The solstice of summer is one of two solstices (the other being winter) and it is a day that has been acknowledged as far back as the most ancient civilizations. You may have questions such as when is the first day of summer 2018? On which day of the week does the summer solstice fall in 2018? All of these will be answered. First, we’ll take a look at some of the basics for Summer Solstice 2018 and answered what is a Solstice?
Solstice – Due to the axis of the Earth and its rotation around the sun, twice a year (once in each hemisphere) the sun appears to reach its highest point in the sky. The impact this has on our lives is that on this day each year, the hours of daylight are at their highest in comparison to the length of the night. Alternatively, the winter solstice marks the shortest amount of daylight, instead of reaching the longest nights.
So, what is a Solstice?
There is a lot of spiritual significance surrounding this day of the year and it is celebrated in a variety of ways. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the specifics surrounding the solstice this year. You’re perhaps wondering what exactly a solstice is. Well,
So this solstice marks the longest day of the year and is considered to be when summer starts. If we take a look at the northern hemisphere first, you may be asking yourself: “when is the summer solstice 2018?” Well, it takes place on Thursday 21st June in the Northern Hemisphere.
This is different from the lower half of the globe so when is summer solstice 2018 in the Southern Hemisphere? That would be on Friday 21st December and is, of course, the winter solstice up in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Ancients and the Solstice
Now that we know when the summer solstice 2018 is taking place, we delve a little further back through time to explore how the ancients acknowledged the 1st day of summer. For many ancient calendars, the solstice actually marked the beginning of the year rather than the middle.
It was a joyous celebration which cultures marked as a sign of fertility, the beginning of harvest and was actually the inspiration for many ancient buildings all around the world. We have to explore these ideas before we can fully grasp the spiritual significance of the solstices.
Ancient Egypt
You can’t get much further away from the summer solstice 2018 than by looking at those occurring in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians are of course known for their megalithic structures and incredible craftsmanship. The Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza have a number of astronomical interactions, one of which takes place during this solstice.
If you stand in front of the Sphinx, you’ll be able to watch as the sun sets between two of the three pyramids and forms a halo behind the head of the Sphinx. This is actually a depiction of the Ancient Egyptian story of creation but in reverse.
Staying in Egypt, another solstice interaction takes place at the Osirian (the name given to a temple which the stories claim was the final resting place of Osiris.
This mighty structure which is made up of massive stone blocks (some weighing many tons) is dated from anywhere between 6,000BCE-3,100BCE. During this solstice, the sun shines through a small gap in the nearby Libyan hills and hits a specific point of the Osirian’s architecture. Perhaps this plays a role in the location of the ancient site.
Stonehenge
When it comes to ancient astronomical clocks, there are few as well-known as Stonehenge. There is a lot of mystery surrounding this site and there seems to be little consensus on the function these gigantic stone blocks serve.
Yet one of the most compelling arguments relates to during this solstice where an individual standing in the very center of the structure can watch the alignment of the sun setting through the Heel stone. This may have been away for those who built it to mark the beginning of summer in order to organize crops and perhaps even celebrations.
Similar (although drastically smaller) structures have also been found in Egypt. One key example of this would be Nabta Playa which is dated to sometime around 4,900BC. This formation was used not only to mark the solstices but also very specific star alignments, which highlights the in-depth knowledge that the Ancient Egyptian’s had of the night’s sky.
The Spirituality of the Solstice
The summer solstice 2018 marks a moment of spiritual significance that has been celebrated further back than human history allows us to see. From Ancient Rome to Ancient China, we can see examples of cultures embracing the importance of this day, something that is still in practice to this day.
This solstice would often represent fertility (after all, most animals are born just before this time and all the flowers truly begin to blossom in summer) and as such, many cultures used female figures as representations.
For example, in Ancient Rome it was normal to pay homage to Vesta who was regarded as Goddess of the Hearth. This celebration was known as Vestalia and would start a few days before the solstice and represented the build up to it.
In Ancient China this solstice was regarded as a celebration of yin, a feminine force that exists throughout the world.
Spirituality for Summer Solstice 2018
Even today, there are still celebrations that take place all around the world to mark the start of the season. At Stonehenge, people gather to embrace the Pagan celebrations that once took place on that exact spot. To know more, just follow the link to get a free psychic reading.
From Angel Meditation to music festivals for the summer solstice 2018 will be taking place across the UK, US, Canada, Germany and more! People embrace this time and carry out solstice meditations in order to heal their mind, body or soul with the spiritual energy that is present.