This has been the most difficult blog to write yet, and possibly the longest!
Having decided to write a blog focusing on the Celtic Christian aspects of mindfulness, I have been waiting for a proper summer’s day. The summer solstice seemed the obvious topic for June, however, I found it really hard to get motivated to do my outdoor summer meditations in the wind and rain. I found myself thinking more about autumn than summer, my mind as thick and heavy as the dark clouds keeping the sky obscured and the temperature low. When the thick, grey clouds have occasionally parted revealing the blue summer sky and the heat of the sun, I have been reminded of the metaphor of the weather being like thoughts. The weather does not affect the sky, just our experience of it; similarly, it is the way we relate to the thoughts drifting through the mind that affects our experience of the present. This produced another conundrum: mindfulness, whether Christian or Buddhist in origin, encourages acceptance of what is, but is it right to just accept the unseasonal weather, or should we rail against it as a symptom of the damage we have inflicted upon the earth? The answer I reached was to do both. I cannot change the weather today, that is impossible so I must accept that it is the way it is. No amount of wishing it were different will make it so. All that achieves is frustration and sadness in my life as I imagine how wonderful the days could be ‘if only it was warmer…or sunnier…or drier…’ However, acceptance is not a passive ‘putting up with’ the way things are either. And in the Celtic Christian tradition we are encouraged to care for our physical world, our physical home, as well as our physical and spiritual bodies, and to see the divinity within all of creation. There are many writers who believe that had we remained in the Celtic church, rather than becoming Romanised and adopting the hierarchal nature of creation with humankind high above base matter such as the earth and all other creatures, we would not have neglected and abused the environment in the way we have. So this solstice, I have been focusing on accepting the way things really are in the present, whilst making choices which will hopefully improve the future and safeguard our beloved planet. If you would like to skip ahead to some mindfulness tips and a meditation scroll down to the last section.
Using the ancient to inform the present:
First, the term ‘Celtic’ needs addressing since it spans a huge area, both historically and geographically, so to clarify I am using the term to describe the very early Christians of the British Isles before we became Roman Catholic in the 4th century. This was a period of great philosophical development as ideas from the Middle East met with the great Druid thinkers of Britain and found that they had much in common. The early Christian visitors to our shores found a people who already saw creation as divine, they believed in the concept of soul and that there is more to reality than we can perceive easily just using our five senses. So, just as the cross was added to the standing stone to produce the Celtic cross we know so well, the ideas of Christianity were added to the Druidic traditions and teachings to produce a wonderful blending of poetic insight into the mysteries of life with all its richness and diversity. The tall pillar stone, the world axis connecting the earth and the heavens, the visible world with the invisible world, now had a name: Christ. The invisible but powerful energy coursing through creation was the Holy Spirit, and the source of everything was the Mother/Father creator God. And all of this is contained within the wheel, at the centre of which is the unmoved mover. As we sit to meditate we become the pillar, the earth axis, our feet touching the earth and our heads and minds reaching up to the heavens. We become aware of the self, and all that is contained within it, and that our perception of self is often an illusion. And when we reach that still point deep within, we are the unmoved mover; self (or ego) has been let go and all that remains is simply to be. Second, the term ‘Solstice’ needs to be understood. The summer solstice is simply the longest day of the year, the most hours of sunlight we will have in twenty-four hours until the next summer solstice. Ideas about the solstice are often used in a disingenuous way, belittling the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts who in reality understood far more about our relationship with the changing seasons than we do today. As we have moved out of nature and into little boxes with controlled lighting and heating, we have lost a part of our relationship with the earth and with that our understanding of the effects of the seasons on our sleeping patterns, our energy levels and our moods. In a very practical sense this time of year was the best time to be celebrating the emerging fruits of the hard work done since winter. And the best time to be outside, tending the crops and animals, sharing the warmer weather with neighbours. The farmers would move from the winter farms to the summer pastures with their flocks, treading on the holy earth and rejoicing in its abundance. Likewise, pilgrims would be honouring the earth, treading lightly upon it as they journeyed into the unknown to lose the self and find the centre. The solstice reminds us that our relationship with the earth has to go beyond using, even appreciating or preserving; it reminds us to honour the earth, to bless the earth and all of the fruits, all of the creatures, the whole of creation itself. We see the evidence of this relationship in the ancient prayers and blessings throughout the British Isles, providing us with a richness and depth of being, of mindful noticing of each change, each bird, each creature, each blade of grass. Each meal was a eucharist, as each food was holy and sacred, and even the very practical aspects of daily life were performed as living prayer, much in the way we would describe daily mindfulness today.
How can we use the solstice to realign with the earth?
The solstice gives us a focal point, a reason to stop and reassess our relationship with the earth. What have we grown this year so far? What will the fruits of our labours be? And how can we bring our intentions to be mindful into practice during the busy-ness of the summer? These are all questions to take into contemplation, but a few tips would be:
• Use your five senses when you are outside to really notice what your body is experiencing • Stop and really notice a tree…then a branch…then a leaf…then a small part of the leaf…and then the whole tree again • Use the sea, a river or a stream to contemplate the movement of water, one of the oldest forms of meditation there is • Look up at the stars on a warm night and notice the vastness • Let go of old habits by burning them in a bonfire, or throwing pebbles into water • Spend some time each day outside • Try to meditate when you can, even noticing how noisy it can be a form of awareness practice. If you would like a more formal practice, here is a meditation for you to try:
A solstice meditation:
You are standing in a meadow…surrounded by the soft scents of summer flowers…you are alone and completely at ease, feeling relaxed and safe…the sun is directly overhead…it is midday…and you close your eyes and feel the rays of the sun gently reaching you…softening and relaxing your skin…your muscles…your whole body…you exhale and feel that release of tension…letting go…absorbing the moment… These rays from the sun are lightly touching the earth…nourishing and sustaining life…creating food for plants…even nourishing humans as the sun touches the skin…and you become aware of one ray lightly touching the crown of your head…this ray of sunshine has travelled over miles of space to reach you…and you feel it gently travel through you as it brings healing and recovery…strengthening you with its light but powerful touch…and as it does so, you are filled with joyful energy…the playfulness of summer…you feel it touch your heart with joy and love for your home…for the people and creatures you care about…connected…all living under the same sun…feeling the same warmth…enjoy that feeling of connectedness…unity… And when you bring the meditation to a close, bring that sense of joy, love and connectedness into the rest of your day…the rest of summer. Blessings.
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