Summer Solstice, Yang's Peak, & the Shifting of Tides
Happy Summer Solstice! The height of light in the Northern Hemisphere, this special time of year marks the longest day of the year and is thus a time of celebration, festivities, and reverence for cultures across the world. The word 'solstice' comes from the Latin words 'sol,' which means, 'sun,' and 'stitium,' which means, 'still' or 'stopped.' It describes the exact moment when the poles are tilted at their maximum toward the Sun, in this case, or away from the sun in the case of the Winter Solstice. I love that this holiday links us through space and time to our ancestors, who created amazing structures like the Egyptian pyramids and countless stone circles throughout the UK, most especially Stonehenge, in order to honor this special time of year. Newgrange, located in the Brú na Bóinne area of Ireland where a few of we yogis visited in 2019 on retreat, is an amazing passage tomb whose opening aligns perfectly with the sun's rising and setting on the Winter Solstice, but only then. It amazes me that such immense structures were built thousands of years ago and are still standing now! They demonstrate the priorities of the cultures who were alive at the time, and the peoples' innate relationship to nature and time, life and death, and the ebb and flow of all of life. These epic creations remind us that we can look to their being as a reminder of something our modern culture may have forgotten but certainly has access to if we choose to look!
In Chinese Medicine, everything can be understood as Yin and Yang. Yin is described as the shadow side of a hill, and Yang as the sunny side of the same hill. These two energies are opposite but complementary to one another, constantly in flux. As seen in the famous 'Yin-Yang' diagram, Yin contains Yang in a small dot within it, and of course, Yang contains Yin in another small dot within it. These two are in a constant state of waxing and waning, with certain periods of time being the height of one, and therefore the nadir of the other, and vice versa. As you may imagine, the Summer Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) is the height of Yang energy from the position of the Sun's perspective, a time when the bright light and heat given off are super potent. When things seem to 'stand still' for a moment, we reach this pinnacle, which is characterized by warmth and movement, intensity and activity. And in the very next moment, life begins to ebb again, moving toward the Winter Solstice, and the height of Yin and all that is dark, nutritive, substantive, and cold.
Our culture is excellent at knowing how to Yang. We are constantly using our minds, our digital tools, and/or our bodies to be as active as possible. And at this time of year, it's awesome, for this is the perfect time to be dynamic and energetic! The Sun is a beautiful example of this, as it encourages us to rise early, go to bed late, and to essentially be awake and doing things for long periods of time. As one might guess, the Yin side of things gets a bit more neglected, with people exhibiting an inability to slow down or rest properly even in the dead of winter when we're meant to go to bed early, sleep a bit later, and spend more time in quiet reflection. This, of course, doesn't mean that we aren't supposed to be active in winter or to rest in summer! Thankfully the heat of summer sometimes encourages us to move a bit more slowly so we don't overheat, an example of how the height of Yang transforms into Yin. And winter's cold invites us to get in gear and move a bit more quickly to generate the much-needed heat we need for our bodies to be comfortable, transforming a bit of Yin into Yang energy!
These two primordial forces support one another and work together to create balance and homeostasis in the spirit, the body, and the mind, constantly dancing together to do so. If we're too cold, we need to heat up, and if we're too hot, we need to cool down. These are basic Yin-Yang premises that are so common-sensical they almost don't need saying. Yet in this day and age, our Yang-dominated culture has their flux out of balance, and we're being invited to reestablish a healthy relationship between the two. How can we honor the height of Yang, its warmth and brightness, in a way that also saves room for the dark and cold of Yin? How do we celebrate with our full spirits, bodies, and minds in a way that nourishes us so deeply that we don't push away the inevitable coming of winter, darkness or cold? How can we honor the flow of life and its constant change, moving with it so that our hearts and spirits, minds and bodies, stay in tune with the bigger Universal flow?
For me, these have recently been questions that have brought necessary challenges, but also much valuable insight. After a 5-year long school journey, one that I had felt called to make for 15 years before actually committing to do so, I feel my Yang Qi slowly returning in a healthier and more aligned way. Not to mention the Yin that I already tend toward deficiency with! Taxing ourselves on every level -- spirit, body, mind -- can be fine, even healthy, if done for short amounts of time. When it's over a longer period of time, it can deplete the deep resources of the body in a way that makes it challenging to return from. Hence, the dance of Yin-Yang is a super important one to be aware of and to nourish while in these more stressful periods! I'm learning how to do this like so many others, and it's a process that refines itself over time if we hone our awareness to it and through it. Now that I have passed my board exams to practice Chinese Medicine here in BC, I feel that I can continue expanding into the journey of life as both a practitioner and an ever-committed student, one who can relax into Life after an arduous uphill climb. And for this, I am thankful. I feel a deep gratitude for having made this journey, challenging as it was, and an even deeper sense for getting to move into a new phase of my journey as a human, a practitioner, and one who facilitates spaces for healing to happen. Though I may be more depleted than I was 5 years ago, I also have ample tools to create a healthy dynamic necessary to nourish myself and those who come to see me for some Chinese Medicine alchemy!
I also trust that you have the tools you need to move through life with grace and vitality, nourishment and heart. And that the more we attune ourselves with Life's magical dance, honoring both sides of the Yin-Yang play, the more fulfilled, vibrant, and aligned we become.
May your Summer Solstice be inspiring, beautiful, and enlivening! May it nourish you to the depths of your being so that you carry its magic into your daily life! And may you dance with the Yin & Yang principles in a way that sustains and inspires you, year after year.
