Solstice Honoring

Last night I ate a heavier meal than usual. This morning I slept in. Later I won’t go to the gym as I usually do. It’s solstice time. The sun appears to be standing still as it slowly turns to go back along the horizon line (moving north or south, depending on your hemisphere). This is how we shift into the new season. A lot of people get sick during solstice week, though we don’t need to pause that way. Rather, we can follow the body’s subtle or insistent promptings to slow, tune inward, and when ready, reach out to reconnect with the wheeling planet. Freshly centered within ourselves, we can enjoy the profound delights of sensing the air, listening to the trees, watching the new flight patterns of birds. Something in the body wants to do this; it’s ancient, powerful, and pleasurable. Some people like to sit in meditation on solstice. Others perform ceremony and ritual. Some buy new journals, others select goals for the season, some light candles, others take walks in the park. It doesn’t particularly matter what you do on solstice. It’s the spirit with which you do it that brings the magic. The solstice is a bright jewel on the year’s necklace. Wear it with joy this week.