Mid-Summer's Eve

This super special Sunday post is brought to you in honor of #InternationalYogaDay 2015 and the Summer Solstice.

In one of my absolute all time favorite books "I Capture The Castle", the 17 year old main character and narrator, Cassandra, describes her mid-summer's eve rites. She and her older sister dances around a little votive fire they built on "the mound" that surrounds the crumbling castle they live in. They are wearing flower garlands around their neck and roses in their hair. They throw herbs into the fire and dance into a frenzy singing non-sense words until they are so dizzy they must fall down on the ground. Then they watch the sun set and stay on the mound until the last bit of sunlight has disappeared.

I love this "ritual" because it was nothing complex, crazy, or super magical, but still had a sense of mystical playfulness that seemed so fun!

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly I wasn't to do to celebrate the longest day of the year, but I know it will involve some grounding yoga! Especially since it is International Yoga Day ;)

The summer solstice is actually the more dark and cold out of the two solstices because it symbolizes the earth's journey into the winter season. It marks the longest day and the point where the days are staring to get shorter! Despite being during the hotter time of the year the summer solstice is actually very calm and yin, while the winter solstice is lively and yang!

The word solstice means the standing or stopping of the sun and symbolizes a calm before the storm of the journey inward that culminates in the winter solstice. It is super important to take time on the summer solstice to slow down and remember your intentions since the summer solstice marks the beginning of the inward journey towards the winter, cooler side of yourself.

Use the chill time to listen to the little voices inside your soul and meditate on how you can listen to and obey them in the coming season so by the winter solstice you have lived true to yourself.