The Summer Solstice is the time when the Sun appears highest in the sky. It’s been celebrated for a long time, even before it had any religious association, because it represents the beginning of summer and the midpoint of the year in the Western (solar) calendar.
And this year it marks a special energy opening for good opportunities as well, because it is preceded and empowered by an unusual and auspicious placement of planets. I’ll tell you more about it below.
A Solstice is a celebration of the Sun as well as a time of fulfillment. In many traditions, people gather around a bonfire on this day to honor the longest day of the year, with its promise of fertility and growth. The Sun also represents masculine energy, the consciousness that allows us to perceive and experience life.
If you think about it, a Solstice is like the brief stopping point of each breath. Between each inhalation and exhalation, there is an instant where your breathing stops. Eastern meditation techniques focus on using this moment to go into deeper states of consciousness.
Enlightened teachers have taught that if you can become absolutely present at the end of an inhalation or exhalation, you’ll experience timelessness—the eternal existence of the Self. These points, like the Solstices in the macro cosmos, are opportunities to delve deeper into our being.
So take this moment to inquire within and be completely honest with yourself. Review what you’ve accomplished since the Winter Solstice. Are you still aligned with your goals and actively pursuing them? Or have you perhaps redirected your attention toward new aims?
Have you gained clarity about where you’re headed and what you want or don’t want? Have you invested in what connects you to yourself and gets you closer to what you desire? Or maybe you’ve stalled or gotten distracted?
No matter where you are, give yourself the time and energy of this Solstice to regroup and recharge, and set a clear intention for your vision—for success, abundance, healing, and insight. Put it in writing, if it helps; visualize it, draw it, or express it in your favorite creative way.
You can also gather with others to celebrate the Sun, do Sun salutations if you like yoga, chant mantras, pray to the Sun, write poetry, or honor this energy in any way you feel like. You can simply go outside and welcome the Sun’s energizing power on your skin, but don’t forget that the most important aspect is to connect to your inner Sun—your awareness—to lighten the path you’re on and expand your journey of self-exploration.
This year the Summer Solstice is preceded by a very auspicious placement of Jupiter and Saturn that marks a planetary opening for optimism, wisdom, wealth, fortune, education, and all around good luck for the next five months. This wonderful combination will repeat in 60 years and then will not come again for several hundred years!
So take advantage of this time of growth and positive change to get your goals, dreams, and aspirations going. Contact me if you need clarity, guidance, and support. Happy Summer Solstice to you!
© 2014 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
