Today is summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere - the day the earth begins its’ tilt back towards the south and we enjoy the ‘longest’ day of the year, meaning the longest sunshine. Even though the days (daylight hours) will now start getting shorter, our summer has barely begun, and there is plenty more to do and plan. Today serves as a reminder to stop and enjoy the moment; to celebrate life and its’ power, but also its’ transience. The very fact that we are only on earth a short while is cause for intense enjoyment and celebration, an enjoyment of the poignancy of it all.
There is something about summer solstice that makes me feel more connected to the spirit world, and to history. It feels ethereal somehow, and makes me think of the human race as a whole, celebrating in many ways and many places over the last few thousand years. The sun is our life-giving entity, and we all worship it in our own way. It means life to us in ways we cannot even comprehend consciously.
In Eckhart Tolle’s beautiful and inspiring new book (he is the author of the astonishingly successful The Power of Now), ‘A New Earth’, he speaks movingly about the delicate but powerfully moving effect that such things as flowers, birds and precious gems have on humans, because we sense a beauty and design in them that we do not fully understand. He says ‘Their special significance and the reason why humans feel such fascination for and affinity with them can be attributed to their ethereal quality.’
Today, let’s celebrate life, and the ethereal and indescribable feeling that is awareness of life-force. Celebrate in your own way - just be aware. Appreciate. Acknowledge. Enjoy. LIVE.
