Sun Mandala Ritual For Summer Solstice
Summer solstice occurs on 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the 'longest day' and 'shortest night' of the year when the sun is at its strongest and the number of daylight hours are at their maximum.
In this ritual, we’ll use this potent time to set our wishes and intentions for the second half of the year which takes us up to winter solstice.
What you’ll need
· A flask or travel mug of Ritual Cacao
· Natural items to make a sun mandala. This could include crystals, feathers, flowers, leaves, twigs and stones to represent different intentions. Feel free to mix it up and get as creative as you want!
When to do it
Ideally this ritual will take place on Tuesday 21st June, the day when the sun’s energy is at its most potent – the solstice itself will be exact at 10:13am BST. If that’s not possible, you can do it the day before or after.
Who to do it with
You can either choose to gather some friends and family together and create a group mandala, or enjoy it as a personal self-care ritual.
What to do
· Prepare your cacao, gather the items for your sun mandala and head to a nearby hill or place of higher altitude, ideally in nature, where you can clearly see the horizon. Find a tranquil and private place for your ritual.
· Take a few moments to sit in silence and stillness, bringing awareness to your breath and the sensations in your body without trying to change anything. Relax as much as possible, letting go of any tension especially around your belly and jaw.
· Once you feel centred, you can drink your cacao, asking the spirit of cacao to come to you with any guidance or insights as you begin to create your sun mandala on the earth in front of you.
· Place each item consciously with loving intention, remembering to visualise what you wish to create over the next 6 months in your mind, whilst also sensing the corresponding sensations in your body – for example, if you’re calling in creative inspiration or a loving tribe, imagine how these things will feel in your physical body.
· Make your sun mandala as large or small and as simple or intricate as you like: you could choose to make a spiral or a circle with sun rays for example. Your intuition will tell you when the process is complete.
· Even if it’s a cloudy day, close your eyes and take a few more moments in silence to connect to the sun above your head, turning your face up as if you are a sunflower. Whilst listening out for any messages from the cacao, give thanks for the life-giving power of the sun and imagine its bright, golden rays warming your face and body.
· Then, open your mouth and slowly visualise the sun shrinking and descending from the sky until it lands in your mouth, and imagine swallowing it whole. Feel the warmth of the sun travelling through your whole body until it settles at your solar plexus. Try to really feel the sun’s power radiating from the centre of your being, turning you and your energy field into liquid gold.
· Now imagine the rays of this inner sun radiating out from your solar plexus. These sun rays reach the sun mandala on the earth in front of you, energising and empowering your intentions and dreams for the next 6 months.
· Imagine your mandala glowing with a golden light that will shine brightly throughout the next half of the year as we spiral towards the winter solstice.
· When you feel complete, breathe deeply, slowly open your eyes and come back to your body. If you have laid down precious personal items like crystals, gather them up, knowing the energetic imprint of your intentions has been set into the earth. If it’s a natural mandala, you can simply leave everything there.
· Anytime your intentions feel far away or difficult to reach in the coming months, you can close your eyes, imagine swallowing the sun again and re-energising this mandala of intentions you set at summer solstice.
Share your sun mandalas with us on Instagram @ritual_cacao
Wishing you all a happy and inspiring solstice!
Love from Rebekah and the Ritual Cacao team x
