A Time to Adapt
The Strawberry Moon heralds in the Summer Solstice
The Strawberry Moon is such a lovely name for the last Spring moon on 17 June, heralding in the Summer Solstice on 21 June, being the first day of Summer. The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains that the Algonquin tribes in Eastern North America used this last moon of the Spring as a signal to gather the ripening fruit of wild strawberries.
The essence of the Summer Solstice is the celebration of the sun in all her splendour and the longest day of light in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s an opportunity to take time out to re-connect with Gaia / Mother Nature, the living Earth entity that provides us with so very much that we often take for granted. In such a fast-paced social media driven world, the two environments may seem to clash, but if you look hard enough, nature thrives in places you would never expect, such as a bird making its nest on a traffic light between the red and orange lights!
When we talk about the spirituality of such things as the Summer Solstice, we often return to our past for reference, such as the 5,000 year old Stonehenge, in Wiltshire where the Summer Solstice is the only day that the rising sun reaches the middle of the stones and shines on the central altar. An emotionally moving and powerful experience to attend and little wonder so many pilgrimages are made to absorb the energy of that magical moment.
In this modern day and age though, with such a daily mental overload of technology and information, no matter our religion, or beliefs, how can we best utilise the energy of this powerful double event without blowing an internal fuse?
Like the bird making its nest on a traffic light, we need to get back to basics and adapt. This coming full moon is in Sagittarius, a freedom loving sign – if you were given the opportunity to fulfil your dreams without any “what if’s” or “buts”, what would they be like? Use the energy of the full moon and solstice to inspire you. Picture your dream in your head – what does it look like, how does it feel?
A lovely meditation for this time of year is to imagine yourself in a beautiful meadow. Ahead of you is a very special tree – in your mind imagine the type of tree that you can relate to – how does it feel, what does it look like? A door opens up and you step inside. It’s beautifully spacious and the air is fresh and pure. There’s a beautiful wooden carved armchair with soft large cushions that you walk over to and sit yourself down. As you sink into the softness of the cushions, take some time to reflect on your dreams – what do they look like, how do they feel? Are they truly what you want to manifest? If you were to bring them into reality, what would you change? It doesn’t matter if they aren’t achievable at this point in time, just imagine what you want. How are you feeling when you think of them? When you are happy that you have a picture of them, a door will open and you can step into the virtual reality of your dream. Again, how does it feel? With it being a virtual reality, you can change whatever you want – if it doesn’t feel right, change it. Sit with it for as long as you need. Let the video of your dream play out. Does it make you feel happy, is there anything you want to change?
When you are ready to return, a door in the tree will open. Step inside and sink back into the cushions of the armchair and take some time to reflect on how your dream felt. When you want to return to your room, imagine stepping out of the tree and back into the meadow and then bring yourself back into the room. Now take time out to write everything down on paper or electronically – savour every little detail and add the date. How did it feel, what did it look like?
Now use the energy of the full moon and the summer solstice to focus on that dream. Keep it in your mind and feel inspired and motivated that it can be achieved. Speak it out loud and offer it up to the Universe… to Gaia / Mother Nature. In return, do something special for Mother Nature – even if it’s just putting out the recycling, feeding the birds, watering that plant that is surviving against all odds! Most of all, remember to say “Thank you”…