Living With The Seasons: A Summer Solstice Release Ritual
I’ve shared a short video here showing a simple summer solstice ritual that I personally did and I wanted to explain the why behind it a little more deeply. This practice isn’t about trends or rigid rules - it’s about learning to live in relationship with the seasons, rather than defaulting to the calendar year as the only marker of change. Here in Australia, the summer solstice marks the peak of daylight - the longest day of the year. From this point on, the days slowly begin to shorten. Seasonally, this matters. Rather than seeing this as “almost the New Year,” I’m choosing to see it as a moment of culmination and release. We are at the height of light. Something has reached fullness. And when things reach fullness, the natural next step is discernment. Not everything comes with us into the darker half of the year. For me, the summer solstice energy is not about planting seeds - it’s about letting go of excess. This ritual is my way of consciously releasing habits, beliefs, patterns and ways of operating that have reached their peak usefulness and no longer need my energy as we move toward autumn and winter. I’m not putting a number on what I release, because seasonal living isn’t linear or monthly. It moves through cycles: • Summer → fullness • Autumn → descent • Winter → rest • Spring → rebirth For me, intention-setting belongs more naturally from the winter solstice as you move into spring, when the land itself is rising again. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, your experience of the solstice is different - and that’s important to honour. Your winter solstice marks the return of the light. The days begin to lengthen. Energetically, this is a beautiful time for intention setting, seed planting, and envisioning what’s coming next. The ritual mechanics can be the same, but the orientation changes. On the calendar we are at the same turning point, with a different season. There is no “right” way to do this. This isn’t about being strict, spiritual, or performative. It’s about noticing: