Time of Balance and Reflection

Celebrating and Connecting to the Summer/Winter Solstice

This voiceover is an audio version of the newsletter below. It is unedited, so please excuse any um’s or stutters. The birds as always joined us today. Enjoy!

Photo by Sean Stratton on Unsplash

Welcoming Summer Solstice in the Mountains

While driving home from my five-hour round trip to visit my kiddo at college, I unrolled the windows and stared at the temperature gauge. As I exited off the highway, packed with semi-trucks and vacationers, I welcomed the tree-lined streets. Driving up and down the windy mountain roads, the temperature quickly dropped. By the time I turned into my driveway, the reading was eighteen degrees cooler.

Summertime has arrived in the mountains.

The roads and parks are full of visitors and part-time residents returning from all over the country. The cooler temperatures and lush hiking trails and lakes attract them by in hoards. I try to avoid certain tourist destinations on weekends and at peak times. Instead, I attempt to leave the house early while they relax, drinking coffee in their rentals. I am addicted to walking and watching my steps increase on my watch. Coming home after a long walk, I can finally settle to sit down at the computer or write and create in my various journals.

Summer/Winter Solstice

We welcome the Summer Solstice today in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the longest day and the shortest night of the year. For those of you living in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the opposite marking the shortest day of the year for the Winter Solstice. To add to the seasonal magic, the Strawberry Full Moon fills the sky tomorrow night.

Rituals for Solstice Celebration

If you are interested in marking this moment in time, I wrote separate posts to support you for the Summer or Winter Solstice over on my blog at Blythe Mountain Spirit. You will find suggestions for celebrating and honoring this special time.

This year, I am fortunate to celebrate the Solstice with the local artist Kat Ryalls for a wildflower watercolor class. Her oracle decks are my inspirations for the weekly draw here on Substack and in my morning daily practice. The next night, I am connecting to the Full Moon with a special yoga practice and forest bathing. It is a welcome opportunity to connect with others and celebrate.

The Solstice is an important marker as it signifies the balance between light and dark. The addition of the Full Moon in Capricorn adds yet another layer to the event. The Earth sign of Capricorn brings grounding energy and is associated with discipline, structure, and ambition.

Can you believe that the year is half over? The important part is that we still have 6 more months to go!

It is an opportunity to reflect upon any intentions and goals that might have been set at the beginning of the year.

It is the perfect time to check in and see how things are going. It supports you in focusing on something that you are consistently working on and eliminating what isn’t working for you.

To look at your strategy and set different benchmarks if you need to switch things up. 

Justice

Pagan Otherworlds Tarot

“I am here to help you bring everything into balance. Old wrongs can be righted and your course can be corrected. Whatever is no longer serving you, whatever has been swept under the rug, is going to come to light.”

Liz Worth

The Justice tarot card offers us the invitation to look at the past six months to observe and notice how they went.

I love the image of the woman holding the scales in one hand and the sword held aloft in the other. She is barefoot on the Earth and wrapped in red and straw. Her gaze is focused on balance and the sword to help cut through fear and barriers on the path ahead. This card can inspire reflection, review and decision-making.

Journal Questions

• What goals or intentions were set at the start of the year?

• Are there any changes that need to be made?

• What changes can you make to achieve a healthier balance between your professional and personal life?

• What fears or limiting beliefs are holding you back from achieving your full potential?

• What decisions need to be made to reach your goal?

There is time.

It is important to remind ourselves that we have time. Maybe you are feeling disappointed or frustrated at the lack of progress on a goal. I am struggling with the list of projects and offerings that I optimistically set at the beginning of the year. Several of my intentions have not been manifested…not yet.

Can we be kinder to ourselves?

I will take time over the next couple of days to review my dreamboards and lists.

I will revisit if they align with what I want to offer and bring forth now.

I will make decisions, choose dates, and recommit to my goals.

I will remember that I have time.

So do you.

Observe

During my long walks outside, my eyes roamed around and spotted this amazing hawk. My son and I stopped in our tracks and simply gazed at it. Other people quickly passed by, busy chatting and not noticing this amazing sight. Slowing down to absorb my surroundings helps me connect and decompress. I was grateful for the reminder at the start of the week with this oracle card to observe.

I hope that you will be inspired to take some time to reflect and connect to your intuition during this Solstice and Full Moon.

Observe the world outside and within.

Talk to you soon,

Blythe