The Joyous Summer Solstice!

I am still in the process of moving things over from my old journal, but it didn't seem right to be writing about the spring when the solstice is tomorrow.  That will be for later.

So, tonight is the eve of the Solstice.  It's a bittersweet day here in Arkansas.  I've always enjoyed the dark half of the year more, as in the half when the days get shorter.  For me, it's the half of calming, of setting into motion and finishing all the things I spent the last six months planning. Yet here in the South, it is also the day signaling that horrid heat is about to hit. Next week we will finally be in the upper 90s with the heat index over 100 degrees. While in Colorado I didn't dread the Solstice so much. The oppressive heat was rare and we could actually enjoy the summer.  Here, not so much.  

The heat, the humidity, all of it combines to make the summer horrible for me. My fibromyalgia and lupus begin to flare pretty much every day if I go outdoors.  I love to be outside, so this is the most difficult time for me. I so often have to enjoy nature through the window.

It may not be ideal, but I still can see so much! Lucky for me, I live in the country and I have a wonderful view of nature.  I saw the first baby bird at my feeders this week.  The petunias are blooming. Other things I see this time of year:  the rains tend to stop (this year just days before the solstice), the floods around the local farmlands finally dry up.  The wildfires spread beyond California.  

Part of my personal practice is to pay attention to the changes around me.  No matter the climate, there is a fairly regular cycle of changes during the year. I recently wrote a paper about healing work with the Shadow Side and I realized, part of that healing is to work with these changes.  I no longer pay such close attention to the "standard" markers of the 8 High Days as they are explained in books. I am instead learning to work with my own part of the world.  For me, being in tune with home IS healing.   

Part of the purpose for this journal is to keep a written record from year to year.  I have even tagged it so I can keep them organized. I have always had two particular areas I was most drawn to in paganism - the elements and the Wheel of the Year. I have files and files of songs, recipes, seasonal crafts and so on. However, it never occurred to me to keep my personal record. Instead, I just remembered things I notice. I look forward to being able to look back on this in future years and see my notes.

And so... may all be blessed with joy, prosperity, and the courage to make the coming months the best possible!  Blessings of the Solstice upon all!