Creating Your Health

The Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is celebrated in June. Most cultures have some recognition and celebration of this major celestial event. The Celts and Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing and bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light. The summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge (photo above), attract thousands each year, as visitors are given a rare opportunity to get close enough to the stones to touch them. Located on Salisbury Plain, west of London, this fascinating "bunch of stones" , draws people of all ages and nationalities along with the local pagan druids! As soon as the sun goes down, the party starts. I'm told that only acoustic instruments are allowed; and that there is plenty of dancing throughout the night--from the traditional British "Morris dancing" to Samba, and Trance.. Last year (2009), 35,000 people stayed the night, watching the sun rise over Stonehenge on the summer solstice. Sounds like a great time, heh?

Most cultures celebrate the Summer Solstice recognizing this as a time of fertility, light, and the first fruits are harvested. The solstices are the oldest holidays to be celebrated. They remind us of the eternal circle of life: birth, growth, flourishing, declining, and death...only to be born again as the cycle continuously repeats itself. In honoring this sacred cycle, we are paying homage to feminine values of relationship, compassion, and interdependency. Celebrating these values in this time of hierarchical patriarchy is so healing for all beings on our planet.

Earlier this evening, I went for a walk, and felt flooded with life around me; I saw chipmunks, and several baby bunnies, I heard bullfrogs, and birds, and felt the fullness of nature in bloom. I remembered recognizing that it was the eve of the solstice and a time to celebrate this abundance; I began thinking of the importance of circles and honoring the cyclical nature of nature and our lives. I remembered having read Jean Shinoda Bolen's book The Millionth Circle: How to Change Ourselves and The World, about 15 years ago, and found my old copy to look through again.
The Millionth Circle is based on the idea that: "When a critical number of people, change how they think and behave, a new era will begin." The book was written to inspire women to create circles with a spiritual center. It was talking about the important idea that each woman, and each circle was contributing to something greater. You see, each of us (male or female) has these ancient patterns within us, these archetypal patterns. The "circle" archetype represents wholeness, eternity, and a sacred vessel from which everything is created, or an alchemical container where transformation occurs. When people come together in circles with the intention of bringing peace, compassion, and positive transformation, this act has an impact on those present, and it impacts our collective consciousness, our global culture.

Here are some circle principles from www.themillionthcircle.org:

*you can download a pdf copy at the website.

Create sacred space. This includes physically preparing a space to accommodate the participants in a circle, usually with a centerpiece or altar.
Listen with compassion and for wisdom. This includes listening without an agenda, suspending judgment, being curious and finding the underlying meaning in others' statements. Also, it is listening for wisdom as it comes through each participant.
Speak from your heart and experience. Speak one at a time. This includes saying what is true for you and speaking to the center of the circle, not to another individual. We offer our experience and feelings to the circle, not our advice. Also, we speak one at a time and invoke a talking piece when needed, to ensure that all are heard.
Invite silence and reflection when needed, in you and in the circle. This includes listening to our own inner guidance before speaking. Also, we request silence and reflection in the circle when we feel it is needed.
Take responsibility for your experience and your impact on the circle. This includes demonstrating self-respect and self-restraint. We self-monitor to ensure that our needs and expectations are being met. We ensure our contribution adds to the positive experience of all in the circle.
Keep the confidence of the circle. This refers to our confidentiality agreements. What is spoken in the circle, stays in the circle to help ensure a safe environment for sharing our experiences and feelings.
Make decisions, when needed, by consensus. This refers to our decision making process. Should a circle need to make a decision, it is generally desirable to come to a consensus. These guidelines can be used as a starting point for group agreements in any circle, knowing that each group will add or delete as they see fit.

Create your Health by celebrating the Summer Solstice, honoring the cycles of nature. Create your Health by forming circles with the intention to bring peace and harmony to our world, healing the hierarchical values of the patriarchy: conflict, competition, wanting to control and conquer nature.
To your health,

Chris