Full Moon: July 10, 2025, the Buck Moon. In late spring, male deer (bucks) start to grow new antlers, and these new antlers, coated in velvety fur, can be fully visible by July.
Celebration: There’s no specific celebration on the wheel of the year for July but celebrate anyway. How about July birthdays? Bastille Day (July 14, independence day in France)? If you’re still in the broom closet, call it a Fourth of July celebration and invite your non-Pagan friends, too. Soak up the sunlight and remember your sunscreen! Be smart about honoring the sun. Amazon offers thousands of UV protection garments for men, women, and children.
Altar: If you have any antlers, the Buck Moon is a good time to incorporate them on your altar. Deer do shed their antlers. If you live in an area with a strong deer population, you may be able to find them in the woods. You can always buy them (in among dog treats) but I have no idea if deer are killed to get these. The days may be getting shorter, but there are still more than 12 hours of sunlight per day. It’s summer and sunny, so you can re-use other items from your Litha altar or add new ones. If you have an outdoor altar, you can put out honey cakes or seed cakes for the birds or create a new space just for birds and insects (so no birds poop on your altar). Any summer ritual is a good time to honor bees. Without pollinators, most plants could not survive. You can add a bee watering station to your bird area or set up a bee altar somewhere else. If anyone in your household is allergic to bee stings, put your bee altar far away from areas people frequent. A bee watering station is essentially a shallow dish holding marbles or rocks and water. They are sold commercially but it’s easy to make your own and I think the bees will appreciate your effort. Bees also like hummingbird feeders.
Spirit guide: This is a repeat from last month but the spirits remain the same. Solar animals symbolize sunlight and fire. dragons, and phoenix. You can find some good ideas here – Think of rams, dragons, lions, eagles, https://www.sunsigns.org/solar-animal-symbolism/
Craft: If you like the idea of setting up a bee altar, you can craft your own bee watering station and/or hummingbird feeder. Of course, you can always purchase these and dedicate them during your ritual. If the bees appreciate your offerings, be prepared for bee stings just in case. Here’s some advice on treating bee stings – https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/injured-skin/bites/treat-bee-sting . Keep some tweezers handy for removing the stinger. It’s nice to have a homemade boo-boo bunny around. There are plenty of instructions and videos online to make your own. Here’s an easy one – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqHMklWkM_0 . I know these are for kids, but they always make me feel better. You can just put an ice cube in a small boo-boo bunny but you can also make your own reusable ice packs to have on hand for larger boo-boos (sunburn comes to mind). Just mix one part rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) with three parts water and store in a ziplock bag or reusable snack bag. (These are my fave and I also use them for storing necklaces so they don’t get tangled.) Store one or two in the freezer so you have one handy. For larger injuries, use more solution and a larger bag. Don’t leave any ice pack in direct contact with exposed skin. Wrap the ice pack in cloth and leave it on for 20 minutes, then off for 20 minutes.
Writing Down the Moon 