In our Cacao Ritual for the Summer Solstice, we want to harness the power of gratitude and honor ourselves for all that we’ve already accomplished this year.
Wheel of the Year Festival Litha – Meaning and Origin
On June 21st, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, and we experience the longest day and the shortest night of the year! For this special event – the Summer Solstice – people have gathered and still gather to connect and welcome the summer.
The Summer Solstice, also known as Litha, is one of the eight Celtic festivals of the Wheel of the Year. As a solar festival, Litha mirrors Yule, the Winter Solstice. While Yule represents the return of light, Litha symbolizes the peak and full expression of the light. In the Wheel of the Year, Litha follows 6 weeks after Beltane, the fertility festival, and comes 6 weeks before Lughnasadh, the 1st harvest festival.
The origin of Litha lies in ancient European traditions, particularly in Celtic and Germanic customs. It was celebrated with sun wheels, large bonfires on hills, and rituals to honor the sun and the divine creative force. It is a festival of gratitude for what has grown and at the same time a moment of reflection – because with this turning point, the light begins to wane again.
Litha invites us to honor our inner light, to powerfully call our heart’s desires into life, and to connect with the radiant energy of the sun. It is a time of joy, celebration, and conscious letting go – carried by the fire of summer.
Cacao Ritual for Litha: Heart Opening and Connection to the Power of the Sun
Nature around us shows itself in its most beautiful abundance. Seeds have become grasses, herbs, and blossoms. Fruits are growing and ripening in the fields and on the trees. At the Summer Solstice, we celebrate life and our being with appreciation.
Just like nature, we too have experienced and created so much this year - perhaps you've already join us for the Wheel of the Year festivals Imbolc, Ostara and Beltane with our rituals - and now we want to use this special moment to drop into deep gratitude and appreciation.
A particularly beautiful way to consciously celebrate Litha is with a ritual using ceremonial cacao. Cacao has long been known as a heart-opener – a plant with deep spiritual effect that can strengthen our connection to ourselves, to nature, and to deeper levels of awareness. In a Cacao Ritual, we connect mindfully with the moment, open our hearts to gratitude and light – and invite new visions for the second half of the year.
Especially at the Summer Solstice, when the sun reaches its highest point and life shines in its fullness, cacao can help us consciously feel this inner light.
What you can use for your Litha Ritual
✦ Agate as a protective amulet for balance, self-confidence and wholeness
✦ White sage or Palo Santo for cleansing and smudging
✦ Create a gratitude list and use the power of plants and herbs
✦ Take time for yourself in a heart-opening cacao ritual
Instructions for a Litha Cacao Ritual for the Summer Solstice
Choose a suitable place for your cacao ritual. On this occasion, it's wonderful to perform the ritual outdoors to feel even more connected to nature. But whether inside or outside, create a cozy and sacred space with candles, power objects, flowers, and everything that symbolizes gratitude and appreciation to you.
If you're outdoors, we recommend filling your cacao into a thermos and bringing something to write with. As always, be mindful when preparing your cacao.
Begin the ritual by standing upright. Shake out your entire body. You can shake off anything you no longer need. Then run your hands down your body from the top of your head to your feet. Be a bit dynamic here and repeat this at least three times.
Sit down in an upright position and take three deep breaths into your heart. Imagine your heart growing with each breath.
Invite the Cacao Spirit to be with you and support you. Close your eyes and speak your intention into the cacao.
After drinking the cacao, keep your eyes closed. Imagine golden light flowing in from above, entering your head and spreading through your entire body. All your cells are filled with this light and new life energy.
Let a moment come to mind for which you were deeply grateful. Where were you? Who was with you? How did you feel? Take your time to fully bathe in these feelings.
When it feels complete, let the image go and come fully back to yourself. Reflect on all that you have already overcome and created this year – no matter whether it was something big or seemingly small.
Let whatever wants to come, come – and say to yourself:“I am proud of myself”, “I am grateful for my light and my being”. Then give yourself a loving, appreciative hug and slowly open your eyes again.
Take a journal or a piece of paper and write down a few things you’ve already accomplished this year.
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Who comes to your heart immediately – someone who has supported you along the way and for whom you feel great gratitude?
Reach out to them after this ritual. Shared gratitude is double gratitude – and living love!!!
To close the ritual, thank yourself and the Spirit of Cacao. Close the energetic space by gently patting down your body and taking a big sip of water. Listen to what your body needs next – maybe a walk, maybe stillness. Follow your intuition.
You are warmly invited to celebrate the Wheel of the Year festivals with our Cacao Rituals – and step into a flow that carries you through the year.
