Celebrating the Summer Solstice

June 21st marks the Summer Solstice, a solar festival and important to all pagans and part of the Celtic wheel, and one that is celebrated traditionally at Stonehenge and other significant sites. The sun is at the height of his power and moves into the astrological sign of Cancer which is ruled by the moon. So it is the joining of the masculine and feminine , the God and the Goddess and the longest day of the year.

This is a turning point of the year's cycle and just as it is not time to harvest yet, we should charge our goals with the power of the sun so we all prosper.

A salute to the sun is a powerful way of doing this and welcoming in the first rays of the morning, having roses for the Goddess and oak leaves for the God. Celebrate growth and life for this is a time of balance in the world and the seasons start to shift as the sun begins it's decline towards winter.

Shamanism as a way of life

Using some of the shamanic techniques in your everyday life can transform the way you act, think and connect with others and your environment. I like to start my day by setting my intention and invite into my life the spiritual energies for the day ahead. As everything we do on the inside affects our world on the outside welcoming in love, peace, joy and freedom is what you are then putting back into the world.

Living in the present and focusing on what you are doing rather than what you have done in the past, or what you may do in the future sharpens your awareness of the Middle World, the world we inhabit along with many others.

The past does not dictate the future, our only point of power is in the present

I often hear people talking about what happened in the past and then what is going to happen in the future and worrying about both of them. The only thing you can influence is what you are doing now - in the present, so worrying about things you can do nothing about is a real waste of time and energy. It is good to give 100% focus and attention to what you are doing; in shamanism we call this "being present"

As Mark Twain said "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened"