Solstice Blessings

Good morning, good morning, good morning. Summer has arrived, and it has sure made its presence  known.  It is just so hot and humid here in the city...much too much for this time of the year.  Mother Nature is hitting us with a vengeance.  I don't even want to think what July and August might bring...but let me not get that far ahead of myself.  Projecting isn't good for anyone.

So, how was everyone's Midsummer Eve.  Such a special time of the year. Of course, I had to wait for all of my neighbors to go indoors before I was able to spend some quality time in my backyard, but I've always loved the night. Aside from an occasional subway speeding by, it was myself, the crickets, and whatever other creatures of the night were about.  It was a quiet time, just a small ritual to welcome the coming of the new season.  I felt good to be a part of something so old and central to the history of man.  I may complain about the heat, but I never forget that sunlight is essential to all living things...and it is so important to remember what a joyful time of the year this was for our ancestors whose winters were so cold and dark.

And it is also important to remember that Solstice is not just about honoring the Earth and the Sun; this is also a traditional time for honoring the water which plays such a vital role in maintaining our lives when the sun is blazing overhead. It is a time for honoring Yemaya, the Great Mother Goddess of the Sea. Water is  healing, cleansing, and protective...the lifeblood of our planet. It is the fluidity of the waters which help us learn about our feelings and our emotions; Water represents birth, life, fertility, and fluidity...as well as cleansing and renewal.  Let us take some time today, on this day of the Solstice, to apologize to the waters for the harm we have done and to thank her for her many gifts...including the gift of life.  

The shattered water made a misty din.

Great waves looked over others coming in,

And thought of doing something to the shore

That water never did to land before.

The clouds were low and hairy in the skies,

Like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes.

You could not tell, and yet it looked as if,

The shore was lucky in being backed by a cliff.

The cliff in being backed by a continent;

It looked as if a night of dark intent

Was coming, and not only a night, an age.

Someone had better be prepared for rage.

There would be more than ocean water broken

Before God's last Put out the light was spoken

 

--"Once By the Ocean" by Robert Frost--