We’ve officially passed our solar peak here in the northern hemisphere. I love the titles given to this occasion; Midsummer, Solstice, Litha. All evoke feelings of buzzy-ness and whimsy in me. In this day and age we mark this time as the beginning of summer, but really it is the true mid point. The light will now *slowly* start to fade with promises of the darkness to come. Isn’t it all magic? I made a sun tea today and added hibiscus because I just love to watch the threads of red dance and twirl into the water as the sun warms it up. The tea went from clear to vibrant crimson as it sat on the window sill, and I can feel the solar energy it soaked up. Magic, magic, magic!
I am, at my core, a sun lover. In my next life I’ll aim to come back as a cat with the perfect sunny nook to laze in all day. Wish me luck. But really, so far on my stint here on earth I have found no better feeling than that tingle of warm sun kissing my skin. Every single first warm day of spring feels like a miracle.
In the past few years I have become pretty obsessed with the sun and how it effects our health. In my humble opinion, our relationship to the sun might be the most important player in our whole body wellbeing. It’s the main therapeutic strategy I use as an herbalist. Getting the correct light information into our system from the environment is the key for regulating our circadian rhythm. Having that rhythm regulated means a stronger immune system, better sleep, improved metabolism, reduction in inflammation, and the list goes on.
So what does having a good relationship with the sun look like? First things first, get in the early morning sunlight as much as you can. This light (the first hour or two of sun after the sunrise) is crucial because it contains a balance of red, blue and infrared light which signals our body to start producing cortisol to wake up. This early light, before the UV rise, is also perfect for building up a “sun callous”, which prepares your skin for the stronger UV and UVB light which comes as the sun rises higher. Try to have as much skin exposed to this early morning light as possible and don’t wear sunglasses (you’re eyes need to take that important light information in!). Even if it’s a cloudy day, that light information is still present, so get out there. If you can’t get outside, then crack a window. Light rays bend(!), so if you open your window, whether it be in your house or your car, the light will enter your space. If you’re soaking up the sun through a closed window you are not doing yourself any favours!
Having a sunrise and sunset viewing ritual is an incredible practice, and can be transformative on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. I’ll admit, I have a much harder time actually viewing the rise and set of the sun at this time of year. Lately I have been out in the sun by around 6:30/7:00 in the morning but I’m typically getting ready for bed before darkness falls lol. I just try to focus on keeping my schedule relatively aligned with the sun’s cycle and limit blue light from screens and other artificial light in the early morning and before bed. It ain’t much but it’s honest work.
I love to think about the relationship between the plants and the sun at this time of year, too. They are taking in those intense solar rays and producing things like berries and peas. We then eat those foods that are full of powerful sun energy, ideally while outside under that same sunlight, and we become this perfectly intertwined unit. Georgie of Georgies Gardens, a health educator and fellow writer I respect deeply, wrote about this in his recent newsletter so perfectly:
A berry is not only fiber, vitamin C, potassium, enzymes, and minerals, but also a photoelectric barcode of information trapped by sunlight through photosynthesis—light slowed down and encapsulated into a beautiful, delicious berry. The strength and spectrum of the light is in sync with that of the environment and light you are under while harvesting them, allowing you to perfectly assimilate its nutrients and energy.
Summer is our yang season, meaning it’s all about expansion, energy and outward movement. I feel this seasonal shift inside me, too, but I find that all of that energy can come with a side order of anxiety and overwhelm. It’s the knowledge that it is fleeting, and that these endlessly perfect summer days will in fact end. I get a bubbling up of panic when I wrongly think that I can somehow capture this momentary high and save it forever, or try to cram as many juicy moments in as I can. I try to catch myself when I’m lost in the sauce like this and gently recenter. I remind myself that we are always in flux, moving from one temporary state to the next, so there’s no sense in clinging to the seasons. They will come and they will go. The best we can do is fully indulge in whatever season of life we are in. For me this rings especially true as the door to my season of farming in southern Oregon just closed. I’ve been back at home on Vancouver Island for a week and am still trying to acclimate. What continues to feel surprising is how quickly whatever experience we were submerged in starts to fade away and almost feels like a dream. My time in Oregon was intense and all encompassing, yet now that I am back to my oh-so-familiar “regular” life, that experience is already slipping from me. I suppose the lesson is to bring the threads of these life seasons with us as we move and shift, to weave them into our present self. The threads of who we were in seasons past come together to create the fabric of who we are now; a creative work that never ceases to change. So here’s what summer for me currently looks like: morning sunlight, eating seasonally (gorging on berries) and outside as much as possible, trying my best to be present and enjoy the season day by day, and getting in the water whenever I can. These are my keys for a summer rich in vitality.
Summer solstice fell one day before the ripe strawberry full moon rose up over head. A beautiful and cosmic collision of yin and yang. We can take this powerful atmospheric energy inwards over the next few days to reflect with gratitude on all that has been accomplished this year. Look at all the delicious fruits you have grown that were once just seeds.
In closing, here is a Terry Allen song for you to cha cha off into the sunset to. I share this because it has all the fun and lightness of summer but with a twinge of sadness. Because really, what is one without the other?
Big warm solstice love,
Anika