Balancing Pleasure and Pain in Living a Conscious Life

Do you love living a conscious life?

A willing question maybe, but many fake their way through the answer to this question.

Religions, philosophies, and doctrines have all challenged us to embrace conscious life as energetic and engaged spirits in the hopes that we may live a happier life. Conscious life, however, is full of unhappiness, discomfort and suffering. Therefore, if we seek to fully embrace a conscious life, the embracing of negativity is mandatory for complete engagement. This reminds me of the Zen quote about fight the opposing Samurai enemy; “One must hug the enemy so that he can’t draw his sword.” Read more of this post

9 Fascinating Neuroscience Studies that Reveal the Inner Workings of Your Mind

1. Human Brains Are Hardwired for Empathy, Friendship

Perhaps one of the most defining features of humanity is our capacity for empathy — the ability to put ourselves in others’ shoes. A new University of Virginia study strongly suggests that we are hardwired to empathize because we closely associate people who are close to us — friends, spouses, lovers — with our very selves.”With familiarity, other people become part of ourselves,” said James Coan, a psychology professor in U.Va.’s College of Arts & Sciences who used functional magnetic resonance imaging brain scans to find that people closely correlate people to whom they are attached to themselves. The study appears in the August issue of the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Read more of this post

Tapping Into Your Creative Genius: Understanding How the Creative Mind Works

HJ: The first step in tapping into your creative genius is understanding how the creative mind works. This foundational knowledge will allow you to see where you may be impending the outflow of your natural stream of creative ideas and thoughts.  The process of tapping into your creative mind is one of removing the barriers to your natural creative state.  As always, the human mind-body-spirit triad is perfectly equipped to provide the individual with unlimited potential and everything they need to succeed and prosper in this lifetime.  It is simply up to us to acknowledge this and learn to harness our true nature.

This is a fascinating article and one that we hope you will find as interesting as we do. Read more of this post

Synchronicities: Coincidences or Vibrational Frequencies?

Synchronicity is defined as the experience of two or more events that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance and that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner. The concept of synchronicity was developed by Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung. Read more of this post

Brain Files: Why Meditation Feels Sooo Good

The brain is a magical tool that enables us to access different parts of our psyche, different states of consciousness, and experience the world around us. In any given moment (waking) our brains are processing thousands and thousands of elements in our environment. This constant processing lends our brains to an immense amount of stress. But through meditation we can resolve this stress allowing for this processing to increase agility.

Your brain functions on four different wave frequencies, they are:

This means that we have several levels of functioning outside of the normal Beta state, which is how most people think of our brain as a whole. Furthermore, we can be conscious during each stage of these brain wave changes. This is done through meditational practice and sleep studies.

Buddhist monks have meditated for thousands of years, exploring these subtle realms of the brain. They’re extremely familiar with positive effect of meditation, including the way it works to instill the inner strength and insight needed for spiritual practices; meditation, or “sitting,” is to a Buddhist monk as to what prayer is to Christians, or even pre-game is to a football player. But instead of trying to self talk your way into a peaceful state of being, monks know the value of just letting things be as they are. This is the first key in achieving conscious awareness during one of these states. You must let your ego (sense of self) and other thoughts fade into silence. What happens next might surprise you.

Neuroscientists observing MRI scans have learned that with a meditation practice strength in the brain is achieved by reinforcing the connections between brain cells. In a recent 2012 study showed that people who meditate exhibit higher levels of gyrification — the “folding” of the cerebral cortex as a result of growth. The scientists suspect that gyrification is responsible for making the brain better at processing information, making decisions, forming memories, and improving attention. What this also does is confirm the argument regarding that meditation aids in the individuals ability to cope with stressors. Excitingly, science has now proven the validity of mediation in neuroplasticity.

When relating to the actual activity of brain wave function during meditation, study results have been linked to dramatic and positive changes in electrical brain activity, namely increased Theta and Alpha EEG activity, which is associated with wakeful and relaxed attention. These two states are most desired but the hardest to achieve due to our over-chattering of internal mental noise. In order to achieve levels of conscious Theta waves we must first learn how to navigate in silence. This doesn’t mean in the absence of noise, but rather that there is internal mental stillness. Once we have mastered in entry point and technique that helps us to achieve stillness, we can then venture in deeper to deeper Theta and Delta waves.

A very interesting  study from earlier this year showcased that meditators have a different expression of brain metabolites than healthy non-meditators, specifically those metabolites linked to anxiety and depression. This is very interesting considering how often we actually take time to sit in silence. The drug industry would be in trouble if we all starting sitting in silence for 30 minutes every morning – is it that simple?  Yes, it is that simple. As you sit in silence, your brain activity will start to calm. As it calms your level of operating brain wave will shift lower and lower, depending on your level of skill. And your level of shill is based on your ability to descend into stillness itself.

When you lower your brain waves via meditation you feel more relaxed and centered. This keeps us on track and refreshed. In fact, many have said that after a meditation session they feel as though they have slept for 8 hours. This is why meditation feels SOOO good! It’s because have let ourselves go into the vastness of stillness, allowing our brain to function on lower fluctuating wave frequencies, i.e. your brain relaxes.

Take time each day to try to reach the state of Alpha brain wave. You will know you have reached it when the wondering of your mind has ceased. Don’t try to force it, just let your thought be as they are. For the more you try to push them away the more they will solidify. Allow your thoughts to come and go, establishing a firm root in stillness. Look and “Listen” for silence. That will help your mind quiet. As they say, “seek and you will find…”

What is Your Ego?


All I can be is who I am right now; I can experience that and work with it. That’s all I can do. The rest is the dream of the ego. -Charlotte J. Beck

ego, self

 

 

What is your ego? I mean really, what is the bottom line to what your ego is? Amongst philosophy books this can be a very complicated questions, and an even more complicated answer. Many believe that your ego consists of memories, aspirations, and habits. In this article we will break down what you ego is and sum up what you can do combat it’s influence.
Simply stated the ego is a collection of habitually thought, thoughts. Meaning, your ego is constructed of thoughts that have been operating in your mind since you were a child. This is where our limiting beliefs, daily habits, and thoughts about everything stem from. We always relate back to this collection of thoughts to identify what we believe and how our lives should play out. Furthermore, we always claim these ideas to me “ours”. When, in actuality they are just a collection of gathered thoughts from friends, family, peers, and society. To come up with a strictly “original” idea takes deep contemplation and internal quiet. With all of the noise and distractions available to us, we find it hard to do this so we just go along with what is given to us. Choosing to go along with popular fashion, ideals, and religions. This means that when someone comes along with a challenging belief or idea they are scowled at as “outcasts” or even worse “weirdos!” . This is unfortunate due to the authentic nature of their thinking. We usually back up our stances with statements such as, “But everyone else thinks…” or “That not what they said…”, always referring back to, what psychologists call, “The Herd Mentality”.

The Herd Mentality & Ego:

Defined: Herd mentality, describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items. Examples of the herd mentality include stock market trends, fashions in apparel, cars, taste in music, superstition, religion, home décor, etc. Social psychologists study the related topics of group intelligence, crowd wisdom, and decentralized decision making.

Let me give you an example: “Would you jump off a cliff if your friends did?”, our parents always used to say. We always say, “NO! Of course I wouldn’t!”, with resounding anger that they even asked the question. But here is the truth; the truth is that we have a 80% increased possibility to follow our friends off a bridge then if by ourselves. Why? Because when we make the resounding “NO!” rebuttal to our parents unsightly question we aren’t thinking about it in context of the actually situation. In the actual situation we would be in a different state of mind, altered by our friends’ influence on us. We are simply thinking about, well, dying if we were to jump off a cliff. In context our state would be very different. Friends, just like in herd mentality, are trusted individuals we deem worthy of sharing our time with. The more time we spend time with them the more trust and moral we build with those trusted individuals. As this happens, we bestow increasing value upon our friends’ opinion of reality, society, and us. This is where we fall short. At this juncture our friends now have the ability to manipulate us, and us them. This is done numerously, on varying levels, in every relationship. Why? Because of this evaluation of our counterparts’ opinion. This opinion isn’t good or bad, right or wrong. That isn’t the point. The point is that by entrusting value on another individual based on how must we know them isn’t solid enough evidence to do so. In business, this would be as if I invested money in a company I had great and trusting relationship with the owners of the business – ONLY! You wouldn’t do that. You want to know the products or services, inner mechanics, long term goals, and so forth. You want to know everything about where you are placing you money before you do so. With our ego, which is more valuable, we tend to just give it to the quickest sale – or – who will take it first.

Don’t Trust – Your Thoughts:
It’s okay to trust people once you’ve gotten to know them. But our thoughts, since we have discovered aren’t all our own, should never be trusted – nor ignored. The ideal that thoughts can be ignored for a peaceful mind is complete fallacy. Do not ignore your thoughts. As the samurai’s creed states:  “Hug your enemy so that he can’t grab is sword.” This simple principle should be applied to our thoughts in the same fashion. Embrace each and every thought that enters your head. The difference?: Don’t trust that it’s the correct thought. Thoughts come and go like the passing of clouds. I always tell fitness clients that they should wait one hour before they indulge in a food they are craving. Every time the craving passes. Why? Because they don’t REALLY want the craving, it’s psychologic. Thoughts should be handled in the same way. Wait, and see what happens in the next couple of moments before saying that word, tell off that coworker, or going through that drive through.

Rapid Thought:

One of the hardest things to understand and master is our rapid thoughts. These are the thoughts that come to us in times of stress or “knee-jerk” reaction moments. Someone says something and we rapidly fire back with a stream of phrases that could have been delivered differently and calmer. We know what these retaliation style comments are accomplishing: Hurt. Therefore, we need to become skillful in watching these thoughts come and go rather than letting them manifest in our reality.

Quick Tip: The more rabid the thought comes in to our mind, the more rabid it will leave.

The next time you have a knee-jerk reaction to a person or situation. Stop for a moment, or three breath-lengths, and look for other options to answering the demands of the situation. You will find it refreshing and empowering to know that you don’t have to hurt anyone anymore, shocking them with your calm focused response.

In Conclusion:

If you had to select original ideas over implanted ideas from others, which would you choose? Obviously most of you would like to have original thoughts creating the reality you want. In that case, I suggest you do the following:

  1. Every day, chant an internal mantra of ONE word, for at least 30 minutes. Pick a word that is positive in nature and that you can remember easily. This will help to quiet your inner monologue. 
  2. Meditation is key. This is something that is slammed over the head with a stick – I know. Nevertheless, spend time every day in silence. Silence renews the soul and cleanses the mind.
  3. Turn off influence. Look to turn off the radio, tv, etc. When some one says something, filter it through before you hold on to it. Then, remember that it was their thought on the matter and not yours.

If you follow these three simple steps every day, I promise you will start noticing new and ORIGINAL ideas randomly popping up in your mind. Some may sound crazy, but they might be just what you need.

Flow Smoothly with Daily Stressors

stress

Every day we encounter stressors in our lives; things that stress us out. We do our best to avoid these things. But is the the wrong approach? Instead of avoidance, we should attempt to find the root cause of our stress in a particular situation. We might be shocked to find out that the root cause is stemming from us. In this article we will discuss the types of things we encounter on a daily basis and ways of dealing with ourselves in those seemingly stressful situations.

 

Events & Situations:

This stressor usually starts at the very beginning of the day, when we find ourselves stuck in traffic. We know, the day before, that the traffic is going to be bad as it always is, but why don’t we leave earlier? Well, this would require getting up earlier. If we aren’t sleeping well or not getting to bed at a decent hour, this can present a problem – but fixable. This takes action on our part to leaving early. What if you miss all of the traffic and get to work way beyond your scheduled start time? Simple, take a book along and read in your car or a near by coffee shop to get your mind moving for a productive day. The events and situations that unexceptionally kick us in the face aren’t the problem, even though most view them as such. These situations are learning opportunities for us to grow as individuals. The key is in how we react to the situations that arise that matters most. Plan ahead the best you can and simply adjust to what comes your way. In martial arts, this is called “moving with your opponent”. Instead of offering up resistance, you learn to move with the situation in order to create flow – a flow you can control.

People Say:

This is after you have arrived at work or you place of settlement. People will say the craziest things, mostly for reaction by other people. They tend to over-exaggerate, emphasis, and over-dramatize whatever story they are telling. Keep you mind on guard as this type of information will ultimately do nothing for you. If they emphasis gossip about something negative; listen, nod, smile, and kick it out of your mind. People will also tell you things that are contrary to what you believe, possibly offending you. When this happens remember that they can say anything without affecting you. The affecting only occurs when you let it affect you. Again, when something doesn’t resonate with you, causing you internal mental stress, kick it out refusing to feed into it.

Human Needs:
We all experience hunger, this is a primal human need. However, hunger has been made into a science by the big box corporations in order to prey on your senses. Meaning, you lack of nutrition via the standard diet is being taken advantage of by loads of salt, sugary foods, and high in carbohydrates. Monitor you anxiousness towards food and other human needs. In fact, science has proven that up to the first 30 minutes of hunger is actually thirst. Drink lots of water, then decided on lunch. This type of awareness goes for all human needs that may arise. Before you let the line at Dairy Queen stress you out, take a moment and evaluate whether you want greasy food or something that will keep you feeling light with energy.

 

The key to your adjustments to stressors in your daily activities isn’t strict self-discipline, but rather self-agility. Be present, allowing yourself to move and flow with the unfolding of events without becoming habitually reactionary. This will take practice but just like with a martial artist, practice leads the way to mastery.

Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life – Today!

Have you ever heard someone say, “This economy isn’t helping matters…” or “If only I had more money…” or even “My relationship would be better if…” ? If you, or anyone else you know has every said something similar to these phrases, maybe you have noticed something that is constant amongst all three. Do you know what it is? Don’t worry, I will tell you. The constant between all three of these statements is: Blaming something, or someone else for how our lives turn out.

You see, in general terms people are lazy. They’d rather sit all day long on the beach, being served the finest wines, with $2million in the bank. Now, lazy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Unless, you are being lazy as a way to avoid something you know you should do. So therefore, is nothing wrong with this beach-side image. Most that have attained such success know that living that way for to long yields the same stagnant lifestyle as when without that luxury. Therefore, change and variety is good. Good for the soul, body, and mind. But what yields a successful person over a unsuccessful person? The key is in how a successful person takes responsibility for, not only their life, but their actions. This means, you’ll be able to be lazy but just in a responsible way.

There an ole’ quote about responsibility that goes like this: “You have not gone from childhood to grown up until you have taken 100% responsibility for your life.”

As children we are instructed to take control of what we do and learn to operate within the world. We are told that thing aren’t easy and we aren’t going to be able to control every situation that comes upon us. We are also told that some things “just happen” and we’re going to have to learn to deal with them. Although most of this information is good, it’s not all correct. Maybe we can’t control every situation, but we can take full 100% responsibility for every situation. And here is how:

Taking 100% responsibility is done via THREE KEY components:

1. Action Awareness: You MUCH, and I repeat, MUST become aware of the actions you are taking – every moment possible. When you do something you aren’t please with, ask yourself if this action contributed to your future success or the benefit of others. If it didn’t fit this criteria, then it needs to be changed for the equivalent beneficial action. Change: This is a skill that will strengthen with time. Embracing change for the better is a skill that will not only serve you in your personal life, but your entire life. Embrace not only change that happens to you but also the change that is needed to effectively change your life.

2. Environment Crafting: Set up your environment, whether it’s: business, home, etc. So that it’s conducive to a space that will yield you successful outcomes. Even your car! Take charge and responsibility for the environments you inhabit. This will show responsibility and people will take notice. The key to this is that you make sure you have everything in place that you think you might need in order to succeed in the next 5-10 years. Meaning, if you had to use this space only for the next 5-10 years, with continued growth in mind, how would it look? Who would you like to be in the environment with you? What types of systems would be set up to ensure congruency? What would your ultimate environment look like, feel like, smell like, be like? Once you have made this a reality in your mind, make it a reality in the physical form.

3. Unexpected Situations: This is the one that everyone gets caught up on. They say, “Well, I might be able to control my actions, thoughts, and environments, but I can’t control what happens to me!” In fact, this is the very concept that, usually, propels people back into the state of blaming. They say, “Well, that person hit my car so now I’m going to have a bad day.” or “That deal didn’t go through so now my boss is going to hate me.” or even better “It’s raining outside so that means its a gloomy day.” Yes, if it’s raining outside it will have a gloomy “feel” to it. With this component, it’s not so much about what happens to us as much as it is how we handle the situation. For instance, I noticed that during really rainy days I would get less accomplished versus when it was nice outside. I was completely puzzled. Nothing changed except the weather – or was it just the weather? You see, we tend to base our internal state on the external world. Therefore, every time it rained my internal state would change – thus rendering me less effective. This is something we can control, and I did by meditationally imagining a bright and sunny day and all the things I would do when it was sunny out. When situations arise that are out of our control, our responsibilities lie in three categories: 1. State of mind during the uncontrollable situation. 2. Our thought process during the situation. 3. Our plan of reaction to the situation. 

 

Take responsibility of your life today. Make it so everyone can say, “He/She is very organized and knows exactly what they want. They seem to have their faculties in order.” And, you do. You have the wherewithal to be present in every moment, making your life the way you want it to be.

How to Become Psychologically Aligned

 

Associate-of-Arts-in-Psychology

What does it mean to be “aligned”? According to Webster’s Dictionary “aligned” is defined in the following way:

Verb
  1. Place or arrange (things) in a straight line.
  2. Put (things) into correct relative positions.

When we are talking about spiritual alignment we usually associated this with a sense of clarity or energy alignment. But what does it mean to be psychologically aligned? The deeper question; what are we aligned with?

Every day we go through the motions of our daily routines. Whether those routines are supportive of or goals or not play into how stressful our days are. For instance, most individuals much rather not work for someone else, and pursue ideals of their own. Therefore, work becomes a source of stress. When we are stress, our psychology becomes unaligned. This means that our deeply submerged subconscious is failing to line up with our thinking mind. We see this occur when our habits torment us, sending us into a tailspin of unwarranted actions. Our subconscious can have the oposite effect as well. Our thinking mind may want to do something good and wholesome, wherein our subconscious habits kick in to kill those actions. The way to psychologically aligning oneself is a traitorous, where many veer to steer clear of. In order to become psychologically aligned we need to follow the proceeding three steps:

  1. Awareness: We need to become intensely aware of our actions. For our actions are a direct result of our subconscious thinking. Through this awareness we will be able to tangibly monitor our internal operations. By watching what we do, honestly, we gain a new perspective on our current way of operating. We will be able to ask the fundamental question, “Do I want to live this way?”
  2. Strategy: Often we talk about the benefits solid beneficial strategy has on our standard of living. In this context strategy is a vital component to our alignment. Our goal should be to seek out a plan/map that enables us to establish better, more beneficial ways of doing things. Seek out the best, be stingy – this is your life we are talking about here.
  3. Repetition & Integration: This is the key to all subconscious change – inevitably life change. Repeating the new beneficial strategy over and over and over again. Don’t think as though this is “something new to try”. When you find a strategy that is beneficial to you in changing your life that resonates with what you want(thinking consciousness), this repetition will integrate into your daily actions(subconscious).   

Remember this one key component: Once you have made a solid change – meaning you don’t think of the change anymore – it has become integrated into your life – look for further improvement, but not same strategies. Write down this: “What got me here won’t get me there.” This will serve as a reminder to you when you have reached a point you are satisfied with. If you stop at that satisfactory point, you will “plateau”, become stagnant ceasing to grow. Growth is at the core of all human expression. Therefore, don’t be scared to take the risks necessary to go the extra mile. Become aware, plan a change, and repeat until you are unconscious, again, but this time to your benefit.

Heal Your Body Today: Mind Power

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” -M.Gandhi

Do you have a headache? Have you or someone you know ever been told that you have an illness? Science is now confirming the validity of the mind’s place in the healing process. Each year numerous more studies arise activating conclusions surrounding the use of the mind’s intrinsic power to heal and reorganize cells.

In most cases, this mind has been tested through using a placebos effective study. In a very interesting study from the University of Keele in the UK, scientists monitored 835 women to test the effectiveness of aspirin – the findings showed that having a brand name on the tablet made a great difference in how effective the aspirin was.

“The study used two types of aspirin tablets – one labelled with a well-known brand name and the other as ‘analgesic’. There were also two types of placebo tablets, labelled in the same way – either a well known brand name or as ‘analgesic.’ The women were separated into four groups so that they would receive only one type of the tablet. The results showed, amazingly, that the branded aspirin tablets worked better than the unbranded ones, yet it was the same drug! The branded placebos also reduced pain much more than unbranded ones, yet they were the same placebos.”

 Main stream medicine professionals will prescribe to medicines with side effects that rival the actual illness trying to be counteracted. This begs the question: Are there other options? Now, there is evidence to support a “YES” answer with the use of the mind. *Note: The mind is a powerful tool, but there also many other alternatives to medicines like, herbs, organic food, and alkaline rich water.

At this juncture, science is unable to ignore the power of the mind. This is due to the ever increasing acceptance of alternative healing methods amongst the science community. This has come about due to science recognition of the measurement alternative medicine and healing techniques. 

This is how it works…

Your brain cannot distinguish between a real event and a perceived event. In other words, your body responds to your mental stimuli the same way as physical stimuli. What this asserts that when you visualize something in your mind, you mind believes the image is just as real as the images in your external world. This give you immense ability to influence your physiology based on what you are thinking. If you can access these images, ensuring that they are positive and self reinforcing, not only a psychological benefit but philological.  By making your visualizations as realistic as possible with clear positive focus, you will achieve positive results. You are recreating yourself in your new experience of positive wellness by using you most important asset as being human – your mind. Create a new healthy reality today. Remember that the energy of your intentions is actually being processed as new information in body. This is the massive power of your mind.

 

MSN admitted recently: Studies by Janice Kiecolt-Glaser and Ronald Glaser at Ohio State University demonstrate how even minor psychological stress—that of newlyweds having their first fight or of students facing an exam—can compromise the immune system. The researchers found that a marital spat delays wound-healing and that the stress of caring for an Alzheimer’s patient leaves the caregiver more vulnerable to illness even years later.

Healing your body with you mind has become more than just new-age voodoo. Doctors and Universities are noticing the power of our mind’s ability to heal our body. We have discovered in past articles that our mind influence our body and our actions, this is why the control and change of bad habits is essential. Through bad habits we can ignite the compounding effect in where our physiological state can consist of a dismal state. We are now to the scientific location to understand that the mind control more than our actions, but wellness as well. Therefore, we need to take charge of our life, and ensure positive thoughts and visualizations that stimulate health and internal abundance.

Dr. Lissa Rankin: Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself, TalksGoogle

Summer: The Essence of Change

If you’ve noticed, we are officially engaged in the midst of the summer madness. Swimming, snow cones, and weekend barbecuing have taken hold throughout the country, taking advantage of the warm summer sun. I want you to imagine yourself at your favorite summer destination. Is it the beach? It it abroad? Are you with your family? Let the sun hit your face, relaxing your muscles. Your breathing is deep and thankful for what you have been given. Are you there? Enjoy this escape… Read more of this post

Change Your Life With The Power of Gratitude

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John F. Kennedy Read more of this post

Wabi Sabi is Not Food, But You Can Eat It!

I often take notice of things around me that don’t seem to fit in their current environment. These objects have a simplistic way of standing out amongst all of the organized things that coordinate. In a way, these items disorient my mind as my mind searches for organization. Out of this, a state of mind arises. This state of mind enables an appreciation for this disorganization. Interestingly, when we take a closer look we find that this is not a disorganized object at all. Read more of this post

The Physiology of Meditation

Meditation can de-stress you and place you in a serene state of being. Even though this is something meditation does very well, research now shows that the things we do with our body(i.e. meditation)actively effect our brain cells. In fact, the research goes on to say that our genes our changed when we take part in physiologically changing acts. These genes are either turned off or on that are associated with inflammation, cell-aging, and free radicals. This allows the body to repair these factors that contribute to cell damage. These changes have been known to change the “fight or flight” reaction, as well.  This plays more into how our habits change our world, even on a cellular level. Read more of this post

Create Abundance With The Summer Solstice

Did you know that solar power is consider one of our greatest societal accomplishments to date involving energy? Individuals that use solar power are always looking to score the most amount of absorbed power on any single given day. Yesterday, they hit a peak day, and they knew it was coming. June 20th, 2013 arrived the Summer Solstice in where the sun hovered in the sky appearing to stand still for the longest time of the season. This allowed solar power operators to collect a huge amount of renewable energy within a single day. This made June 20th a very powerful day power producers.

summer solstice

The Summer Solstice is a Pagan, Celtic, and Druid tradition that dates back hundreds of years. The main theme of the solstice is abundance, citing if celebrated correctly one can manifest any into the material world. Around the world people celebrate by communing in large drum circles, parties, and rituals. If you notice, everything done during the summer solstice is a communal event. This is very important, for the spirit of the summer solstice is just that; one of a great coming together.

Although you may or may not believe in particular religions or traditions, the religions featured during this celebratory time have very real rituals they follow during the summer solstice. For Pagans, the following themes, symbols, and spells apply:

Herbs – basil, chamomile, daisy, elder, pine, St. John’s wort, tyme, yarrow, frankincense, fennel, lavender, and lily

Essential oils and incense – frankincense, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, lotus, jasmine, rose, wisteria, and myrrh

Colors – yellow, white, red, blue, green, tan

Decoration – anything reminiscent of the sun (yellows, reds, oranges), dried herbs, potpourri, fruits, summer flowers

Gemstones – any green stone (e.g. emerald)

Foods – mead, fresh fruits and veggies, lemonade, cookies and cakes decorated to honor the Sun, and of course plenty of ale

Spellwork – Litha is the perfect time for any magick but is especially good for Animal Protection and Marriage & Vow Renewal spells

Litha Incense – 2 parts Sandalwood, 1 part Mugwort, 1 part Chamomile, 1 part Gardenia petals, several drops of Rose oil, several drops of Lavender oil, several drops of Yarrow oil

Orange Honey Butter – 2 Tablespoons grated orange zest, 3 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 – 2 Tablespoons honey, Combine ingredients and chill until ready to eat. Yum!

If casting spells and chanting doesn’t seem like something that would fit your personality or beliefs, then a good way to spend your summer solstice would be to simply enjoy the day and the day following by honor the mid-summers day with acknowledgment. So often we get caught up in our busy lives and forget to honor the earth we stand on. Be thankful, grateful, and compassionate towards others. In the spirit of the ancients, the ancients would be proud if you did.

 

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