Jenny Heston

It’s a Buck Moon Weekly Reading kinda day!

Happy, happy glorious Monday! Are you finally feeling that summer is here and the energy is shifting and changing? I certainly am! We have been having a heat wave here for the last 2 – 3 weeks, so it’s been tough to find a day under 38C, which I will be honest is not my forte. However, the routines have changed and it means up bright and early and take the hounds to somewhere where there is shade (in other words a forest) and a creek that I can then dip into with them. Whether it is just my feet, walking up the creek, splashing water on my face or sticking my head under water. Anything to cool down and set my day. How are you staying cool?

Did you work with the energy of the Full Buck Moon yesterday? Someone asked me what Buck Moon meant and why this moon was named that – it’s very simple, at this time, a buck’s antlers are in full growth mode. Another name for this moon is also the Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month. (I have been doing a rain dance daily, but alas to no avail!) This is also the moon with the energy of Aquarius, a lot of rebellion, modern, progressive energy and being sometimes rather blunt.

Don’t get me wrong, I love summer and the heat and the warmth, walking barefoot a good chunk of the time, the hazy sky over the mountains – but when it is too hot (as it has been) I have noticed people getting uber bitchy, short and plain old rude. Throw in Full Moon energy into the heat aspect and wow, we can all go a tad bat shit crazy. This is why daily I cool my feet, cool the back of my neck and drink a plethora of water – it helps to make me a little kinder and more gentler when I am playing scenes through my head of “grrrrrrrr”.

The cards we are using this week are The Sacred Rebel and the crystals that popped out to come play are:- Brecciated Jasper, Moonstone and Bloodstone. Oh yes and some glorious feathers I collected whilst walking in the water. I always pick up feathers and rocks wherever I go. So before you pick a card (or cards), take a moment to breathe, just take a glorious deep breath in and as you do – receive. Receive Divine energy and allow. Allow yourself to be filled up with light. Breathe, Receive and Allow.

Shall we go take a little look see?

PERFECTION OF YOUR LIFE

Have you ever seen a storm pictured from above? It can appear to be so beautiful and elegant. This Is certainly different to the ground view which can be quite a violent experience. So too, there is great beauty in your life now. However,at this point in the natural process, you may be experiencing it as anxiety-inducing rather than beautiful. You may sense it as internal chaos. You may feel it is something that is waiting to erupt from within, as a restlessness or an anxiety that you cannot quite articulate but sense vaguely nonetheless.

Whether the chaos seems subtle,strong, internal or external, this oracle brings the same message for you. All is unfolding according to a perfect higher order. You are currently enduring a cosmic, spiritual storm which is having an impact on you. It is clearing things out, ruffling feathers and preparing you for that lovely, super-fresh, uplifting feeling that one experiences after the storm has finally passed.

No matter what appears to be, in truth there is only the unfolding, creative genius of the universe. You are not forgotten. You have not been looked over. You have not been denied, found wanting or rejected as unworthy. Express whatever is needed, however is needed, this will call on the powerful perfection of your life path, as it aligns for the next creative turn of the spiral of life. Trust and directly experience the flower of life unfolding within you and around you.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL?

There are many opinions around you. Some are helpful but others are distracting you from your truth. Although it can be helpful to hear the thoughts of others, when it all comes down to it, you will have to come to your own decision. Do you know how unique you are? How your path is your path to be chosen, lived and created – only by you? Someone else cannot become the source of your decision-making power without negative repercussions for both of you in the long run.

This message comes to you because you have become swept up in thinking things through. You have been thinking about which way to go with a matter of importance and you have got a bit stuck in the logic of the decision making process. Sometimes we have to accept that any path is a path forward and if it is not the best path, we can change our approach later on if needed. We don’t have to be perfect.

Don’t traumatise or punish yourself with possible choices. Just making a choice will set things in motion. The best way to catalyse the situation you are in and bring about healing change, stimulate your creative juices and find a more inspired, energised and enjoyable approach to your life, is to just make a choice based on what you feel right now. Not based on anyone else’s feelings. So spend time with your own feelings and know that all is going to work out perfectly.

RECEIVING

You are so loved. Your every need is witnessed and responded to by the universe. However, you sometimes forget this. You become swept up in the momentum of habitual consciousness, and you forget to take a moment to stop, breathe and be. In that moment you can receive the love of the universe that is receiving you. It will nourish you with contentment and energy. You have not done this enough so your soul is parched and drying out.

Energy has been going out of you but there is not enough coming back in. It is time to bring something back in for you.

Do you know how much joy the universe gains from being able to give to you? When you delight in what you receive, when you openly embrace a gift and are so happy with it, the universe is fully received by you. In this space there is joyful communion between you and life, energy flows more freely and magic happens. You are a radiant sun in human clothing. An exquisite life experience is your birthright. Enjoy it! Soak it up. All of it. Including the restoration of sacred rest. Forget your worries for a while. Switch off. Do something else. Let it all go and it will all flow.

I soooooo love when the readings say pay attention. If we look we went from perceiving chaos, to how do you feel, to receiving and being willing to receive. So my delicious one. I wish you cool feet, a calm mind and playtime (as that is uber important). Remember to drink water, say no to stuff that doesn’t nourish you and slow down a tad and see the flowers, the four leaf clovers and the miracles that surround you. I also want to say thank you for all your lovely messages, emails and input – I love them! See you next week!

It’s Hawt!!! Weekly Reading June 26th.

Jenny Heston · 3:03 pm ·

Happy, happy uber hawt Monday! Did you have a delicious Solstice and a relaxing weekend? I hope so. The temperature here has decided to go into the mid 30’s C and so it’s hot, hot, hot! I put in a garden this Spring so I have been running around moving sprinklers, making sure everything is well watered and tended. I realised today that if I put the sprinkler where it needed to go, and looking at the location of the tap – I was going to get wet getting back to where I needed to be. Oh well, it had to happen, the new plants need water.

So I turned the tap on and the sprinkler burst into life, throwing water all over the place and as I made my way back I was most certainly getting sprayed! Then all of a sudden a memory came flooding up. A memory of when I was little and my friends Mum would put the sprinkler on for us on hot, hot days and we would squeal with delight as we ran through the spray in our swimsuits. Water spraying up into our faces and the grass getting slick under our feet and the pure abandonment and joy of just playing! So guess what I did? I ran through the frigging sprinkler and got absolutely drenched and cooled down and laughed my soxs off. I highly recommend it! I felt very refreshed, revitalised and had glorious fun.

Thus, with it being so hot I decided it would be fun to find a cool patch of grass and do the reading there, so that is exactly what I did and there are even little buttercups that came and joined us. The deck that jumped out to play this week was The Divine Circus, again. Interesting that it keeps wanting to come play. The crystals in use this week are:- Stilbite, Rose Quartz and Aragonite. Stilbite is great for expanding consciousness and organising the chaos of the mind, Rose Quartz is the loveeee crystal and Aragonite is most certainly an all chakra stone.

To help you get grounded and clear, there is a brief visualisation if you would like.

I invite you to take a few moments and just roll your shoulders up back and down, keep doing this whilst breathing deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. See in your heart space a glorious ball of light – breathe into it,what colour is it, how does it feel? With that knowing of connection and trust, pick the card or cards that call to you this week.

Let’s go take a look shall we?

THE JUGGLER

Many projects in the air, aspirations and inspirations everywhere. Action to take, commitments to make and yet another will soon join the fray! Say yes, do not delay. It will all work out in the perfect way.

You are capable of many things and you are too important an asset to the plan of love on this planet to be left idle. So life, the universe and your own creative urges will ask a lot of you. There will be many inspirations, ideas and dreams that you will yearn to bring to life in the world. You might wonder if it’s all a bit too much for any one person to handle. You might feel you are juggling so much already that if even one more demand or idea comes through, you’ll drop the balls already in the air, and the whole damn thing will come undone!

The Juggler is the master multi-tasker. He brings the skills wisdom and tricks you need to not only successfully bring to life all your current dreams and ideals, but to be open to even more flowing through you. If you feel overwhelmed, you are letting yourself get ahead of yourself, allowing your mind to move too far into the future. Bring it back to now, to just what can be done now. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Prioritise, what do you need to do most today, and what can be left until later? Remember to ask for help and remember that your individual success is actually part of the greater group success. The universe wants you to succeed. It will keep an eye on the pots on the boil whilst you stir the one that is bubbling over now. You are going to manage all that is going on in your life if you remember to stay present and relax, deal with what is immediately happening and not worry about any other distractions. You’ll not only handle all that’s currently going on, but when another opportunity heads your way, you’ll add it to the mix with grace!

SWEETHEART

You’ve know violence in your life; maybe on the outside, maybe on the inside with a mind that has tortured you with fear, shame, darkness and doubt. Enough of that now. It is time for a gentler way – less pain, more gain. No more torture. It’s your time for sweets and treats.

There is so much violence in the world, and in our own minds, that we can assume this is just the way of the world, that we have to accept it, deal with it, and thereby forget we have the right to question it and even change it, if we so choose. Even the most ambitious desires for healing the world start with us as individuals. We cannot bring more peace to the world if there is violence in our hearts. Regrets, shaming judgements, fear of not being good enough, uncertainty and constant pushing to become more, to do more, to have more, can become the energetic equivalent of beating ourselves up every day. This creates invisible bruises that never have time to heal because we don’t give ourselves the sweetness, kindness and compassion we need to break free from the abusive cycle.

This cycle you are coming to is sweeter, one that is more loving, one that promises new life. But you have to be willing to dispense with the violence, one step at a time. You deserve to give yourself a gentler life journey. Would you accept this for yourself? If there are abusive or toxic relationships in your life, then you’ll need to do some relationship overhauling. No matter how much the people involved may proclaim their love, if underneath it is unhealthy, if a relationship is holding you back rather than helping to lift you up, then reconsider its place in your life.

You can’t taste the sweetness that life wants to bring to you if you are crammed full of stuff you don’t need or want anymore. Create some space. Ready yourself for receiving life’s nectar and believe in the power of your new beginning. You are a true sweetheart of the universe. Let yourself be treated accordingly.

PRINCESS VICTORIOUS

You are being asked to be a big picture person for the moment. Sometimes immediate gratification has to give way for a grander scheme unfolding, which will ultimately lead you to far greater and more meaningful success. What seems to be a delay, obstacle, loss or even failure now is a twist in the plot of your life, necessary for your gracious destiny to unfold according to a higher plan.

It can be hard to keep faith when you’ve been defeated just one too many times. It is easy to make fear and doubt mean something they don’t; it’s usually something like being doomed to fail and so we might as well give up. However, fear and doubt are just symptoms of fatigue. They are signs that we are feeling battle weary when it comes to life. To overcome weariness and create happiness, you are being asked to temporarily surrender your need to win – just for now. Instead, you are guided to step back, regroup, replenish, be kind to yourself and know this: sometimes you have to be willing to lose the battle to win the war. That means being willing to go through things in the short term that might seem like failure without losing confidence, courage and trust that everything is going to go your way in the long term.

Know that you are strong and determined enough to bounce back and overcome difficult circumstances. You will be given the power to succeed at the right time and in the best way for all concerned. So give in to how your journey is unfolding – even if it seems like you are losing when you’d rather be winning – but don’t give up hope. Trust that the universe is strategic. It is helping you to succeed. If you need a sign to know that things are going to work out for the best, even if it seems like they are falling apart along the way, then this is it!

I will say this was an interesting reading to do. This deck when used in this fashion has brought up the Juggler and Sweetheart quite a few times. I don’t see that often, so someone who is reading this is getting a repeated message, which is cool! So gorgeous one, wishing you a stupendous week, there will be no reading on July 3rd as here in Canada it is a long weekend and if the weather holds it is time to go explore up a mountain with a tent, the dogs, the kids and go play in a lake! So I so look forward to seeing you on the 10th. Drink lots of water, remember to put your bare feet in the grass, surround yourself with people you love and that “get you” and laugh tons! Oh yes, and thank you for all the glorious emails and questions, I really appreciate them.

It’s Summer Solstice! – Weekly Reading June 21st

Jenny Heston · 3:48 pm ·

Happy happy Summer Solstice delicious one. I’m so glad and grateful you took the time to come visit! I love Summer Solstice as much as I love Winter Solstice, they are two incredible markers to show us where we are and how the seasons are moving with us. What the heck is Solstice and why bother celebrating it you may possibly ask – if you want to learn more about Solstice there is great information, ideas and suggestions here.

However, in a nutshell why celebrate it, or at least acknowledge it? Because holy hannah honey you are connected, connected to the seasons, the changes, to the planet you live on, to the people around you and even that frigging annoying bug who keeps trying to dash up your left nostril when you’re riding your bike! Let me ask – do you ever pay attention to the moon? Do you ever sit and watch the stars? When you encounter a kid that you knew years ago do you think – wow, they have grown? Have you ever sat next to the ocean and felt the pulse of the waves? Have you ever planted a seed and watched it push up through the ground and flourish into a gorgeous flower? Do you celebrate the first snowfall? These are all seasons, changes and part of life, which is exactly what Summer Solstice marks.

Stonehenge was built over 5,000 years ago and thousands of people to this present day go to celebrate the sun pouring in and hitting the heel stone. This isn’t new, it’s deep, it’s the bones of ancestors and ancestors that make up part of the planet that you walk upon. So let’s go play, celebrate the sun, celebrate the fire energy – burn anything away that no longer serves us and take a moment to put our feet on the earth, reach up to the sun and say YES! Yes, i can love my life, yes – I believe in miracles, yes – I can show up as bright and shiny as the sun. Whoot! (Virtual High 5 is happening). This morning I welcomed in the Solstice by hiking way up a mountain with my friend and our dogs and doing some yummy sun salutations on the top of a large mossy rock. It was fantabulous!

So I did this reading on our old, comfie picnic table. I did it there as this table has seen a myriad of experiences and has sat in the midst of my garden for years upon end. It’s old, it’s solid and it has witnessed births, deaths, friends sobbing, celebrations, egg painting, spiral walks in the snow, candles galore, planting, blossoming, reaping and connection. It has witnessed so much and so many moments of huge connection that it felt like an appropriate place to create this reading. The pieces that begged to come and play are two delicious pieces of Septarian and of course Selenite to amplify and purify. The reading this week is done in a circle, like the sun and is a mix of two different decks.

With no more ado, let’s crack on as this is a BIG reading (see, I forewarned you!) I invite you to stop for a moment, close your eyes down and breathe long and deep, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Just breathe, feel your feet on the ground and gently raise your hands together in prayer pose in front of your heart. Stay here for a moment and breathe into that space, release the impatience and the anxiety. Then gently raise your hands up above your head and open them out so your arms are reaching up and welcoming in the sun. Breathe. Circle them down and take your hands back to prayer position. Do this a few times whilst breathing long and deep and as you breathe, remind yourself “There are no time limitations to my spirit’s work, and therefore all that I do will come to fruition at exactly the right moment.” Then, when you’re ready open your eyes and pick the cards that resonate for you on this glorious Solstice.

Ready to go see?

SEEING THE TRUE YOU

Sometimes we believe what others tell us we are, as though the self we see reflected back to us through their eyes is truth. Yet the accuracy of a reflection depends on the clarity of that which is doing the reflecting! You have been putting rather too much faith in the reflections others have of you – to the point that you might not be honouring all that you are and all that you are becoming, because you believe too little of yourself.

There may be those around you that are able to reflect you more faithfully, and even help you see more of your own greatness and beauty. These are the souls blessed with inner stillness. In the clear waters of their ocean of consciousness, you can come to recognise yourself with clearer perception. However, there are those who have not tended to their own ocean, and are unable to be still enough to genuinely receive and reflect your light back to you. Thus it’s time for you to begin to develop the art of direct perception. This is the ability to recognise yourself with how you experience yourself and how your observe yourself (with compassion and kindness) from within. This is a step towards a radical empowerment that does not require perfection in order for you to recognise you are loveable and have much to offer. It is empowerment based on the acceptance of all that you are, working with your strengths, tending to your weaknesses and being loving, encouraging and nurturing of all that you perceive.

This is a breathtaking experience that opens you up to the creative energy that flows abundantly through all of life. You must be strong within your own self love and acceptance to be able to hold acceptance for all of life! You are being nudged into this preparation, for when you have the experience of truly beholding yourself, all judgement, fear and doubt will fall away and you will just know yourself to be sacred. Don’t get confused about who you are and your motives or actions based on what others are saying or how they are responding to you, step back. More often than not the reflections from others are more about the state of the reflector than what is being reflected. Let those external perceptions go. Can you just acknowledge yourself? Do so and be free!

SWEETHEART

RELEASING ALLEGIANCES

It is time to hold onto yourself and let go of another. Even if just for a time. You have gained all that was meant to be from that connection. At least for now. You have given and you have received. The need to let go does not deny the value of what has been acquired, it is more that the time has come for greater productivity, creativity, abundance and consciousness in your life. You have completed many cycles in the vibrational frequency of consciousness that you are now being asked to release. It is now time to expand into higher frequencies of experience that will bring enhanced love, empowerment and peace into your life. You will take the wisdom of what you have learned with you into something new – new connections, new relationships, new life experiences – at a higher turn of the spiral of life.

Trust that you can step into solitude for a time without being consumed by loneliness. It is time to reconnect with yourself. This is a time for self-love, for paying attention to yourself, for nurturing, holding and being with you. Back yourself! You must be there for yourself because you are doing well, you are on the right path and you are growing. Well done!

HER WICKED WAYS

You are meant to shine bright, to be a sun, even in the cold and dark depths of winter, bringing warmth to the world. Some don’t like the light. They want to freeze your enthusiasm, douse your creative fire and rain on your parade. Don’t let them! Shine your light with stubbornness and happiness. Defeat the Snow Queen and her wicked ways.

The Snow Queen depicted on this car has her wicked ways. She likes to test those that aren’t yet sure of their worth. She will try to freeze you with a glance that conveys criticism, judgement, ridicule. She’ll make you believe that you’ll be humiliated, that it’s inevitable you’ll fail and so it’s better that you just don’t try to begin with. She’ll plant seeds of doubt like a weed in your soul garden, and cause you to lose energy to mental anguish. You’ll find the way of your life more difficult than it needs to be if you don’t take heed of what is happening and use your power to stand up to her.

Whether she arises through a loved one who cannot support you, or a colleague who is envious of you and wants to see you fall, or the voice in your head that is afraid and is yet to really trust your heart to lead you. There is only one way to deal with her. You must stand up tall and true and reply “I am me! Save your soul-slaying, doubt-making for another day. If you stay anywhere near me, I’ll melt you with my creative fire and the warmth of my love. So be gone, it’s time for you to move on!!!!”

FOCUS ON THE LIGHT

A tremendous force of light is gathering around you. It is attracted to the purity of your intention to create from your heart. As your intention grows, so does the light. As the light grows, so does your intention. Magic wants to happen for you now! The synchronicity, perfect timing, opportunities and information that are needed will seem to be drawn right to your door. You may start to feel as if you cannot walk outside without stumbling into something helpful, wonderful and inspiring.

It is best to stay focused on your heart and intentions. Just allow all else to happen of its own accord, without making it mean anything too personal. Simply let it be the workings of the great light of love, flowing through a pure heart and touching the world. Even if the light that is drawn to you and flows through you has some dazzling effects, you don’t have to get caught up in it.

Don’t be distracted by other paths around you at this time as you are too close to succeeding on the one you are on now! Diluting your energies, in the pursuit of too much will slow down your success and the world needs your light to shine sooner rather than later! In time you may diversity and explore other ways to express yourself but for now, build what you are working on and know that success is coming swiftly.

THE JUGGLER

Many projects in the air; aspirations and inspirations everywhere. Action to take, commitments to make and yet another will soon join the fray! Say yes, do not delay. It will all work out in the perfect way.

EVERY JOURNEY STARTS WITH A SINGLE STEP

You are on a journey. Yes, it is an internal journey but there is also a physical expression of this journey that is going to become increasingly important to the fulfilment of your destiny in this lifetime. Your journey has started on the inside but its destination will be the physical expression of an internal healing. This journey will draw upon what you have learned and mastered over the course of your life – so much so, that you may feel as though your life experiences have prepared you just for this particular adventure.

You have all that you need within you. This is not a time to worry about what you are going to take with you. From within your heart, you will sense what needs to come along for the ride and what is best left behind you now. You may be surprised at exactly how much can be left behind without you feeling concerned or anxious. You will be able to travel far lighter than you ever imagined possible. To be best equipped for this journey, you will need a lightness of heart and the realisation that change can be an incredible blessing, even if what you are leaving behind is something you found secure, safe, familiar or comforting. Just as the butterfly leaves the chrysalis behind when it is time to spread its newly formed wings, so too are you ready to leave behind what once was and embrace what is more appropriate for you at this time.

The apparently small steps you are taking in an area of your life, important to you right now, are actually far more powerful and constructive than you realise. Sometimes we are gaining ground but the effect is not immediately obvious. This doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. It simply means that the effects of your actions are cumulative and soon they will begin to overflow into the physical world with a positive impact that my surprise you. Your inner and outer journeys are blessed with positive energy and all you need to do is keep going – one step at a time.

THE VELVET QUEEN

A rare prize is to be bestowed upon you. The universe is confirming that the most luscious dreams of your heart are being nurtured into manifestation. To this end, you shall be given a saving grace, an intervention if needs be. To be open to receive, surrender doubt in favour of unconditional trust. Through your trust and optimism, you make it easier for the universe to give you a most deserved gift. A rare prize is worth the effort to attain it. Your efforts will need to include loving discipline. Loving discipline is not about trying to bend the world according to your will but rather about readying yourself to align with the spirit of what you want to receive.

To receive, rather than attempt to take by force, requires strength, trust, spiritual intelligence and courage. It is easier to try and force things from a fearful place, but it is more effective and empowering to learn how to attract and receive through consciously chosen surrender. This allows the universe to do its best work for you! So it’s time to change your consciousness. Release issues around self-worth. Why should you not be empowered and assisted by the universe to create a life that fills you with joy and feels ‘just right’ for you? Of course you should, can will be! Release any lack of self-worth that would get in the way of your opening in complete trust to the universe.

Your most prized dream is within reach, through a combination of letting life unfold as it will and your own disciplined efforts. Don’t give up. You cannot make the fruit on the tree grow faster – that will happen according to the rhythm of life – but you can certainly do your part to be ready to climb the tree at the right moment to savour the sweetness of success!

So on this delicious Summer Solstice, I wish for you the ability to see how glorious and magnificent you are. You are like a gorgeous mini sun moving in this world and we most certainly need that! So take some time to put your feet on the earth, raise your arms to the sky and say to yourself “I AM, I AM!” (Oh yes and light a fire, or a candle or do something to acknowledge the day, the season and yourself.) Huge hugs and see you on Monday!

Summer Solstice, What it Means and 9 Steps to Engage with It.

Jenny Heston · 4:49 pm ·

What is Summer Solstice you ask and why the heck should I give it any attention? Mighty fine questions, so let’s go for a little explore. On a purely factual basis Summer Solstice (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) marks the longest day of the year and the shortest night, it’s the start of the the lazy hazy days of summer. Kids are normally on summer break, families scramble to go on a holiday or camp, and a lot of time is spent soaking up the sun whilst hanging at the beach, playing in the water or hosting a summer bar-b-que. Summer Solstice both ushers in the warmest season and also a gentle reminder that the days are going to get a bit shorter. Even though the days feel longer, more languid and relaxed there is an underlying freneticism of getting outside, celebrating the sun as much as possible, as it will soon be gone. This year Summer Solstice occurs on Tuesday June 20th at 9:24pm PST. So for quite a few of us it means Wednesday.

Okay, so we have the facts, but what does it all mean? Summer Solstice (also known as Litha) is all about abundance, growth, expansion. It’s the celebration of the Sun! Think about it, the farmer plants the seeds in the cool of the Spring in the wet ground and as the Summer Solstice approaches things have sprouted and are reaching up as if they are doing a glorious sun salutation. It’s a time to watch the ripening and fruiting of the plants around us and our ideas. This is a delicious inner fire/power celebration that acknowledges the abundance that grows from tiny seeds.

At Stonehenge, (which was built over 5,000 years ago) the heelstone marks the midsummer sunrise as seen from the centre of the stone circle. In ancient times, the Summer Solstice was a fire-festival of great importance when the burning of balefires ritually strengthened the sun. It was often marked with torchlight processions, by flaming tar barrels or by wheels bound with straw, which were set alight and rolled down steep hillsides. The Norse especially loved lengthy processions and would gather together their animals, families and lighted torches and parade through the countryside to the celebration site.

The use of fires, as well as providing magical aid to the sun, were also used to drive out evil and to bring fertility and prosperity to men, crops and herds. Blazing gorse or furze was carried around cattle to prevent disease and misfortune; while people would dance around the balefires or leap through the flames as a purifying or strengthening rite. The Celts would light balefires all over their lands from sunset the night before Midsummer until sunset the next day. Around these flames the festivities would take place.

In Cornwall up to the mid 18th century the number and appearance of fires seen from any given point was used as a form of divination and used to read the future.

So as we can see, this celebration has been around for years, upon years and has an intensity and a deliciousness about it. So now we have facts, the meaning – how does one celebrate it? There is no right or wrong way by any stretch. However, here are a few simple ideas that aren’t overly complex.

Move your body. Welcome the sun on this longest day with a couple of Sun Salutations. This is a simple Yoga flow that requires you just to be present and go as far as your body will allow you to go. If you are unclear as to what it looks like there are some great beginner versions on line and this will give you a glorious full body stretch (in a gentle way).

Make an altar. Pop some seashells, flowers, fruit and dried herbs on a plate, a tree stump inside or outside and voila, you have created an altar. It doesn’t have to be big, or front and centre in your living room if that makes people around you uncomfie. Your altar could be those cool rocks you picked up over the last year all gorgeously stacked on your kitchen counter.

Eat outdoors. Whether it is your packed lunch at a park, or a family dinner at the picnic table. Eat outside and breathe in the green, the sun, the connection. Look at the plants that are near you whether they are wild rampant buttercups, or a gorgeous rose whose scent wafts to you on the breeze. Realise everything is connected, people, planets, sun and most certainly you.

Take off your shoes. I’m not saying you have to go barefoot for the whole day, but at some point, take off your shoes, let your toes wiggle in the grass or the dirt and just BE for a few moments.

Get your hands dirty. Plant something and if you try to tell me that it is too late I will call bollocks. It’s a great time to pop in more spinach, brussel sprouts and a myriad of other things. So take a moment, grab a pack of seeds and as you pop them into a pot or the ground, set an intention.

Fire time. Have a bonfire, or a little fire, and if not a fire, light a candle. Celebrate the sun by reflecting the sun with fire.

Welcome the water. Get near water, whether it is sitting by a creek, a lake or having a dip in the pool. However, if you are living in a desert this could be a tad tricky, so in that case just pour some water into a little bowl and have it near your fire/candle.

Reset. This is a gorgeous time to use the energy of the Summer Solstice to burn away anything (and I mean anything) that no longer is who you are, or is serving your highest good. One year I had a photo of someone who had been incredibly toxic in my life, but still pulled the strings. So I took the photo, said a blessing, dug a hole and popped the photo in. I then lit a fire and felt tons better!

Community. Invite a friend or 15 to celebrate with you. This is a fun celebration and festival and a pivotal time in the year. Invite friends over and have a potluck, a fire, a delightful natter, play music and celebrate your connection with each other.

There you go. You have now celebrated the Summer Solstice. How did it feel?

Wishing you glorious fires, connection, abundance and most of all fun!

7 Steps To Reclaiming Your Joy

Jenny Heston · 5:30 pm ·

I have had quite a few people ask me over the last few months about Joy, Passion and where the heck it seems to have gone. Life on the outside looks really good, they aren’t struggling financially, there are wonderful people that love them, they are highly talented and all the rest – but it feels empty, grey, kinda bleak and as if something is missing. So what’s with Joy and why does it feel so elusive sometimes? Has someone drawn too heavily on the Joy bank and therefore there is none for you? NO. Let me assure you of that one. There is more than enough Joy to go around. I remember those times, Joy, Passion and Love of Life had seemed to vanish, in fact I am sure they had been flushed down the toilet. I was trapped in an abusive marriage, and when I walked away with wounds that were physical, emotional, mental and spiritual at some point I ended up taking care of a Mother who was the mirror image of my ex husband. Lucky me! But hey life happens, and we show up and we need to learn, grow, expand and I had two of the best teachers for that.

First let’s differentiate between Happiness and Joy, they are both emotions, however Happiness may be caused by luck, good fortune, or other person-centric pleasures. Joy is caused by elation at a moment in time. Joy may not always be about oneself but be about others’ contentment also.Joy is an emotion comprised of feelings of happiness, contentment, and harmony. It differs from general happiness in that it is not caused by a particular event but comes from within the individual. … Joy is a generalized feeling that comes from the person.

Well that’s all fine and good to get the ball park idea of the differences, but where the heck do I find it? I am going to say something that you may not like – Joy is an inside job. (Yes, I did say that). Seriously, Joy is not based on an externality, for example you get a new car, you don’t feel Joy, you feel happy. As you drive the car, relish and remember how you saved for what you wanted, feel the safety, revel in the heated leather seats – you start to feel Joy when you drive the car, not because of the car per se, but because of the experience. Does that make sense?

Okay, so let’s say you agree it’s an inside job. Now what? From my experience, the more you feel anything the more it becomes a default. So if you continually feel that the world is out of whack or that there is something wrong with you as you don’t feel Joy and Passion every moment of the day – guess what? That’s your default. So it is time to gently, and with massive compassion, deconstruct that default. So let’s go have a look at the 7 steps.

You Have a Choice. Make a choice to acknowledge those moments of Joy or happiness that occur. I mean seriously say – thank you, thank you, thank you. It could be a ladybug landing on your laptop keyboard, a hummingbird dive bombing you as you are too close to their nest. It could be someone giving you a beaming heart based smile as you pass them on the street. It could be finding a four leaf clover when you are outside having a cuppa tea. But if your head isn’t up, your eyes aren’t open and there isn’t a willingness to welcome and see those moments, then you won’t. I used to write notes that said Joy on them and would have them tucked everywhere, my wallet, in a pocket, in a book and I would give them to friends. A little reminder to remember to look for Joy not to expect it to come to me, but to look, say hello, welcome it in with an understanding that like a random encounter it could be gone very quickly.

The more I did this, the more I put my focus on looking for Joy, not with desperation and demand, but with a willingness to see it and invite it in for a party, or a cuppa tea.

Your Circumstances Don’t Define You. Some days are challenging, that is fact. Some people can be very unkind, absolutely twat like and it hurts. But these are transitory, honestly they are. You may be feeling confused, stuck, trapped or so overwhelmed you want to find a dark closet to hunker down in. But in the words of Marie Forleo – everything is figureoutable! What you are feeling today or what is happening today is not going to be what is happening tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now. It really isn’t. The pain slowly dulls, the arsehole leaves, you find a better job, you hang out with people who appreciate you instead of dragging you down. But note Point 1 – You have a choice. Do you remember Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh stories? He was always gloomy, especially when he lost his tail or someone took his bow. It’s okay to be gloomy for a bit – but please don’t hand over your life, your wellbeing, your power to someone else. Don’t let anyone or anything define you for longer than 3 days. I have a pair of knickers (panties for North Americans) that are huge! They cover all the way to the boobs and they sit in a large ziploc bag in a prominent area of my office and they are called The Big Girl Emergency Knicker kit. If needed unzip the bag, place big girl panties on, pull up and crack on.

You Are Not Alone! I know some days you may think to yourself – wow, I am all alone in the world. Honey bee, you really aren’t, it may feel like that and that can be very scary, but you are not alone. Sometimes we feel alone because we feel broken, or not good enough, or that things on the outside look so good, how can I talk about the pain, emptiness I am feeling? This is where I bring in the G word or the U word, don’t get hooked on the word though. God, Goddess, Universe, Divine is there, hanging out around you all the time. But you have to open up a conversation with her. How? Just start one as if you are meeting your friend at a coffee shop, share your woes, your dreams, your trepidation, your elation. Yes, it does mean you might look like you are talking to yourself (I do it verbally as I drive, walk in the woods, sit by the water). So what? This energy loves you to pieces! Think about if you had a best friend come over and you didn’t talk to her the whole time, kinda the same thing. Talk, say things, write things, share things with others, with yourself, with the Big U or whatever you want to call it. If you haven’t read Gabby Bernsteins book “The Universe has your back”, I highly suggest you do. If you dropped your defenses and armour and opened up you would find people galore who would happily sit and listen to you and your story, with no judgement and if you listened to their stories you would find that you are so not alone.

Silence is Golden, Duct tape is Silver. You are a complex, delightful and delicious being. But when was the last time you sat with yourself and instead of focusing on the negative self-talk, you listened. You asked a question and you just listened for the answer or the silence? Meditation is fabulous for this and puleaseeeeee – if you dare to say you are too busy to meditate I will have to come give you a stern talking to! You don’t need a special cushion in a special room with the right crystals, a candle and some elevator music playing in the background. You just have to be willing to drop into your belly to breathe and allow for however long you like the thoughts to flow by and not be attached to them.

It can happen in a long grocery line, whilst you are watching your kids hockey practice, in the massive traffic jam on the M4. One minute, that’s all you need. One minute. Just breathe, imagine yourself as a strong mountain and for one minute the thoughts that cross your mind are clouds. Just puffy clouds that move with the wind in front of your face. The more you take time to listen the more you hear. See Point 3 – You are never alone, but you need to allow space for the conversation.

Go Help Someone Else. When you are feeling meh, and a sigh escapes your lips instead of a “Whoot!” Go help someone else. Why? Because it gets you out of your own head and helping, service and doing something that benefits someone else makes you feel frigging awesome. (It probably makes the other person feel pretty darn good too). This could be anything from volunteering at a non-profit who helps others, buying a sandwich (or making a sandwich) for the homeless guy. Walking your elderly neighbor’s dog. Weeding a friend’s garden as they are overwhelmed and could do with some help. Anything. Life is better when it’s not all about you……

Forgive, Release and Move On. If your head and heart are filled with old, stale resentments, hurts, sore and raw trigger points where is the space for Joy? There isn’t any. It’s like receiving a gorgeous crystal chandelier that you have always wanted and opening up a stuffed, mouse ridden closet and cramming your gorgeous chandelier in there. (Are you getting the picture?) Personally I practice forgiveness daily. Forgiveness for myself and where I messed up, or was too sharp, unkind or thoughtless with someone. Forgiveness for others who have hurt me. Forgiveness for a situation that I may or may not have created. But seriously, I used to pack that crap like a steamer trunk behind me and there was no energy to look at the wonderful things that were right before me.

Gratitude is an Attitude! Take time every day, every day (did I say every day) to be grateful. I personally do it at night after I have done my Forgiveness practice and I go BIG! I write down or speak out loud all the wonderful people, places, things, events, flowers, birds – you name it, that I am grateful for that day and WHY. It doesn’t have to be a big thing to be a BIG thing. It could be someone popped a quarter in your parking meter, a wonderful friend (who knows you eat like a horse) swung by with a raspberry cupcake iced to the hilt. It could be your kid actually picked up their stinky soxs and put them – gulp – in the laundry basket! Or it could be your dog greeted you with tail spinning exuberance and unconditional love when you got home after a long, trying day.

To me Joy is in the day to day, there are always moments that I can tap into, mainly because I ensure that I am doing something that I know will provide the playground for that. An example is nature for me, if I am feeling wibbly wobbly and disconnected and out of sorts. I pull on my boots, grab the beasts and head up either into the woods or down to the water and breathe in the green, look for the flowers, pause at patches of clover to see if I can find a 4 leaf one (and I normally find a few a month) and then I frigging celebrate these gifts. Why? Because if I don’t, I don’t tap into that Joy that floods up through my toes and rushes through my body and makes my heart expand tenfold. When I make a choice to look for it daily, the world is a far kinder, loving, welcoming place. So delicious one, go out with your head held high, your heart open and a willingness to see, experience, smell and taste the gifts that have always been there, you might not have been willing to see them.

Joy is foundational to your well being. Joy is the fibre of your soul. Joy is ever present and waiting for you to look over, wink and say welcome!

Jenny Heston

jennyheston

Release Anxiety And Claim Your Power