it’s nine in the evening as i write this, and the solstice is upon us.
monday’s sunset
today, in the northern hemisphere, we are celebrating the longest day of the year. the day that is the culmination of all of the light-gathering that has been occurring since the winter solstice back in december. every day since then, we have been marching forward to this very moment. this moment when light and warmth and heat are the most powerful + abundant.
we celebrate being alive. being aware. and where we have come from since our last solstice.
tuesday’s sunset
what did you imagine for your life back in december? whether you were celebrating the solstice back then or not, it was the end of 2014, and with that ending, i am certain that we all said a few prayers or had a few dreams and wishes for the new year that was upon us. what were yours? do you remember?
if you were reading my blog back then, then you might have even joined me in picking a word for 2015 – a word to light your way, to inspire you + to guide you. what was your word? have you thought about it? have you used it? is it still relevant?
if you didn’t pick a word, then what would your word be now – for the last 6 months of 2015 that lie ahead of us? what do you want or need to focus on?
wednesday’s sunset
as part of my summer solstice celebration today, i have gone back to my journal and my blog posts at the end of 2014. i have reread the things that i wrote, and brought up the old feelings and hopes that i had locked deep inside me as i wondered what 2015 would bring me as i chose my word for 2015: empowered.
here’s some of what i wrote last december about choosing the word empowered.
“for 2015 i am focusing on the power that is within me to push me to follow through with many things that i need + want in my life. the word feels just perfect to me. ultimately it is simply a kick in the ass. a movement from being to doing. and yet, all of my action comes from a deeply grounded place within me. it feels like a balanced word. a balance from the power that i can draw from the well of my soul, that thrusts me forward. it’s a word that reminds me that there are things to do and a life to live and it’s time to make shit happen. no holding back. i am fearless. powerful. ready. disciplined. that right… i’m empowered.”
in many ways, i have been embracing + living out my word. but, in many ways, i also have much, much more to do.
however, when i slow down just enough to really think about it… though i may not have burst on the scene of 2015 with guns blazing, like i thought i would. and, even if it has taken me some time to “find myself” again, now that i am back in sweden. i realize that it needed to take me a while to settle in.
but, here’s the critical part: in all of those processes over the past 6 months, i have found myself now at a crossroads, a jumping off point. it’s as if i can just now see that the first 6 months were the groundwork i needed to do in order to launch into my active cycle of empowerment for the second part of the year. i’ve been building the power within, and now it’s time for it all to burst out and push me forward.
thursday’s sunset
it’s time to fly, baby!
and you know what? it really is time for us to fly. that’s what the summer solstice is all about. what we’ve been holding close to our hearts for the past six months is aching to be released into the here and now. the energy has been building, and today, when the sun is high + the day is long + the light is oh so bright, today, is the culmination and gathering of all of that energy.
friday’s sunset: midsummer’s eve in sweden (not take at my apartment. we are at a party)
the word solstice means the standing of the sun and it is also time for us to stop, be still, listen to our inner voice, remember past promises to ourselves and make preparations for the road ahead. on the solstice we have the luxury of being still and gathering all of that energy. at the winter solstice, we cast our dreams out into the universe, inspired by the magic of the winter darkness. since then everything has been on its journey outward towards manifestation, the journey towards light. with the summer solstice the process of everything turning inward begins once more. now is when our intentions are set to propel us towards our dreams.
today, during the summer solstice, we are at our brightest, most filled with magic and light and energy. as i read somewhere else, “the soil of our soul is ripe for manifesting”. now is the time, friends to live with our true purpose. to embrace fully our own true path.
we are filled with energy, excitement, expectation, and positivity. if we don’t quite feel that way today, the feeling will come. everything in the universe is conspiring with us to help us follow our bliss. right now, as if the light + power of midsummer were not enough, the moon is becoming is increasing in size, towards its next full moon.
saturday’s sunset
the bottom line, friends, it’s time for some freaking awesome action.
have you had a change on your mind lately? has your soul been whispering to you of your dreams? this is it. this is the time to begin to act on it all. have courage. believe. trust. and leap into the great, unbelievable unknown.
we are all bursting at the seams in one way or another… it’s all of that energy that’s been building up since the winter solstice. it is ready to be released. you are ready. i am ready. today is the day that we start marching forward into making our dreams into a reality. we really can start to live our bliss. it’s time to break free from all of our fears and struggles and embrace that freedom that is calling our name. nothing is impossible. anything is possible. the life that we have been created to live is right there in front of us…
sunday’s sunset: the summer solstice!
so, accept + celebrate the journey that you are on. take some time today to reflect now where you have been since the winter’s solstice. and set your intentions for where you want to go.
by all means get outside if you can. bask in the sunlight, enjoy the long day. let that energy rush through you, preparing you for the next part of your journey.
i, personally, just went outside to take the above photo, and sat on a bench for about 10 minutes, just breathing in the air. a stranger walked by me and went into my building, greeting me with an infection, joyful “hello!” – not a super common thing, for swedes to just randomly stalk to strangers. but, with the sunset + his hello + all of this energy, i just felt as if i was overwhelmed with joy + excitement in the simplicity of the beauty of the moment.
go and celebrate this solstice, my friends, knowing that who you are + where you are, are perfectly aligned, with the universe. everything is set. we’ve been journeying to this moment since december (and since our whole lives). the light has filled us and we are bursting with anticipation. it’s time to claim the life that we want to live. to claim our own unique purpose in life.
and to shine like the sun.
a blessed solstice to you all!
onwards + upwards! xo
all of the sunset photos are taken by me this week as we journeyed toward the summer solstice today. i wanted to record the late sunsets that we enjoy here in sweden, where the sun does not set until about 11pm. the light has most definitely affected me and energized me. magic + love! woo hoo!
A Prayer to the Sun
The sun is high above us
shining down upon the land and sea,
making things grow and bloom.
Great and powerful sun,
we honor you this day
and thank you for your gifts.
Ra, Helios, Sol Invictus, Aten, Svarog,
you are known by many names.
You are the light over the crops,
the heat that warms the earth,
the hope that springs eternal,
the bringer of life.
We welcome you, and we honor you this day,
celebrating your light,
as we begin our journey once more
into the darkness.
prayer from here.
Liz, I owe you another thank you for this post. In an odd coincidence I was reflecting the day before the solstice on what I was doing and where I was going (figuratively), examining some actions, etc. and my word randomly popped into my head – a word that I sadly lost sight of. Since a lot of things have changed (again) in 6 months I’m not sure if I still need it or if I even kind of “did it” and am now in a different stage but wherever I am, the point is that I kind of lost a certain perspective and thinking about this over the past few days and now reading your post made me realize that I need to revisit that. Very much related to this is that the next day (the solstice) I accomplished something I wasn’t sure I could do and had been working towards — a non-important thing to be sure, but a 6-monthish goal nonetheless — and this threw me back on reflecting about that. So reading this just now brought these two things together and made me realize what it is – what is common to both those things, that I need to be examining. My soul has been yelling (not really whispering) about my past promises but I didn’t really get the message until your post pointed the way. So, thank you again.
I am excited for your crossroads and wish you luck as you continue move determinedly into the future, kicking ass all the way. If you should get delayed however (those road signs tend to be tricky sometimes) I wish you strength and inner peace. xoxo
Oh wow, Meghan. What a journey – of all kinds – you have been own.I am so glad that this post could trigger some thoughts and ponderings that your soul has been yearning for you to ponder. It is amazing how time and space gives us such perspective, and I am certain that all of the time and space that has been in-between these thoughts and promises of you has been exactly the right amount of time and space you needed to come to the understanding that you have right now.The journey is always so long, and yet so amazing.
Of course I will be delayed, and confused, but the crossroads in which I find myself, I realize, is at least another step towards living life the way that I have been called to live it. I will never reach the end during this lifetime. It is a constant journey, one of continuous transformation and growth. And, I humbly accept your wishes of strength and inner peace, I always need those to help guide me on my way.
Blessings of love and light to you as you journey on. xoxo