A Mid -Year, Summer Solstice Ritual with SoulCollage® Cards

Inspired by my friend and co-blog creator, Karen Paquin, who recently celebrated the 2^nd year anniversary of her blog “The Wonder of Runes” (Yay Karen! Congratulations!), I decided to conduct a ritual for the upcoming summer solstice.

You may remember that Karen and I launched Engaging Inner Wisdom on the winter solstice, and then started the new year by reflecting on the past and envisioning the future. We began planting seeds of intention, and doing the work necessary for the seedlings to grow. We’ve been nurturing our projects since the vernal equinox.

On Friday, June 21, 2013 we will experience the longest day of the year (shortest night), aka the summer solstice, and as a result we will have an abundance of energy, time, and the vibrant enthusiasm associated with the sun at our fingertips.

This bold energy of encouragement brings with it the opportunity to expand, work hard, play hard, and move forward, thrust into our big, bold adventure that began earlier this year. Soon, on the autumnal equinox, we can harvest all that comes from this exuberant, vibrant, energy-filled time. What we harvest doesn’t just come from work, it can come from the time we spend with family and friends, vacationing, enjoying leisure time, and basking in the sun.

Intent on knowing how to put my best foot forward as I move into the second half of the year (we are after all, at the midway point) I enlisted my SoulCollage® cards to use in my ritual. These cards are considered a “personal oracle” because I created the cards and selected the images used on them,  I ask the questions and I answer the questions – in doing this I tap into my subconscious and receive powerful insight. If you create your own deck, you can do the same thing. I will talk more about SoulCollage®  in upcoming blog posts, but for now, I will share my summer solstice ritual with you, and the meaning I derived from my SoulCollage® cards.

When I work with my cards I like to set sacred space, so I set off with my altar to regale the sun in my backyard. I lit a candle, shuffled my cards and decided to ask them this question: “As I step into the second half of the year, with the sun’s energy at its height, which Neters (cards) wish to guide me and move me forward?” After selecting four random cards I engaged in several SoulCollage® writing activities, and here is what the cards had to "say" to me (abbreviated for the post):

Card #1

This card provides me with peace of mind and a sense of clarity. I am reminded that when I listen to my intuition, I can trust in the future. This card tells me to hold on to summer’s light and energy, but don’t cling too tightly. Its green color suggests that my heart chakra plays a role in the upcoming months. I am also reminded to lay out a plan, and gently follow it.

Card #2

This card focuses more on a path, a narrow path. It speaks to the importance of structure and passion. It encourages me to follow my path, and to make sure that I don’t sacrifice structure for passion. I can see clearly, and I am encouraged to engage in joint ventures.

Card #3

This card is all about peace, harmony, loving kindness and compassion. It reminds me to stay heart centered and open my heart to both give and receive. When I do this I will benefit from the marvelous gems that are near and dear to my heart. It suggests that even though things may get strewn about at times, and seem chaotic, as long as I am operating from my heart, I will be ok.

Card #4

 

This card encourages me to “jump on board” and not get weighed down by my "wet blanket" i.e. my negativity, whining, and comparing myself to others. I need to turn my thinking around and see the marvelous opportunities that are just waiting around the bend for me. It reminds me to be grateful! I need to turn and look at the blessings in my life! There are marvelous, golden opportunities awaiting me on the horizon.

So, what do I get from all this for the next six months? -

Follow my true heart’s path. Fill myself with passion, but remember to create a structure from which to operate. Stay true to my heart, remain loving and kind, and be grateful for all that I have and all that awaits me. Things are fine and moving forward splendidly. I don’t need to doubt or second-guess. I just need to do my work, keep the faith, and remain true to myself.

Engaging Your Inner Wisdom – What rituals do you engage in that support you as you move through your year? Have you ever thought of doing SoulCollage®? Maybe you would be inspired to celebrate the summer solstice by walking a labyrinth. Perhaps you use art making as a ritual. Maybe you rise every morning to pray and meditate? Engaging in rituals helps us to connect more deeply to the activity. I'd love to hear from you about your rituals and encourage you to find meaningful rituals that can enrich and deepen your life!

Another Messy Work Space

I'm a big city girl; always have been; always thought I would be.  Maybe I will, but recently, I discovered a new world and, if you will, a new aspect to me; something that I enjoy almost as much as I enjoy writing or working with Runes, something that makes the big city feel like it is a world away, even though I still live within its borders.

It's my yard!  When we moved into our house a few years ago, there was a lovely garden in the back yard, a lovely garden that didn't suit us at all.

  

After two years of largely letting it go, we are taking it back and making it our own.  We are removing trees and rose bushes and trimming back lots of other vegetation so that we can plant food.

Last month, Chantel shared a picture of her messy workspace as she makes her way through a creative process.  Now, I want to share my messy workspace - my yard/garden - as I make my way through the process of empowering myself to overcome feelings of helplessness and frustration.  We still have a long way to go in this multi-year undertaking, but we're under way and it feels great!

It is messy, but it is also progress.  My husband removed the scraggly cedars that ran along the side of the porch:

Before and after tree removal with the mess in the foreground

I cleared two sections and planted corn in the space along the fence:

Before the flowers (roses removed from along the fence) and after.

And veggies (lettuce, broccoli, onions, beans, and tomatoes) in the other section where roses once stood:

Before (where the roses were in a circular enclosure) and after where the dark soil awaits my veggies.

 It's a trial this summer; a learn as I go process.  If I get some food this year, I will be very happy;  if not, I will be grateful for the experience and continue to prepare the rest of the yard for next year, when I plan to triple the growing area.  I am so excited and driven by this opportunity!

The only experience I've had with purely personal satisfaction like this was writing my novel, my blog about Runes and, well, doing almost any kind of writing.  But gardening, planting and growing my own food, feeds a very different part of my psyche than writing does.

They are both evolved, sophisticated, and educated, but along very different lines.  It's absolutely fascinating to be so enthralled by two such different feats, yet have them strike so many of the same chords from almost opposing sides and give me such a strong feeling of satisfaction, peace of mind, and overall fulfillment.

When I write, I feel like I can go any place and any time in history that I want; create my own world and experience.  When I garden, I feel like I am going back to a world that was simpler, maybe harder, but grounded and full of meaning.  It has truly given me another wondrous path on which to engage my inner wisdom.

Practice Engaging Your Inner Wisdom
Gardening is something I never thought I would like or do.  This week, I challenge you to try something new, something that you never thought you would do or something you have been wanting to try, but haven't.  Then, let me know how it goes and how the experience affected the way that you understand and follow your inner wisdom.