Celebrating the Longest Day

I woke up yesterday with a big tug on my heart to reconnect with you.

It’s been a while and I’ve missed you.

Today we celebrate the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. It’s our summer solstice and it’s the longest and most light-filled day of the year.

I thought I’d share a little bit about why it’s meaningful for me.

Over the past decade, tuning into the seasons and cycles and the rhythms of Mother Nature has become a spiritual practice for me; it’s one of the ways I feel most connected to my ancestors, whose stories have been lost to me, and to the Something Bigger Than Me that created me.

Noticing textures and patterns in nature has always been fascinating to me.

I think of patterns as being more of a visual thing, but patterns are also found in rhythms . . . the rhythm of the day is reflected in the lunar cycle, which can be seen in earth’s journey around the sun.

If you’re scratching your head, maybe this is a little more clear:

• I think of midnight being akin to the new moon and to the winter solstice.
• I think of sunrise corresponding to the first quarter moon and to the spring equinox.
• I think of noon being like the full moon and to the summer solstice.
• And I think of sunset relating to the third quarter moon and to the fall equinox.

My Rituals

I have a ritual I like to follow through each lunar cycle.

During the new moon, I set intentions for the coming four weeks and during the full moon, I symbolically release anything that’s not serving my new moon intentions.

I have similar rituals for the solstices.

For several weeks before and after winter solstice, I spend time reflecting on the past year and setting intentions for the coming year. . . it’s a time when I allow myself to dream big. By the time summer solstice comes around, I have an awareness of what needs to be released so that the intentions I set back in the winter have more fertile ground to grow in; I like to think of this releasing as weeding.

Last year, my best friend and I shared a dear and poignant Summer Solstice. We’d both decided that we wanted to free up some space to write new chapters in our lives, so we planned a journal burning ceremony. We spent the day making flower essences with flowers from her yard, we prepared the loveliest salad niçoises complete with edible nasturtiums and we toasted with a beautiful wine. Then, when it was dark outside, we built a fire, and quietly burned pages from our journals. It was simple and quiet, but deeply meaningful.

I have a quiet and solitary solstice celebration planned for today. This afternoon, I’ll light a candle and refresh my personal altar. I’ll journal and will probably make a few SoulCollage® cards. I may drum a bit, too. It will be different than last year, but equally as sacred.

What about you?

How are you planning to celebrate the solstice?

If so, I’d love to hear.

On this light-filled day, I’ll also be remembering each of you and celebrating the light you bring into this world. I am grateful for you. 

Photo Credit: Marc Clinton Labiano