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5 Easy Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice

Happiness | Lifestyle

The 20th June brings with it the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the doorway into the second part of the year. It is a day associated with power, fertility, happiness, strength, courage, self belief and celebrating the fullness of life.

Here are five ways you can tune into and work with the magical solar energies of the solstice.

1. Do a life review.

The word solstice literally means stopping or standing still, from the Latin word solstitum – sol (sun) and stitum (to stop) – making it the ideal day to take some time to be still and check in with where you are at this midpoint of the year.

This week, make some time to acknowledge how far you have come this year. Notice the achievements you have made, any lessons learned and all of the blessings the first half of the year has already brought you.

Notice too if you are still aligned with your goals for the year. Reinvigorate them if you need to and decide what it is that you want the second half of this year to bring.

2. Create a Sankalpa.

From your review, set some intentions. What do you want the next three months before the next symbolic day of change (the Autumn Equinox on the 22 September) to bring you? What would you like to have achieved?

Decide on 1-3 steps that you can take over the next three months that will take you closer to the life of your dreams and create some clear intentions around these.

You may also choose to create a Sankalpa for yourself, this is a sacred intention that comes from the heart. No matter how far away your dream may seem right now, remember that it all starts with a simple seed.

If you want, you may also choose to plant a physical seed that you can watch grow along with your dreams. A sunflower works perfectly for this time of year. Write your sankalpa or intentions on a little piece of paper and plant them along with the seed, then watch both of them burst into life.

3. Make a 'love-to-do' list.

Remember that this time of year is all about celebrating summer, joy and happiness, so make a ‘love to do’ list for this summer, filled with all of the things you would love to do over the coming summer months.

Add to your list one or two things that scare or challenge you and also a few experiences that you have never had, things you’ve always dreamed of but never quite got round to, or places that you have never been before – it doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive.

For example, just a visit to a local village to eat ice cream while wandering along the front is enough to expand your summer horizons, make you see things differently and take you out of your day to day routine and comfort zone.

4. Add to your own inner sunshine.

Did you know that within each one of us we have our own personal inner sunshine? It’s called the Manipura chakra and is located around the solar plexus.

This bright yellow glowing ball of inner sunshine is the centre of power, energy, will and achievement and is where all of our power to manifest comes from.

Create an energy ball by bringing your palms together and rubbing them vigorously until you feel some heat. Then close the eyes, take the palms about shoulder distance apart with the palms facing each other and begin to slowly bring the palms together.

At some point you will begin to feel a little bit of resistance. Start to gently bounce the palms around this ball of energy, feeling it take shape between your hands. Fill this energy ball with your sankalpa, intentions and desires, and when you are ready, place this glowing ball of energy into the Manipura chakra — feeling this bright radiant sun at your centre being filled with even more light and energy and glowing even brighter.

5. Get outside.

Spend as much time as you can outside soaking in the solar energies and allowing them to empower you. Allow the lightness of the season to help you feel barefoot, light and free.

If you can, watch the sunrise on the day of the solstice and feel as though symbolically this is a new beginning for you. Envision the rising of the solstice sun bringing you strength, power and self belief, feel the sunshine energies add light to your dreams.

You may even want to face east on the morning of the solstice and do anywhere from three to 108 rounds of Sun Salutations. If that seems too much, even one reverent bow to the sun will be enough!

Feel that you are moving and flowing with the creative energy of life. Keep in your mind’s eye an image of the sun and feel the warm glow and the power the sun brings with it.

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