The summer solstice is one of the most important natural events of the year. It’s the longest day and signifies a shift in the Earth’s cycles, and in our relationship to them as the Northern Hemisphere is bathed in light.
There’s a reason so many cultures around the world and throughout human history have seen the summer solstice as a sacred and divine day! What better time to go outside, take a moment, pause, and connect deeply with yourself than when nature’s peaking in energy?
Here are a few rituals to help you enjoy and empower yourself during the summer solstice.
1. See the Sunrise:
The rising of the sun is a symbolic time, a sign of new beginnings and rebirth. The sunrise of the summer solstice is the most powerful one of all, and participating in it can give you energy for the year to come.
First, find a place from which the sunrise can be seen. The more secluded and natural the better, but if that isn’t possible, any view will do.
Arrive a little early so you have time to relax and prepare yourself for the moment. Take a few deep breaths and relax your body.
As the sun begins to rise, meditate on your own new beginnings. What can you harness the energy of the summer solstice for in your own life? Feel free to close your eyes and visualize that golden orb inside of you, burning and providing heat, energy, and life. Breathe in deeply and feel each breath giving you more energy and growing the sun inside.
As you leave, you’ll be reinvigorated and ready for anything that comes your way.
2. Write a Journal:
Journalling outdoors is another great activity for reflection and harnessing the power of the sun. Find a good (preferably natural and peaceful) spot to sit down outside. Ground and center yourself with a few deep breaths and feel your spirit soaking up the sun’s energy.
When you’re ready, take out your journal and reflect on anything you like, or try these prompts if you’re not sure where to begin:
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The sun is at its peak during the summer solstice. What times recently have you felt strong, or at your peak? What have you accomplished that you are proud of? What were the peaks in your life so far this year?
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Summer is a season empowered by the sun’s fire. Take a moment and meditate on the fire burning inside of you. What makes you feel strong, driven, and ablaze with life? For a moment, allow yourself to be grateful for your strengths. How has your inner fire manifested in your life? How has it helped you?
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The summer solstice is also a time of letting go, as the days begin to become shorter again, the sun’s cycle is completed, and light is lost. What cycles are coming to an end for you? What parts of your life are no longer useful and should be let go? How will those changes bring new growth and life for you?
3. Watch the Sunset:
Hopefully you were able to watch the sunrise, and take some time to reflect on beginnings and rebirth. But cycles also come to an end and conclusions are essential parts of life. Return to your sunrise spot, if you can see the sunset from there as well, or find a new spot to view it from.
As you watch the sun drift downwards, reflect now on what parts of your life which have reached their peak. What were your recent accomplishments? Your recent conclusions? Feel proud of those achievements. What things in your life do you think must soon come to an end, either naturally or with your help? How will those changes help prepare you for the new growth and new birth soon to come?
4. Light and Watch a Fire:
Once the sun has set, there is still a ritual you may perform. A small (or large!) bonfire or campfire is ideal for this, but even a small candle will do. Take some deep breaths as the fire is lit and reflect on what things in your life you would like to let go. They can be negative or unneeded thoughts, memories or attachments. Write those down on some scraps of paper.
Meditate on those things and the flickering heat and light of the fire. Feel the fire overcoming them in your mind and giving your body strength. When you’re ready, toss the scrap papers in the fire.
As they burn, and rise up and drift away as smoke, let yourself become free of them with the summer solstice’s powerful energy. Reflect on yourself without them, and on the room you now have for new thoughts and memories, and new days.
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Sources:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2015/06/summer-solstice-a-solitary-ritual.html