Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice

As I washed the siding on my house today watching the brown sand and dirt drip off between rinsing I contemplated the ancient people who gathered annually to celebrate the longest day of the year — the Summer Solstice. Yesterday has been honored for thousands of years. Think about this for a moment. Our ancestors going WAY back took time to ritualize and give thanks for the reminder of nature’s rhythms and cycles with ceremonies, feasts, and dancing. Between sprays I say hi to my neighbors and catch up as they are pruning their garden and tending to their small plat of land. At this time in history it is us to neighbors engaging in earth activities and in the future it will be another generation. Reflecting upon life’s continuity is a magical thing.

Spiritually, the Summer Solstice symbolizes illumination and abundance. Just as the sun shines brightly overhead, we are encouraged to bring greater light to our own lives. It is a time to recognize our growth, acknowledge our accomplishments, and celebrate the qualities within us that are flourishing. The solstice asks us to pause and notice what has come into full bloom in our hearts, relationships, and spiritual journey. What dreams have begun to take root? What gifts are ready to be shared more fully with the world?

Last night I watched the Earth, Wind, and Fire Documentary on HBO. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Maurice White, it’s founder, leaned into the teachings of Napoleon Hill on success to create the band and music of Earth, Wind, and Fire. He was a meditator, a metaphysician, a mystic and held the vision of bringing forth music to expand the consciousness of humanity. In the documentary you see him writing down his goals and repeating them daily. His tenacity in reminding himself who he is and the power within him catapulted him into fulfilling his vision. It brought me back to my early thirties when I cultivated this practice to retrain and condition my mind.

The documentary ties into Father’s Day, like Summer Solstice, yesterday. Band Founder Maurice White was the dad of several children with different mothers. I found his relationship patterns and perspective interesting; reminding me that each of us sees the world differently than each other. The life’s work of the band ties into Summer Solstice as a reflective time to take stock of the work through the year and the fruition it has yielded. Following the documentary I watched the Kennedy Honors of Earth Wind and Fire listening to the many voices singing beloved songs.

When I began my own ministry work thirty plus years ago I read, re-read and taught Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. I was taken by the committee he held in his mind he consulted with every day. The documentary reminded me that it’s been quite a while since I’ve sat with my committee in meditation. Today I commit to returning to this practice. I remind myself I and we are never to old for creating. We do this up until our last breath and co-creating with the Universe is the way to create something solid.

As the side of my home is clean and sparkly and my gratitude immense for being alive on this planet at this time I am recharged with a commitment of service, quality, and showing up living from the Divine Presence.

Here’s some lyrics from Earth Wind and Fire’s song Shining Star:
When you wish upon a star, your dreams will take you very far. But when you wish upon a dream, life ain’t always what it seems. What’d you see on a night so clear, in a sky so very dear. You’re a shining star, no matter who you are, shining bright to see, what you could truly be.