In the northern hemisphere the earth is tilting closer and closer to the sun as we head for June 21st and the summer solstice, a day noted throughout history and across cultures and spiritual paths, as a time to connect with the Cosmos. But, hey, what does that mean? And, why should you pay attention to this day any more than any other on the calendar?

Perhaps you’ve noticed that summer is when crops grow in the fields, trees produce fruit and animals give birth to their young. Must be some reason for why that happens—some kind of cause and effect going on. We humans are a part of this cycle of life. We feel the pull of the seasons, the daily, monthly and yearly rotations of the earth, as well as the influences of the sun, moon and other cosmic occurrences. Contrary to what you may have been told at some time in your life, just because we humans have a bigger brain than most creatures and have established a dominance (or so we think) on this planet, you do feel these influences in every cell of your body and space in your psyche. You may not have developed the intuitive acuity yet to be consciously aware of these phenomena, but if you meditate, if you step out of the world of HiDef, 3G, 4G, E-Bay, E-Trade, Email and Eeeek I think I’m going mad… you just might tune in to your own internal frequency, that mysterious, elusive and essential part of you known as your soul.

So, where the heck is this soul of yours? Up in the clouds? In a church, synagogue, mosque or temple somewhere? Is it in a grove of trees? On a boat in the middle of the ocean? Take a deep breath. Listen to your heartbeat, the pulse in your neck as the life force courses through you. Go to a place of stillness, of being “outside” of the noise in your head. Open up and listen to the voice that is trying so desperately to be heard above the clamor of your striving, surviving, on-the-run, monkey mind. That voice of calm that comes from the center of your being, that doesn’t have an agenda about what your momma told you was good or bad, doesn’t care about the color of your skin, where you pray or who you pray to—that’s your connection to your soul. That’s your “soul voice.” When you make it a priority to listen to it on a consistent basis, your soul voice will guide you like a north-pointing compass, through this blip of a life, fostering in you wisdom, courage and abundant joy.

Be selfish for your self and for your soul–grab all the gusto you can in this coming week before the Summer Solstice, when the solar energy is at its height. Do a little more yoga, mediate in the early morning, in the middle of the day and before you go to sleep at night. Find a way to serve those in need. Hug more, cry a little, allow yourself be vulnerable, be a light in the dark and, most of all, nurture and cherish your own outrageously beautiful, magnificent soul!

May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you
and the pure light within you guide your way on.

Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga, shares how to control the mind
through meditation and communicate with your soul.

Light of the Soul: A soul-full song that will uplift and inspire you. Sit down, close your eyes, go within and sing for three minutes. Affirm the beauty, bounty and bliss inside you. Artist: Bibi Bhani Kaur. Produced by Invincible Music.

previous posts: The Summer Vacation that Wasn’t: How My Heart Cracked Open on a Hillside in Elk County, CA in 1972 and From Hippie Chick to Kundalini Yogini

coming soon: Rock-Hard Cake & Folding Chairs: Our Wedding Day and the Hippies, Straights & Yogis who Loved Us Through It

interview with the author: Life, Light and Kundalini Yoga with Hari Bhajan Khalsa