Take your Tarot Reading to the Next Level
Summer Solstice 2009
The Summer Solstice in 2009 is at 1:45 EDT on June 21. A. M.
Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.
As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year.
Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations in the northern areas have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (according to Shakespeare), St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.
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.
Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth", resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.
Today, the day is still celebrated around the world - most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.
Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.
Connect with the energies of this powerful summer solstice.
Summer Solstice is a time of ceremonies and rituals that has been celebrated for centuries. It is a time of worship and gathering among Pagans and Wiccans, and for others who seek global peace and world enlightenment through prayers and meditation.
Stonehenge
Anonymous comments are disabled