Saint John's Night 🔥🌿

Ever since I was very young, I've felt connected to Saint John's Night. Long before I understood lunar phases, before I knew how planetary transits would affect my life, and long before I knew we were surrounded by magic, I already sensed that Saint John's Night was one of those nights that marks a turning point in the calendar.

Before moving on to rituals and telling you what I do every Saint John's Night, let me explain where this popular belief comes from.

If we look at the pagan origins of this celebration, it stems from the summer solstice (which I'll also discuss), the moment when night slowly begins to gain ground over daylight while the light reaches its peak. It was celebrated with great bonfires and beautiful dances and leaps around them to ward off evil spirits.

Whereas if we look at its religious origin, we link it to the birth of Saint John the Baptist, who died at the stake.

Now let's get to what really matters.

Three elements are essential on Saint John's Night: fire, water, and herbs.

Fire 🔥 symbolizes purification, renewal, destroying negativity, protection, and good luck for the year ahead.

Water 💦 represents fertility, health, spiritual cleansing, and prosperity.

And herbs 🌿 like rosemary, spearmint, lavender, Saint John's wort itself, rue, sage, chamomile, roses...

What do we do with all this? 🔮🌝

1. Days before Saint John's Night, prepare your herbs.

There's no point in rushing out desperately an hour beforehand to grab the first random plants you can find. Be mindful and remember that each herb has a meaning and is used for something specific. For example:

1. Rue: protection, mental abilities, purification, health, comfort
2. Sage: healing, longevity, good health, psychic awareness, protection
3. Spearmint or mint: purification, preservation, money, protection, love, success
4. Rose: healing, love, reconciliation, self-love, problem-solving
5. Rosemary: protection, healing, improved concentration
6. Saint John's wort, the most typical herb for this night: courage, power of the sun, purification, healing, fertility

These are just a few. If you want more information about any of them, ask me in the comments.

Choose wisely which herbs you'll use. You can buy them if you don't have access to nature nearby. We live in 2026, and while going out into nature to gather herbs is very magical and Wiccan, we have herbal shops and local stores that can supply us perfectly well.

Set them aside for the night of June 23rd, and before the sun sets, place them in a bowl with water and leave them outside all night, or on a windowsill. The next morning, wash your hands and face with them and let them air dry.

⚠️ be careful with the herbs you choose, as some can irritate your skin. When in doubt, consult your doctor—health comes first ⚠️

Extra tip: you can place a crystal in the bowl that you feel attuned to, to accompany the herbs you've chosen.

2. Write down EVERYTHING you want to leave behind. Write it properly, don't leave anything out.

For example, if you want to leave that toxic job that's costing you your health, don't just grab a piece of paper and write "job." No, spell it out. You don't have to make a speech, but give the universe reasons:

"I want to leave this job that's costing me my health so much. I'm going to leave it behind. It's going to be part of the past."

"I'll leave behind the fears that hold me back."

"I'm going to let go of this negative feeling that X family member/X person causes me."

"I'm going to leave my addictions behind. I'm going to be a better, healthier person."

The more you write, the better. Write down everything you want to release and burn it once the sun has set on the night of the 23rd.

⚠️ be careful with fire—doing a ritual is one thing, setting a forest or house ablaze is another ⚠️ if you live in an apartment or can't make a fire, simply light a candle and bury the papers in a plant pot, or tear them up and throw them in the trash outside your home ⚠️

3. If you have the sea nearby...

If you're near the sea, you'll know that Saint John's Night is the perfect time for a midnight swim. Jumping over 7-9 waves with your back to the sea is a fairly widespread ritual. Nothing purifies more than seawater. Studies are even being conducted to prove that we absorb magnesium and other powerful minerals present in this water through our skin.

If going to the sea isn't possible, it's enough to take a shower or bath with a handful of salt as an exfoliant.

My personal advice: this night is magical, very magical, but it can also be very powerful in negative ways. For me, it's a mirror reflecting the light of the solstice, and what we do on Saint John's Night echoes throughout the rest of the year. Act wisely, practice these rituals from a place of love and good faith, from a desire to move forward and celebrate this festivity with love, compassion, and respect...

Tell me in the comments what you're going to do tonight. I'm reading 🔥 🌓. I'm leaving you a photo from my last Saint John's.