A ritual for love

In honor of the summer solstice.

The summer solstice has always been one of my favorite times of the year—the longest day of sunlight; the exact midway point of the year. I’ve been told by good witches that this makes it an ideal time to look forward and back; to evaluate things and see where you’re at. “Never with shame,” they always say. “Only with love.” I like that.

Brooklyn-based energy healer Emily Mikaelah told me the same a few years ago when I interviewed her for a story about solstice rituals for Vogue: “Energetically, it’s a great time for a check-in,” she said. “Take the time to ask yourself, ‘What progress has been made on my dreams?’ and ‘Have I been doing my part to make them come into fruition?’ The fruit is ripening soon, and we want to pick it off the branch when it’s at its peak.”

With the full moon on Friday—the first of two consecutive full moons in Capricorn, my sign—this reflective energy feels especially high. Full moons, after all, mark another kind of halfway point: the middle of the lunar cycle. They are also a time of completion ideal for evaluating and releasing. According to one of my favorite astrology sources, Moon Omens, this full moon is all about gaining awareness of our emotions and how we try to “control” them for better or worse. “The Capricorn full moon is an invitation to practice holding space for our emotions and taking responsibility for our triggers rather than placing blame outwardly,” Moon Omens says. “This event is an opportunity to emotionally mature by recognizing what is out of balance in our relationship with emotions and moving toward the opposite end of the spectrum in order to restore harmony.”