The Sun Stands Still in the North
Happy Summer Solstice!
Also known as Midsummer throughout Europe. It is the midpoint between May 1 and the start of harvesting time. The day in the Northern hemisphere when the sun is said to stand still for a few days. To our Ancestors, no matter where in the world, the position of the sun in the sky marked life for the village, clan, or tribe. The seasons were honored in ceremony and offerings to the land, to the supernatural, and to the more-than-human relatives.
Dancing Chanting Bonfires Feasting Celebration Humility Reverence
CONNECTION
Take a few moments today and connect with the land.
Put your hands on a tree, or in the dirt.
Introduce yourself to Nature.
Offer Gratitude.
CONNECT.
When the sun stands still, it is an opportunity to meet the numinous—the magic, the mystery, the divine. It is in your bones to do so. I offer you a section of my forthcoming book:
“If we look back far enough in our personal family lineages, we will find the remnants of Ancestral traditions that connected our people to the natural world and the numinous—our Indigenous roots to a particular landscape. For me, it has been in part a reconnection to my Ancestral origins in Scandinavia—both Sámi and Swedish, the Indigenous customs of the reindeer herders and the Vikings. For both peoples, making offerings to the gods, goddesses, and to Nature was a way of life, it was an act of reverence in the face of the numinous, to ensure balance was maintained. A spiritual leader of either group was charged with making the offerings for the entire village, but each person was also meant to make offerings in service of the health of their own family. It was precisely these offerings that helped to ensure abundance in food was returned to the people—survival was a reciprocal process bridging the spiritual and physical realms. Through these daily acts, all of our Ancestors reaffirmed their interconnectedness with the Earth and honored the wisdom of those who came before them. Illumination often emerges through Ancestral connections, inviting us to listen to the voices of those who walked before us and to bring their wisdom into the present moment.”
