giver and light-bearer, is one of the most ancient objects of worship for this very reason.
Many cultures throughout the world related the Sun to a deity, typically one who rode a chariot or boat that carried the Sun across the sky, creating sunrise and sunset.
People especially worshipped these sun deities, including Helios, Apollo, Ra, Sunna, and Sol, during the solstice. They thought of the summer solstice as the height of their gods’ power, their great triumph over the forces of darkness. These solar deities represented not only the power of the physical Sun but also the very human qualities of creativity, knowledge, courage, and vitality.
As human populations grew and larger civilizations began to form, agricultural mastery became a necessity to feed an ever-growing number of people. This led to an even greater dependency on the Sun and concretized it in our collective unconscious as a universal symbol of life, energy, and creation.
As the Earth’s cosmic light source, the Sun has also long been connected to themes of enlightenment, revelation, and consciousness. Just as light illuminates objects in the dark, the Sun, as a symbol, illuminates the darkness of our minds. It is the vital spark of apprehension, understanding, and knowing that engages our thinking function and imbues us with renewed direction and purpose.
The Wisdom of the Summer Solstice Tarot Spread
This year, the Summer Solstice falls on Thursday, June 20th. This spread, inspired by the radiant energy of the Sun, will guide us to connect with the archetypal essence of the summer season. By using this spread, we can deepen our self-awareness, and invite a moment of reflection on the growth and progress we have experienced in the past months.
Download the Free tarot workbook &
reflection journal now! S - Who am I as I enter into this Summer Solstice?
This card represents your current state of being as you approach the summer solstice. It symbolizes the current stage of your personal journey, the growth you've experiences so far, and the energy you are bringing into this season.
1 - How can I honor my personal achievements and the heights of this summer?
This card offers guidance on how to acknowledge and celebrate your successes and milestone. It is how you can foster sense of pride in your accomplishments, and recognize the hard work and dedication that has brought you to this point.
2 - How can I help the intentions I planted at the beginning of the year grow into their fullest expression?
This card provides insight into nurturing the goals and resolutions you put forth earlier this year . It may reveal the actions, attitudes, or resources you need to support the maturation and fruition of your intentions. It's represents tending to the seeds you've sown and ensuring they receive the attention and care they need to thrive.
3 - How can I dedicate myself to my continued growth?
This card offers advice on commitment and perseverance in your personal development. It emphasizes how you can stay true to your path of continuous learning and self-improvement. It may reveal the habits, routines, perspectives or practices needed to help you stay aligned with your higher goals.
4 - Where should I focus my creative energy?
This card reveals the areas of your life or the specific projects that would benefit most from your creative input. It helps you identify where you are being called to innovate and channel your creative forces in the most productive and fulfilling ways.
5 - How can I cultivate joy and peace in my life this summer?
This card provides strategies for finding happiness and tranquility during the coming summer months. It suggests the practices, environments, and mindsets that will contribute most to your emotional wellbeing, helping you create a balanced and harmonious life.
6 - Where is there an opportunity to open myself up to excitement and playfulness?
This card shows the potential avenues for fun and adventure this summer. It shows how you can embrace spontaneity and seek out experiences that bring you delight. It's what will allow you to cultivate moments of lightheartedness and allow yourself to engage with new things that spark joy and wonder.
7 - How can I embrace the archetypal power of the Sun to find my own radiance?
This card guides you to how you can harness the archetypal energy of the sun. It suggests ways to tap into your inner strength and confidence, and embody the Sun's qualities of warmth, brilliance, and vitality, and radiance.
8 - What do I need to become more conscious and aware of this season?
This card represents what you need to become mindful of. It reveals the hidden truths and important lessons that we need to acknowledge in order to become more attuned to both ourselves and the energy of the summer season.
