Solstice Solitude & The Flame Within
WHY IS IT SO SCARY TO SIT IN THE SILENCE OF OUR OWN EXISTENCE?
For some of you, solitude comes easy. The constant din of phone pings, digital playlists, or mental chaos slathered in the sugar of endless superficial tasks hasn't uprooted you entirely. However, I'd guess that for most of you, enduring the constant racetrack of the day has become normal. Day after day. Everyday. The concept of going inwards and spending time alone has a culturally negative connotation. We often feel guilty for taking time to reflect on our own, with or without a plan for how it's done. Sometimes you don't need one. That can often be where the magic happens.
I'd say "Happy Solstice," but I'm finding that unless the word "happy" has a direct and intentional meaning, it should perhaps be surrendered. This is not a day that is solely happy. It's an unethical time in America, and unchecked power continues to be abused throughout the world. On this long day of the burning sun, people have a touch more time to witness their light reflected inwardly, and back out again.
There is a tangible collective sorrow. Candles are extinguished from the hearts of so many, and resolve is lost in darkness. Hearts are flints, and the fire that burns within can always be found again with the spark of solitude. This really does not mean sitting alone in your room with the glow of a screen. This is false light. Nothing more than a brilliant tool. Once that authentic spark is found, gatherings great and small contribute to the fire. Beginning with the self is essential, and offers insight that nothing else can.
I was recently discussing this topic with my friend April as we sat in a sauna, speaking through the thick air. The space became illuminated by words, as they curiously spun around us. She practices meditation, and writes her morning pages everyday as suggested by The Artist's Way. When we are truly willing to converse with the self, to allow our inner noises to be filtered out and our threads to unravel, we have the space for a flame to grow. The creative artist burns within us - and each one is alive, unique, as our own inner guide.
This solstice is an opportunity to let your light be reflected. Grab your journal and write. Let the words pour, as sloppily as they can. Drink in the sun, even through the clouds. And when the flames of the sun dip down in his daily dance, reflect back the light of day, just as the moon does. When we are willing to walk through the darkness and meet ourselves at the light, our hearts glow with warmth, making an eternal offering to the collective will to continue, burning brighter and brighter.
