Copyright © 2023 Lee Spirit
Summer Solstice is once again approaching, and usually it’s a time of year that I love to celebrate in the sunshine. This year is different though, as I’m nursing an injury that has me sidelined for the entire summer, before summer is even officially here! This photo of a moody sky is basically how I feel going into the Solstice. Usually I am bursting with energy and aliveness at the thought of kayaking, hiking, and other fun adventures. How do you cope when summer is here, and you can’t participate in it? How do you cope when your days, life, mind, body, or spirit don’t feel so sunny?
Unexpected accidents like this can really put a damper on your mood. You may even fall into a depressive state, and it could be for any number of reasons. If you are house-bound and unable to participate fully in life, the Summer Solstice may not seem like a time of celebration for you. There are ways to find the joy and beauty in even the smallest, simplest things though! Have faith and hope, because I’m going to show you how to find joy when you may be feeling grief – whatever kind of grief you may be experiencing.
What To Expect on the Summer Solstice
Many mark June 21st as the official start of Summer. It’s the longest day and shortest night, and while many people are excited about the possibilities that the warmer months hold, the days also get shorter from this point onwards.
For this reason, it’s important to practice present-moment awareness on the Summer Solstice and rest as much as possible before we go crazy with our Summer fun! In my case, and perhaps yours if you’re stuck too, I will rest in healing, and learn the lessons that come from it. What better place to do this than out in nature, where Mother Nature is calling us to receive her healing benefits in this peak moment of light.
Summer Solstice Presence in Nature
How to be present in nature you ask? I am house-bound for while, but I can at least go out on the patio and enjoy the lovely birds singing me their healing song. If you have a yard, or even just a patch of grass to go sit outside, then please do so on the Summer Solstice! Not only will you get a healing breath of fresh air, but you will notice things by sitting and opening your senses to what’s around you.
Things You Can Sense in Nature
Maybe you see different shapes in the clouds in the sky, or a Peregrine Falcon swooping overhead. It could be that you live in a bird jungle like I do, and you notice different bird calls, and figure out what kind of birds are singing to you. You feel the breeze on your skin, the scent of Cherry trees or Lilacs, or touch the bark on a tree outside your home. It is here that you don’t have to do anything, just BE…And speaking of bees, they are fun to watch too! Remember to send your blessings to the bees if you see any on the Summer Solstice as they flit around your garden or potted flowers!
When we are in tune with our senses, we are being fully present. We often lose that presence when we’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of the working world, or even while socializing with others, or parenting. When you really look at a flower blooming, the wonders of life are revealed to you. In these simple moments, we experience the little joys that really are big joys if we are grateful for these gifts. Even noticing the spiders, the bugs, or the length of the blades of Summer grass can bring pleasure to your senses on Summer Solstice day!
Making a Commitment To Be Present
I started exercising regularly back in my 30’s, and I found that without consistent effort, a good level of fitness was never going to happen. As with anything, it takes practice, and doing things over and over until they become habitual. Then you really feel like fitness is your way of life and you make it a part of your daily routine.
The same goes for being present. You can’t just practice presence once or twice, you have to make a commitment to making time for it on a regular basis. What better time to start than at the Summer Solstice!
Naturally this means doing something you love, not something you hate. Imagine doing something over and over that you hate? That will only result in you giving up and saying you just can’t do it. Try modifying your present-moment awareness by doing/being something that brings you joy, and then it will be easy to incorporate it into your life.
You can start slowly and build up, just like exercise. Take a five minute morning break to step outside and walk barefoot on the grass or gaze up at the sky. Then slowly build up to 10 or 20 minutes per day, maybe admiring the shapes and colours of the flowers. This will surely put your mind-body-spirit at ease, and you will start to feel more joy instead of suffering from your injury or inability to go anywhere. Ask yourself what brings you joy, and then follow through with finding more moments like that, particularly at the powerful time of Summer Solstice.
Remembering To Embrace Your Inner Child
Part of being able to handle a more gloomy Summer Solstice is being able to know and embrace your inner child. By that I mean, find some playfulness in your days!
When was the last time you painted a picture like you once did as a child? Have you danced in your living room lately to some music that brings you alive? I’m not going to dance around on my crutches personally, but earlier this year, I went to some amazing ecstatic dances that introduced me to some great new tunes! I did dance around the living room for days! It brings me great joy, and loosens up the tension!
It’s also a relief to find things or people that make you laugh! Nothing like a good belly laugh, or even just an LOL!
Feeling like a little kid again can bring you that burst of energy that has always been inside you but has perhaps been repressed a bit. Letting loose a little every once in a while can bring you that spark you need to enjoy Summer Solstice even when you’re stuck or feeling gloomy.
Try these Mindfulness Activities For the Solstice To Enliven Your Spirit
Learn the Lessons That Arise From Discomfort
It’s hard sometimes to embrace the lessons that arise from pain, brokenness, and discomfort, but when we look for the deeper meaning behind the events that take place in our lives, we may find nuggets of goodness and healing.
I have a broken ankle, so most people jump to the conclusion that I need to slow down. While that may be true to a certain extent, I don’t exercise 24/7 and spend quite a bit of time resting in quiet yoga and meditation in the many hours that I am not moving. I know what my body is capable of, and it may seem a lot to others, but it’s hardly anything to an elite athlete.
I feel my lesson is in being in a position that I need to ask for help and graciously receive it so that I can better step up and be helpful to those in my life who need and are going to need my care. I have always been independent, and don’t like being in this position of needing assistance. But now that I know what it feels like, I can heal that part of me, and step up when it’s my turn to serve others.
Of course there may be other, more obvious lessons, like “Don’t look at the phone when you’re walking”. It’s a good lesson, especially as I get older and more off balance. But the deeper meaning to be of service is what’s coming up for me, and I need to pay close attention to that.
Whatever your case may be, remember to look for the deeper “why” in “Why did this happen to me?” You will find great healing in the answers.
Light a Candle For Summer Solstice Evening
The Summer Solstice is all about light, so why not light a candle in the evening in honour of the occasion? The flame represents the sun, and our own inner fire. Place your hand over the flame and feel its warmth. The heat from the flame is the same heat that provides us with our life force energy. Let it remind you of your own power and creative energy. You have so much to be grateful for, so embrace this new season that is upon us, and find ways to be joyful even in the darkness. You can do it with a simple thing like lighting a candle in the dark.
These are just a few ways you can begin to climb out of the depths of your despair. When all seems hopeless, remember there are so many things to be grateful for and so much beauty in the world. When you stop to be present and appreciate the small, beautiful things, you allow yourself the freedom to come up from the mud and blossom into the beautiful flower that you are.
Lee Spirit is an avid outdoors adventurer with a love for nature, photography, health & fitness, wellness, and spirituality. She helps those who suffer from anxiety & negative thinking to become healthier in mind-body-spirit. Her own personal journey has led her to the study and practice of mindfulness, health, wellness, yoga, spirituality, sound healing, meditation, and personal development for over 20 years. Get mindfulness, meditation, and personal development tips in her Free Natural Mind Healing Report.