Summer Solstice 2014 - Joy with Tater Salad

Summer Solstice 2014 BlogHop 

Master List / BlogHop Before Me / BlogHop After Me

For this blog hop, the theme is: joy. What are you joyful about? What brings light to your heart? How do you spread joy to others?

While trying to come up with something that brings me joy, it was very difficult to pick just one!! 

Instead of stating the obvious - my children, my friends, and the warmth of the sun - being that I live in the tippy top of NY and winter lasts about nine months out of the year here; I have found the one thing that is inside of me that no one has ever been able to take away. 

See, my kids go to their father's every other weekend, some of my friends come and go, and the sun doesn't always bring me warmth! 

But deep down inside of me is this precious gift that belongs to me and is part of me. It shows its self to me no matter where I am and it enhances every aspect of my life in some way. This gift I speak of is in all of us, but more prominent in some than others. So what is it? It is IMAGINATION, and there is no end to its generosity in my existence. 

Whether it be putting pencil to paper and crafting an artistic drawing, or filling up pages with as many words that I can type in thirty minutes, it brings me joy. From the moment I open my eyes in the morning til I close them at night, my gift of imagination fills my life with color and beauty. My conversations with people are enhanced with humor and wit. My ability to close my eyes and meditate brings peace to an otherwise stressful environment. My fabricated, written stories not only bring happiness into my own life, but also touch the lives of those who read them. My imagination encourages me to step outside of the box and create wonderful works of art that I share with people all over the world in one form or another. These works of art even offer me a supplemental income that helps me keep a roof over my head when times are tough. 

I have been reading cards since the age of 13 and now at age 36, I have finally let myself express this love by creating inspirational decks for others to use in their practice. When I sit down to create them my entire body experiences a meditative, relaxed state and my heart is filled with so much joy that I am bursting at the seems with imagination. If you would like to see my creations, you may do so HERE. 

On those days when my heart feels heavy, and I can't stand one more second of it, I take out my set of paints and add some imagination with them. At the end of an hour, I am redeemed and whole again! Imagination helps me enjoy all the other joys in my life - ten fold. :)

If anyone wants to get in touch with their creative spirit & imagination, I found this great Summer Solstice Craft idea HERE.

Now for a quick Summer Solstice Tarot Spread...

1. What do I need to Harvest? (Justice) -

I need to learn how to be fair to myself & to stop judging myself so harshly. I am my own worse critic. I also need to learn to manage my time more wisely. Some of my projects need my attention, but I do not give them the proper amount of time because I procrastinate! ha.

2&3. What tools do I need to use? (Hanged Man) -

Apparently a good set of scissors! LOL This will enable me to cut myself down and stop hanging around in areas that absorb my energy & time. I need to let go of things that are not important, and pay more attention to the things that are. Being in limbo is not doing me justice. ;) 

Perhaps it might even be wise for me to stop involving myself in too many projects at once. Learn how to delegate some tasks to others.

(Chariot) -

I need to assert myself a little more in appropriate areas of my life and to learn to hone in on the things that will be most beneficial to me. Up until now, my life has had very little direction. This reading is telling me that I need to pick a direction and go with it instead of trying to go both at once!

4. What will this harvest bring into my life? (Death) -

Major transformations! I can put an end to my struggles and find new hope for me and my children, living a purpose filled life. :)

Summer Solstice Correspondences:

Keywords: Power, leadership, authority

Element: Fire

Direction: South

Cycle of the Wheel The Goddess gives birth to the Dark Twin and so becomes the Mother Goddess. In turn the God is now the God King and they enter into a formal sacred marriage in which he promises to lay down his life for the Goddess, the land and her people. The God reaches his height of power and God and Goddess are equal at their coronation.

But by the end of the day the God knows that henceforward he will grow weaker.

Energies: The high turning point as full power begins to wane from this day

Symbols: Brightly-coloured flowers, oak boughs or tall broad indigenous trees, golden fern pollen that is said to reveal buried treasure wherever it falls, scarlet, orange and yellow ribbons, gold coloured coins and any gold jewellery that can be empowered at the festival, any golden fruit or vegetables.

Animal: Bear

Tree: Oak

Incenses, flower and herbs: Chamomile, dill, elder, fennel, lavender, frankincense, orange, marigolds, rosemary, sage and sagebrush, St. John’s Wort, lemon verbena and vervain, any golden, red or orange flowers

Candle colours: Red, orange, gold

Crystals: Amber, carnelian or red jasper, sun stone; also sparkling crystal quartz spheres

Thanks for visiting my blog! May you and your imagination bring you joy this season.

Blessed Be