A three day pause, before the sun begins its gradual descent towards the lowest part of the sky. Here in the Northern hemisphere we can feel starved of its firey warmth for much of the year, with the summer solstice bringing energy, excitement, joy and connection.
This year many of our community found themselves in a field near St Davids sharing in the fierce energy of peak yang, the zenith of the year. A beautiful, heartfelt celebration of souls much needed after the chaos and introversion of the last couple of years. Our heart fires need connection, to feel the warmth of others. We hug heart to heart, with huge amounts of information subliminally exchanged in those moments.
I was grateful to be given the opportunity to teach a couple of sessions of qigong. Moving mindfully with the energy of the year and the mood of the festival encouraged our hearts to open even more, embodying the rhythm and cycle of the sun at its most firey moment. This cyclical energy is expressed in and through our bodies whether we are conscious of it or not.
As the year turns, yin, the feminine cycle gradually emerges, spiralling us inwards with a gentle subtlety. The light of the summer sun still burns bright in our hearts, our energies still high with fire yet an acknowledgment of the returning darkness offers us balance, with the promise of sanctuary in the deep ocean of winter.