Summer Solstice

 

Today June 21st is the official start of summer here in the northern hemisphere.  I did my bowl burning on Monday night, and went out to the sacred site of the Parowan Gap last night.  There is a 5 day window for the solstice, so it is not too late for those of you who would like to do some sort of ceremony to mark this very auspicious occasion.  Take advantage of the longest day and the heightened energy from the sun to set your intent for the future!  

The photo above shows the sun setting in the "Gap".  This cut through a ridge is full of rock art, and is considered to be a premier solar calendar location.  I drove out after my line dancing class, and happened to meet up with 2 friends, Allison and Peter.  We were all there for the same purpose!  Surprisingly, there were very few people there doing the same thing.  Last year, it was a mob scene!  I would expect that tonight, the official start of summer, there might be more people on hand to see the sunset.  

So here are some photos from last night.  I have to say that the weather was as perfect as it could be, with balmy temperatures and very little of the wind that we had seen the past few days.  This is the terrain east of the the gap.

I created a medicine bundle for Mother Earth and Father Sun, which included rose petals, lavender, sage and a small crystal.  In the bundle was also a small sea shell, symbolically representing a container for water.  Even though we have had an abundance of moisture this year in the form of snow, we can always use more!  The bundle was buried under this juniper tree. 

Here I am on the road facing east, away from the gap, with the setting sun at my back.

And lastly, the progression of the sun as it set. 

Because the sky was so clear and cloudless, it was hard to capture the actual shape of the sun.  If there had been even a little haze, the sun would have shown up as an orange ball.  As I stood facing the setting sun, I set my intent for the coming months, and soaked up all of that solar energy.  It was fabulous!  For those of you in the southern hemisphere, your turn will com in 6 months time!