A happy Summer Solstice, Litha, Midsommar, and Alban Hefin to all of you! As we head into the dark half of the year, I hope that you had an opportunity this past weekend to reflect on the blessings and challenges of the year thusfar.
As the days begin to shorten from this point until Yule, we all can benefit by turning a little more inward and beginning to process and work through those challenges we have identified. As an introvert, I feel like most of my days are focused on rethinking and reexamining. But the dark half of the year doesn’t have to be all about that, it can also be a time where you consciously slow down. Put the breaks on and enjoy a time of deeper connection with life, family and friends. Rather than doing ‘all the things!’ as Allie Brosh attempts in her hilarious and insightful Hyperbole and a Half, just do a few things, deeply.
Above, I’ve shared a picture of what my own, small celebration looked like as my partner and I watched the sun rise on this glorious day. How fortunate were we this year that it fell on a Saturday?
I live in Florida, as you probably guessed, so I just pulled together some seaweed and lit some incense and put some of my favorite stones down in each of the cardinal directions. I recited the Druid’s Prayer (I’m currently studying the Bardic Grade within OBOD) and then gave thanks to the gods, spirits of the land and sea and to the ancestors. It was a powerful ceremony for me, least of which because I challenged myself to do it in a public setting (I’m crushingly shy). Symbolically, it was a great exercise, enacting the changes I would like to see, stepping more definitively forward into myself and who I am. May we all become more of who we are, more loving and accepting of ourselves. May we use this time to help us figure out who our truest selves are…
Brightest blessings to you.