Summer Solstice, Dancing Devas, Celebrating Crones

Pat, Julie, Aviva

Here is a quote from a statement from the Overlighting Deva of Perelandra about the meaning of the solstice: The recognition of the nature cycle within the framework of the equinox and solstice rhythm is a perfect example of the fusion of action and awareness. In this particular case, we have two levels of the example. First, there is the recognition of the special dynamic energy activated and released during these four days that is directly linked to the annual natural progression of the planet. Second, by taking a moment out to stand back from the day-to-day process and consciously acknowledge the specific stages of that process, one is able to re-infuse his commitment to the process itself. Tuesday, June 21, at exactly 10:16 CST, I was joined by two friends, Aviva and Julie, to celebrate the Summer Solstice. We gathered with our ceremonial objects under the main oak tree that has declared itself the center of the property.

Each of us was struck by how we had been either rushed, tired, or too busy that morning and yet each one showed up, as we had promised to do a few weeks earlier, to mark this auspicious time. We lit a candle, said blessings, gave thanks, and stated our intentions. 

My learning that arrived earlier that morning in meditation was to include both bread and wine in our ceremony, which we did. These two substances are a good example of human/nature co-creation, which is why they hold such meaning in so many religious traditions. While grapes and wheat are wonderful substances, bread and wine are considered more pleasing to the Divine because they show humanity's creative contribution. 

This year my solstice learning has been all about what co-creation really means. It means taking an active role in what life looks like. It means having a strong, clear, specific intention and then allowing nature to decide the form, i.e., what it looks like. It means giving up the child-parent dynamic with the Divine and no longer saying 'whatever' in the form of "Your will be done"  but actively knowing and owning consciously what we intend to call into being. Aviva is currently doing this as she calls "Creative Passage" the next unfolding of her wonderful work into being. 

An active partnership with nature is very different from a romantic "Trees are good, machines are evil" stance that denigrates humans as if we were somehow not part of nature. There is nothing that is not nature. My cell phone is nature and partakes of a unique combination of the elements in the form it holds. It was on our altar space, not so I could take a call, but to let us know exactly the moment of the solstice to light our candle, to take pictures to commemorate our event, and to give thanks for the genius of this device that does so many magical functions to enhance life.

Lilith Plaque

Did I mention that men were driving a tractor, moving rocks around and re-contouring the landscape a few feet away? Nava and Angel were at work carrying out and amplifying changes the landscape has been making to herself. At another time we might have sought a quieter place for our ritual, feeling the work and workers as an intrusion. From where we sit today, all of us are in service to Nature in different ways, one not more elevated than the other.CSA and went inside and chopped it up for lunch, along with cabbage soup and potatoes, hummus and bread.

As often happens after a conscious interaction with the land and the devas, a sign appears in some sort of natural expression of delight. Later that evening while out for a walk, I saw the most beautiful clouds, that looked for all the world like devas, dancing.