“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, WOW, what a ride!”
- Anonymous
The longest sunlight and shortest night is upon us. Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice, astronomically this marks the start of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter in the Southern. Our planet Earth spins around its own axis which is tilted about 23.5 degrees off the plane, therefore as we rotate around the sun various parts of the Earth are hit with more direct sunlight. Aside from simply recieving more rays, the summer solstice is celebrated across many cultures, with rituals dating back to ancient times.
Sol+stice is derived from a latin root and translates to sun+stand still. The sun rises higher and higher until its seems to be standing still high in the sky, shining down one the Mother Earth. It is the time of happiness, creativity, and manifestation. It is a time of change. Whatever hardships may have been faced in the winter and struggles of spring cleaning are done with and now is the time to reap the benefits of the work. The sun energy provides us with the support needed to transform our thoughts and make happen our ideas. If you were in a funk or were pondering decisions, holding on to the past or anxious about the future, its time to be clear and move forward.
In nature, the seeds were planted and watered with spring showers, now it is time for the fruit to bear. As humans we reconnect with our primal instinct and gain clarity by breaking free from the social norms and micro boxes we have put ourselves in. We break free and soak up the sun energy to revitalize and replenish our core energy.
I am looking forward to this day and hoping to spend some time experiencing the solstice energy. All this talk may sound a little whimsical but there is truth that chemical interactions occur in our brain as a result of daylight/darkness so its not too far fetched that the day with the longest sunlight hours may have some powerful affects on our human vehicles, mentally and energetically.
Take time today to harness your creativity, let go of the past, invigorate your future, and connect with nature!
It’s the perfect time to celebrate individuality and creativity. It is recognized as a time for completing what has gone before and for establishing intentions for the time yet to come.
It is interesting, and sad actually, how out-of-touch we’ve become with nature in our hectic, work-driven society. Many people don’t know what the solstices and equinoxes are and they certainly don’t celebrate them. In ancient times the sun was worshiped. It was a source of livelihood. Crops need sun and rain to flourish. Farmers would celebrate the Summer Solstice with rituals to help their crops grow.
I wish you all a very happy summer solstice. I plan to hold a summer solstice 108 sun salutation practice on Sunday June 27th at 7am. Please post to comments if you are interested or email me madeinyoga@gmail.com.
Metta Love
