june is here. ❍ and that means that there is a shift in the energy in the air. you know, i really begin to settle into the season of summer as soon as june arrives. i feel like celebrating all things bright + light + warm all day, every day. i find it hard to focus on work. i just want to skip around, sleep late, drink beer outside, and travel. and, all of my excitement peaks on the summer solstice. and the longest day of the year feels like it is approaching quickly this year. but, i don’t want to miss out on one second of all of the carefree vibes of this month. so, it’s time to make time for some midsummer rituals to help me drop into each day + let the month unfold one day, one moment, at a time… all the while living my everyday life in rhythm with the season.
the summer solstice arrives on june 22. and, like the winter solstice, it marks a midpoint of the year. the winter solstice marks the middle of the winter season + kicks off the beginning of the lighter half of the year. from the winter solstice until the summer solstice the days brighten + lengthen… culminating in the longest, brightest day of the year on the summer solstice: aka: midsummer. a day to celebrate the sun, light, life, and all things green + alive + earthy.
after midsummer on june 22, the darkest half of the year begins + ushers in our slow descent into the darkness, culminating in the darkest, shortest day of the year on the winter solstice on december 21.
for now, though, we are in the high season of carefree, playful, sunshine-y energy up here in the northern hemisphere. and i plan to soak up every single moment of it by staying grounded + present through these next few weeks by engaging in a midsummer ritual to celebrate the height of the summer + the turning of the seasons.
like i said, i really don’t want these days to just fly by. i want to really be present + aware of the height of the season of warmth + light. i want to acknowledge the fire + passion within me. and discover new ways to radiate my light into the world. i want to soak up the longest, brightest, most free-spirited days of the year before turning towards the cozy, magical dark again.
so, this is my first post in my commitment to a spiritual practice of intuitive blogging to help me stay present + flow with this season of light. just as i did back during the days leading up to the deep, magical darkness of the winter solstice, i am celebrating the days leading up to the fiery, bright summer solstice with 12 blog posts from now until the summer solstice on midsummer day on june 22.
12 days. (every other day). / 12 oracle card readings. / 12 blog posts.
ok, here’s how it’s going to go down this month. i’ve pulled 12 oracle cards. every other day from today, june 2, through june 24 (two days after midsummer), i will share the day’s oracle card + reflect on its meaning in a blog post. so, by the end of june, there will be 12 blog posts in my midsummer rituals series. (to read my midwinter rituals series from december click here).
the reflections i write will simply come from whatever my intuition says, what feelings i feel, and what energy seems to be swirling around and within me. there is no right or wrong. there only is whatever message rises from within. and, should you be following along, you may feel that the card i share means something completely different to you. that’s totally fine! i encourage you to gaze upon the card in my photo in the day’s post + let it speak to you as your soul interprets it.
well, since this is day 1, i suppose it’s time to share the card for today. the card that will get me started on this midsummer rituals journey. ready?!
well, alrighty then. that’s a bad ass card to get started with. there’s nothing like starting a new month + a new journey with a reminder to live out our calling. to be brave enough to walk our own path. to live life from the deepest parts of our soul + the truest parts of our spirit. to just put our strongest, most amazing selves out there. no time for cowering or hiding. the sun is out + it’s time to shine.
this card challenges me to embrace all of who i am. to recognize + accept + celebrate the unique flame that burns within my soul. to dig deep + find that bad ass woman that wants to break free… because this is the season for freedom + truth + light.
to be a warrior, though, doesn’t mean that i am fearless; instead it means that i go forth, walk my path, embody my soul, shine my light, radiate my energy, express all of who i am even though i am afraid. to be a warrior is to be who i am called to be anyway.
but, what is my deepest calling? well, for me, it isn’t something that i am meant to do. it’s not some secret calling that i have to solve like a puzzle. it is, instead, simply being who i am. that’s the calling we all have, i believe.
of course, we all have specific, unique gifts + interests, that are those things that we can do with our lives; but the deepest, greatest calling we all have is to simply be who we already are. to live our most authentic truth out loud. to embody our soul.
it’s a lifelong calling, i believe. one that requires us to evolve, uncover, reveal, discover, and set free little by little as the years pass.
but, even though the journey is long, it is so worth it. because with each season that passes, we come into our own. we settle into our skin. we accept + love ourselves as we are. and that frees us up to make a difference with all of the people we meet.
this summer season, i am more myself than i have ever been. and i can see how i have grown from the seed that i planted in the dark last autumn into more of who i am meant to be. i can feel the warrior woman inside me… pushing me to try new things, to go further + higher + deeper than i ever thought possible. and, while, things may just beginning to come to light in my everyday life, all of the dark work that has been done in my soul over the past 6 months, since the winter solstice, was the rooted, groundwork for this next phase of bright, radiant expression that is bursting forth + ready to shine.
so, this summer solstice season, the warrior woman is encouraging us to be brave. to say “fuck it!” to the expectations, rules, fears, and norms that might hold us back from living our truth. the warrior woman, especially during this month, which is also pride month, inspires us to break out our inner bad ass feminine energy + dare to shine our light as bright + radiant as the sun shines her light on us.
are you ready for this midsummer ritual series? are you ready for this journey toward the light? this is a month meant for revealing + reveling. for unmasking + celebrating. for feeling free + glowing from within. for passion + purpose. for flames + fires. for life + love. i cannot wait to see what this series reveals as the days + weeks pass. i cannot wait to see how perspectives have transformed. i cannot wait to see how much we shine + radiate as we bask in the healing light of the sun.
but, on the way toward our midsummer celebration, we will take it one step at a time. one moment, one early sunrise, one late sunset, one day at a time. basking in the light of our own souls all along the way.
xoxo. liz.
