Celebrating the Solstices
Our zeitgeist whispers that the planet is alive;
that spirituality is based far more in the body and the earth
than we’ve conceived in centuries;
and that to sustain ourselves,
we must live more simply, more cooperatively,
and bend our energy technologies to tap directly Sun’s power.
Sun Stories
Tales from Around the World to
Illuminate the Days and Nights of Our Lives by Carolyn McVickar Edwards
Zeitgeist refers the prevalent ideas of the time and place as well as the spirit of the times we are living.
The Sun at the Winter Solstice reaches an ending or death, dying to the previous yearly cycle. In every death or ending of a cycle, there is also a birth and a new cycle begins, a new year is born. In the bigger picture, we are also ending a Great Year that has almost lasted 26,000 years and we are witness to a new beginning, an entirely new 26,000 year cycle. This ending and beginning of a Great Year occurs over many years, and it is the yearly Winter Solstice during the transition that helps us remember the importance of endings and dying to the old, while also experiencing new beginnings and being reborn anew.
The Sun at the Summer Solstice represents a fruition point where the intent set at the Winter Solstice is fully illuminated. The warmth of the Sun, the abundance of the planets and the fruits of this time of year remind us of the fullness of life and the fullness of the light that gives us life here on Earth.
Attuning to the yearly cycle of the Sun, the mysteries of the pure life force it represents, the magic and power of the light and illumination the Sun provides, is one way to consciously participate with these changing times. Without the Sun we would not have life on this planet as we know it. The Sun is essential to our existence and has much to teach us about life.
The Solstices are currently aligned with the intersection of the Milky Way (the plane of the Galaxy) and the Ecliptic (the path the planets travel) also known as the Galactic Cross. This means the Sun sits on the cross for three days. This is one of the primary factors that tells us we are at the Turning of the Ages. Note the crosses in the images. Above is the December Soslstice cross. Below is the June Solstice cross.
Energy follows thought and when we are passionate, or feeling strongly, about what we are thinking the energy flows much faster and stronger towards the fulfillment of those feelings and thoughts. This is how we are co-creating our reality. If our thoughts and feelings are predominantly fearful then our reality is created around the manifestation of those fears. It is important to embrace our fears, acknowledging them and be aware of them so we are more conscious in our choices. The fears we repress and deny often are driving our choices. At this Turning of the Ages it is vital that we transform our fears into the gifts we carry so we can consciously focus our thoughts and feelings on what we truly desire to experience.
Participating in joyous celebrations of life that create feelings of loving community, safety, cooperation and harmony powerfully support the vision of creating Heaven on Earth. This is the time to participate in activities that support the feelings of joy each day and then from our joyous feelings engagin in visioning, praying and intending our lives. This strengthens and quickens the manifestation through the power of our feelings and thoughts. For some this may be hiking, dancing, listening to inspiring music, being in nature, or with an imals, gardening, painting, singing, and so on. It doesn’t matter what the activity is, it doesn’t even have to be the same activity everyday.
The point is to create an opportunity to truly feel joy and gratitude (daily if possible) and then focus on envisioning and intending your reality. The power of the joyous feelings speeds up the manifestation process. The fears and doubts willinevitably surface . That’s why choosing to engage in a daily practice of creating the feeling of joy before focusing on your desired reality is so powerful. The fears and doubts loose their potency when we are finding ways to experience joy and gratitude.
We are at a choice point, individually and collectively. The important thing to remember is we are the co-creators of this new 26,000 year cycle and it is entirely up to us to be conscious of the choices we are making now. Choosing to create joyous experiences for the purpose of creating a loving peaceful world is one highly effective way to participate with the current times.
More on the Winter Solstice and the Turning of the Ages....
The Winter Solstice for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere equates to the New Moon point of the year, when we have the shortest day and the longest night. The New Moon is the darkest phase of the Moon’s cycle, as the Winter Solstice is the darkest phase of the yearly seasonal cycle. This is the time to plant seeds, or conceive the dreams and goals for the coming year. With the Moon currently in Scorpio acting as an intensifying life force generator it is charging these new seeds to ensure they have what is necessary to grow.
In the 1980’s, Daniel Giamario, founder of Shamanic Astrology, began sharing information that the December Solstice marked by zero Capricorn in our Seasonal Cycle was to align with the exact intersection of the Milky Way and the Ecliptic. In the early 1990’s astronomer John Muess calculated this intersection would be exact in May 1998.
Synchronistically, in May of 1998 scientists began noticing a new energy belt of highly charged atoms appearing in the Earth’s Van Allen belt. The Van Allen Radiation Belt is a torus of energetic charged particles (plasma) around Earth, held in place by Earth's magnetic field. The Van Allen belts are closely related to the polar aurora where particles strike the upper atmosphere and fluorescence. The term Van Allen Belt refers specifically to the radiation belts surrounding Earth; however, similar radiation belts have been discovered around other planets. http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/articles/eisbaker.html http://www.tmgnow.com/repository/global/planetophysical1.html
All this is to say something very interesting is going on not just on Earth but in our entire Solar System and Galaxy. Scientists are now pondering what many feel is an imminent Galactic Superwave burst of (blue) light energy coming from our Galactic Center may be imminent as we approach 2012 and beyond. (the Blue Star Kachina as prophesized by the Hopi perhaps?) These are mysteries worth pondering during the Solstice Window.