Summer Of Love- Solstice 2015-16 January 3, 2016 20:13

Summer Solstice

The shifts, the challenges and the results

Summer Solstice is a time of reflection and the rapid changes that come with true reflection. The challenge and the key is how to use 'reflection' effectively. Quite simply, the more you reflect, the greater and faster are the challenges, so therefore, the bigger and more powerful are the transformations. Solstice can be an intense period as it drives you forward and opens the heart which can unleash our potential for true loving and great relationships.

The energies of 2015, or those directly leading up to Summer Solstice (which started earlier this year because of its sheer magnitude and potency) were all about nostalgia, or more accurately, 'how you come to terms with the past'. For many people, this was more than confronting- it was devastating or even traumatic, as the questions posed seemed to have no answers. It is, after all a pretty daunting challenge- 'make sense of your life in 50 words or less'- even a slight freak-out!

However, if you take the time to mull over the actual question, answers come in 'waves' or as 'layered insights'. The question then seems to make more sense and can be more easily handled. Such is the power, or rather 'gift' of reflection: indeed, reflection is a gift of awareness so just unwrap it slowly and don't freak out about the size or magnitude of the 'gift' itself. Don't open it and then say you don't need it or try to give it away to someone else.

Reflection can be entered through meditation or by entering a meditative state- but the effectiveness of it depends in part, on the way you meditate. Reflection needs to be conscious, otherwise, final changes or results can not easily be contemplated or even reached. However, like all forms of meditation, reflection requires space. Space to think, or rather, space to feel. It is through letting yourself feel that you begin to understand this recent solstice challenge, which is to settle the past and understand your place in it so that you can move ahead with conscious passion and engage in a grounded identity.

How the universe has given you that space to feel has varied for each and every person, but rest assured that over the past few months, deep, deep feelings have been stirred and have been a force with which to be reckoned.

The deep feelings stirred, would have happened in a person's area of vulnerability or sensitivity that needed attention, settlement or reckoning. For example, it could have been in the area of 'family', 'partnership', 'children', 'work'- or it could have highlighted issues that cut across the whole board, e.g., issues such as 'isolation', 'health', 'communication', 'intimacy' or even 'parental or karmic programs'. It's not helpful to bash yourself over the head about all the challenges that you have had to deal with- just shrug your shoulders and accept that the greater the challenge, the more you are ready to reflect and the more equipped you are to reconcile. So good on you!

As well as confronting and reconciling your own challenges, you will have also been at least witness to the challenges that friends, family and colleagues have had to endure (and I don't use the word 'endure' lightly). Universal or group challenges are by their very nature, threefold:

1. All soul groups go through challenges together- so you will be affected.

2. These are universal energies, so 'what's mine is yours'. That means, that whatever someone else is going through raises a challenge for you, or is relevant to you in some way (although it may be a different challenge).

3. Group challenges, or universal energy shifts are shared - so that we can hold energy for each another, as we pass through tough or difficult times. It is just what we do- as humans, friends and simply souls who are affected by energy and who need support at some time in our lives.

Holding energy for others and going through these shifts together can lighten the load- but it can also intensify and hasten the shift, making the energy even more potent and dramatic. You may have noticed (and it could have been you) that many people have 'dropped the bundle' or slipped into unconsciousness during this period. The best thing you can do is to either give them space and/or hold energy for them. You hold energy from a distance in a way that also honours your own need for emotional space because you are being challenged and are a part of the shift, learning and re-balance too.

One of the most difficult aspects of this intense solstice period is to understand when you or someone else has slipped into unconsciousness. Signs include:

1. Helplessness

2. Destitution or isolation

3. Explosive anger

4. Seething anger that can not be lifted with your normal healing tools (i.e., time spent together or making them laugh or your normal chill-out techniques)

5. Over-zealous or manic behaviours

6. Expressions of self-hatred

7. Loss of appetite

8. Destructive or reckless acts

9. Self-pity

10. Sleep deprivation

There are others, but these are the main ones, and there are obviously layers of seriousness and the signs may switch and change ad-hoc (or so it may seem). All of them show either an inability or unwillingness to 'reflect' and to truly shake restrictive attitudes and situations. Obviously, get help when someone else or you really need it because some of these reactions and behaviours can be life-threatening or even cause long-term damage to relationships and life infrastructures. Go with your intuition- you are part of the universal response unit. 

When to give help, or knowing when to receive it or even ask for it yourself can be tricky- and in some cases, accepting help may be part of the challenge, especially when 'isolation' has been an across-the-board issue. Think of it not in terms of 'Should I offer help?', but more in terms of 'How do I look after this person?' and usually the right means of support will be intuited. 

In cases where someone has plummeted into unconsciousness, space won't help- but holding energy will. They are two very different things and are poorly understood. Holding energy for someone means that you don't withdraw your energy, even if you do have to withdraw your physical presence (giving space). You create the illusion of space, but holding energy means exactly that- you stay in the circuit any way you can without actually 'interfering'- or even communicating physically. It's a hard and often concentrated effort, but be very aware of what your role is to get someone through tough challenges. Don't ask an unconscious person what they need- they don't know, they don't know how to ask and they may simply respond with one of the reactions listed above which is designed to send you away. Understand first and foremost that a shut-down it is not personal- it is unconscious.

If the challenges are pertinent to you and you are reading this blog, then you are probably more aware than you give yourself credit for and are most likely in the position of being able to ask for help when you need it- so do it. Chances are, you simply need space to look at your own issues and are buckling under pressure of holding energy for someone else. You can do both, but it is about being very clear that you are doing both, and not expecting another person to 'reflect in space' just because you can, if they are only at the stage where they need energy to be held. Be very clear and understand the differences. In short: never force someone to reflect when they can't, and when they simply need energy to be held until they re-group, re-balance and are ready for the next stage of healing and motion.

The powerful 2015-16 solstice energies are transformative specifically in the field of our 'emotions' and understanding 'emotional intent'. Sounds simple but it is not, as not everyone has a clear view of their emotional intent behind actions, words, event-planning and relationship-resolution. The bad news is that it could take a while (until April 2016 which is when the next big shift happens): the good news is that it does ultimately strengthen all of our relationships, which are the essence of our emotional lives.

Positive Reflection

Those who can fully embrace and integrate these changes are the people who simply embrace their relationships. That can be hard - especially around reactive energies that push our hearts away (a natural reaction when a person is confronted by their past). Reflection is two-fold: looking back and simultaneously knowing where you stand today. That requires a strong presence and an even stronger sense of value and identity. In the end, this solstice period of reflection makes forward motion and transformation easier because you can look back at the past without re-entering or drowning in it.

Take a good look around you now: who makes you happy or makes your life better? Those are the relationships you want to embrace as they set the tone for positive new ones to evolve. Reflective insight comes from sitting comfortably in the heart space.

Solstice energy shifts explore our heart spaces. The challenge therein lies in the opening and embrace of that space and having the emotional intent to really want to know your heart and its many layers. It is going to be good- just open it up and let it flow.

Wishing everyone a happy 2016,

Donna, Millie, Tessa, Connell and Lucy (our new foster)

Jamie Natural Health and Healing