This weekend’s solstice is an extraordinary one. Not only because we are in the middle of the coronvirus pandemic and the huge upheaval it has inflicted on our everyday lives, or the Black Lives Matter international uprising that seeks to change structural racism, or that we are in the middle of the 6th mass extinction of life on earth due to climate collapse caused by human activity.
Wow, just writing those three things has made me stop and have to take a few breaths. This stuff is intense. It has been a hell of a year, but this has been building for a lot longer. None of these problems came out of nowhere, the signs have been there for a long time but we didn’t see. Or we saw and didn’t know what to do about it. Our small individual actions can feel minuscule when faced with the enormity of the problem.
Let’s take a step back for a moment. Take another breath. Sit tight.
The summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere. Here in Devon we can expect over 16.5 hours of sunlight between sunrise at 4.43am and sunset at 9.21pm, although twilight (or dimpsy as we affectionately call it here) will mean it stays light for even longer.
This weekend also marks a total solar eclipse. We won’t actually see it here in Europe as the visibility zone is over Asia and Africa, but it is happening.
I’m sure you know that during an eclipse the moon moves between the Earth and the Sun to be perfectly aligned so that it’s small mass blocks out all light from the sun.
So this weekend, despite that massive background turmoil we have going on. The Holy Trinity of our solar system – The Sun, Earth and Moon, are coming into perfect alignment. The witch in me feels like this is the perfect time to step back from the turmoil and check in with ourselves: mind, body and soul. Time to hold ceremony to let go of what is past, accept where we are, and prepare for the future. These are powerful times, and although we might not feel we have control over external events, we do have the ability to control how we choose to respond.
Tomorrow I’ll be sending out a newsletter to my subscribers with a ceremony outline for the Summer Solstice & Solar Eclipse. Do sign up using the pop-up form on this site or HERE if you’d like to get a copy.
with love & blessings
Hazel
Art credits
Isabelle Bryer
the Sun by Nicole Vishnevetska
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