Summer Solstice - A Ritual Inspired by My Dying Husband

Whatever spiritual path we follow, whether we follow any path, we're far more alike than different. We all understand the importance of hard work and the value of sacrifice. We know how good it can feel to finally lay a burden down.  We know how it feels to give or receive comfort. We know what it is to grieve. 

In this Summer Solstice ritual, I showcase the partnership between the Sun as the exhausted provider and the Moon as the nurturing caregiver. Knowing the Moon was about to enter Capricorn, the sign of the elders, I opened the ritual by calling in the Grandmothers of the four directions. 

During the ritual, we recalled the seeds we planted the previous December at the Winter Solstice. What was it we wanted to nurture and grow? What came of all our hard work? Did we do a good job? 

Of course, the deeper purpose of these questions and the ritual as a whole was to acknowledge our own burdens and admit our need for self-care. 

My husband died two years ago. He had Alzheimer's. It wasn't until I created this Summer Solstice ritual that I saw the correlation between the astrological symbolism and my experience as a caregiver. I didn't expect the ritual to help me navigate grief, but it did. It still does. That's why I'm sharing the ritual now, almost three months after the Solstice.