HAPPY JUNETEENTH!!!

Namaste All,

Today is a special day, and the beginning of a wonderfully energetic weekend.   There are so many things going on this and it is all in alignment with everything that we are experiencing in the world.  So let’s take a look at everything and see how it will impact us and in turn how we can impact the world.

First of all, HAPPY JUNETEENTH!!!!

For those who are unfamiliar or are a little bit fuzzy.   Let me give a short history lesson.

According to the website www.JUNETEENTH.com, “it was on June 19th, 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had become official on January 1, 1863.  Slaves in this part of the United States were just getting the news that they were now free.   And it was as late as 1868 before some slaves became free in Texas.  Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is also a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future.”

Spiritually and metaphysically there was no coincidence that this occurred on June 19th.  Spiritually, the month of June brings laughter, joy, and excitement. A time where the energy integrates toward unity and compassion.  In numerology, the number 19 represents completion.  This number is made up of numbers 1 and 9. Number 1 signifies a beginning and 9 signifies an end, which makes number 19 a message that indicates you’re set for the next stage in life.

The formerly enslaved people were definitely embarking on a new phase in life.  A phase in which they had a greater opportunity for self-empowerment, self-determination and self-expression.

They decided whether they wanted to stay on the plantations as “hired help”, wanted to go to neighboring states in search of their long lost families or to travel to the northern states or to Canada for a whole new life.  Whatever they decided it took, strength, determination, a grounding in their own truth and a belief in their own ability to make a life for themselves.  And they did.   Some reconnected with their families or made the journey up north to start new lives.  And still others became landowners & business owners creating successful lives for themselves and generations after them. 

That is why Juneteenth is an important holiday to be celebrated.  It is a reminder of our history, our tenacity and our ability to overcome adversity. 

The summer solstice, which normally occurs on the 20th or 21st of June was also happening at that time.   Spiritually and metaphysically, the Summer solstice has so much meaning.  Not only for our ancestors but for all of us now.

Forever Conscious says, “The Summer Solstice is the highest point of energy for the year. We are bathed in the full power of the Sun and everything is illuminated.”  And Natalia Kuna says, “The summer solstice is a celebration of the return to light, and it so powerfully reminds us of the light within each of us and the full potential of our individuated as well as united light or Christ consciousness.”

Summer is the season of Yang energy (the masculine energy). It is the energy that drives us to do, build, create. It is expansive and passionate, bold and commanding.  It radiates, like the summer sun shining so fiercely and confidently this season.

We have already started harnessing the power of this solstice.  Whether it is as a group taking to the streets in protest.  Or using our voices to expose all of the injustices small and large or individually by having difficult conversations with the white people in our lives.   We have begun harnessing the Divine power of this sun.

The solstice is also time of reflection.  In particular, a reflection of your relationship with yourself.  It is a natural way to reconnect with life’s Divine plan and to feel a deep connection to all of life and the natural world.   Honor your unique journey as you walk on this earth plane and along your spiritual path. 

Have you done your self-reflection? What are you doing to empower yourself and ready yourself for the challenges we still face in this country?  Are you doing what our ancestors did when they left those plantations by staying grounded in Truth and exercising your faith.  Take this time to bathe in the powerful rays of the sun.  Allow it to illuminate the truth and reveal your strength and activate your voice. 

The solstice is a time of new beginnings Wyld Witchery says, “The Summer Solstice is aligned with the element of fire, passion, will & drive. This is the time to seek right action, to choose to walk in alignment with your beliefs.  Now is the time for you to look at the grander scope of your life and spiritual path and take note of what is out of alignment. What doesn’t serve you? What things do you tell yourself or others that are not in line with what you preach? What things do you do that do not serve your personal and spiritual growth?”

For it is when we remember that we are unique individuated expressions of Spirit instead of embracing victim mentality. Or when we stand tall and grounded in truth and the foundation of our ancestors instead of giving up because it seems hopeless or hard. Or when we speak up for ourselves instead of silencing our own voices against daily injustices.  Then, and only then will we become self-empowered and strong enough to empower our communities

As evidence by the landmark supreme court decision handed down this week, it is the civil rights legislation that we fought and died for that is still empowering other marginalized and minority groups in the country.

I know we have had a long, hard, violent history in this country.   But it has been a foundation in Truth, the love of our ancestors and our connection to Spirit that gotten us this far.  And it will be our activated faith our belief in the truth of who we are and our alignment with all there is that will allow us a greater opportunity for self-empowerment, self-determination and self-expression.

Today’s Affirmation Is:

“I Stand Up for Myself and My Community because I Matter.”

~ Rev. Drea