Summer
How this powerful season can help us cultivate our own radiance and self-confidence
„A light wind swept over the corn, and all nature laughed in the sunshine.“
– Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)
The summer sun stretches powerfully and reliably over our fields and cities. Nature reaches its peak, and we celebrate the days of light, warmth, and also heat. At the same time, we seek shade for cooling down and truly enjoying the immense power of the sun. In many cultures, children enjoy the longest school holidays, and we allow ourselves active breaks to savor the Dolce Vita in the form of vacations. For many people, this season is closely connected with letting go of the prescribed work rhythms, allowing oneself to retreat at midday when the sun is at its highest.
In this article, you will learn about the symbolic and cyclical significance of this season, which invites us to boldly share joy, visibility, and radiance with the world.
The Qualities of summer
This season—especially around the Capricorn full moon—invites us to take stock for the first time: Which goals and plans have come to fruition this year, which fields are flourishing, and where might we have been too ambitious?
During these powerful moments, herbs can be gathered and dried. It is believed that medicinal herbs harvested at this time may have up to three times the potency. Think of the incense, which becomes especially important from late autumn through winter, or the teas and tinctures that can also support vitality. A first harvest that can now be stored away.
With a bright blue sky and the warmth of the sun, we feel the vitality spreading from head to toe, from heart to heart. Our nervous system and subconscious associate these color qualities with vibrancy—many experience this as motivation, linked to active connection with the community and a seemingly higher quality of life. At the same time, these months are marked by heat, dryness, thunderstorms, and floods, which also bring a deep respect for the season. Our senses may be strongly strained during this time, and we must take responsibility for managing our water balance and staying cool.
Summer is the time of full life, passion, exuberance, and the fulfillment of the promises made by the seasons. Everything is in full bloom, and the world seems to shine in its full splendor and power. This is the season of gratitude, joy, and presence.
The Sacred Festivals of Summer
Summer Solstice & Midsummer
The Summer Solstice, celebrated on June 20th or 21st, marks the longest day of the year and the peak of sunlight. This festival represents the celebration of the sun in its full radiance and abundance—an absolute high point in the annual cycle. The Summer Solstice is celebrated with passion, exuberance, and vitality. It mirrors nature in its full glory, as we fully enjoy the warmth and brightness of summer. Many cultures celebrate this festival with fires, dancing, and rituals, connecting in community to honor the power of the sun and the fertility of the earth. Jumping over the fire is often seen as a connection with ancestors and a manifestation of a fruitful harvest. Traditionally, Midsummer is celebrated in Scandinavia over 12 days, also acknowledging the sun—often associated with masculine energy in many cultures—through numerology. People often dress in white and adorn their heads with flower crowns or birch branches.
Lughnasadh (Reapers' Festival, Lammas)
Lughnasadh, celebrated from July 31st to August 2nd, is the first festival of the harvest and abundance. It is the eighth full moon after the Winter Solstice, Yule, and represents gratitude for the first fruits, the rich abundance, and the gifts that the earth provides. This festival is also known as the Reapers' Festival, where the harvested grain is made into the first bread. People often celebrate with feasts, bonfires, and rituals that mark the transition from the harvest season to the preparations for the upcoming autumn. Positioned in the wheel of the year between the grand Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox, Mabon, this festival can be seen as a transition into the autumn season, associated with gratitude, prayers, and hopes for a bountiful harvest. With the advent of Christianity, the name Lammas was established, derived from the Anglo-Saxon "hlaef-masse" (loaf mass).
Assumption of Mary (Our Lady's Day, Frauendreissiger)
On August 15th, the Assumption of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is celebrated. Originally, this celebration took place after the first full moon in August, connecting the cutting of the harvest and herbs by women's hands. This marks a full-circle moment, as women often mixed their menstrual blood with seeds, enriching and blessing the soil with powerful nutrients and fertilizer. In honor of Mother Earth and the goddesses responsible for the harvest, a few ears of grain were often left standing as both a sign of gratitude and an offering. With the spread of Christianity, the veneration of Mother Earth and other harvest goddesses was forbidden, and Mother Mary symbolically took their place. In her honor, and to commemorate her ascension to heaven, the tradition of harvesting herbs continued.
Even today, the Mother Goddess is visited and gifted with bundles of herbs in many places. Originally, this festival (Frauendreissiger) was celebrated for 30 days – until September 8th.
The Element of Summer: Fire
Summer is traditionally associated with the element of fire. Passion, motivation, action, and the powerful act of "showing oneself" can be linked to this element. At the same time, there is hardly an element that evokes such ambivalence in us. Igniting a fire in the wilderness can be seen as a primal human instinct. But honestly, how many of us can still do that with our bare hands? And even more honestly, who doesn't feel a pang of fear when thinking about fire in the wild, especially during the dry summer months? An inferno can wipe out nature, cities, and entire lives, yet we need warmth, heat, and energy to prepare our food. Fire symbolizes an intense life force and is used for its transformative power in many cultures, rituals, and spiritual circles. In numerous nature festivals, fire is an integral element, providing a focal point for the community, which often gathers around it. Additionally, in many witch rituals, fire is a central point in the circle for both magical and practical reasons. Be aware that the "planet" Sun is a massive fireball that brings light and warmth, serving as both enemy and life-giver. You might know the myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun out of hubris, causing his wings to melt. Similarly, the concept of "purgatory" was established by the Catholic Church to describe a state of purification after death—a transitional phase where souls suffer greatly and hope for grace as they anticipate their final salvation. In Tarot, fire is associated with the wands, representing vitality, creativity, and the will to live, along with the passion connected to these attributes. It is the powerful determination required to turn words into deeds and projects. In the Major Arcana, the following cards can be associated with the element of fire: The Emperor, Strength, The Wheel of Fortune, Temperance, The Tower, The Sun, and Judgment.
Astrology and Tarotcards for summer
The water sign Cancer (June 21 - July 22) opens the summer season of the zodiac, inviting us to dive into the sacred depths of our inner selves. Cancer is associated with the fourth house, which traditionally represents home and family. Sensitivity is required here to dive deep in a well-protected way, embracing the emotional world that is also associated with water in spirituality. Nurturing is a prominent quality that seeks cultivation both internally and externally. In astrology, this sign is closely connected with the Moon, which aims to strengthen, connect, and illuminate the cyclical nature, the domesticity of the female ancestral line, and the emotional waves. In Tarot, Cancer is associated not with the Moon card as one might expect, but with The Chariot.
The Chariot, which can also be attributed to the element of water, represents qualities of action, decision, determination, as well as courage and willpower. It’s about momentum and the gathering of energies and qualities needed to achieve long-term goals. The Chariot also symbolizes the necessity of an inner journey and processing the associated emotions. This can occur safely when courage, determination, and the ability to set boundaries with the outside world are present. Another connection to Cancer lies in the themes of home and origin. Often, the individual returns to themselves and their "true home" when security and comfort are cultivated. This leads to personal and spiritual growth, as well as progress in the external world.
With full radiance, self-confidence, and creativity, the fixed sign of summer, Leo (July 23 - August 22), greets us. Externally, the first harvests are ready to be reaped and celebrated, and the summer heat is in full force, almost compelling us to seek shade for coolness. Leo's presence shines under the influence of the Sun, naturally connecting it with this planet and the element of fire. Leo can lead, represent, and come into visibility.
This sign of joy in life is linked with the Tarot card, The Sun. This card can be interpreted as the most positive in the Tarot and is almost always a reason to celebrate in any reading. The card signifies successes that want to be shared and rejoiced, inviting us to connect for a long moment with childlike, exuberant joy and the accompanying sense of freedom. Symbolically, a lion is shown being tamed by a maiden—a passionate and powerful symbol that lovingly leads into the next season:
As the final sign of summer, Virgo (August 23 - September 22) meets us, embodying much more than a woman reduced to her sexual maturity. Originally, Virgo represents an individual who stands in independence, clarity, and inner strength. She is free and unbound by external influences and social entanglements. The archetype is often associated with the goddesses Artemis, Athena, and Vesta, who both choose independence of their own free will and remain untamed and untouched, like the force of nature. They embody attributes such as hunting and warfare, intellectual gifts, strategy, and virtue, which are expressed independently of male influence.
The Hermit is connected with Virgo's qualities, and although he is perceived as male, it is the independence and self-determination that link the two. While solitude in the Hermit is seen as a choice, it is often viewed as "tragic" for Virgo even today. We often forget the societal norms that a woman confronts when powerfully choosing introspection. This can only take place when self-reflection occurs in silence, tranquility, and detachment from social norms. When a person is encouraged by the Tarot to engage with the themes of the Hermit, I often sense a form of grief. For many people, delving into one's inner life feels like exile. I often emphasize how much knowledge, strength, self-assurance, and connectedness can be discovered and then embodied. True treasures that need to be unearthed and integrated for one's own well-being and self-love, helping to see and feel one's own North Star—your life purpose—more clearly, and to be guided by it. In connection with Virgo, it becomes clearer that our own personal challenges often provide valuable solutions and support for our environment later on. Virgo is often seen as the healer of the zodiac, as she connects with knowledge through introspection that serves our collective.
Rituals for summer
Reaper Ritual:
Where in your life do you consciously want to make a cut or set a boundary? Sometimes, it can be very powerful to examine your fields, which symbolically represent your projects or life areas. Imagine yourself standing before these fields. Each field symbolizes a project and a life area. How do these fields appear? Are they thriving, tender, or perhaps untouched? Tune into each field that appears to you and connect with the gratitude for the work it took to cultivate the field. Connect with gratitude to the Earth, for the nutrients needed, the Sun, and all the elements that participated in bringing your seeds to life. Also, give thanks to the seeds that did not sprout. Take another look at your fields and ask to be shown which fields are glowing, bringing you yield and joy. Then, ask to be shown the fields that now need to be left fallow, those you may release with gratitude. Now, go out into nature and consciously connect with the field that may now lie fallow. Allow yourself to cut a stalk or herb that symbolizes the cut needed for letting go. Take a fire bowl and burn the stalk to transform the matter. Let go.
Yoni Sunbathing:
Invite the Sun to bless your sacred pelvic area with warmth and light. The feeling of a direct connection between your yoni and the Sun can feel unfamiliar, loving, and liberating. You might want to remember that you are likely the first in your ancestral line to feel this safe and free. Please ensure that you expose your yoni to the powerful sunlight very mindfully and for a limited time.
Walking Barefoot:
Even if you live in a big city, you will find a green space that is surely inviting at this time of year. Walk barefoot and consciously connect with the Earth, the grass blades, and be aware that this very ground may serve as your summer footbed. It can also be a nice task to experience four to six different textures: forest floor, sand, stone, moss, etc.
Herb Gathering for Winter:
Clear your home to make space for new energy. Use the element of fire to symbolically transform old, no longer needed items.
Corn Husk Dolls:
Ask an ancestor—living or deceased—if they have a tip on how to craft a corn husk doll from a corn cob. In many cultures, this tradition was essential, as before the plastic era, many children played with these figures.
"Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Meet them halfway, with respect and reciprocity.
Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.
Never take the first. Never take the last. Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given. Never take more than half.
Leave some for others. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.
Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you
and the earth will last forever."
From the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Summer as a Time of Abundance, Passion, Intense Life, and the Peak of Light in the Yearly Cycle. The nature reveals itself in its full splendor, and we are invited to consciously harness this powerful energy to step into our strength and radiance.
Whether through connection with ancient seasonal festivals, working with the elements, or immersing ourselves in the symbolic meanings of astrology and tarot—the summer offers us the opportunity to deeply connect with ourselves and the surrounding world. For when we discover and embody the depth within us, we can shine and inspire with authenticity.
As we enjoy the warm days, it is also a time of reflection: What seeds have we sown in the past months, and what fruits are they bearing? Which projects may now be courageously cut off? Summer reminds us to appreciate the harvest of our lives and prepare for the transition into autumn.
Ultimately, this season invites us to find balance between activity and rest, between the heat of the day and the coolness of the shade—and to cultivate our own balance.
May we use the energy of summer to shine forth into our world, recharged and inspired with full strength.
With love, Laura