Not being one to get caught up in the whole Christmas craziness, this is a time of year that I’m thinking about the summer solstice.
In 2011, this occurs on 22 December, and is the longest day and shortest night of the year. From then until the winter solstice on about 21 June, the days slowly get shorter and the nights longer. At the mid-point, about 20 March, is the autumn equinox, when the hours of light and dark are equal. The spring equinox is about 21 September each year, again with equal hours of daylight and dark.
This is the natural rhythm of our planet as it moves through the seasons, and one of the deep connections that many of us have lost in our lives of urban living, technology and busyness. In the southern hemishere, many of the ancient festivals that now have a place in our commercial reality, are based on northern hemisphere timing and are completely out of sync with our seasons.
From the winter solstice to the summer solstice, as the strength of the sun gets stronger, our natural inclination is toward growth, expansion and looking outward, right in tune with the energy of spring and early summer. Conversely, from the summer to the winter solstice, our inclination is to become more introspective, consolidating the lessons we’ve learned in the growth cycle and assimilating them internally.
Whether we are consciously in tune with these natural cycles or not, they affect us at our very core. Becoming more aware of the ebb and flow of sunlight hours can help us to be grounded in the most fundamental way. And that doesn’t have to be difficult!
As we approach the summer solstice, and the end of the calendar year, it’s a good time to reflect on the year that’s past and make a note of your achievements. Looking at what went really well, what had a few sticky bits, and what you have learned is also helpful.
This does three things: it helps you close the year with a sense of accomplishment; it allows you to let go of anything you no longer wish to give energy to; and it provides a platform on which to build your dreams and goals for the coming year. The summer solstice is an excellent time to write all the old stuff you wish to release on pieces of paper and burn them, providing brain space for all those ideas, dreams, goals and inspiration you wish to continue.
I’m not a believer in “new year’s resolutions”, but I do like to create a mind map, vision board, or other visual reminder of my plans for the coming year. How you do this is very personal, but it’s an opportunity to assess where you are, where you’d like to be, and how you might get there. Keep it somewhere you can see it often. More on this process in another post.
This is just another simple way of getting connected with the primal cycles of life, and tapping into the energy that becomes available to you when you are in alignment with them. Find joy in closing your year, and celebrate all you have achieved!
