Σάββατο 21 Ιουνίου 2014

11 Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice

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Steeped in all kinds of tradition growing up around it, the Summer Solstice has been celebrated for centuries all over the world.

Check out some ways that you can join in on the festivities, maybe even start a tradition of your own:
Do some sky observation:
In a nutshell, the summer solstice is a brief moment during which the Earth's axial tilt is at its greatest inclination toward the Sun (23º 26' – “the obliquity of the ecliptic”). It provides the longest time from sunrise to sunset for the particular hemisphere affected. Some places have actual markers or markings that show how ancient peoples used to witness the summer solstice by watching the Sun aligning with an exact spot they'd created in an object such as a rock or a design. These places can be both a source of archaeological and anthropological interest, as well as being a spiritually connecting experience if you're fascinated by such connections.
Since it's a little hard for the average person to witness the precise moment of the axial tilt (you'd need to be at the Tropic of Cancer [Tropic of Capricorn for the Southern Hemisphere] at noon or the sun to be at the highest point above your head possible and it doesn't present anything to see other than the glaring sun in the sky), many people decide that the best way to witness the summer solstice is to treat either sunrise or sunset as the point of time for the summer solstice day observation.
Either way getting outside and holding appreciation for this amazing planet we live on is a great way to honor this sacred day. Do some yoga, meditate, perform a ritual, whatever your cup of tea may be, it's a great day to move your activities outdoors and connect with Mother Earth.
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Seek fulfillment from your life:
The summer solstice heralds the beginning of summer. This also represents the time of fulfillment. This is an excellent time to take stock of your life and assess how your goals and aims are going. From the year's earlier New Year's resolutions to the big goals in your life, ask yourself how you're doing in achieving these things for yourself and others you care about. Are you still aligned with your goals or have you strayed from them? Take this opportunity to reinvigorate them and to make any necessary changes to achieve your aims in life.
Sit outside and read a book:
This is a good way to get connected with the sun and nature.
Start looking for a new job on this day if your current one is not fulfilling to you:
Start looking around to see what is available that you would be keen to try. If you need more experience, training or information, make today the day you begin overcoming such obstacles so that you can start doing what you really want to do.
::Consider starting a gratitude journal if you haven't already done so. Try to recognize all the good and wonderful things in your life, to help you better notice fulfillment when you feel it.
:: Be honest with your goal appraisal––set aside those goals that aren't taking you in the direction you want to go now. We all grow and change over time; make sure you're not hanging onto goals that no longer fit the person you have become.
Consolidate your energies:
The stability of summer and the promise of balmy, warmer days ahead is considered to be a time to develop yourself, to set yourself free and to nurture yourself. As the crops begin ripening, this is a time for self-maturation and for consolidating your energies.
Take the easier nature of summer as a reason to make greater efforts to lose weight, to refresh your home (perhaps a new layout, maybe even a new home), to readjust your nutrition intake and to find an exercise that you really click with rather than doing one everyone else is doing.
Start a new diet today using the fresh fruits and vegetables of summer as your base. Don't just see it as a “diet” though; use this opportunity to align your thinking about food to one that involves eating more greens, more locally grown foods, more organic foods and less processed foods.
Renew your wardrobe:If you haven't updated your look in a while and your clothes are beginning to show signs of age, take a fresh look at your wardrobe on the summer solstice. Are those clothes still representative of who you are now? Are those clothes showing you to your best advantage or are they letting you down through ill fit, out-of-date style or simply poor choices? Send the unwanted clothing items to the charity store, a friend or to the rag bag, depending on their quality. Then add some new items that make you feel great and that help you to stay feeling confident about the look you're presenting to others.
Consider flexing your healing muscles:
Herbs and flowers picked during the summer solstice were believed by people in medieval times to carry healing energy above and beyond any normal healing properties. While we'd nowadays consider this to be scientifically doubtful, you can still honor the sentiment by growing your own herbal medicine garden during summer and learning more about using plants to heal minor injuries and illnesses, such as scratches and headaches. There are many good books about using plants for medicinal purposes, such as National Geographic's Guide to Medicinal Herbs (2012), which details what does—and what does not—really have healing properties.
::While growing your herbs and veggie garden, remember to thank the pollinators. Summer is a time of high pollination because so many trees and plants are flowering. And yet, in recent years many bees have suffered from disease, in particular colony collapse disorder, threatening the future of pollination by bees. Find out all you can about what is being done to protect bees and give bee keepers who practice natural, organic and chemical-free beekeeping your support. Also think of all the other pollinators, including the much despised mosquito, all doing their part to ensure delicious food reaches your table.
::Other ways to flex your healing muscles include deciding to learn more about a healing technique that has interested you for a while, such as reiki, therapeutic massage or acupuncture. Why not go along to a session to try a new healing therapy for something that ails you, be it stress through to pain? Alternatively, if you would like become a practitioner in healing arts, look for courses that you can take.
Dance around a maypole:
If you're lucky enough to live where the local community has organized a maypole, give it a go! More information on how to do the dance properly can be found here.
::Make your own maypole if there isn't one in your town. Invite friends over and hold a maypole dance at the same time as a party. To help you out, ask everyone to bring some food to contribute to an outdoor buffet.
::In Sweden, maypole dancing is considered an essential part of their summer solstice holiday.
Plan some travel:
Consider spending summer solstice away from home, at one of the key destinations where the summer solstice has been celebrated for centuries. In particular, Britain's Stonehenge is a must for the avid observer of the summer solstice. Stonehenge aligns with the sunrise on the solstice, making for spectacular viewing. However, you need to be there very early in the morning well rugged up because thousands of others will also be attending to celebrate the day as the sun rises. Two other places where people like to celebrate the summer solstice are Sedon.
Throw a party with a bonfire:
A bonfire is part of the tradition of the summer solstice. Fire has always been a source of protection for human beings, scaring off the beings of the night, both real and magical. Nowadays you can reinvent the bonfire as a great reason to hold a summer solstice party with friends. Just be sure to choose a location where it is both safe and permitted to burn a bonfire—check with the local authority first. In some places there will a fire ban due to the dry conditions, so make plans to have a party without the bonfire if this happens.
Honor the sun:
And of course, the best way to do this is with some Sun Salutations! Surya Namaskars are intended to exercise both your body and your soul, balancing both in harmony through both meditation and physical movement in one.
- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/11-ways-to-celebrate-the-summer-solstice/#sthash.JhYncJ87.dpuf

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