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Summer Solstice Greetings to all my friends,
June 21st is the Summer Solstice. Ancient people knew that the Mother Goddess was pregnant and would give birth at Lammas (August 2nd) with the first of her abundant harvests.
Also known as Midsummer, it is one of the eight great spokes on the Celtic wheel of the seasons. The Solstice (meaning sun stands still) is universally recognized in all cultures as an important turning point—it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Sun energy is at its peak and we feel the primal creative force of the Sun. I wonder if those who chose to make Father’s Day so close to the Summer Solstice each year knew this. Just as Mother’s Day is close to Beltane which is the ultimate celebration of fertility, Father’s Day is close to the Celtic tradition of honoring male energy. Hmmm.
I have been sensing the theme of gratitude as an important theme right now; it is a powerful feeling state that leads to abundance. I’ve come to understand that it is a vibrational dimension quite similar to love. When we are in the feeling of love and when we are in the feeling of gratitude, we are expansive and inclusive. Everything feels right with our world and we see the greatest good in our loved ones and friends, even those we haven’t met. Midsummer is a wonderful time to feel the well-being that is everywhere. Gratitude is a matter of focus and there is much to feel good about. Gardens are blooming, weather is generally temperate, birds sing their beautiful songs, and there is a feeling of fun and lightness among friends.
What you focus on is a choice, the story you tell about your life is one you create, and you are the creator. We have a tendency to believe that the external world, the behavior of those around us, and what’s on the news is what makes us feel good, or the opposite. However, gratitude as well as love is a practiced perception. Notice the feelings you have when you focus on certain things, but be careful not to stay on something that creates uncomfortable feelings in you for very long. The habit of searching for and then concentrating on problems in your life is just that: a habit. So during this very powerful time of the Solstice, begin a new practice, one of focusing on gratitude: for nature, for the sun, for the beauty bursting out everywhere.
Sit outside in a lovely spot and start with focusing on natural beauty and add other aspects of your life that will continue the lovely feeling of gratitude. If you choose, repeat an affirmation that feels really good when you say it such as “I walk in beauty,” or “Source has my back,” or “I am love,” any statement that feels really good to you and then celebrate what is good, feel the gratitude and also celebrate love in all its forms.
Blessings, Linda
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