Monday, June 19 brings Midsummer Eve, an evening of flickering candles and divination, mugwort and deep dreams.
Tuesday, June 20 is Summer Solstice (in the Northern hemisphere) or Litha - the pinnacle and purna (fullness) 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 9:24pm PDT on Tuesday night. 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 wanes and the darkness builds. 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. When I am asked what is happening astrologically, I say, “Everything. All the time.” And it’s true.
This is happening in your 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 sadhana (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 by sudden change, your shell cracked open, your paradigm shifting. Remember to hold the midline and trust, even in the uncontrollable changes that seem to be devouring you. Shakti, the creative potency of the Universe is reorganizing you, and your life.
This can feel uncomfortable, even unbearable, but through our practices we are becoming more skilled at allowing every circumstance of life to take us into the molten radiance of our hearts. That is yoga. 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 as though standing under a powerful waterfall.
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, dig your fingers and toes into the black earth to ground, and remember that you belong. Light a fire in your heart. More will unfold- there’s more to the story.
On this Solstice, make a date with the Sun, bask in the warmth and relish the sunshine. The fullness of the light breaks into the beginning of the dark in its ancient way. At sunset say goodbye to the Sun disappearing into the sea, to be reborn in the sky on Winter Solstice.
Late Tuesday evening, light a candle and renew your commitments and offer your blessings. Bow to the golden radiance that burns brightly inside your own shining heart.
xo, KK
*I updated this piece. Originally on the website and then published in 2015 on Yoganonymous.com, where it got 3.7k likes in a couple of days. It is just as relevant now.
