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Seasons of Success – exploring seasonal themes for personal happiness and success
Nature’s seasonal energies and the process of achievement both follow a natural progression. Connecting with the rhythms of nature can boost the power and pace of your endeavours.
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, there are ancient festivals and traditions associated with every season of the year. Notes on this page are broadly based on the seasons of the year as experienced and traditionally celebrated in the Celtic heartlands.
Like many ancient traditions, the festivals of the Celtic year contain nuggets of wisdom that are still relevant today. Reflecting on the cycle of the seasons can inspire you with useful insights for your own success
Different parts of the world experience different seasonal patterns, so please remember to make adjustments for your own circumstances!
This article on the Summer Solstice is one of a series on seasonal themes– brought to you by Alcemi Essences – a range of pure certified organic tree flower essences, created to help you achieve and enjoy success – through every season of the year!
Alcemi Essences 'Presence' 'Creativity & Exuberance' are particularly helpful for putting the themes featured here into action. For more information about these and other Alcemi Essences visit The Range.
The Summer Solstice is one of the four solar festivals of the year. The sun reaches its greatest distance from the celestial equator, and so climbs to its highest point in the sky (for those of us in the northern hemisphere). From our perspective here on earth, the sun follows virtually the same track across the sky for a few days before and after the solstice. So it appears to pause and stand still before travelling back again, to repeat the grand cycle of its annual journey.
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As with many of the Celtic festivals fire was a key part of the celebrations. Midsummer fires were a way of resonating with the positive power of the Sun. The fire was used to energise and bless the crops. In some areas flaming torches, would be paraded through the fields, elsewhere ashes from the fire would be ceremoniously scattered over farm land.
As the flames died down people would jump over the embers to take in the strengthening influence of the Sun at the peak of its powers. Those about to start new ventures or a new phase of life were particularly encouraged to jump, and so were couples. Leaping over the embers together would bring joy and blessings to their relationship.
Traditionally this was the time to celebrate the annual triumph of light, with the sun in splendour, riding high in the sky at the peak of its power and energy. Many people still gather in special places to greet the sun as it rises on the Solstice morning. The emphasis during this festival was on celebration and preservation - celebrating the Sun’s powers at their height, and preserving the powerful positive energy of this time to assist through the rest of the year, including the darker winter days.
Certain medicinal herbs were always gathered at the Solstice because they were considered particularly potent at this time, being imbued with the full force of the Sun’s power. Yellow flowered herbs were believed to have a special relationship with the Sun. It’s not surprising then that St. John’s Wort, named after the festival of St. John on 24 th June when it is often in flower, is the best known herbal anti depressant - helping people to look on the bright side.
What can we learn today from these ancient celebrations? In a world where we are inundated with so much negative news, and when so many people habitually look on the gloomy side, it’s more important than ever to celebrate and ‘store’ for the future the sunny aspects of your life.
The more you acknowledge and appreciate your happy, positive, successful experiences and achievements, the more of them you will attract, because what you focus on tends to increase. The more you keep positive experiences in mind the more you will come to expect positive outcomes. That combination of focus and expectation is like dynamite - blowing away obstacles. In darker moments when faced with difficulties having a ‘bank’ of sunny experiences to refer back to helps you stay positive and connect with your own strengths.
With relationships too, those we love and value most may not always be around, and many meaningful relationships go through some stormy patches. Taking the time to affirm a relationship and celebrate together creates a reservoir of happy memories, helping to preserve the relationship through any difficulties.
If the Sun can pause at the annual height of its powers, then we too can afford to take time to savour the moment. So many people never allow themselves to fully enjoy the achievement of their goals and aims. We have been warned not to ‘rest on your laurels’, not to appear to gloat or be self satisfied. But acknowledging and celebrating success is an integral part of the creative process. If you rush on without pausing to appreciate and celebrate what you have and have achieved you could be missing out.
Within every success, great or small, lie the seeds of future successes. It’s the most fertile bed where future aims and projects germinate. New projects which have their origin in the celebration of success are nourished from the start by this positive energy. Success builds on success.
Sunlight draws plants to grow up from the earth, to reach out and express their full potential amd beauty. The Sun in its splendour at this time of your is a reminder to claim your place in the world and let your light shine out. The quotation chosen by Nelson Mandela to include in his inaugural speech in 1994 has been quoted so often, but the theme fits perfectly with the Summer Solstice so it is well worth repeating again:
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are we not to be? …....... Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure
around you……
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission
to do the same.
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Alcemi Essences are a special range of certified organic tree flower essences - created to support you in choosing how you want to live your life, and living it to the full – through every season of the year!
Any time is good, but this is a particularly great time of year to develop your presence and claim nore fully your place in the world.
To buy any of the Alcemi Essences mentioned here, and for information about all the Alcemi Essences visit The Range.
For information about how to use and select Alcemi Essences visit: Choosing and Using
For more information about Alcemi Essences
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