Seasonal Nature Connection Guide: Litha (Summer Solstice)
As a nature lover, attuning to the Wheel of the Year is one of the most beautiful ways to come home to yourself. Each sabbat invites us out of the mind and back into the pulse of the living Earth. At Litha (the Summer Solstice) the Sun crowns the sky, daylight lingers, and life hums at full volume. When we pause to breathe in this radiance, we remember that we, too, are wild, luminous, and woven into the web of life.
Litha is a celebration of light, abundance, and sovereignty. It calls us to honor our inner sun, embody our joy, and share our medicine generously. By aligning with this energy, we not only nourish ourselves—we feed the collective field.
Let’s walk this spiral path together.
How to Use This Litha Guide:
As your Nature-Loving Bestie, I wanted a seasonal guide to help us re-align. When you’re aligned… everyone wins… including the Earth.
This guide is to help you come back to what you LOVE… nature.
It’ll help you bring in nature connection, spiritual threads, and practical ways to lead you back to reconnection. With that, feel free to utilize this exactly how your intuition is asking you to.
Perhaps you read over it all and focus on the part that’s popping out at you.
Or maybe you work through the pieces over the six weeks of the season.
There’s no wrong way to do it… this is the magic of partnering with the Earth to guide you. There’s not a manual. It’s beyond the realm of templates and processes.
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? With that, I think it’s time to dive in.
LitHA: ~ jUNE 20 - August 1
Sunshine energy! Litha marks the height of the Sun’s power and the longest day of the year on the Wheel of the Year. It is a solar celebration, a sacred turning point where the light reaches its peak before slowly beginning to wane. The Earth is lush, abundant, and overflowing with life… wildflowers bursting, the microworld buzzing, and everything feels expansive and radiant.
Traditionally celebrated around June 20–21, Litha is a fire festival of vitality, gratitude, and honoring the full expression of life. It invites us to bask in the warmth of the sun, to celebrate the fruits of our growth, and to embody our inner light. In today’s times, it calls us to align with our fullest expression… creatively, spiritually, emotionally, and energetically… and to celebrate the joy of being alive!
energy of the season:
Radiance
Expansion
Abundance
Vitality
Confidence
Generosity
Clarity
Play
Solar Fire
Sovereignty
Celebration
Check-in: Where am I ready to shine without apology?
plant spirit of litha - st johns wort
St Johns Wort Hypericum perforatum
Medicine Highlights
My Go-To Depression Support & Mood‑Lifter: Uplifts mild melancholy and balances depression long-term (my personal experience)
I have it in both my Natural Depression Tincture & Happiness Tincture
Nervous‑System Ally: Calms frayed nerves; supports restorative sleep.
Energetic Shield: Folk tradition places the flowering tops in doorways for protection against negativity.
Wound Healer: Infused oil soothes burns, nerve pain, and sun‑kissed skin.
Note: St Johns does interact with some medications, so it’s best to work with an herbalist (such as yours truly) to support you long term.
Ways to Work with St. John’s Wort
Craft a Solstice Oil: Infuse fresh yellow blooms in jojoba or olive oil under the midday sun for 4‑6 weeks; use topically for solar plexus massage.
Sip a Golden Elixir: Blend a low‑dose tincture with lemon balm and honey for daily radiance.
Create a Sunshine Charm: Tuck a sprig in your journal or altar to anchor in joy and protection.
ANIMAL SPIRIT OF LITHA - DOLPHIN
Dolphins are powerful symbols of joy, play, intelligence, and emotional depth (and one of my absolute favorite animals). At Litha, when the sun is at its peak and the days are long, dolphin energy reminds us to dive into the currents of connection, delight, and intuitive flow. These heart-centered beings invite you in to remember that pleasure and play are sacred, especially when shared.
Dolphin Medicine Invites:
Joyful presence
Tuning in to your emotions
Play as healing
Sacred communication
Riding life’s waves with trust and grace
Fun Dolphin Fact:
Can you believe it… dolphins have names! They use unique signature whistles to identify themselves and each other!! I can die happy knowing this now.
Another important note about dolphins and their sovereignty: I learned this the hard way after swimming with dolphins myself twice… As magical as dolphins are, they really, really belong in the wild. Although swimming with dolphins might seem like a dream, the truth behind these experiences and places are absolutely horrific and heartbreaking (I’ll spare you the details, but trust me - no human would ever support these places if they witnessed how they captured these animals and how much these beings need to be free). These intelligent, social beings are meant to roam vast oceans… not perform in confined spaces for human entertainment. And one HUGE way to be a dolphin advocate is to vow not to swim with them while vacationing and not visiting aquariums that keep them captive. May all beings be sovereign and free.
Spiritual Symbolism:
The dolphin invites you to ask: Where can I let more joy in? How can I deepen emotional connection with others while honoring my own rhythm? Litha is a time to leap, laugh, and open your heart wide to the beauty of being alive.
journal prompts for lITHA
What parts of me are bursting to be seen or celebrated?
How do I define true abundance, and where is it already present?
Where might healthy boundaries help my light shine brighter?
Which playful practices reconnect me to wonder?
If I were a ray of sunlight, which corner of the world would I choose to warm first?
intuitive message for litha
While it’s aligned with the seasons to feel the bustling, busy energy of life this season… it doesn’t mean you have to do everything AND. Where can you offer yourself some grace this season? What can you let go a little bit? Maybe the house doesn’t get dusted every week. Maybe you let the kitchen dishes be for a day or two while you go on that picnic with your family. Maybe you relax a bit at work so you can skip out early on Fridays to spend time in the garden.
What is it in your life that you WANT to do this season, and what can you let relax a bit so you can enjoy that?
nature connection practices for litha
Summer Solstice Guided Meditation
Lay on the grass, pop in your headphones and enjoy this summer solstice guided meditation I recorded for you on Insight Timer.
Bonus: Love the meditation? Follow me on Insight Timer.
How to do that? Download Insight Timer (free app on your phone). Search Taylor Short. Hit Follow Teacher. And you can scroll and enjoy the meditations I have on there anytime you’d like!
Sunrise Greeting
Rise with first light. Before speaking or scrolling, step outside, face the horizon, and greet the newborn sun with three deep breaths. Let each inhale claim possibility; each exhale ground gratitude.
Solar Water Blessing
Fill a clear jar with spring water and a slice of orange or lemon. Set it in sunlight for 4 hours. Drink mindfully, imagining liquid sunshine infusing your cells.
Gratitude Bonfire (or Candle)
At night, light a small fire. Speak aloud three things you’re grateful have come to fruition this year. Offer dried herbs to the flames in thanks.
Butterfly Meditation
Sit near flowers or visualize a garden. Envision yourself as a butterfly drifting from bloom to bloom. What ideas, projects, or relationships are you pollinating right now?
Closing Thoughts
Litha is the blazing heart of the year… and a beautiful reminder that fullness and rest are dance partners. Celebrate your wins in life, share your gifts, then trust the wheel will gently turn toward quieter seasons. For now, soak in the glow, the mess, the fun… laugh loudly, and let your essence ripple through the web of life.
AND if you’re seeking support in this season in the form of herbal friends, spiritual insight, or nature‑rooted support, I’d be honored to walk beside you.
Litha and Sunbeam Blessings to You!
Taylor
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🌿 Shop my seasonal Apothecary
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🔮 Book an Earth-Spirit Reading
About the Author
Taylor Short, of Harmonious Return, is an herbalist, Earth intuitive, and writer who helps people reconnect to nature for emotional healing and soul nourishment. Rooted in science, spirit, and reciprocity, she handcrafts herbal remedies, offers Earth Spirit readings, and teaches about stress, resilience, and plant connection. Learn more at Harmonious Return.