by Greene Hawke

Created on: June 21, 2008

The Summer Solstice is the time in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun is in its glory. This is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The summer solstice falls on June 21st or 22nd every year. In terms of the position of the sun relative to Earth, the summer solstice in eastern US is at 7:59 p.m. Historically, the summer solstice was called Midsummer because it occurs about halfway through the European growing season.

Midsummer Night had a focus for lovers and nature, the forest and the perception of magic in the shortest night of the year. It was a time for a maiden to discover her future husband's identity. It was a time of bonfires and celebration. Maidens decorated their hair with flowers and young men jumped through the flames. It was a joyous time with firelight on all the hills and peaks of England. Dancing and music and gaiety were the order of the day and night.

Linking people to the land and the stars, solstice celebrations are often considered to be pagan. Certainly they have pagan roots, as we all do. It is a grand time to celebrate the season of summer and reflect on growth within ourselves and growth around us.

Christians celebrate the solstice too, particularly in agrarian societies. We plant seeds in soil and nurture them to provide us with food and sustenance. You do not have to be pagan to celebrate the solstice. God made Earth and sun and set our planet into orbit. The solstice is a day of special notice in the annual cycle of planetary movement.

Listen to the gifts of Creation all around you. Give thanks with a grateful heart that you are able to celebrate and appreciate God's bounty. Be mindful of the slight changes in the wind and temperature. Notice life in abundance. Take time and pay special attention to how the day feels and notice the night as it comes around you. Cherish the moment and be thankful.

The Summer Solstice is an excellent time to pay attention to harmony and healing in your life. It is a time to nurture the seeds we have planted in our souls. What seeds in your spirit are coming to full season now? Are you mindful of the abundance of energy around you?
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A Summer Solstice Prayer

Let the light of this Summer Solstice glow in our hearts and homes.
Bless our hearts and minds with creativity and fire our imaginations..
We give thanks for the gardens and fields that nourish us.
We pray the fires of compassion and creation will eliminate hunger and poverty, war and hatred.
Let the light of the Solstice stir us to enthusiastic and healing responses to all around us.
Grant comfort where it is needed.
Grant peace to all of creation.
May we embrace the fire of God's passion and allow the light around us to become the light within us as we share the love of God with all the people of creation.
The Christ of the Cosmos shines throughout all the universe and we give thanks.
AMEN
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