summer solstice & a wildflower's dream
“and so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, i had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
to whoever reads this, happy solstice ♡
it is the first day of Summer as the Sun has reached the most southerly point in the sky and is at its farthest point from the Earth; marking the longest day of the year for us in the southern hemisphere.
the space around me is feeling calm. i have spent the better part of the last 2-3 weeks clearing not only my room but two sections of the family home that i have had my eye on for a while and it is now feeling fresh and new (i also wrote a little bit on minimalism and how it tied into my Solstice ritual here).
i picked up some flowers locally to welcome this new season which through Spring and Summer is one of my favourite things to do. we have baby’s breath which is a favourite of mine because they are (to me) the perfect dried flower, seemingly always ‘in bloom’ long after you’ve taken them out of their water vase. i wore amethyst, pearl and a herkimer diamond ring while holding these.
there are wildflowers framed by eucalyptus leaves, matched with a blue siberian quartz and emerald stone, with citrine alongside the sunflowers.
the tide is high and the sound of the waves lulled me awake this morning after a very wild rain and lightning storm last night continuing into the afternoon.
the air is warm and was humid at sunrise and the local farmers are selling big boxes of cherries and fresh fruit along the roads of yellow wildflowers here in the coast.
take a few moments today to be still and reflect.
i sometimes call it ‘coming towards yourself’ - assess how you feel, what energy are you attracting with those emotions, what worries/questions/anger/confusion are you holding onto that’s causing you to unknowingly hold your breath or hold tension? relax, exhale.
i find whenever i have been on my phone or am scrolling through social media is when i would hold my breath the most; an overload of consumption and my eyes glued to a glowing screen. i have taken a near 2 month break off of instagram recently until today and it has felt so nice i contemplated even posting again at all. i will be writing a separate post on that and my thoughts on social media as a whole sometime because it’s a peculiar world the online one.
all i’ll say for now is, put your phone down more, look up to the real world more, and break the habit of checking any social media both before sleeping and when you’ve woken up.
your mind and thoughts deserve to be your own at those sensitive times when we are welcoming a new day and preparing to rest. my dreams have become so much more vivid if i instead meditate or read before bed rather than be filling my mind of what everyone else is doing.
today, this weekend, write down some of your thoughts, call a loved one, do some yoga, dance it out, walk barefoot in nature, eat a fresh salad with some lemon or lime sprinkled over, stay hydrated; just remember be kind to yourself, be patient, you aren’t alone - you are growing every day and you are doing great.
midsummer/summer solstice rituals date back to places all over our planet - ancient Egypt, Rome and Stonehenge. in Egypt, Summer Solstice coincided with the first phase of the Nile’s flooding, marking the Egyptian New Year.
in ancient China, they celebrated the switch from yang to yin energy for the next half-year.
many use the solstice to take a moment to be still, meditate and reflect to balance their masculine and feminine energies as during this time the Sun (masculine) ushers in a new solar cycle (zodiac sign Cancer rules this season and is governed by the emotional Moon (feminine); probing us to be asking questions such as in what ways can we (or do or don’t we) balance the masculine and feminine forces in our lives?
where could you use a little more gentle, receptive yin? where could you yang it up and put in more action-oriented, decisive energy?
we all contain both energies within us, and in an age where gender is becoming more fluid and redefined than ever, the solstice is a really beautiful, celebrated moment to widen our notions of what that means for us.
the Romans honoured the goddess Vesta (symbolising the hearth and its fire) with their Vestalia Solstice Soiree.
the Greeks honoured Cronus, or Saturn, the God of Agriculture, at their solstice Kronia festival, where slaves and free people feasted as equals for a day.
there are also annual (twice a year for both Solstice’) gatherings around Stonehenge (the energy in such a location would be amazing considering its history !).
i have only recently (this year especially) become more in tune with these shifts of the planets, the sun and the moon and how they affect us (i am really interested in astrology in that personally it helps me feel more in tune with myself and because i love reflecting throughout all the seasons and phases of the moon; an occasion such as the Solstice (despite being born in Autumn) i really love to take in and celebrate and pin point as a new chapter for the upcoming season and new year.
on the flip-side i also in its entirety believe that time is of course a social construct and doesn’t truly exist but it is nice to see society as a collective (for the most part) take events such as the first day of the month/year/season as a step to better ourselves as far as our well-being/state of awareness/conscious eating/deciding to cutting out the bullshit once and for all is concerned.
so while you can decide to take a new journey, start new habits for your lifestyle at ANY time of the day/year/month; absolutely still have yourself a solstice party and buy a new calendar and write down your goals and buy those flowers and buy that new outfit and aim for the galaxy for your new years resolutions - don’t let any one take that excitement away from you fellow human - we all need a little something to get us going and decide to start again in what ever ways big or small wild or not.
so, with what/how do some people celebrate the Summer (and Winter) Solstice you may wonder?
well, because it celebrates the longest day of the year (for us down here), it’s a day that is believed to hold great energy, prosperity, vitality and strength.
whereas the Winter solstice celebrates the longest hours of darkness or the rebirth of the Sun and is believed to in turn hold a powerful energy for regeneration, renewal and self-reflection.
in Pagan times, the Summer Solstice was referred to as Litha (Midsummer’s day/the Goddess and the Green man celebration) and rituals were conducted to honour the Sun gods, the Divine Light and the element of fire.
people would rejoice and re-energize themselves under the warm light of the sun, believing that because the Sun was strongest that day, so too was God.
vibrationally, the Summer Solstice is a time when Yang energy is high as well as the Root, Sacral and Solar Plexus Chakra. (click here for a simple guide of the Chakras if you’ve heard of them but want to learn more!)
(quick note on the mentioned Chakras above)
our Root Chakra is red - it is our fundamental energy centre, located at the base of our spine/pelvic floor and is responsible for your sense of safety and security on this earthly journey.
our Sacral Chakra is orange - it is located in our lower abdomen and the primary drive is pleasure; energy, compassion, grounded intuition, emotional stability and a zest for life felt if strong.
our Solar Plexus Chakra is yellow - it sits by our navel and is our is centre of strength and balance, both physical and emotional. When this chakra is open and the energy flows unhindered, it is responsible for a balanced self-esteem, willpower, and a strong sense of self.
each Chakra is linked to different stones/affirmations/food we eat etc. to help either strengthen, heal, or find them.
meditation is one of the most effective ways to activate your chakras (or to simply wind down and be still and allow your mind to rest from what i feel can be sort of like an overactive hamster wheel of thoughts/worries/plans that we need to learn to let go of for short bursts every day).
short, simple meditation exercises can work well, especially for those who struggle with longer meditation. since the goal is to have an opened and activated solar plexus chakra, some people try imagining a bright yellow flower opening over your navel, or a glowing golden ball of light or a burning flame are also good meditations to gently visualise as you breathe deeply in and exhale. reminding yourself that:
i love and accept myself.
i respect and honour myself.
i can achieve anything I desire.
i believe in myself.
i deserve to be loved and respected by those around me.
today, there are many ways that you can pay tribute to the sun including spending time outdoors, bringing nature into your home, setting up breakfast/lunch/dinner (or all 3!) outside without the distractions of the television or our phones (even invite some friends or neighbours over for a Solstice party and dine together under the lavender skies and make cold herbal drinks with honey to sweeten), doing yoga sun salutations, chakra mediations, lighting a candle, going for a walk after dinner, calling a loved one to wish them a happy bright solstice or sharing ideas and dreams for the season and new year ahead.
creating a protective amulet for the year ahead that is charged with the energy of the solstice is also a great way to capture the energy and vitality of the Sun. some people like to charge their crystals by laying them out in the sun, or even themselves being in the sun and sunbathing by the beach and being near the ocean/body of water as zodiac sign Cancer is ruling and is a water sign. (plus it’s the first day of Summer so why not welcome the new season by a dive under the waves, some laps in the pool or even a calming bath with a few drops of essential oils)
use this time out in nature, bringing in some flowers, going for a walk, a few minutes of meditation or a mindful walk alone with your thoughts and reflect and to set intentions.
many people with each moon cycle, on the full moon, write down intentions or manifestations for the new cycle, and as with the Solstice, for the new season and the next 6 months before the next Solstice. some like to create mood boards online or even print them out to create collages and manifest places you’d like to visit, quotes that resonate with you or encourage you etc. to help remind you of what you’d like to attract more of in your life and to remind you that you can truly anything you set your mind to - to think outside the boxes people or you yourself may put yourself in; to remember that you can colour outside the lines, you can put certain things down and walk away from certain people/jobs/places that no longer serve you.
it’s about what kind of energy you want to bring in for the rest of the year, what positive affirmations you will share with yourself each day and where your daydreams and thoughts will drift to - to attract that same warm, positive energy back.
this doesn’t mean we have to be positive all the time because everyone goes through hardships, heartbreak and stress; so for everyone it is different, but i know anyone (including myself) can always be more gentle with ourselves, to try and be more patient, to breathe more deeply, to take some time out when our bodies and minds communicate to us that they need rest.
it can also mean to try different habits into being more positive; maybe instead of apologising too much, try apologise less in contexts when it is not always needed; if you are a few minutes late to something - instead of apologising for being late, to thank the person for waiting for you and being understanding.
if you’ve decided to eat healthier or exercise more, if you don’t for a day or for a week or even a couple of weeks, not to decide that you can’t do it or that it’s no use, but to be kind to yourself, remind yourself you’re learning a new habit, that it’s not a set journey for a destination but a whole new lifestyle, that you can start again that afternoon/that evening/that week, and to always try again, and above all, not be afraid to try again, to start again, but to encourage it, to go for change, to go for uncertainty - for that is when we grow.
psssttt. for all the Winter Solstice babes out there, what is this time all about for you?
well, in Pagan times the Winter Solstice was referred to as Yule and was a celebration of the Goddess (Moon) energy. it was believed that on this day, the Moon would give birth to the Sun.
because of this, many celebrated Yule as a day where light reigned over darkness and believed it was a sign of good things to come.
just like the Summer Solstice, the Winter Solstice was also celebrated with fire, and similarly while the Summer Solstice was more about fertility, the Winter Solstice was also honoured as a time of birth or the start of a new cycle
(Autumn and Spring in this way acts almost as a transition/buffer between these two extremes of Summer and Winter and is why many people focus on only the Winter and Summer Solstice and take it quite seriously to intentions between the first and last 6 months of the year).
you can celebrate/welcome the Winter Solstice with spending time writing in a journal, inner reflection, doing dream work or meditation, working on your Heart, Throat and Third Eye Chakras and bringing more Yin energy into the home.
you can also celebrate with a Goddess bath on the night of the Winter Solstice to help clear away the old and welcome the new. Here’s how:
fill up a bath with warm (not hot) water and light some candles or incense around the bath.
next, you want to add cleansing herbs to the bath such as sage, chamomile, basil, peppermint, cinnamon, sandalwood, lavender or rosemary. You can add them dried, fresh or as essential oils.
as you sink into the warm water, imagine yourself being purified and cleansed from your feet all the way up to your head. Allow yourself to relax into the water and imagine all the old and unnecessary thoughts and feelings being washed away by the energy of the night.
honour your shadow self and offer your fears to the Mother Moon. Allow her to give you the power to re-birth them into something new and positive.
after the ritual, drain the tub water out completely and discard the herbs outside in the moonlight.
we are all connected to the Universe, the Sun, the Moon and Mother Earth, so no matter what ritual you choose to do on the Solstice, why not spend a few moments feeling and honouring this divine connection.
come back to yourself in the most simple sense. breathe, be silent, feel the wind/rain/sunshine on your skin, become aware of your emotions, become aware that you are here now in the moment. it’s when we strip away our ego and we make time to be still that we feel most ourselves, that we return to the root of who we are as human beings. we are all energy, and the energy we consume each day is up to us. you do not have to be ‘doing’ something every moment, you do not have to worry about what another person is doing or thinking; prioritise yourself and your well being if not any other time then today.
i hope you’ll have a beautiful Summer/Winter ahead and i hope your intentions for the new season and year ahead will be a reminder of your unending potential and that you deserve a life you dream of. open yourself to opportunities of change and uncertainty, let go and be open to receive beauty from all aspects in your life; your loved ones, your work, your environment.
wishing a bright solstice,
A
x
i listened to Goldmund’s ‘The Malady of Elegance’ album while writing this. Playlist link here.