06/21/2023
Re-entering The Void at Summer Solstice
by Amari Magdalena
Director, The Institute for Shamanic Synthesis
Polarities of their nature bespeak irony. And so it is with our seasonal celebrations. At the “High Noon” of summer light as we extol the virtues of the maximum hours of daylight, shamanically speaking, we turn the corner into the void and begin the process of contraction. From Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice, we are in a phase of expansion, seeding and growing our hopes and dreams. From June 21st until December 21st, we begin to draw our energies within, ever so slowly to celebrate harvests and then release.
Both our sun and moon express four distinct phases, which parallel one another nicely. While the moon completes each phase in 28 days, the sun’s phases are more protracted taking our calendar year to complete. In shamanic or earth-based traditions throughout the world sun and moon celebrations served as calendars or markers for the passage of time.
June 21st decrees the shamanic celebration of the North (the polar opposite of the South that we are experiencing). Along with the summer solstice, it is also near Father’s Day marking the maximum influence of the principal we know as masculine. With the sun’s waning influence comes the harkening of the feminine time of the year. Significant here too are the two equinoxes, which denote the passing of the gauntlet from East (masculine) to West (feminine). While the equinox’ represent balance, the solstices symbolize extreme. Of further note is that the solstices are more “tonal” in nature (tonal being ordinary reality); the equinox’ are more “Nagual” (extraordinary with the availability of magic). The summer solstice then is a time of excessive immersion into the material world (tonal).
Given the extremes and the irony of our celebration of the North in summer and the South in winter, both celebrations are about light; more of it and less of it. As we acknowledge the longest day of the year with the highest point of the sun, let us remember to take advantage of all that is revealed in the blazing light.
Summer solstice in ancient times was a daylong celebration and observation in northern most climes with 24 hours of light and a 12-hour celebration in the lower latitudes. In total light a circle was set with many burning candles lit. A large bonfire was constructed nearby. Singing, dancing, chanting and/or drumming began. Vigilance was kept throughout the night until dawn, when the candles and fires were extinguished. The sacred four and fourteen were honored to help with release from the grip of ego. Animal totems were easily invoked to enlighten the heart and celebrate love in its many dimensions. Marriages were celebrated within and without to memorialize the height of the physical and sensual bodies.
The summer solstice may then be a time to give oneself permission to totally immerse into the masculine principal yet acknowledging the winter solstice conception that led to this luxurious fertility. Set your ceremonial circle with objects of light and representation of the golden, orange, red colors of the sun’s brilliance. Acknowledge fire for its power of transformation. Strew the altar with seasonal flowers and ripening berries. Feast and surrender to the fire within. Engage in fire ceremonies. Trance dance. Tone. Make joyful noises with percussion and flute.
Invoke Archangel Michael or the Celtic god Lugh (pronounced Looch), God of light, warmth and inspiration. Sing the praises of the sun in all its representations including the sunship of the Christ energies. And slowly but surely, put out each candle in tribute to the returning darkness and the great mystery of the void. Honor this phase of growth, trust and love and “Coming into Being.”
