The Tarot of the Summer Solstice 2026 Cards and rituals to illuminate, protect and dare

The Summer Solstice 2026 asks us to shine. Because it's still the time during the year when the sunlight shines the longest, and we also want to be more energetic, more active, more... okay, let's face it, that's not exactly the case. Summer wears us out. The heat doesn't let us breathe. We want to think about the holidays and the magic they bring, but we still have to stay in the office sweating, with the fan pointed at us and with the consequent risk of catching a cold due to the temperature change. But then, why think that the Summer Solstice is actually a fundamental stage of the year, if in reality the holidays haven't even started?

The Summer Solstice 2026: what happens and what we must or can do

Simple. The Solstice is a door that opens. It's definitely not the door that leads to the yellow brick road that leads to Oz, but neither is the one at the back of the house. Let's say more that it's the entrance to the stage of a theater, even if only the outdoor ones found in the parks. On that stage we can draw the bull's eye to ourselves. We can hide something behind the scenes. And, above all, we can decide whether to sing, act, dance, or whether to do nothing and remain still waiting for someone to tell us to return to the audience.

Let's decide what to turn on

I asked the cards how to cross this threshold without getting too burned, without pretending to be at our best potential just because the calendar says so. It's never easy to admit that we want to give priority to something, especially if that something concerns ourselves. Maybe we just need to accept that for some people, shining is more important than for others. Or, still others will want to keep certain parts of themselves hidden in the shadows because they are afraid of the judgment of others. The important thing is to decide what to turn on: if the applause will come then, we cannot know.

The tarot cards of the Summer Solstice 2026: the drawing of the cards

Seven of Cups: what to stop lighting

The Seven of Cups is the card of infinite options, of filters that embellish reality but empty it of meaning, like those AI filters that make us Pixar cartoons: in the end we still remain in the real world. In summer it's pure FOMO: the need to always be there, to show that your life is a menu full of stimuli, projects and memorable evenings. It is the card that appears when you find yourself scrolling through the stories of others while you are already outside, at the right time, and yet you continue to look elsewhere, for fear of missing out on something better. How many times has our summer feed become an editorial plan to manage, instead of a spontaneous track of what we did during the day? This card tells you that all this light only serves to cover up a great deal of mental confusion. That behind the constant notifications there is often something simpler that you cannot yet name. Letting go does not mean isolating yourself, nor giving up summer, but rather stopping playing the part of that person to whom everything is always going great, transforming every moment into content.

The Pope: what to protect in the shadows

Well, The Papessa is not a light card, and this is because it talks about things that should not be disclosed. Of that part of each of us that cannot be revealed to the world. It usually appears when something important is already happening in the air: a change of course or a desire that has become sharper, something that is not yet ready to meet the direct light of the summer sun. A bit like when we say that this will be the summer when we will enjoy our holidays in blissful peace and solitude, but then the temptation to post a photo by the pool prevails. The Pope reminds us that not everything has to be shared, instagrammed or approved by the eyes of others to be valuable, because some things become real just by keeping them to ourselves.

Ace of Wands: what fire within us to support

The Ace of Wands is the pure spark, the creative or passionate impulse that does not wait for perfect conditions, that does not want to be planned on an Excel sheet and that certainly does not need to be explained to anyone. This card appears when we have spent too much time complying with the plans of others or their expectations, and now something of our own is claiming its space in an arrogant way. It does not symbolize a grand project, nor a radical turning point, but it can be small and selfish, in the healthiest sense of the word. Something that we do only for ourselves, without giving explanations to anyone, that produces nothing but the feeling of finally being on the right side: ours. To dare now means to stop waiting for the right time and to channel all the energy of summer into a single, blatant truth. The Ace of Wands doesn't promise that it will be okay. It promises a start, and it's already something.

The Summer Solstice rituals to illuminate, protect and dare

Stop lighting what doesn't need light

In the first forty-eight hours of the solstice, hide or uninstall from your phone all the apps you use to show off and to watch the lives of others, whether social networks, work emails, dating apps. Take a screenshot of your home screen and archive it. Then, replace the background with a completely white or neutral-colored image. When you turn on the screen, you won't find any urgent notifications or options to choose from, just an empty space. You don't need to do it forever. It is enough to do it even for one day, to remind yourself that you exist even off the screen.

Protect what is being born in the shadows

Find an object that represents the secret project you want to protect: a printed photo, an old heirloom, even just a word written on a sheet of paper will suffice. Put it in a small box, a dark cloth bag, or hide it between the pages of a heavy book that you never open. Store it in the darkest, coolest spot in your home, perhaps a deep drawer, or at the bottom of the closet. It must not be seen by anyone or touched until the Autumnal Equinox. The important thing is to let it mature, so don't worry, if you forget about it over the months: maybe we're not quite ready for that step yet.

Dare without waiting for the right moment

On the night of the Solstice, write on a piece of paper the most courageous, brazen or selfish (in a good way, for goodness sake) thing you want to do this summer, the one that terrifies you but that at the same time makes you smile even at the thought of it. Light a red candle (or orange, or yellow, in short, the colors of fire), and burn the paper, letting the flame consume it. Collect the ash and, if you can, release it in the wind, throwing it from a balcony, in a park, out to the sea: your summer can officially begin.