solstice + full moon reflection

Welcome to Summer! Pause for a moment of gratitude, the sun is shining, the days are long & full of limitless potential. You are here. You are alive. 

This time of year is one of personal celebration & gratitude, with this year being a big milestone. Five years ago, I finished the hardest challenge of my life, chemotherapy. All while going through treatment, I had June 18th in mind, it would be the last Tuesday I would have to spend hours sitting in a chair with my chest hooked up to an IV drip. I will spare the details of how absolutely torturous these Tuesdays were, or maybe I still haven’t found the words to describe the feeling of trying to stay alive while simultaneously killing your body on a cellular level.  

I would detach my mind from my body & think that I am one more Tuesday closer to summer. Come the solstice, I would be free. That final Tuesday was full of celebration & an overwhelm of emotions. My body was at its weakest point, with the cumulative effects of months of chemotherapy taking its toll on my physical being. But, my mind & my spirit were elated & elevated. I took off to my favorite camping spot on the ocean with a dear friend & spent 3 rainy days being reborn in nature, bald, raw & stripped of everything I once knew. Summer marked the “end”, which I soon learned was also the beginning of my healing journey into the person I am today. 

A few lines from my journal during that time, still ring true to me 5 years later…

“To sleep on the soft earth, to feel it hold me & know I am here. To breathe in the damp salty air & feel it cleanse my drugged lungs with the purest of air. To have the sunshine cast a warm glow on my cold, achy body. I may never grasp the experience I just went through & I know it’s far from over. But I can only try & release it with fresh air, moving water & open sky.” 

(film from this time in my life)

As we enter into Cancer season, take time to nurture your body & spirit outdoors. Nature has always been my medicine & I encourage you to explore that same healing this summer. Detach from the everyday overstimulation & be fully present, even if only for 10 minutes. Sit outside & focus on your breath & body. Release any tension you are carrying, any fear or insecurities. 

For this Capricorn Full Moon I offer you two rituals to align with the solstice energy. 

SURYA BHEDANA: sun shining breath

Use this warming breathing practice or pranayama in the morning to increase energy or when in need of a little revitalization. The right side of the body is associated with the sun, meaning this breath promotes a feeling of warmth, vitality & illumination. 

• Come to a comfortable seated position, lengthening your spine, shoulders relaxed down away from ears

• Take a moment to connect with your breath, expanding your belly & lungs on the inhale, softening on the exhale

• Bring your pointer & middle finger to your third eye, in between your eyebrows. Your thumb to your nostril & ring finger to your other nostril

• Gently close your left nostril, while you inhale through your right nostril

• Pause for a moment before closing your right nostril & exhaling out of your left. 

• Repeat this pattern for 3-5 minutes

Not recommended before bed. If you have any breathing difficulties, try the hand position without closing your nostrils & imagine a ray of sunlight moving with your breath in a similar pattern.

SOLAR PLEXUS MEDITATION: manipura chakra 

Find a comfortable position on the earth, either sitting or laying down. Bring your eyes to a gentle close & feel the soft ground supporting you. As you exhale, let your body soften. 

Bring your hands to your solar plexus chakra, right below the ribcage & just above the navel. This chakra holds our power, our confidence & our free will. As you inhale, envision a bright yellow orange light radiating from its source at your solar plexus. 

As you exhale, release any fear, self doubt or negative self talk. Inhale again, as this yellow orange warming glow expands beyond your abdomen to encase your whole body. Feeling the warmth of sunshine surrounding you. Hold on to this feeling as you continue to inhale & exhale & stay in this imagery as long as you feel necessary.  

much love,

kerry + metamoon