Divine Society

When I began asking Black women for their thoughts on the Summer Solstice for a piece I wrote as a contributor for the popular women’s publication, Women for the Culture, I was surprised by how many of us weren’t familiar with what this time represents.

The solstice belongs to everyone, but for many of us, it has never been framed as something worth observing. At its most basic level, the Summer Solstice occurs when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. As astrologer Joanna Martine Woolfolk explains in The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need, the word solstice comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).

For a brief moment, the sun appears to pause.

And perhaps that’s what struck me most. In a world that constantly asks Black women to move, produce, nurture, perform, and persevere, there is something beautiful about a moment dedicated to standing still long enough to acknowledge our own light.

There is something deeply symbolic about the sun appearing to stand still at its highest point. In a culture that often rewards Black women for self-sacrifice, constant labor, and endless accommodation, the solstice reminds us that there are moments when standing firm is the work. When no can mean no. When a boundary doesn’t require an explanation. When we can fully inhabit our own lives without shrinking to make others comfortable.

Sometimes reclaiming your light doesn’t look like doing more. Sometimes it looks like standing on the business you stand on. It can also mean saying, “I don’t want to do that right now, and I’m going outside.”

I challenge you today to let the little girl inside of you reclaim her light and, in true Maxine Waters fashion, reclaim the time this world has so often demanded from you.

Whether that means resting, playing, creating, singing, laughing, gathering with friends, or simply doing absolutely nothing at all, remember that your time belongs to you.

It’s yours to enjoy.

Do you have an event coming up and you’d like me to cover it? Send an email to sheba@mscreativeaf.com or learn more about me and my business at www.mscreativeaf.com