Today is the Summer Solstice, which is the longest day of the year and one of the eight holidays that I celebrate throughout the year. This day marks the ‘official’ transition into summer and a shift from days that become longer and longer through the spring into days from here on out will grow shorter and shorter for the next six months.
This holiday is often called Midsummer or Litha, although I usually just refer to it as the Summer Solstice. On my path, it celebrates the turning point of summer, where the build-up of creative energy from the spring crests into a time of abundance as we travel into the depths of summer in much the same way that the growing energies of the full moon crest before beginning to wane each month.
Horse / Courage – What can I do to build up my courage to live life with more honesty and integrity?
Fruit Wine – Celebrate and take pride in yourself, but also take time to listen to others opinions of you instead of hiding from them or shrugging them off. Those opinions are far more complimentary than you think, and far more genuine than the negative narrative whispering lies in your head would like you to believe.
Daisy / Innocence – How can I insert more innocence and purity into how I view the world?
Sun Salutation – Focus on your physical needs. Get out in nature. Do your meditation. Give yourself the space to breathe deeply.
Lapis Lazuli / Self-Awareness – How can I be more honest with myself about my good and bad traits?
Mermaid – Listen instead of assuming. Don’t be so eager to drown out the voices of others or ignore what they have to say. This also echoes back to the previous card in the Daisy position and being open to compliments.
Citrine / Self-Expression – In what ways can I work at expressing my creativity more?
Lightworker – Don’t nay-say your skills and abilities, nor those things you create with them. Your creations aren’t just beautiful, but often breathtaking. Compliment yourself more instead of looking at perfection (or as close as you can get to it) and saying “it’ll do”.
Snake / Creativity – How can I use creativity to help foster fresh energies and a sense of rebirth?
Sunset Dinner – Step outside your comfort zone in gentle ways. You don’t have to push yourself off a cliff to explore new ideas and experiences. It’s okay to take a more gentle approach.
Heather / Good Luck – How can I invite more good luck into my day to day life?
Paper Boats – There are always going to be things in life that will set you off kilter. Instead of letting them drag you under and capsize your efforts, the experience, or your mood; roll with the waves and keep going.
Twisting the Leaf 