SOLSTICE SERENITY: A Meditative Art Journey

The Summer Solstice this year is June 21. Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted closer to the sun than at any other day of the year, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year.

Nature is in full force now. Flowers abound, baby birds and animals are growing by leaps and bounds, fruits and vegetables are ripening, and thunderstorms quench the heat. Since northern winters are so cold and dark, the summer solstice, also known as Mid-Summer, has been a significant celebration for millennia (evidence shows that in the Middle East it became known 11,000 years ago). All over Europe it was, and still is, celebrated with festivals and bonfires to honor the life-giving sun, and to encourage it to provide healthy and abundant crops.

We have spent the Spring reawakening after a cold dark winter, and the Summer Solstice is a time for us to celebrate Nature’s warm bright light, vivid colors, abundance and exuberance. We take this time to rest and relax, and take vacations with a joyous outlook. It’s a time for us to nourish our own growth.

We will gather to celebrate this special time of transformation and inspiration on Friday, June 21, at the beautiful West Springfield Public Library. Nature helps us in many significant ways and in this Solstice Journey we explore some of the ways we humans are inspired by this lush and bountiful season.

You also have the option to join us online.

Dori Dittmer, Artist-Healer and Psychosynthesis Life Coach, will guide you through a journey of deep breathing and muscle relaxation, followed by a solstice meditation. This experience offers inspiration for you to respond creatively with a drawing, a poem or even a dance. No experience is needed, just bring your open heart and curiosity!

(While this event is free, a small donation for the Library is appreciated.)

Host or Publisher Dori Dittmer MA, PLC; Oasis in the Storm