We’ve arrived at midsummer eve, an evening of flickering candles and divination, mugwort and deep dreams. June 21 is Summer Solstice (in the Northern hemisphere) or Litha - the pinnacle of the Light, the triumphant day of the Sun, the longest day and shortest night of the year. Astrologically Solstice is initiated when the sun moves into 0 degrees Cancer, which is exact at 8:54am. That same morning, dreamy Neptune in Pisces stations retrograde until November 27, and the July eclipses are coming soon. Solstice is a day of radiance and boundless light, a time to celebrate abundance and offer gratitude. The great and shining Sun reaches its perfection and fullness, and in a moment’s time we head into the dark half of the year. It will still be summer for quite some time, but we know that the light begins to wane and the darkness starts to build. This is the wheel of the year, turning once again… Our lives, when aligned with nature’s way, pulse in this same way.
We are in familiar territory; life is constantly shifting and changing, bringing beauty and challenges, and there’s always more. That is the promise of life: the promise that there will always be more, more of everything. It’s happening in our lives as well, the unfolding and releasing, invoking and establishing. There is a constant pulsing of life flowing, waxing and waning, expanding and contracting. The Great Creatrix blinking us into into being, disappearing us, and bringing us back again. Birth, death, rebirth. We have an intimate understanding of this experience living life as householders on a path, navigating the exquisite and terrifying, holding the midline of ourselves and our true spiritual practice.
Many are going through big changes at this time, some unexpected, and the enormity of the destabilization and confusion can be overwhelming. This is a time of immense amplification and acceleration. Some of you may feel like you’ve been startled and exposed, your shell cracked open, your paradigm shifting. Remember to tune into your intuition and trust. The creative intelligence of the Universe is reorganizing you and your life; this can feel uncomfortable, even unbearable, but through our dedication to our spiritual practices we are becoming more skilled at allowing every circumstance of life to take us into the primal power of our hearts. It takes time and in the midst of it it isn’t pretty, it doesn’t feel good, and sometimes there is nothing to do but let the feelings and energies wash over you.
FEEL EVERYTHING.
Try to stay rooted in your belly and bones, with your heart open in radical vulnerability, and hold on. Love yourself fiercely and allow your compassion to turn inward as a new practice. Make art with your tears and frustrations when necessary, dig your fingers and toes into the black earth to ground, and remember that you belong. More will unfold- there’s always more to the story.
On this Solstice, make a date with the Sun… bask in the warmth and relish the sunshine in the morning or mid-day or late afternoon. At sunset say goodbye to the Sun disappearing into the sea, to be reborn in the sky on Winter Solstice. The fullness of the light breaks into the beginning of the dark in its ancient way. You don’t have to craft an elaborate ritual to mark the occasion, and in fact heartfelt, contemplative presence is all that is necessary to honor this seasonal shift meaningfully. Late in the evening, light a candle and renew your commitments and offer your blessings. Bow to the golden radiance that burns brightly inside your own heart and vow to stay true to yourself.
♡,
KK
*I updated this piece- originally on the website and then published in 2015 on Yoganonymous.com. It is just as relevant now.
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