“We are in the zenith of the solstice.”

The Heart of It All

For 23 successive years I have been traveling to South Dakota for Ceremony.  I just returned from the annual journey a few days ago and once again am in transition between realities.  As I was driving, I reflected on all the encounters I have had in relation to my personal experiences.  Where we pray, it is truly a different world from everyday society and all its drama, distractions, ideologies, idiosyncrasies, nuances, politics, preoccupations and ordinary existence.  In the tradition we participate, South Dakota is the heart of it all; generations of ceremony, culture and prayer resonate within every dimension of our being.

For the People

In all the years I have walked these ways, I had always been actively engaged, rarely supporting others as many have in ceremony.  The last four years of going to South Dakota, my focus has been on holding a space for others on their journey; as essential as it is to participate.  During this time, I experienced a fulfillment in my relativity with those I supported, the ceremony, the prayer and the tradition.  Regardless of the roles to which I have committed, supporting others is the most vital.  Beyond how this may be perceived by the novice or experienced, it is all about being in service for the people.

Four Days

As it is during the advent of Winter, we are entering the four-day shift of the Summer Solstice.  Many cultural traditions acknowledge the Winter Solstice to be when the earth takes her breath, and the seeds of our intentions for the coming year are sown.  Likewise, at Midsommar she releases her breath, and the bounty of our purpose is harvested.  As we progress from the Winter to the Summer Solstices, the synergy between the universe and our soul empowers the equilibrium of our intuition, heart, mind and body.  We transform terrestrial existence into universal experience, establishing the foundation of our relativity.

Solstice Origins

My bloodline lineage is half Irish, and a quarter each of English and German.  Being of Celtic descent, the equinoxes and solstices have been significant times of the year in my personal experience.  Midsommar has been observed by my culture into antiquity as a celebration of renewal and the life-giving power of the sun.  It is when the earth’s pole is titled optimally at its vertical axis in the northern hemisphere, resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the year.  My ancestors connected with this annual milestone by commemorating the rhythm of the sun, the changing seasons and the empowerment of ceremonial energy.

“Humility is the cornerstone of prayer.”

Virtues of Prayer

For the first time in 12 years, our community will be in ceremony together in our home lodge during the Summer Solstice, as many of us are usually in South Dakota.  Many other communities in our area and around the world will be in prayer.  Given this word is interpreted variably by countless cultures, this tradition is not a fleeting devotion, exaltation, invocation or recitation.  It is the most difficult way in this world to pray.  In all my spiritual encounters, this tradition is the most immersive, powerful and profound lifestyle of courage, fortitude, generosity, humility and reverence for all life.

Community Flow

Many in our community establish their ceremonial intentions during the Winter Solstice, expressing them with their prayer through the Spring Equinox and embodying them at the Summer Solstice.  Our purpose is empowered and evolves in each ceremony we participate.  Every unique ceremony is unique, based on the state of our lives, the time of year, the need from the community and the observance of the tradition.  None are ever the same, often with different intentions, people, prayers and songs.  There is a progressive flow that transpires naturally, empowered by the collective energy of the community.  

The Way of Nature

Every morning I stand barefoot on the ground to connect with the earth.  Most of the ceremonies in which we participate occur in nature, as its presence is integral in how they evolve.  Last year, our community completed on an eight-year commitment with a ceremonial intention.  As we gathered around the lodge and fulfilled on the observance, a cloud front in the south turned and shifted to the west, moving over our space.  While sharing the purpose of what we were doing, soft thunder pealed across the sky with flashes of lightning.  During the ceremony, the thunder and lightning continued until our prayer was finished.

The Solar Shift

The Summer Solstice is a four-day transition of solar energy that shifts us into a new season.  During this powerful time, nature is at its zenith, and the light is the primary life force in the northern hemisphere.  The Sun is the center of our solar system, orbiting around the center of the Milky Way, otherwise known as the Ghost Road.  It is the path souls journey when leaving their bodies, in spirit travel or in the transition of death.  This time of year empowers our resonance as souls and our spiritual potential for universality.  From June 19^th to the 22^nd, we are in the solar shift of our awakening, transformation and transcendence.

“Solstice is the evolution of the soul.”