I still remember my first acquaintance with the Summer Solstice. I was nine and living in Malta – the tiny island in the Mediterranean known to be the home of the oldest Megaliths on Earth and a pivotal ground in the crusade of the Templar Knights. My parents happened to work there at that time and would often take me to the prehistoric sights. It was June 21^st and we visited the ancient temple of Tarxien. I still remember the holy image of the Mother Goddess of Fertility – two meters high, with her legs plugged into a limestone pillar and her body crowned by the glowing Sun. The head was missing, but the position of the statuette was perfectly adorned by the solar disk. It had to do with the adequate placement of the figurine in relationship to the Sun on Solstice Day. I still have this blazing image in my mind’s eye every time as I bow down to Salute the Sun in my yoga practice every day.

Bu that particular day, my dad revealed to me how the natural cycles of the Moon, Sun, planets and stars relate to the Earth. It struck me how we could synch our activities to these heavenly bodies. It was amazing to me back then to learn how the Earth revolves around her axis in one day; the Moon orbits the Earth in one month, the Earth orbits around the Sun in one year. And how we experienced each of these cycles in the alternating rhythms of day and night waxing and waning, summer and winter. Dad also told me how the Moon and the Sun were the eyes of Heaven seen from below. I still hold this image in my heart – a silver and golden pair of eyes always watching over me and helping me attune to nature and the divine.

Today I know that the Earth/Moon/Sun are our inner circle of kin in the universe. I know we are in relation to them at all times by the dance of light and shadow as they whirl around one another. The lunar eye is seen each day in the cycles of the Moon as she is reflector and shadow, traveling her path around the Earth. The solar eye of heaven is apparent in the turning points of the Sun’s cycle. This begins with the Winder Solstice, the dark renewal time, and journeys through the full cycle of seasons and balance points. Each Solstice is such a tipping point that opens a portal for transformation and constructive change. But especially the Summer Solstice is the culmination of the Sun’s dance. It is the time for sparking the internal flame of creativity and expanding our awareness to honor the greater whole. It is a time of rapid growth when we can expand our intuitive abilities and reveal our innate gifts. This time of massive transitions allows us to live more consciously from a much higher perspective. To experience individual shifts that heighten, expand and refine collective consciousness.

In the Hindu tradition Summer Solstice is known as the Uttarayana- the Northern Movement that opens a power gate in the Wheel of the Year and marks the marriage of the Earth and Heaven. This solar high point is known as a time of fertility and growth, heralding the long lush days of summer.

How can we apply this celestial knowledge in our lives? First and foremost this is a time when we can put effort in tending to our “field” so we can harvest it in the fall.

On a personal level, it means we have to cultivate our bodies, expand our minds and allow our soul to unfurl its potential. But before that, we need to rekindle the inner fire, the power that makes abundance and nourishment grow from tiny seeds. The power that brings things to fulfillment, and expands and brightens our lives, that makes good things come from seed ideas and plans. This special time of maturation teaches us patience. The fruit is green until it’s ripe and we just can’t rush it. Something of the slow, sure rhythm of the time will enter into us if we let it. So we can’t hurry things, but if we just relax and let go, things will reach their fullness without effort or ego’s striving on our part. The summer solstice is a perfect time to discover our earth connection; by receiving her gifts with respect, taking only what we need, and doing what we can to minimize our impact on the delicate balance of the planet, we strengthen and nourish the bond we were given at birth with the great Mother who sustains us all.

And as we watch the field baking in the heat as we feel the sun power to burn as well as to bless we can feel our own gifts, our own special abilities as they ripen and swell, and know that we, too, have the power to make a difference for growth or for destruction in the world…. it is a time to mark peak moments, moments of warmth and growth. And as we watch the ripening and flowering and fruiting all around us, we can’t help but be moved by and grateful for the generosity of the Earth Mother. And we become generous and giving ourselves. As we grow in consciousness we generously contribute to the expansion of consciousness around the world.

On a global level, it means we have to celebrate Earth’s diversity and remind ourselves that all the different nations, faiths and creeds are just a manifestation of the Earths multiplicity – they all add their unique hue to the global rainbow. We have to bring flowers and shake hands, not wage wars. It is time to unite with all of creation, not to separate and control. Because in the end, we all want the same thing, don’t we want peace, love and creativity.

Our ancestors built huge bonfires on this day to celebrate their sacred connection to the vital power of the immense burning star that keeps our planet bright, warm and alive. It’s a good time to remember that we, like the sun, contain the power to nurture and sustain, and that we have a responsibility to burn as brightly as we can.

It is the time to invite fire into our lives fire to burn away all that we have outgrown and all that no longer serves us; fire that makes the wild things grow in us, for which our inner selves have longed.

Let us use this heightened energy to become a fertile ground for creative living and inspire everyone we meet to do the same. As we create fertility not as money, but as creativity – we energize Nature to become fertile as well.

Let us turn the wheel of the year in unity and gratitude for all the gifts that we have been blessed with. We are all connected people, planet, and sun. Let us align ourselves with the power in others and in the natural forces around us, we can embrace each other as indispensable parts of a conscious and self-sustaining planet. We are at this luminous threshold to grow as a human race. Together we can turn the wheel direction of harmony and peace.

Yogea Transformational Meditation: Luminous Threshold

This Yogea meditation opens a gateway for transformation in the peak of the summer solstice and calls for expansion of consciousness through the eight limbs of Yoga. Mindful breathing pairs with ascension mudras and sacred yantras to help you burn unwanted imprints and emotional debris and shine light on those aspects of your life that need to expand. As you flow through this solar dance you will appreciate abundance in your life and acknowledge your part in the human design as an ever-expanding cosmic journey. As you commune to the Sun and celebrate unity in plurality you will be able to see things clearly, love truly and thrive abundantly.