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Today is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year, the day the "sun stands still." The significance of this event for people in many cultures, as far as we know, precedes and far outweighs that of more familiar holidays. If you're looking for something to celebrate, or a moment to reflect or connect to the larger powers and patterns that contain and support this human enterprise, the solstice is a good opportunity for both. The veil between the worlds, as the Celts say, is very thin. We can communicate with the unseen, however you define it.
The Celts called the solstice Midsummer or Litha. They celebrated the fertility of the earth and power of the cosmos, the fruit of the wedding of Heaven and Earth under the Honey Moon, an event reinforced this year by the conjunction of the planets Venus and Mars. Think Aphrodite and Ares, Love and War, the Feminine and the Masculine, the powers of relatedness and the powers of discrimination or discernment. These themes can be imagined in the context of a relationship with another person or between the aspects of self. It's a good time to ask "What do I want to bring into the world?"
The summer solstice begins (began) at 1:45AM but don't be dismayed if you're a bit late in calling the powers that be. Happy honey moon!
