“May my mind be illumined, not with thought, but with spiritual lusture & splendor."
Ayānanta | Solstice
The word solstice literally means, “sun stands still”. In sanskrit this day is called “ayānanta” which means ‘what stops circulating’ or the ‘end of a direction’. This is when one half of the year ends, and the next prepares to begin. It is a sacred pause in nature. Time stands still. A day like this is a transition point… time stops before shifting gears, between darkening and brightening and a pause between north and south. In this sacred pause, we are coaxed inward toward inner illumination.
*Depending on your Hemisphere it will either be the shortest & darkest day of the year, or the longest and most illuminated. It is either the start of Uttarāyana {the northern leaning path of the sun} or Dakshināyana {the southern leaning path}
No matter the hemisphere, the solstice time is a time to reflect on illumination – inner and outer. It is a time to reflect on dharma, purpose, pathway. It is a call to attune to the rhythms of nature, the song of the cosmos.
It is an opportunity for sacred pause, for delight in the wonder of the rhythms of nature, the wonder of the sun, and the wonder that is the inner radiance, the tejas within.
Today you can…
- Spend time in nature
- Contemplate your purpose, responsibilities & spiritual journey
- Live the day with your ideal routines
- Light a candle or ghee lamp in honor of the great luminary
- Take a sacred pause from starting any new worldly endeavor
*Video clipped from Kaya’s Supreme Release Yoga series on Tejas: Revealing the Radiance Within
Sūrya Deva, the Sun
Sūrya Deva – the sun – is the outer source of luminosity, the keeper of time, the form of fire that rules the day, the seasons, and the rhythms of life. The sun is predictable and is fully dedicated to its role.
In Jyotiṣa, the Sun is linked to the “soul” or what I call the journey of the jīva – the jīva is the one with its own momentum of karma, the being who travels from day to day, from season to season, and from life to life in its spiritual journey toward awakening.
Dharma & Action
We look at the sun in your horoscope to see what you as a jiva, or soul, are compelled to do and be in this present life.
The sun is connected to your sva-dharma {your individual purpose} and to sāmānya dharma {universal principles of cosmic order}.
It is the sun that we look to in order to understand what is to be done at different times of the day {when to wake, when to sleep, when to plant, when to harvest, and when and what to eat}.
The sun is connected to ACTION. For it is during the day that we do activity. The sun supports us by guiding what to do and when and illuminating our actions in the form of insight.
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